Believe me, I have tried for the longest time to check Popinjays, a contemporary rooftop restaurant, bar and terrace on top of luxurious The Murray Hotel off my list but it just wasn't meant to be. The closest I got was a dinner reservation in May which was abruptly cancelled thanks to the government's suspension of dinner dine-in service. Little that I knew, it would take almost six months for me to finally get another crack at it.
This time, I decided to take advantage of a special deal from Restaurant Week's Winner Edition. A very special price on their holiday brunch; needless to say, I wasted no time gathering mom and Jelloman's parents for this occasion. Too bad with the current ban on groups of more than four, we had to sit across the aisle from each other while we enjoy today's brunch.
The only time I visited The Murray was a previous lunch at The Tai Pan so this marked the first time I set foot on their rooftop terrace. I have to admit, the facility looks far better than I imagine.
Everybody loves bright and airy rooftop restaurants especially with those floor-to-ceiling windows.
After spending some time checking out the bar and terrace, we finally got seated in the main dining room.
I love the sleek all-white design with the occasional gold and blue. Very elegant and modern at the same time.
The paintings did look a little cheeky but what do I know about interior design!?
Little nugget couldn't wait to see what's available at the semi-buffet bar so we went out for a quick look.
There were two stations here. The first one came with all the savory dishes including salad, charcuterie, cheese and a small selection of seafood.
5J Jamon Iberico de Bellota? Some of us were eager to find out.....
Sitting right next to the savory dishes were the assorted fruit, pastries and more.
This is likely going to be the main event for me!
My first of many savory dishes to start the meal.....
These tomatoes were so ripe and juicy! I ended up having at least three plates full of these.
I didn't have a close-up photo of the smoked salmon nor salmon gravlax but like the different types of tomatoes, they were so gooood!
Also included was unlimited supply of prawn gratin with baby spinach and lobster bisque.
Little nugget showing off his plate full of Iberico ham and melon.
Obviously, he's not done!
I had my ham with melon and strawberries.
One last Caesar salad before my main course. Of course, I couldn't resist the urge to grab a couple of macarons.
The first of our two main dishes was lobster linguine and sliced lobster, which was tossed in its own bisque with medallions, Thai basil and tarragon.
Honestly, I was almost full by now so this had to be almost perfect to impress me and it wasn't. I thought the bisque could have been a little more creamy and richly flavored.
The "paella style" saffron risotto with scallop, stone bass and prawns was just OK as well. The shellfish emulsion in particular was a little light in flavors.
We had an early start at noon time so by the time we finished our main dish, it was only 1:30pm. That means I got exactly an hour to tame my sweet tooth! But where should I start? Their freshly made madeleines?
How about these mini baked lemon tarts?
For a macaron lover like me, it's like a dream comes true. All-you-can-eat macarons (vanilla and pistachio the best!)!
I thought the cassis (I think) religieuse was pretty decent.
More successful was the mille feuille but I only had room for one.
I really got more than I bargain for. The semi-buffet portion of the meal was simply excellent. They didn't have the widest selection but the quality of ingredients more than made up of it. We all agreed that the main dish was really just there to fill the gaps (between starter and dessert). It wasn't bad but I could almost do without it. Almost.
After the meal, we brought little one to his favorite place in Admiralty, the Bird Garden inside Hong Kong Park. That was the end of our day capping off a rather busy long weekend for us.
Food Rating: 6/10
Price: $$$
Address: 26/F The Murray Hong Kong, 22 Cotton Tree Drive, Central, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Central
Tel: +852 3141-8888
Website: www.popinjayshk.com
Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 12:00am (Sun - Thu), 12:00pm - 1:00am (Fri - Sat)
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