If you think that dining experience at 5-star hotels are always 5-star, wrong!
I’m a health club member of Island Shangri-la and I swim there almost everyday. I receive some dining coupons recently and thought I should take my friends there because the poolside restaurant environment is really nice. Unfortunately that was the only strength they had. Food and services had no way to impress.
The table I booked was completely empty when we arrived. They offered us another table which had only two settings while I booked for four. We had to wait for 30 minutes to have the table fully set.
The food was unreasonably expensive, comparing to their quality. The $240 sea bass was next to rotten. I assume any professional chef should be able to tell that fish was not fresh enough to be served on any dining table. Pomelo salad, Phad Thai, chicken, spring rolls were just so so. The wanton in Tom Yam soup was not bad but $155 for only 6 wantons was just too expensive.
They didn’t re-fill water though the four of us were completely dry. They also didn’t remove/replace used/empty dishes. Our table was such a mess. Any high street fast food shop in Hong Kong could provide better services. In fact we were the only group of guests that evening, apart from the single gentlemen who enjoyed his cigar more than food. What are the excuses for poor services and poor food?
Pomelo Salad ($180)
I’m a health club member of Island Shangri-la and I swim there almost everyday. I receive some dining coupons recently and thought I should take my friends there because the poolside restaurant environment is really nice. Unfortunately that was the only strength they had. Food and services had no way to impress.
The table I booked was completely empty when we arrived. They offered us another table which had only two settings while I booked for four. We had to wait for 30 minutes to have the table fully set.
The food was unreasonably expensive, comparing to their quality. The $240 sea bass was next to rotten. I assume any professional chef should be able to tell that fish was not fresh enough to be served on any dining table. Pomelo salad, Phad Thai, chicken, spring rolls were just so so. The wanton in Tom Yam soup was not bad but $155 for only 6 wantons was just too expensive.
They didn’t re-fill water though the four of us were completely dry. They also didn’t remove/replace used/empty dishes. Our table was such a mess. Any high street fast food shop in Hong Kong could provide better services. In fact we were the only group of guests that evening, apart from the single gentlemen who enjoyed his cigar more than food. What are the excuses for poor services and poor food?
Any Thai restaurant in Hong Kong can produce something more delicious than this.
The strong sauce couldn't hide the unfreshness of the fish!
I gave it a 'marginal pass'. One of my guests who was Thai Chinese didn't agree with me. She graded it 'failed'.
Perhaps this was the only strength of the restaurant. We oversaw the pool and the Bank of China while eating. As the restaurant was almost empty, I was free to borrow another table to take this photo. As the table we ate was in such a mess.
Waterside Terrace
8/F Island Shangri-La, Hong Kong
Hong Kong Food Blog - Poor Hotel Food
3 comments:
Sorry to hear that! Shangri-la has never disappointed me previously when it comes to food and/or service, but then I've never tried the Poolside Bar (and never had a reason to).
I've frequented Cafe Too/Kool, Nadaman, Angelini and Petrus from both Island and Kowloon Shangri-la and always left with at the very least a satisfactory, if not a pleasant and surprisingly good experience.
Lucky you. In fact this is the second restaurant in Island Shangri-La which upset me. I don't see Summer Palace on your list. I've another post in this blog about their poor service.
Wow, so that is what $155 wonton looks like.. For almost $26 per wonton. You can get a better bowl at Mak Un Kee for the price of one wonton!
Post a Comment