Amid the slums of Lan Kwai Fong, there is at least one rose. 

It is a steakhouse, named Dakota Prime. 

TARGET (泰達財經) does not appreciate the area of Central Hongkong, known as Lan Kwai Fong, and, the appearance of the many number of policemen, roaming the 3 square blocks that represent this slum, where lechers seem to be as plentiful as the cockroaches that inhabit it, seems to concur with this medium’s opinion.

Dakota Prime has been open for about one year and is located on the 7^th Floor of LKF Tower.

In order to locate LKF Tower, one has to cut one’s way through a dense ‘fog’ of tobacco smoke and dodge the many European drunks as well as a plethora prostitutes that await the coming of the next john.

Dakota Prime is an 80-seater, stand-alone restaurant; it does not have a European cook, but whoever is in the kitchen appears to know his onions, to be sure.

On Thursday, December 17, 2009, TARGET’s team showed up at this eatery at about 7:30 pm.

This medium was one of the first customers of the evening for this restaurant.

On scanning the wine list, it was obvious that whoever determined what wines to be included on the list was a nit of the first order.

Also, the prices of many of the wines were right through the roof – they were outrageous, by and large, some bottles of wine, costing more than $HK15,000.

The restaurant employs no sommelier and nobody seems to care whether or not one is happy with any aspect of the wine list, with one young man, dressed as though he had been employed as a waiter, asking: ‘You want wine?’

Upon hearing a negative response, he sauntered off somewhere with not so much as a grunt – which, at least, would have been in keeping with his mien.

With regard to the service at Dakota Prime, it is, without question, sadly lacking – and, for a great deal of the time that TARGET was present, the service staff was few and far between.

From time to time, one could not help but hear one waiter, barking an order to another one, obviously irritated over something.

Flitting just about everywhere was Ms Irene Wong, the Assistant Manager, a middle-aged, Chinese lady who appeared to be doing the work of half a dozen waiters.

‘Fold the coat, carefully!’ she instructed one waiter who appeared not to know what to do with the lady’s coat. ‘And place it on the chair beside her.’

Aside from scoring a demerit for poor service, however, this restaurant has a lot, going for it.

It is spacious and pristine clean and the food is, nearly, as good as any steakhouse in town.

However, the cost of the food is, also, equal to the cost of similar food, served in any 5-star hotel in the Hongkong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

On the day of TARGET’s visit, this is that which was ordered:

Pumpkin Soup
$HK80

Gorgonzola Risotto
Rocket and Parmesan
$HK130

USDA Prime Grain Fed Midwest Beef
Rib Eye, 14 Ounces
$HK445

Free Range Chicken “Label Rouge”
Peyruguet, France
$HK265

Hand Cut Fried Steak Potatoes
$HK60

Grilled Asparagus
$HK60

Sweet Mascarpone Cheesecake
Balsamic Strawberry
$HK80

Mango Tart
Vanilla Custard and Strawberries
$HK80

The very positive comments that this medium would not hesitate to make about the above-mentioned dishes include:

• The soup was a pure vegetarian broth and was excellent;
• The Gorgonzola Risotto was as good as any HKSAR, Italian restaurant can create;
• The Rib-Eye steak could rival many a steakhouse in the territory;
• The chicken dish, though it was grilled in a very simple and plain manner, was very tasty and not in the least bit dried out; and,
• The side dishes of ‘Hand Cut Steak Potatoes’ and the grilled asparagus could not be improved.

The negatives about the dishes include:

• The Mango Tart was terribly sweet; and,
• The Sweet Mascarpone Cheesecake was not cheesecake at all, but just Mascarpone, a soft, mild Italian cream cheese.

Another criticism that should be included, at this point, is that this medium, also, ordered a baked Idaho potato at $HK60.

It never arrived.