Restaurant review: Soi 7 - fresh spin on Thai classics

The greeting from the waitress in the bar area of Soi 7 wasn't the friendliest I've ever received, but once I'd walked up the stairs to the restaurant, the service was all smiles. The staff were friendly, welcoming and patient, even with the large and very noisy group sitting near us. For another table, the waiter and waitress would occasionally carry around a toddler so his mother could eat in peace.

Our favourite starter was the Thai-style sun-dried pork (HK$98). We thought the meat would be jerky-like; instead, it was succulent. Steamed spiced Australian wagyu beef dumplings in spicy Thai sauce (HK$108) were plump and well-filled, with a good flavour. Sliced banana flower salad with chicken (HK$125) was crunchy and light.

Less successful were the Asian beef salad (HK$138), which, despite the tender meat, was forgettable, and the satay chicken (HK$118) which had dry, flavourless white meat.

From the mains, the big surprise was the pad thai with whole Boston lobster (HK$298) which sounded like a gimmick. It was a dramatic presentation: a seemingly whole lobster (we discovered the meat had been taken out of the shell) was laid on top of the dish, almost completely covering the noodles beneath. The flavours were classic pad thai, with all the traditional seasonings of sugar, dried chilli, peanuts and fresh lime, but was made luxurious from the chunks of sweet lobster.