Cliff(y) Goes Dining: HKG: Neptune's Restaurant

HK's first aquarium dining experience!

Fancy dining under dim lighting with an unobstructed view of a huge aquarium tank full of fishes right before your eyes? Come to Neptune's Restaurant in Ocean Park, HK's premier theme park which was put in the 12th position of the world's most visited theme park by annual attendance in 2011.

Since I was really hungry that day, I opted for the Set Lunch priced at HK$238.00 (~S$39.65) per person which includes a choice of main course, a drink (coffee, tea or soft drink) and buffet style appetiser, salad, soup and dessert. Pika's advice: To support diverse and healthy marine ecosystems, opt for the sustainable seafood items from the menu!

Soup of the Day

The cream of pumpkin soup wasn't very creamy, but the natural sweetness from the pumpkins did whet my appetite. The bread (not croutons) was dry.

Salad & Cold Cuts

The leafy vegetables were of acceptable freshness, but I found that the dressings available weren't too appetising. In general, the cold cuts were alright, but the smoked salmon slices were a bit oversalted. The most enjoyable item was the potato salad which was pretty creamy and savoury.

Pan-Fried Salmon Fillet with Chardonnay Saffron Jus

Taste: 7/10

The word 'Chardonnay', a green-skinned grape variety commonly used to make white wine, was actually the reason for me to choose the salmon. Apparently, the salmon was a tad too dry on the outside, but it still retained some moisture on the inside. The sauce was pretty mild, and I didn't really get a hint of Chardonnay, but the aroma of saffron was present. The potato wedges were nicely soft, and the ball-shaped carrot was really sweet.

Squid Ink Spaghetti with Seafood in Tomato Coulis

Taste: 7.5/10

The spaghetti was more or less al dente, and the squid ink added a tang of the sea to the dish without making it taste fishy. It was a pity that the dish was a bit dry, but the tomato coulis, made of tomatoes, onions and garlic bits, had a good balance of flavour without being neither too sweet nor too sour.

Dessert Items

The two semi-solid dessert items were too sweet for my liking. The lao po bing, or wife cake, topped with sesame seeds weren't very flaky, but the filling made of almond paste and winter melons was delectable. I'm not entirely sure, but I suppose the one behind it was the lao gong bing, or husband cake, which was interestingly stuffed with a slice of century egg. The best item was the black sesame tofu cake which was smooth and not overly sweet.

Fruit

The fruits were fresh and juicy. In particular, the pineapples were sweet.

Beverages

I had a cup of tea which was pretty strong, aromatic and bitter. On the other hand, my friend requested for a glass of Sprite. Curious about what was inside the blue glass? Answer: plain water. :P

Melon's Rating

Taste: 7/10

Ambience: 8/10

Service: 6/10

Overall: 7/10

Yes, I enjoyed dining under the dim lighting. Also, being able to see a school of fish swimming here and there during the meal was awesome. However, I couldn't give a higher score for the ambience because the restaurant got pretty crowded towards the end of the meal (thank God, I arrived early for lunch), and the noise just ruined an otherwise quiet lunch. Service was okay, but not outstanding; my only gripe would be on the fact that one of the staff swiftly took away my plate even though there was still a bit of salmon left.

Neptune's Restaurant

?Aqua City, Ocean Park

Aberdeen

Hong Kong

(Daily: 11.00am - 9.00pm)

*Prices quoted are subject to 10% service charge.

Have a nice meal,

Cliff(y)

Source: http://cliffy-goes-dining.blogspot.com/2012/07/hkg-neptunes-restaurant.html

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