Restaurant review: Darcy & Liz, Wan Chai – quaint neighbourhood restaurant
New addition to Wan Chai’s trendy Sun, Moon and Star street neighbourhood offers European cuisine in a charming package, but some dishes can be hit and miss
Cuisine: primarily European.
Price: about HK$300 without drinks or the service charge.
Ambience: it was almost full on a weeknight visit, but tables aren’t too close together. The decor is quite basic.
Pros: the servers were friendly and accommodating. It’s a comfortable, very neighbourhood-ey little restaurant.
Cons: tuna tartare with avocado (HK$138) tasted bland until we poured on the light sesame dressing, and the “crispy puff rice” that came with it was more soggy than crispy. Iberico pork pluma (HK$288) was overcooked, dry and tough. We liked the pavlova (HK$68) – but they should rename it because it wasn’t really a pavlova. Instead of having layers of meringue, this was made with hard biscuits that had been topped with berry-flavoured whipped cream and plenty of berries.
Recommended dishes: fig and foie gras terrine (HK$138) was excellent. The foie gras was smooth, and the layer of fig added a subtle crunch. In the duo of dumplings (HK$148), the pork ones were similar to Korean mandoo and the filling was too dense. We liked the vegetable and mushroom ones much more; they reminded us of pierogi and came with sour cream. Rib-eye steak (HK$268), cooked to a perfect medium rare, came with a well flavoured foie gras sauce.
What else? On Monday nights, the restaurant has a “buy one, get one free” promotion on the main courses.
Darcy & Liz
Shop A, New Sun House, 6-7 Sun Street, Wan Chai
Tel: 2488 0926
Open: 11am-11pm