Restoration

Ugh been on a hiatus again but thanks to the persistent T I promise that I will be churning out backlogged reviews in the upcoming days! I've been dying to try Restoration since a friend told me about the amazing Christmas meal that she had there. Southern Creole food is not something that I have very often and reviews have been incredibly favorable for Restoration. I was told that it was a good idea to go with a big group since servings are quite large and after scanning the menu I noticed that everything was quite heavy as well. I when I finally got a group together so I could order everything to my hearts content (anyone who knows me well would know how greedy I am and how much I love over-ordering). My mom always limits the amount of dishes I order which would cause me to very upset. I don't waste the food either I am always extremely keen on leftovers but she just feels that it is excessive, meh.

The atmosphere of the restaurant is quite charming and comfortable. The space is small and dimly lit and we were promptly given a nice warm loaf of bread and butter. The hostess was very friendly and made some helpful recommendations of wine. Service could be slightly more attentive in terms of the other waiters as there were multiple times where I had to search around for a server. One other small note was that at the end of our meal the we could hear the junior chefs talking amongst themselves and swearing and that was not very professional. 

Seafood Gumbo - Crab, Shrimp, Oysters, Popcorn Rice 
I think it may actually be my first time having gumbo! The gumbo had a strong and robust flavor and had generous amounts of seafood. The consistency was just thick enough without being too lumpy and it definitely piqued my appetite for the meal ahead! 

Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes - Lemon Aioli, Herb Salad, Basil Oil
The crab cakes were filled with lovely chunks of crab meat and the outside was fried very well. The flavor was also well done. I think it was a TAD too soft for my liking but overall this was a very solid crab cake. 

Stuffed Blackened Catfish - Jumbo Lump Crab Filling, Lemon Brown Butter
Bestie C told me that this was her favorite dish when she dined here so I made sure to order it. I think the dish was actually flavored well but when I cut into the middle segment I realized that my piece was completely raw! It was a bit nauseating but since the rest of the food was so good I did not want to make a big deal out of this. I told the waitress who apologized but this was a bit shocking as the fish was quite thin and should be cooked quite easily! Hopefully I will be able to enjoy a properly cooked version of this dish on my next visit since I have faith in C's taste.

Crispy Pork Belly, Slow-cooked, Molasses BBQ Sauce
This was another one of C's recommendations and it was absolutely glorious. Every fatty bite was worth the calories. The skin was deliciously crunchy and the meat did not turn dry even though it was deep fried. The fatty bits did not feel disgusting greasy and was decadent and flavorful. I would definitely spend an extra 30 minutes on the treadmill for this!

Jack's Fried Chicken - Tobasco Aioli, Watermelon Pickles
This dish is one of Restoration's most famous dishes and I can definitely see why! Fried chicken may seem like a simple food but as J and I discussed very GOOD fried chicken requires a lot of skill. The batter was just the perfect amount, not too thick not too thin. This crispy flavorful batter encased the juicy succulent chicken meat and although I was already quite full I could not stop nomming on a massive piece of this chicken. The tobasco aioli was also the perfect compliment to the chicken by providing a luscious creamy component with a spicy kick. 

Rosemary Fries
mmm these were very very good. Just order them! 

M7 Australian Wagyu Porterhouse
I usually don't swear too much on this blog but holy shit this steak just blew my mind. The fat was distributed meticulously throughout the meat and it just melted in my mouth. The flavor of the meat was also flawless and each bite resulted in another "omg" look from every one of us. My friend J claims that he usually is not a big fan of steak but even he was won over by this steak. The bone was such a treat and J, M, and I took turns nomming on it.

Ridiculousness - Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich
The cookie was thick and relatively chewy but the ice cream left much to the desired. It tasted like whipped cream and was not creamy or rich enough at all. We initially actually thought it was the whip cream and asked for an extra scoop of ice cream. It was only after this that we realized this whimpy glob was the ice cream. 

Bourbon Pecan Pie
This was not exactly the most photogenic dessert out there but it was quite rich and decadent. I haven't had a lot of pecan pies before so I can't be the biggest judge of how good this was but this overall was decent. The crust could be slightly more flaky and once again the horrendous ice cream was present.

Banana Fosters - Spiced Rum Sauce, Vanilla Ice Cream
UGH this ice cream just won't leave me alone! This was easily my favorite dessert but it also makes you wonder why you are paying such a premium price for a dish that can be easily recreated at home. Apart from this, this dish was a lovely sweet end to our meal that wasn't too heavy.

Spiced Pumpkin - Graham Cracker, Apple, Bleu Cheese, Vanilla Ice Cream
I swear this vanilla ice cream is in every single dessert... This dish was quite frankly disgusting. The bleu cheese did not go well with the pumpkin pie at all and presentation wise this was also rather ugly. 

Root Beer Float
I am not a huge fan of root beer and that blasted ice cream was also in this again but my friends thought this was good.

Overall I enjoyed my dining experience at Restoration very much. The food was really good apart from the catfish and the desserts. I think Restoration DEFINITELY needs to improve its ice cream quality along with its desserts but I would return again just for the appetizers and mains.

Restoration

1/F

No. 68 Wyndham Street

Central

Hong Kong