Where To Eat

With the financial collapse of Opera House (restaurant) since TARGET’s report of June 2, 2014 (Please refer to TARGET Intelligence Report, Volume XVI, Number 108), due to the holding company, having been badly under-capitalised, for the most part, the owner of the restaurant premises in Wanchai has found a new operator and, no doubt, the landlord is most grateful to have a tenant with the financial ability to pay the agreed monthly rent. 

The new operator is the owner/Executive Chef of Giando, the Italian Restaurant, located at Fenwick Pier, Hongkong Island. 

(TARGET [泰達財經] has been told, unofficially, that Giando is in the process of moving to a Wanchai location, but this is, still, subject to negotiations.) 

Fishsteria Seafood Place is the name of the new restaurant, located at Numbers 109-111, Queen’s Road East, in exactly the same premises, formerly occupied by Opera House. 

This restaurant has only been open for less than a month, with the ‘soft’ opening, still in the grips of putting the finishing touches on the food concept that it shall adopt when fully operational and with all of the current problems, having been relegated to history. 

In fact, the printed menus are still at the printer and staff have yet to be fully trained as to that which they need to do and know. 

TARGET visited Fishsteria, last Tuesday (August 18), at about 7:30 p.m. and ate and drank until about 9.00 p.m. 

In brief, while criticism could well be justified with regard to a number of the serving staff, it was not possible to criticise the food, too harshly, either its presentation or its taste. 

The following is that which were ordered, last Tuesday night: 

Oysters 

Ostra Regal N3 Sweet/France
$HK48 each

Gillardeau N3 Mild Sweet/France
$HK38 each 

Eire N4 Mild Salty/France
$HK18 each 

Majestic N2 Salty/Ireland
$HK48 each 

Cancale N3 Very Salty/France
$HK38 each 

Appetiser
 
Red Prawn Caprese
$HK198 

Soup 

Clam Chowder
Potato – Celery – Leek – Chives
$HK168 

Bisque
Boston Lobster, Carrot and Safran
$HK168 

Main Course 

Baked Turbot
$HK498 

Dessert 

Coconut Tart
$HK98 

Fruit Salad
|$HK98 

Strawberry
$HK98 

With the above meal for three people, TARGET selected a delicious white wine: 

Ronco Del Gelso, Latimis DOCG, 2011
Friulano, Riesling, Pinot Blanco
$HK585 

The Food 

The oysters were fresh, to be sure. They could not have been better. 

In all, each member of this medium’s tasting team ate one oyster of each variety of the bivalve  molluscs .  

No complaints here except, when a passing waiter was asked for wet towels for TARGET’s trio in order to prevent any dirt or harmful bacteria, collected, inadvertently, from the outside of oyster shells, the surly response was:  

‘We don’t supply wet towels. You may wash your hands in the toilet, if you like. It’s over there.’  

Hmm! 

The Appetiser, recommended by the Executive Chef, Mr Arnolfo Raimondi, was much appreciated and comprised small balls of mozzarella cheese, cherry tomatoes, parts of tangerine slices, all of which were tossed, along with pieces of raw prawn meat. 

As the ingredients were tossed, it caused a juice to be formed and this juice took on the sweetness of the tangerine slices. 

Eaten to the last lump and drop. 

The two soups were good, but the Lobster Bisque was far too spicy for this reviewer, however it was considered only a little ‘hot’ for TARGET’s other two, female food tasters. 

As for the Clam Chowder (wrongly spelt on the sheets of paper that were the restaurant’s temporary menu, as ‘Clams Chowder’), was edible, but much too thick for this medium’s liking. 

Also, onions, celery and carrots appeared to be missing! 

The use of copious amounts of potatoes, in order to thicken the broth, was sadly overdone, and the spices, whatever they were supposed to have been, tended to be masked by the potato mush. 

The main course, the baked turbot, looked and smelled much better than the taste of this flatfish. 

The reason for this was that the fish was just too small (about one kilogramme, but with most of the weight, being centred in the large and heavy backbone, relative to the weight of the fish meat), to begin with, and the chef, or somebody, should have deboned the fish at the table. 

(Nobody enjoys a mouthful of fish bones.) 

The sight of the dish, with the entire turbot, lying in a ‘sea’ of the vegetables, was excellent, as was the taste of the ingredients, but the edible flesh of the fish was far too little. 

The three desserts were, all, excellent with the coconut tart, being the highlight. 

The meal was topped off with a cup of coffee, but, once again, when brown sugar was requested from a waiter, the answer came back: 

‘We don’t have brown sugar, but you may have some of this (white sugar).’ 

Hmm! 

The Restaurant 

Fishsteria can seat between 150 and 200 patrons, TARGET was informed by one of the serving staff, but this estimate appeared to be more than a slight exaggeration, just looking round the dining room. 

(In this medium’s last visit to Opera House, one was told that the restaurant could accommodate only 120 patrons.) 

However, perhaps, when the restaurant is completed and the decoration is hanging on the walls, that number of 200 patrons could be accommodated – but it would be something of a squeeze. 

The music is a little jazzy, but this is quite likely to change when regulars make it known that it is not particularly appreciated.

As for the service, well ‘Sally’, the waitress assigned to TARGET’s table, spoke almost no English and it was very obvious that this must have been one of her first jobs because she had little to no idea as to what to do.