Chiuchow Garden Restaurant

Like a garden, the Chiuchow Garden restaurant can look impressive from a distance, but when you look closer there may be some unsightly weeds and other aspects that need tending to. From the outset the restaurant looks inviting with the escalator to the sixth floor of the shopping centre conveniently leading to the restaurant’s own reception desk. As you enter you can see the restaurant branding proudly displayed on the walls, on the tablecloths and on the china. The table tops are set out with precision and a touch of class as 2 pairs of chopsticks (one for eating with and one for picking up food) are laid on a chopsticks holder per person and the teapots are tall and metal, as if reminiscent of British-​afternoon-​tea-​style dining. Having available at each table enough copies of the menu per person (plus with accurate English descriptions of each dish) was also a nice touch and not one that you’ll see at other establishments that serve dim sum.
However, in practice iron teapots do not conserve heat as well as the traditional Chinese porcelain teapots so the tea gets cold quicker and although service at Hong Kong Chinese restaurants is already notoriously bad here the service is blatantly deficient — on my first visit, a lady from the table beside us kept going to and fro from her table with their teapots to refill them with water herself whilst we found ourselves putting used plates onto the floor to make room on our table as there was apparently no waiter to remove them, then on the second visit the waitress tending to our table was visibly strained, setting up the table was delayed, dishes were slow to arrive and at least two table-​fulls of people beside us were complaining amongst themselves about the service and staring at the staff. Meanwhile the floral carpet is stained and there were no television screens at this restaurant, no music nor variable lighting to create any atmosphere and at my second visit the table was uncomfortably close to passers-​by or people queuing for a table.
Onto the food. during my 2 visits I have seen 15 different dishes and the only ones I find worthy of recommending is the lotus cake (which did indeed comprise of succulent pork, prawn and lotus within a suitably thin and lightly crispy layer), the Chiuchow steamed dumplings which are packed and tasty and the pan-​fried Chiuchow dumplings stuffed with taro purée which look appealing and serve well as a miniature soft, smooth dessert. The steamed glutinous rice packets wrapped in lotus leaf are small portions but include flavoursome ingredients such as salty egg, so that they briefly pack a punch.
Unfortunately other dishes that I saw exhibited much room for improvement… The Prawn Cheung Fun was disappointing on both occasions that I tried it as the prawns taste tough and flavourless and are not well wrapped or adhered to the cheung fun as they detach and fall away from the cheung fun upon being picked up with chopsticks. The Vegetarian Cheung Fun was too thick, hardened on the outside and flavourless. The Black Bean Chicken Legs were shiny with oil and overpowering in flavour. The squid, beef tripe and lettuce dish was bulked up with lettuce with very little squid, the squid was difficult to bite into, was not cut up into smaller pieces nor was it sliced to enable the squid to curl up and soften more easily and the beef tripe was also too chunky and flavourless. The steamed preserved meat and glutinous rice buns were filled well but too dark and lacking variety of ingredients and colour. The pineapple buns were discerningly bright in (what can only be assumed to be) artificial yellow colour. The pre-​meal snack consists of a small dish of pickled vegetables for which there is a charge as stated in small print at the bottom of the menu and meanwhile the tea charge is more than at other restaurants.
In short, Chiuchow Garden seems to set itself up for high standards but is actually below par in service and in many of its offerings. Even though Chiuchow Garden appears to have good potential, I believe it has very much fallen short of its promise.