The Pawn (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

Housed in an exquisite heritage building that used to be a pawn shop back in the 1880's, The Pawn first opened door to its customers in 2008 as a bar, dining room and rooftop garden all over one roof.



One level up from the buzzy bar was a spacious dining room, quiet and full of colonial flavors.



The weather was a little stuffy tonight so we decided to take matters outside. Luckily there was this table still available at the terrace overlooking Johnson Road. 



I couldn't believe this was actually my first time having dinner at the Pawn. I have been here so many times.

It was a nice gathering with my buddy from LA and we both got things rolling with this seared Hokkaido scallops, saffron, cauliflower puree, walnuts and apple chips (7/10).



But things quickly went downhill from here. My baked salmon in parchment with asparagus, tomatoes, tomatoes, potatoes and pesto sauce was badly overcooked. Actually to be exact, it was overcooked on one side and undercooked on the other (3/10).



Looking over to my buddy's wild cod fillet with black garlic gnocchi and lemon cream, it didn't seem to fair much better. 

Inconsistency, that has always been the old nemesis of The Pawn since day one but there are rumblings about British celebrity chef Tom Aikens taking control of the Pawn's kitchen in the third quarter of 2014. Stay tuned on the development of that story.

Food Rating: 4.5/10
Price: $$$
Address: 2/F, 62 Johnston Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Wanchai
Tel: +852 2866-3444
Website: www.thepawn.com.hk

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