Bar review: Assembly is pleasant, but muddled
Assembly calls itself many things, including a gastropub and a purveyor of "global tapas". But it is really just a bar. It serves perfectly fine cocktails and very good food, and it's notably classier and more modern than its neighbours on Knutsford Terrace.
G/F-1/F, Mira Cube, 6 Knutsford Terrace, Tsim Sha Tsui
Tel: 2723 6588
Assembly calls itself many things, including a gastropub and a purveyor of "global tapas". But it is really just a bar. It serves perfectly fine cocktails and very good food, and it's notably classier and more modern than its neighbours on Knutsford Terrace. But it's still just a bar. The retro-urban decor, the glam rock coming through the speakers, and the concept cocktails are fine in isolation, but add up to a bar that doesn't know what it is. The result is pleasant, but muddled and aimless.
the best drink of the night was easily the Breakfast Club (HK$85), a mix of gin, lemon juice, egg white, simple syrup and raspberries. It was satisfying, with a nice, tart kick, fresh flavours from the berries, and a substantial, thick texture. The worst drink was the Porn Star (HK$98): vanilla vodka, vanilla syrup, and passion fruit served with a shot of prosecco on the side. It was overpriced, and, even with the prosecco, cloyingly sweet. The other cocktails, a Blood and Sand (HK$85) and an Old Fashioned (HK$110), were workmanlike and monotonous, but still quite drinkable.
aside from the steep prices, there is nothing wrong with Assembly. It is a welcome bit of class in chaotic Knutsford Terrace. But an opportunity has been missed to do something special and different to the usual generic bars that proliferate in Tsim Sha Tsui.
