Cafe Loisl

Cafe Loisl, a new Viennese café, just opened in Sheung Wan on Tai On Terrace, about midway up the Pound Lane staircase between Hollywood Road and Hospital Road.  It is a surprisingly authentic rendition, and you will actually feel as if you are in Austria the moment you step onto the small front terrace.  Everything from the lights, counter, pastry selection, and the coffee will make you think that you are in Europe.  So much so that I was mildly disappointed to see a copy of the SCPM on the table – I expected Die Presse.

The barista, Franck Chan, is passionate about his coffee.  Seriously passionate.  He clearly knows his craft, having worked in several countries with top-notch purveyors, and he can expound at length on the various coffees available in the city (abbreviated summary: there is no other good coffee available in the city).  He knows who roasts the best blend, who pulls the best shot, and who is helping cultivate a coffee culture  in this tea-based town.  The memory of our conversation will, I am sure, haunt me every time I am forced to get a coffee at the multinational coffee empire’s kiosk in my building.  Franck would never be caught in one of those joints – it would be like finding Jacques Pépin at a McDonald’s.

The coffee itself was delightful.  Pisco ordered a macchiato, and Franck prepared it with the care and attention of a brain surgeon at work.  The current blend (Franck calls it the “E” blend) is somewhat light, a medium roast that is mellow on the palate and relatively low in caffeine.  The blends will rotate so be sure to ask which blend is available to match your desired flavor profile.

No decaffeinated coffee is served.

The café is not fully ready yet – they are waiting for Euro-spec furniture to arrive – but the coffee and atmosphere are unique to Hong Kong and well worth a visit in this gem of a neighborhood.  In time, there will be an art gallery in the adjoining space; a common setup in Vienna that would make it an even more attractive destination.

Cafe Loisl is a wonderful, unique find, and you should make a point to visit and savor an excellent coffee in a first-class setting.

Cafe Loisl
G/F, Shop A, 8 Tai On Terrace
Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
+852 9179 0209
[map]

Review: Serenade

Serenade, a new Italian restaurant, just opened in Sheung Wan.  It’s across from Hollywood Road Park, so you can see trees while you eat – a rare and pleasant sight in this town.

The interior has a somewhat severe aspect to it, having been decorated mostly in grey concrete and muted tones.  The lights are fantastic – plexiglass globes suspended from the ceiling with small light bulbs inside.   A wine rack runs along one wall, and there are seats for around 20 diners in the room.  Further in, a semi-open kitchen is visible, and there is a short bar with a few stools.  The music was relaxing and the overall environment was quite calm.

I can’t remember what the tables look like, but the chairs are bent plywood and comfortable enough for an hour, though probably not much more.

The menu is extensive with 50+ items on it.  I usually get nervous with such large selections (how can you really be good at such a wide variety of dishes?) but it will take a few return visits to learn the best choices.  Admittedly, Pisco is not an expert on Italian cuisine, but it was not apparent if there are any specific regions that inspired the menu (Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna, Piedmonte, etc).

Pisco and K shared a plate of mussels to start – the mussels were large, plump, and flavorful; hands down it’s the best plate of mussels I’ve had in HK, even beating out Frites due to the consistency of the large mussel size.  The broth was delicious and garlicky, without too much butter.  Yes, we mopped up the broth with the bread.  A clear A grade except for the bread, which, being spongy and flaccid, receives a D.

For mains, both of us ordered the crab linguine.  K originally wanted the linguine alle vongole but they were out of clams (helpful tip to server: the correct pronunciation of ‘vongole’ has three syllables, and does not rhyme with ‘Mongol’).  The linguine comes on a plate that is the size of a 12-inch

record, for those of you who are old enough to have ever seen one.  There is a large Asian pear-sized grapefruit-sized depression in the centre where they place the actual food – see photo.  The pasta was a little overcooked, but certainly edible, and the crab was rich and flavorful.  K remarked that it felt a little flat, and it was true that a shot of lemon juice could have brightened the flavor substantially.  Nonetheless it is a solid effort, adequate in quantity, and I would return to try it again.  Grade: B.

For dessert we split an orange soufflé.  It came out hot, fully inflated, and gently flavored of orange – a competent execution of a non-trivial item.

Orange soufflé

The service is reasonably competent and probably above the normal HK standard.  That said, I do not enjoy the constant requests of “Would you like to try our X dish which is amazing tonight?”  No, thank you, I don’t want another starter, I don’t want a glass of wine, and I don’t want the chocolate dessert.  How about you let me tell you what I want?  I appreciate the need to upsell but my tolerance in this area is quite limited as it detracts from my overall dining experience.

A plate of mussels, two plates of pasta, one soufflé, and a bottle of Pellegrino ran around 570 HKD.

Finally, one note on the name: searching for “serenade hong kong” brings up two other well-known entities of that name (one residential complex, one other restaurant company).  It’s not easy to find online, and the nonexistent website does not help matters at all.  Serenade should consider boosting their online presence as other customers who do not live so close may not bother with the effort to find it.

Ambiance: B+
Food: B
Service: B-
Value: B-
Overall: B

Serenade
Hollywood Road, across from Hollywood Road Park
Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
[map]