1/F, Hotel de Edge by Rhombus, 94-95 Connaught Road West, Sheung Wan Tel: 3559 9971 Open: 11.30am-2.30pm, 6pm-11pm Cuisine: European
Price: about HK$280 without drinks and the service charge.
Ambience: the long rectangular dining room has a bar towards the front, fitted with a flat-screen television with the sound turned off. The lack of windows adds to the lounge-bar feel. We sit at the back, opposite the semi-open kitchen.
Pros: the menu is small but appealing. Along with three salads, four pastas, four main courses and five desserts on the a la carte menu, there is a 'summer set' with a choice of appetiser, main course and dessert for HK$268. Canadian chef Robert Lockwood uses molecular techniques such as 'olive oil powder' in a salad and foams as sauces - and happily explains certain ingredients and asks for feedback.
Cons: the 'two way tuna' salad (HK$78) with tuna confit and thin raw slices (described as lightly seared on the menu, but the chef conceded that he deviated from the script that evening) was on the bland side. The 'olive oil powder' garnish added a curious bacon flavour to the mix, while the baby potato wedges and arugula could have used more seasoning and vinaigrette. My Pacific cod (HK$183) with spring peas and asparagus in a soupy potato nage was nicely portioned and the fish was fresh and pan-seared to perfection but, again, the flavour was unexciting.
Recommended dishes: my guest fared well in choosing the set meal. His pulled pork mini burgers were delicious - the tender pork was bathed in a sweet, slightly spicy barbeque sauce - although rather heavy for an appetiser. The main course of seared scallop with chorizo risotto was also enjoyable. The al dente risotto with morsels of fresh chorizo had just the right amount of liquid to meld the flavours, and complemented the juicy scallops. The apple crumble was a tad dry, but the bacon ice cream helped. My chocolate bar (HK$68) was thick, dark and not too sweet; the layer of caramel and sea salt dusting on top gave the dessert extra character.