Restaurant Reviews: Thai Cuisine and Indian Cuisine in HK

Since I am eating out quite a lot at the moment I have decided to do some restaurant reviews. I was told by some ex-pats that most other cuisines are pretty damn good here in HK. So this week I decided to try some other options. The criteria I am using for my verdicts is a score out of 5 for the food and a score out of 5 for the service. I shall also reserve the right to deduct points for nasty loos, poor ambience or for water issues [NB. In HK tap water is available but it is actually advisable not to have this. Most people boil water at home before drinking. So it is best to go for bottled options when you are out. In some places they serve hot water/green tea. However sometimes green tea is not great as it contains caffeine and tends to keep me up at night..] The final verdict is really about being happy at the end of the whole experience of dining out!

Restaurant No. 1: THAI BASIL {Modern Thai}

Location: In a posh air conditioned mall called Pacific 1 in HK

First impressions were good in that we were seated immediately and it was already quite busy [soon after we sat down a queue began to form at the door!]. The decor was lovely and understated but stylish. The menu was exciting with lots of firm favourites on offer. We decided to go for 4 dishes to share starting with a Green Papaya salad with seared tuna.

This was really good and there was a nice background chilli heat through the sweet and sour dressing but no sign of any actual chillies. The tuna was fresh, the beans and papaya were crunchy but it was missing peanuts. Then we had sauteed morning glory [Thai greens] with dried shrimps and garlic which took me straight back to Thailand - very authentic! Then we had Green Chicken Curry with Thai Aubergines, Okra and Potatoes which unfortunately had overcooked chicken and undercooked potatoes - not great. Finally Whole Fish baked in Banana leaves with a lemongrass paste and sweet chilli and lime dressing which was my best dish as it was fresh, very spicy and delicious. Full marks for that one!

Fresh Vibrant tasty dish

This curry was tasty but let down by under done raw potatoes

This was amazing with lots of lemongrass in the paste covering the fish with a sweet chilli lime dressing



Verdict: 4/5 for the food, 3/5 for service

The service was okay but they brought us one dish at a time! They forgot to give us any spoons to serve the food with and they forgot our drinks order! The staff were all a bit flustered with the lunch time rush and there were too many different people taking our orders and enquiries and not communicating with each other. So total count 7/10 : Would I go back ? No - it was okay but not spectacular

Restaurant No. 2: GURU {Indian Cuisine}

Location: Elgin Street, Soho, HK

I'm very fussy about going out for an Indian. I can cook curries with my eyes closed when I am at home and I am very critical of restaurant standards. On this occasion I was craving a curry and as I have no means to make this in our tiny studio apartment I decided to go online and find somewhere close by. I must say I was more than pleasantly surprised, in fact I was blown away!

I was impressed with the non-garish interior and the fact that other brown people were dining there with families [which is always a good sign].

The table was dressed with stylish cutlery and the service was prompt, attentive but non-intrusive. The ladies was functional but clean and well stocked [I hear the mens loos were aweful - oh well!]. It steadily got busier as the night wore on but we were never neglected.

So onto the food... First we got complimentary poppadoms sprinkled with onions and chillies served with a spicy mint dip which was very good. Then we had a mixed Tandoori grill with chicken, fish, lamb and shish kebabs. This was fantastic and every morsel was tender and juicy although we we had to fight over the single king prawn! 

Sizzling mound of mized Tandoori Grill

Then we had Lamb Rack Kashmiri which was incredible. The masala was divine - spicy, thick and more-ish but not too chilli hot. There was bags of flavour in the meat which was very tender [marinaded in green papaya to tenderise them I believe] - I wanted more!

The final side dish was sauteed fresh spinach and this was really tasty. It was so good that it prompted me to offer the chef a drink and to ask for the recipe!

Verdict: 5/5 for food, 4.5/5 for service

Great food - everything was delicious. I would definitely go back to try other things on the menu. We were offered tap/bottled water. They have a reasonably priced wine list. The service was polite and attentive without being too intrusive or impatient. We were not hurried and I enjoyed the whole experience. I've deducted 1/2 a point for the mens loo and the fact I still haven't got that recipe for spinach yet! Nit picking really.. It was a really good restaurant experience for once! Delightful! So total : 9.5/10