This restaurant has been on top of my list since they opened their doors. I finally had a chance to come here with a my friends for Restaurant Week and I couldn't contain my excitement! It kind of felt like Christmas (yes, I get that excited about food) and I honestly couldn't wait till Friday night. After our dinner I'd contemplated for quite a while whether or not to post about this experience, it is a bit gut wrenching for me to write this but here goes.
Since it was Restaurant Week Madam Sixty Ate had a set menu.
Since it was Restaurant Week Madam Sixty Ate had a set menu.
We were served some warm homemade bread and butter before our appetizers. The crust was really crumbly and we were munching on our slices the whole night. In hindsight, this would have been the only thing the four of us enjoyed.
Two of my friends ordered the Kingfish and they weren't impressed with what they got. When they served it the dish really didn't look appetizing, even to me. I was told that that fish did not taste fresh and the kaffir lime and bergamot mouse couldn't save the dish.
My other friend and I ordered the Pork Belly, the portion size looked good but when we dug in it was a let down. I'll give it to them, the soft egg was perfectly cooked and the crisp pork skin was great but the dish on a whole didn't work for me. The pork belly was not as tender and moist as I thought it would be, it was more on the tough side. The crackling on the pork was really hard, my knife was having a hard time cutting it and when I bit into it I thought I was going to break a teeth. If you see under the fried skin there is some black sauce which was the black garlic, I don't know if this was meant to taste burnt but that is what I got. The mushrooms added an earthy-ness to the dish but I just didn't get it, no ingredient complimented the other. When I asked my friend what she thought, her reply was "it's okay".
Our mains came in after twenty minutes or so, three of my friends ordered the Sea Bass and I ordered the Wagyu Rump. All three sea bass portions were of different sizes, the one that was the smallest in size was overcooked. If premium prices are being set for these dishes they should be consistent. I did try a bit and the skin was crispy, which was good. Comments from my friends were that the gnocchi (two pieces of it) was dense and not soft and pillow like and again "okay".
My Wagyu rump was well cooked but the over all flavor of the dish was lacking. The short rib was too gamey for my taste (this could be my own personal preference) and creamed foie gras was okay but I didn't like it combined with my rump.
We all went for the panna cotta for our dessert, and it was too solid. That sexy wobble that you get from the panna cotta was just not there and that was the star of the dish. The other components of the dish were great, the chocolate mouse, the crisp chocolate wafer on top of the panna cotta and the sharp raspberry sorbet (I'm assuming thats what it was since it wasn't mentioned on the menu) all were great but the panna cotta was just far too solid and the texture wasn't as creamy.
The service at Madam Sixty Ate was great, everybody was friendly and chatty but if the food is not good the service can only add so much to your dinning experience. I left the restaurant really disappointed, I had very high hopes and I had heard such great things. The fact that we all paid HKD 585 each for this meal (including our drinks and water) was really upsetting, what did I pay for, great service? Yes, there were a few things that were cooked well, but there were a lot that wasn't. The inconsistent plating just isn't acceptable. I guess the day I went wasn't a good day in the kitchen. It makes me really sad I wanted this experience and the food to be exceptional and it was the opposite. This could have been a one off, but I probably will not come here any time soon to test that theory.
1/F, The Podium, J Senses, 60 Johnston Road (Entrance on Ship Street), Wan Chai
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