Harlan's (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★☆☆☆

Harlan's on the 19th floor of THE ONE in Tsim Sha Tsui has been an instant hit ever since its grand opening a few years ago and even after Chef Harlan G was long gone, the success continued.



There are two major selling points at Harlan's - (1) its stunning view of the Victoria Harbour from the window seats and terrace and (2) its semi-buffet lunch.



So what is so special about their semi-buffet lunch, you ask!? Variety.

 

They have always been known to have a great starter bar where you could find unlimited supply of high quality parma ham, smoked salmon, foie gras terrine, cocktail prawns, Alaska crab legs etc. but that seemed to be something of the past now. When we paid this modern European restaurant a visit this weekend, everything from food to service seemed to have gone south.


 

The seafood section was supposed to be the highlight but most items never got replenished the entire afternoon.



Could our main courses save the day for us? Apparently not.

Mom's penne with braised pork cheek, shallot and shaved truffles was easily the best of the bunch (7/10).



This pan seared ocean sea bass with capsicum and saffron potato stew had one of the worst presentation and to make things even worse, it came with a very fishy taste (2.5/10).



The pepper crusted half spring chicken with garden greens and mint yogurt had a strong Mediterranean twist and I thought it was average (4.5/10).


 
There was another horror story when my grilled Dutch veal loin arrived.



I have explicitly requested my veal loin as medium but it was almost totally well-done (3/10).



The all-you-can-eat dessert bar turned out to be the saviour for all of us. 

From time to time, the servers would bring out something different and it started with the always-popular mango mousse cake, chocolate cake and macarons.


 
For a limited time only, there were some banana eclair which were quite refreshing as well as some Mont Blanc. That wrapped up a rather disappointing return to Harlan's.




The quality of food and service are both on a steady decline. Avoid if you can.


Food Rating: 4/10
Price: $$$
Address: 19/F, The ONE, 100 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Tsim Sha Tsui
Tel: +852 2972-2222
Website: www.jcgroup.hk/restaurants/harlans



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