This American Italian restaurant is located in Regal Kowloon Hotel, and like the hotel itself the restaurant might seem a bit dated when you arrive, with the setting and environments not exactly present you a high-end setting. However, I found the food was truly classic and the flavors were one that I could relate clearly with the cooking lessons I took all these years under my respected teacher.
Instead of ordering the set menu we went for a la carte. For starter we had Garlic Chili Prawns Salad with Mango Avocado Salsa ($248). The portion was very big and good for maybe four persons, with everything fresh and beautifully seasoned. Although the presentation might not be particularly interesting, it was one of those no-frill dishes I like very much which honestly and truthfully highlighted the original taste of each ingredient clearly. It was a great start for me.
The other started was Maryland Crab Cake with Fresh Dill Cucumber Yoghurt ($278). Again a classic dish, the crab cake was big in size, coated with bread crumbs and deep-fried nicely to golden brown, with plenty of crab meat fillings. The yoghurt sauce on top gave a bit of acidity to freshen up the crab cake, and the dill cucumber not only showing a contrast in colour but also an element of elegance. The crab cake was one of the best I had in town.
Next we had the soup, Lobster Bisque with Cognac ($118). It was a real bomb of flavors, with a sip essentially creating an explosion of taste in your mouth. It was very rich, with a nice brandy 'kick' which was how this soup was supposed to be made too, once again reminding me of the good times I studied how this soup was made. Another great dish in my opinion.
As an Italian restaurant one must try its pasta or pizza to see how good it was. So we also ordered the Mezzo Signature Pizza ($108). There are two sizes and we opted for the smaller one. There are chili beef, salami, pepperoni, olive, green bell pepper, onion and mushroom. The crust was crispy, with plenty of signature toppings offering complementary flavors to each other. A really nice pizza.
The other main course we ordered was Stone-grilled Spanish Duroc Pork Chop with Homemade Apple Sauce ($318). The pork chop was grilled and put in oven, with the thick pork chop cooked perfectly, while retaining the juice inside. The homemade apple sauce was very good also, and to me is the all-time best complement to pork chop. With some grilled vegetable and potato chips on the side, it was another wonderful dish.
We originally wanted to order two desserts but the staff advised us of the big portion so ended up getting just the Classic Tiramisu ($88) and fortunately so, as that was truly quite generous in size. Again demonstrating the original style and flavors, it was great in taste, with mascarpone cheese and rum featuring in profound manner, and one could call them out even if eating it blindfolded.
The service was not bad but compared with the great food I think there are obvious room for improvement. And it was important also for them to come explain each of the dish but unfortunately the staff did not do such. The total bill was $1,276 after a 10% credit card discount, and I would say it was good value for money. If you are a big fan of classic recipe and traditional flavors, this is a hidden gem which I really recommend.
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