Cold Tofu in Mild Sauce. Totally there are 6 appetizers. 4 photos
are posted here. These 6 appetizers are all of very high quality and are
tasty. We are impressed in the very beginning of our meal tonight.
Green Cucumber w/ Mustard Sesame Dressing
Eggplant Ecstasy w/ Homemade Sauce & Crispy Pork Jerky Crumbs
Dried Jelly Fish w/ Shredded Zucchini in Vinegar & Mild Chili Pepper Sauce
Sichuan Beef is yummy, a bit spicy, tender and not tough.
Celestial
Rolls are stuffed with ham, mushroom and squab. It is displayed on an
eye-catching wooden big plate. The flavor is new and refreshing. It is
(a little bit) oily. In our mind, in such pricing, deep-fried stuff should not be oily. It is mainly a matter of cooking skill.
'Soup of Tofu Dice, Fish Maw, Shanghai Greens' is delicious and not watery. We all love this soup.
'Spareribs
Braised in Plum Sauce & Soy Sauce' is similar in appearance to Dong
Po Pork. We are a bit disappointed as the pork is not soft enough. The
taste is not impressive. No matter how presentative it is and how
beautiful the plate is , what we enjoy is the food. After this dish, we deduce that the chef
is not talented but trained and should be very interested in cooking,
particularly Chinese food.
Thanks to the tasty soy sauce, this 'Steamed Garoupa w/ Glassy Noodle'
is a tasty one. The garoupa is a fresh fish, but should be a farmed
one, mainly because of the losen meat texture.
Drunken Chicken is displayed in an exaggerated long plate, with a
small bowl of dipping sauce. Though the chicken is said to be fresh, the
meat is not bouncy enough. Overall is average only.
All dishes are in a presentable manner. There is no exception for this
Fried Rice (fried with Chinese Chickpeas and mushroom). Each piece of
rice is dry enough. It seems that chicken broth has not been added.
Strawberry
Puree w/ Basil Seeds topped w/ Bird's Nest is quite impressive. Apart
from its presentation and red, we have selected ones with generous
portion of bird's nest . It is quite interesting that appetizers and
dessert are more outstanding in quality than the main dishes (which are average in taste and quality).
Gong Guan
公館
12F 279 Des Voeux Road Central, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong. (1 minute walk from MTR Sheung Wan Station Exit B)
香港上環德輔道中279號豐和大廈12樓
Tel: 25779789
Opening Hours: 1930-2230 Daily
Style: Shanghainese, fusion Chinese, speakeasy
Average spending: $350
Date: July 2009
Website: www.gong-guan.com
Remarks:
1) Booking is needed.
2) Minimum number of diners is eight.
Gong
Guan, a subway station in Taipei , is the first thing coming to my
mind. We are eager to have a try in a speakeasy of Shanghai and fusion
Chinese cuisines. It is an adventure to dine in Gong Guan as we do not
know the exact dishes we eat, and no one of us has dined here before.
At
first, six appetizers are served and all are very tasty. It is in fact a
very good start. Though the portion of each appetizer is not too large,
it is already enough for us to warm up for our meal. Soup and seven
dishes follow.
All dishes are displayed in an alluring manner and it surely would
enhance the appetite of each diner. A pity is that we have not got any
surprise from these dishes, not because it is not tasty, but because it
should be much better in our expectation and in view of the average spending. We deeply believe
and unanimously comment that the dishes are not outstanding and they
are of average quality only. At last, the strawberry dessert is
impressive at any rate.
It
is quite interesting that the main dishes in a restaurant (no matter
whether it is restaurant or speakeasy) are of average quality only, but
the appetizers and dessert are palatable and superb. We think that the
chef is not talented. But we would not query
his devotion and enthusiasm in food cooking. To be frank, ambiance
(service and decoration) is very good. It is surely a comfortable place
for small group gathering. But for average spending of $350, there
should be a lot of much better choices .
Service: 4/5
Price: 3/5
Food: 3.5/5
Environment: 4/5
Variety: 3.5/5
Hygiene: 4/5
Overall: 3.5/5
