Where To Eat

On the boundary between Wanchai and Pacific Place, a smallish restaurant was recently opened. It is called Nebraska. 

The restaurant, one assumes, was named after the source of its USDA (the United States Department of Agriculture) beef, supposedly produced in the State of Nebraska. 

Be that as it may, the opinion of this new eatery, at the conclusion of the visit of TARGET (泰達財經) to this 51-seat restaurant, was that it has a long way to go if it intends to attempt to beat the competition as a steakhouse. 

Nebraska is unlikely, ever, to become a competitor of Morton’s Steakhouse, located at Kowloon, the Hongkong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), however. 

However, the restaurant could become a somewhat popular as a ‘local’ at Wanchai, selling low-grade, USDA beef at cheaper prices than Morton’s Steakhouse. 

However, as things stand, today, that is, most likely, as far as this eatery could go. 

This medium visited Nebraska on Saturday, April 23, just three days after it had opened its doors for business.  

TARGET selected the following dishes in order to sample as many as was possible for three of its reviewers: 

Fresh Orange Juice
$HK60 per glass 

Caesar Salad
$HK130 

Oyster Chowder
$HK90 

Onion Soup Au Gratin
$HK65 

USDA Prime Rib Eye Steak
$HK420 

Fillet Mignon
aux Champignons Sauce
$HK330 

French Fries
$HK55 

Fried Mushrooms
$HK55 

Coffee
$HK35 

The Food 

The orange juice was perfect – and it was very likely to have been purchased from the little shop, next door, the one that specialises in selling this fresh, fruit juices. 

The Caesar Salad was not a Caesar Salad, at all, but the lettuce was fresh – and it did contain some croutons. 

At the price of $HK130 for about four leaves of lettuce, its price was a little over the top, in this medium’s opinion. 

That which was lacking in order to make it a Caesar Salad, however, was Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, olive oil, egg, Worcestershire Sauce, anchovies, garlic, and black pepper. 

The two soups were good, with the laurels, going to the Onion Soup. 

The steak dishes, considering the prices, being demanded, did not live up to that which this medium would have expected. 

The rib-eye steak had been pounded so that it appeared larger than it, actually, was. It, definitely, was not the nine ounces that was promised.  

The meat, definitely, was from The United States of America, but, unfortunately, it had been fried in a rather cheap vegetable oil, the taste of which was very evident. 

As for the fillet mignon, it was exceedingly small and must have weighed about three ounces before being cooked – in the same, cheap vegetable oil. 

The restaurant did not serve any desserts on the Saturday of this medium’s visit. 

The Service 

The serving staff had little to no idea as to what food was on offer; and, our waiter, continuously, had to consult somebody as to what was this and that. 

The toilets were clean, but the ladies’ loo required one to enter sideways. 

As for the gents’ loo, it had no lock on the door so that, being close to the ladies’ loo, it is quite possible for a lady to take note of extent of a gentleman’s weapon, assuming that she had a mind so to do. 

On each table, there was a bottle of lukewarm water that had come straight out of the tap. 

This restaurant is very small, regardless of suggestions of the contrary, and, on TARGET’s visit, the small corridor was being used as a place to store goods. 

On peeking at the restaurant’s kitchen, the walls of which, being lined with stainless steel sheets, it was noted that it was spotlessly clean. 

Conclusion 

Nebraska is a Chinese-owned-and-managed restaurant, dressed up to look as though it is part of a chain of restaurants. 

If the ‘soft’ opening is anything by which to judge, Nebraska will never make the grade.