Societi

H and I have been wanting to try Societi for some time, I am not quite sure how I came about this restaurant but the reviews have been very good and prices also seemed very reasonable. We went with a group on Friday and although the food was good, I think it is better as a casual weekday dinner. Happy Friday should be reserved for more exciting meals and Societi comes across as a place you would drop by after work for a quick bite. The atmosphere was cozy and comfortable. The service definitely needed some improvement; the waiters were polite but undertrained. When I ordered the charcuterie platter the waiter looked absolutely bewildered... I repeated it several more times and he was still clueless. In the end I had to say "meat board" in cantonese for him to finally realize what I meant. It is a absolute given that waiters should at least know the name of the dishes on the restaurant that they worked at! The were also not very good with keeping the wine glasses full, we had to ask them several times to refill our glasses. They also did not have the knowledge that you had to change wine glasses for different types of wine and almost poured a new type of wine into a wine glass that was used to serve the previous wine.

Chicken Bites with Homemade Wasabi Mayo
Mmmm these were soooo scrumptious. I usually do not like white meat but the chicken was not dry at all. The chicken was really tender, juicy, and flavored perfectly. The outer layer was gorgeously browned and crispy. The chicken bites were not too greasy and each piece was a generous serving. I did not enjoy the wasabi mayo too much as it was a bit too sweet, if there was alioli this would have been on another level! 

Caesar Salad with Chicken Fillet
This was a decent caesar salad, the greens were crisp and fresh, the dressing was good, and the bacon bits and croutons were crispy. I am not a huge fan of salad so I just had a few bites of this. Nothing to rave about but this was decent and a good portion.

Grilled Sardines
These are probably the biggest sardines I have ever seen. I did not enjoy this very much, I though the taste was very sub-par and it may also be because I cannot deal with fish bones at all. The fish was grilled nicely though as you can see from the nicely charred skin. Perhaps someone who enjoys sardines would like this but I didn't think this was a very appealing dish overall. T was annoyed as well because the waiter did not notify us of the unusually large size of the fish so we ordered two dishes thinking it would be the small size and ended up only eating a very small amount. 

Societi Charcuterie Platter
Ever since the charcuterie platter at Franc in Shanghai, I have yet to come across one in Hong Kong that could even compare. I want one where there are pâté and terrines, not just salami and parma! This one had the pâté which was nice but apart from that the salami, parma, and chorizo was only so so. It would also be nice if the bread was a bit crunchier as it was a bit cold and stale. 

Homemade 8 oz Beef Burger with Swiss Cheese and Chunky Fries
I only had a small bite of this patty and I thought it was a bit too salty and sweet (strange I know). The patty seemed to just be over-seasoned and masked the flavor of natural beef. I am not sure if this means that the quality of beef is low therefore they had to go heavy on the seasoning to make up for it or if it was just a mistake in the execution of the dish. 

Spanish Omelet 
The egg was piping hot and fluffy while the crust was deliciously crispy. The chopped vegetables provided a nice array of flavors and the egg itself was also seasoned just right. This was a nice simple dish done right! 

Mussels with Tomato Salsa
The mussels were very plump and meaty and was drenched in a lovely tomato salsa that was very sweet and flavorful. 

Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
This is was very simple dish but one that I enjoyed a lot. Spaghetti Aglio e Olio is spaghetti with olive oil, garlic, and chili peppers. The spaghetti was cooked al dente and was infused with the aromatic flavors of the garlic with just the perfect about of heat with the chili peppers. I think it would be a good idea to order a meat dish along with this as it would get a bit boring if you just ate an entire plate of spaghetti with no meat but I did thoroughly enjoy this dish. 

Linguini with Braised Beef Cheek
The beef cheek was incredibly tender and just broke apart when you touched it with your fork. It was very very good but the sauce was just too sweet. If the sauce was done right this dish would have been very enjoyable. I think it would also be nice if there was another element to the dish such as diced onions. 

Grilled Ox Tongue
This dish was one of the restaurant's signature dishes but it just did not live up to expectations. It may be because I preferred my ox tongue to be prepared differently. The ox tongue seemed to have been cured as the texture reminded me of corned beef. Perhaps other people enjoy this method of preparation but this was not for me.

"Societi" Roasted Chicken 
Fortunately the restaurant's other signature dish did not disappoint! The chicken was incredibly juicy and the skin was roasted to a lovely golden brown. We were all pretty stuffed at this point but this was definitely a very well roasted chicken. 

The restaurant had its hits and misses, but overall the food is well done and the atmosphere is comfortable. The meal was not particularly memorable and I don't think I will be rushing back for more, but this is a place that I will keep in mind if I am in the mood for a casual quality meal. I think this is a nice neighborhood spot for people who live in Sheung Wan though!

Societi 

87-89 Jervois Street

Sheung Wan

Hong Kong