Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Hk Food Review: Gonpachi@ Lee Gardens CWB


Gonpachi has opened for several months now but I didn't bother to go try it out as I wasn't very smitten with the Tokyo main store several years back. I went to Gonpachi Tokyo twice and both times I was highly disappointed.

However, spoiling for a quick lunch in CWB on sat peak lunch hour with no prior reservations, I decided to give Gonpachi Hk a go since we were just in Lee Garden anyway. The fact that it's pricey made it a safer bet than cheap lunch prices which is bound to be packed.



There is a lunch set menu, and it isn't all skewers. Amen. I settled for a tempura don set while my man settled for the 6 skewers set. Both set are priced around Hk 250 plus /minus, before service charges etc.




The servings are a nice large size actually, complete with miso soup and 2 mini starters. My tempura don was ok. Marginally above average and not too sweet with sauce.  My man's skewer set actually is more yummy than mine. There's the standard minced chicken stick, beef stick, green pepper stick, bacon wrapped round asparagus stick, mushroom stick etc, though I wasn't too wild abt the green pepper sticks. it was actually quite good!

We both ordered extra drinks, him the ice cold yuzu lime and me the yuzu honey warm. It was quite unnecessary really since the tea was sufficient but oh well, wanted to drink something else. The drinks are ok, not spectacular.

Oh, I ordered a snow crab croquette as well and it came in 3 pieces. The servicing size was perfect and the crispy skin was very thin and light without being greasy. While the filling is indeed packed with nice mouthful of crab, can't help but feel its a little too creamy for my liking. The cream they mixed with the crab meat is also too sweet, which is at odd with savory crab meat. So as a croquette lover and critic, this isn't my fav and while it doesn't fall flat and has it merits, it isn't the best in town unless they can improve on the flavor to make it less sweet and a little more liberal with sea salt seasoning for the filling. ( and I'm someone who doesn't like excessive salty dishes)

The food is nice but I take issue with the short chairs. No kidding, it's one of the most odd chair to table height ratio I have experienced and so I had to request the staff to pass me the zabuton or the red cushion to prop up the chair height.  I'm not short, averaging 1.65m and if I think the chair is too low for a comfortable meal experience and proper digestion, I don't know how other shorter HK ladies cope?  My man on the other hand HATES the non stop drumming "music" noise that they play. So instead of a nice relaxing dining place, it sounds more like a charging field with occasional quiet or soft music interlude. Weird choice of music if u ask me but no one did.

The place is often relatively empty at early dinner and lunch. I am assuming the pricing may have something to do with it. Then again, the Viet restaurant An Nam next door is just as pricey but it's always fully book....hmmm...

After the meal, we were given several hk20 coupons to be deducted off next meal. Supposedly accumulative is fine. Would I be back, yes, but not often due to the non justifiable price.

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