Madam Sixty Ate (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

Like many friends I know, I was devastated with the closing of The Principal. A bit shocked too I might add. It wasn't that long ago when the restaurant raved about capturing their second Michelin star but in only 6 months, they decided to throw in the white towel ending a great run under the guidance of Executive Chef Jonay Armas. Very sad indeed.

What that meant to me was more than just losing my favorite lunch spot in Wanchai. It's an alarming fact that even some of the best restaurants in town could no longer afford the rising rents. To me, that was the more concerning part.

So from now on, Restaurant Akrame takes over as my No.1 in Wanchai. But having just visited them not too long ago, I decided to go with other places this afternoon, places I've not visited for a long long time - Madam Sixty Ate or The Pawn? 

After checking out the menu at the Pawn, I decided to visit Madam Sixty Ate instead. (Too much fish on the menu for me.)

Looks like poor business was everywhere in Wanchai. Still recalled Madam Sixty Ate as one of the more popular choices for lunch back in their hay days but now just one table at 12:45pm on a weekday. WTF?? That was incredible. Incredibly sad.

I've always enjoyed dining at this spacious dining room. The design was very modern and elegant.

After an underwhelming piece of bread, things began to turn around for me. I was in love with my starter the moment it arrived. A lovely duo of seared scallops with cauliflower cous cous, spiced corn, black garlic gel, almond and parsley. The scallops were a little more than half cooked, which was exactly the way I wanted. The cauliflower and black garlic were great matches for the sweetness of the scallops. And the spiced corn? Were they really corn puree? Tasted a lot like artichoke to me but surprisingly well matched with the rest of the ingredients. This was a well-designed dish. Well done (7/10).

For main course, I went with their seared sea bass with confit tomato and pickled fennel. That was alright but not finger licking good. I did like the sauce which was made with egg yolk, fish stock and roasted garlic. Very rich and refreshing which was quite ideal to go with the sea bass (5/10).

I was going to leave without dessert but somehow I found room under my belly for dessert like I always did (for dessert only). This was a simple dish of chocolate panna cotta served with strawberry parfait and chocolate powder. Found it a little interesting that they made the panna cotta in stripes. I thought it was "serviceable" (4.5/10).

It's been a while since I last visited Madam Sixty Ate's Wanchai branch. I thought the ambiance was still very relaxed and enjoyable so of course I was a little disappointed to see the small crowd here. Will they follow the same fate of The Principal? Let's hope not.



PS. Rumors now have Giando moving from their Fenwick Pier location to Star Street to take up the vacant spot by The Principal. Stay tuned.


Food Rating: 5.5/10
Price: $$$
Address: J Senses, 60 Johnston Road, 1/F, Wanchai, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Wanchai
Tel: +852 2527-2558
Website: madamsixtyate.com.hk