Lunch today was excellent in every respect except the food.
I had arranged to meet a recent acquaintance to discuss some potential professional cooperation. She chose the restaurant. We spent an hour talking, not so much about business, but everything else besides - language, food, Chinese politics, visiting Japan, cameras, internet issues, family ...
The place was supposedly Hong Kong food. Very little on the menu was Hong Kong cuisine, and the dishes which were recognisably HK by name were odd in execution.
I had been there several years ago and it was good. Disappointing. Also, disappointing for my friend, who had also been before and enjoyed it.
I had a bowl of wonton noodles, a Hong Hong classic. They were a disaster. Insipid soup. Three shrimp wontons (if shrimp wontons are meant to have the texture boiled golf balls - they were almost inedible). The noodles were apparently rejects from the cheapest, nastiest instant noodle brand.
Her dish was no better, but she liked the milk tea.
The meal cost ¥58 (around $8.70 USD) . Not a huge amount, but I'm sure the ingredients couldn't have cost more than about ¥3 ($0.45) . When I asked for the bill, I was curtly told to go to the cash desk at the other side of the fairly large restaurant, while two wait staff stood nearby gossiping about other staff members, unaware that I could understand them. So wonderful service, too.
No doubt they think they will be redeemed by offering this nonsense on their menu.
The Chinese says "Light Bulb Milk Tea"
No, we didn't order it.
