Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - ToTT's and Roof Terrace

This restaurant is located on the top floor of The Excelsior Hong Kong, the hotel going into its 46th anniversary but would be closing in March. Paying homage to this hotel in Causeway Bay, we visited a few of its restaurants, and today came the turn to go to ToTT's and Roof Terrace. With a panoramic view looking at the Victoria Harbour, our table offered a fantastic background for us to enjoy the meal, with the tables spaced quite well apart so enabling good privacy. The lighting was a bit dark though for me.

We ordered the special 1973 Menu ($1973 for two), recreating some of the dishes the restaurant started offering upon opening. The first course was CEufs Brouilles a la Truffe, or Egg with Truffle and Vodka Cream. The egg was rich and quite nicely done, with the truffle adding great fragrance to it, though I was not particularly impressed by the vodka cream as there was nothing I could differentiate versus just a normal cream. But still not a bad start for the meal.

The second course was Cocktail de Crevettes Rose, or Prawn Cocktail with Marie Rose Sauce. The shrimps are small and you could tell they were the frozen ones, with only a crunchy texture but not much taste. As a result it would need the sauce to really provide the taste of the dish but unfortunately the sauce was rather light and lacking in flavour. The rocket salad underneath was fresh but was a bit too bitter to pair with the sauce itself.

The third course was Bisque de Homard au Cognac Fine Champagne, or Lobster Soup with Cognac. Certainly intense in aromas and flavours, the soup was quite good, served with the right temperature, with a piece of cracker on the side. Considering its name and the fame, I was a bit surprised on how little seafood they had added to the soup. Is it because the restaurant wanted to maintain the price so they are compromising on the ingredients? I hope not.

The fourth course was Filet de Sole Amandine, or Sole with Brown Buttered Almonds. The first impression I got tasting this dish was 'SOUR!'. While I know the butter sauce needed the lemon to acidify and reduce the heaviness of the butter, the overall taste was just too sour for me and my wife. On a positive note, the almonds could create a bit of crunchiness on the skin along with its unique aromas. Still a bit disappointing.

The fifth course was Carre d'Agneau aux Herbs, or Roast Lamb Rack with Herb Crust.This one I had learnt and prepared at home before, so knowing that the pesto sauce on the meat was really the determining factor for the quality of the course. Good that this one met our expectation, with the lamb roasted to medium level and the pesto crust giving herbal notes which I found good in complementing the meat.

Lastly came the dessert, which was Tarte aux Pommes et Glace Vanille, or Apple Tart with Vanilla Ice-Cream. Decently done, the dessert was not too sweet, with the tart having a nice crust and the apple fillings rich in cinnamon. Adding the highly complementary vanilla ice-cream further enriched the flavours of the dish. Despite we were quite full I still managed to finish this dessert completely.

With a bottle of still water and a cocktail, the total bill was $2332. On the price it was not overly exaggerated, offering reasonably good deal on the money spent. Service was acceptable, but I would prefer the staff could share more introduction of the dishes and its components.

Overall I would not say the meal impressed me, and compared with the Chinese restaurant in the same hotel this apparently was less sophisticated and tasty. So if you could only visit this hotel once before it was closed, I would recommend Yee Tung Heen more.