A traditional British tea shop. There are Union Jack cushions at every sofa, tiny tables barely big enough for a pot of tea, and even fake books in a bookshelf-style wall display.
Portobello
G/F, 9 Staunton Street
Soho, Central
Tel: 2523 8999
Grub: British
Vibe: Think traditional British tea shop. There are Union Jack cushions at every sofa, tiny tables barely big enough for a pot of tea, and even fake books in a bookshelf-style wall display.
Who to take: Tea drinkers. The tea menu is ridiculous, and completely dwarfs the food menu. There's a whole section on Asian tea, another section for British and international teas, and one for flavoured iced tea.
What's hot: The menu is really varied. Although this is a distinctly British restaurant, the food has everything from nachos to chorizo lollipops. The curry chicken baguette is delicious, if a little messy to eat. The bacon and Brie baguette was also tasty, and easier to eat without losing half of the filling out the side when you take a bite. Served with shoestring fries, it's a pretty substantial meal on its own, no starter or dessert required.
However, in the name of review, we forced ourselves to try the toffee banoffee cake with ice cream, and luckily we only ordered one to share because it was huge.
What's not: The baguettes took a long time to arrive. And by a long time, I mean 25 minutes. Although it's nice to know that they make everything fresh, and it does taste delicious, it seems a little bit ridiculous to have to wait that long for a sandwich.
The tables are also awkwardly close together, and if it's busy, you will definitely be touching elbows with the person next to you. Aim to go when it's quiet so that there's at least one table between yourself and the next party.
Cost: Pizza and pasta costs from HK$108 to HK$148. Wraps, baguettes and paninis cost from HK$68 to HK$148. Salads cost between HK$98 and HK$138. Drinks costs HK$36 to HK$42, and that includes speciality teas.