Date of visit: Wednesday, 11 June 2014
The restaurants of Central (Soho in particular) most operate in this way - they offer prix-fixe lunches for $1xx, serving items very different from their regular menu, which they save for after the sun goes down. So if you want to try their signature dishes, be prepared to shell out several more hundred bucks.
But Le Port Parfumé is different. For a change, their set lunches are really good. Rather than mediocre soulless salads and steaks, they serve items similar to those on their dinner menu but with cheaper substitutes (e.g. pork cheeks instead of beef cheeks and tomato sauce instead of Guinness stout). They even do the same desserts! At a much lower cost, you get the sample their style of cooking.
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| The menu |
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| Tomato Salad with Anchovies and Black Olives - I love cherry tomatoes, baby spinach, anchovies and black olives so naturally I LOVED this appetiser. My friend had the Tomato Soup (not pictured) which I stole a spoonful of... nothing remarkable but nothing like soup that comes in a tin either. I'm not joking some shops actually serve Campbell's. |
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| Pork Cheek in Tomato Sauce - I'm a big fan of stew and I still think about the Carbonnade I had in Belgium two summers ago. Hell, I even made beef stew when it was 33 degrees out! The pork cheek was tender and nice. Portion was generous too. But I still prefer beef and wouldn't mind if they gave me less meat for some beef. |
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| Roasted Chicken and Peas - juicy chicken on a bed of peas. My friend isn't the biggest pea lover and was surprised to see so many peas on her plate. But don't worry I helped her out. |
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| Floating Island (front) - the meringue was too styrofoam-y for my liking. It wasn't bad, and since this is a classic dessert hard to find in HK, I was glad we ordered it. But once is enough. Blue Cheese Gelato and Honey Comb (back) - you can't go wrong with this golden soft/crunchy combination and surely we didn't here. We enjoyed the gelato and wished it'd come with more gelato and less cream. |
Rating: 4/5
Food: Good quality and (relatively) interesting for a prix-fixe lunch in Central. I'm pretty sure amongst all set lunches I've tried, Le Port Parfumé serves one of the best. Perfect for causal business lunch with co-workers when you want to impress and relax too.
Environment: The restaurant has fishing village vibe to it - dark wood tables, seaside-themed decorations with French words on them... While most of these Soho restaurants are typically quiet during lunch hours (though Kau U Fong isn't exactly Soho), this place is packed. The only downside to this is we had to share a table with two businessmen. Thankfully the table was large enough to cut down the awkwardness. This proves that Le Port Parfumé is a popular destination of the Central crowd, so fais ta réservation!!
Service: Friendly and attentive staff. Glasses of water got refilled frequently. Nothing to complain.
Price: $138 for two courses and $148 for three. Adding $10 for the dessert is a must! In the land of inflation that is HK, $148 may only buy you a tiny plate of pasta. This set lunch is really good value for money and the food doesn't disappoint either.
Le Port Parfumé
Shop C, 6-10 Kau U Fong
Central
Hong Kong
Website
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