With so many interesting options, I decided to get my feet wet this weekend starting with a booking at AMMO, a place I haven't had the chance to check out since 2012. About a month or so ago, I received a newsletter from Drawing Room Group (AMMO's parent company) about AMMO's impending transformation into a modern Spanish tapas bar. I have been a little curious of their revamped menu so this opportunity arose from Restaurant Week was perfect.
Crab tartare with mushrooms and basil jelly - Lunch started off brightly with a refreshing appetizer of crab tartare. Underneath the pile of fresh crab meat was a thin layer of basil jelly followed by some diced mushrooms. The crab meat was really nice and fresh but what really surprised me the most was the basil jelly offering some nice acidity and earthy flavors to the dish.
Well, not a bad start. One out of one!
Beetroot 4-ways with orange and walnut - I thought they have something interesting on paper with the 4-ways beetroot. The last dish with different textures of beetroot that managed to impress me was chef Julien Royer's "The Beetroot Collection" (at Jaan Singapore before he strikes out on his own with Odette.). Still remembered how well the beetroot ice-cream, beetroot meringue, poached betroot and beetroot confit all worked together as a whole. This one, however, failed to live up to my lofty expectation (yeah, I set the bar a bit high here). The beetroot chip, beetroot tartare, beetroot purée and beetroot confit (kind of sticky) did very little to mesh with one another.
Risotto with morel mushrooms, asparagus and parmesan - Five years since my last visit but I still remembered AMMO as a restaurant with some of the best pasta and risotto in town. The risotto with chopped morel mushrooms and asparagus was really good with a textbook creamy texture. The parmesan was spot on.
Fettuccine with braised short-rib ragout - Same goes for the fetticcine which was al dente with the perfect bite. A very nice dish which had us longing for more.
Crispy suckling pig with mango and pineapple salsa - I was pretty curious with AMMO's transformation into a Spanish tapas bar so on top of our Restaurant Week menu, I went with something from their a la carte menu.
The crispy suckling pig was beautifully done with a crispy skin while the meat was nice and juicy inside. Look at the proportion of fat and meat there. Just beautiful!
Blueberry mousse with mixed berry compote - This tasted like one of those sliced cakes you picked up from Aroma. It did offer some nice acidity but that's about all there's to it.
Catalan creme foam with sautéed pineapple and caramel ice-cream - Much better result comparing to the previous blueberry mousse cake. This was foamy with a bit of sugar on top and sauteed pineapple in the middle. The only blemish is perhaps the caramel ice-cream which was slightly overpowering. It would probably taste a little better if they replace it with something more refreshing like a scoop of coconut ice-cream.
Their service was surprisingly hearty all afternoon. While my little nugget was running around the restaurant causing trouble for everyone, their staff were always there with a helping hand to steer him out of trouble. Very nice job!
My first positive experience from a Restaurant Week event in a long long time!!! Hooray~
Food Rating: 6/10
Price: $$$
Address: 9 Justice Drive, Admiralty, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Admiralty
Tel: +852 2537-9888
Website: www.ammo.com.hk
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