I have been trying to go back to LUMI following two pretty impressive lunch in a roll during their first month of operation. Little that I knew, their name has now been revised from LUMI Borderless Cuisine to LUMI French- Japanese Cuisine. I think this is more indicative of what their cuisine is all about, French cuisine with a modern Japanese twist. From what I’ve read from their website, they are still collaborating with Chef Kihachi Kumagai like they used to when they first started a couple of years ago.
It was impossible to do walk-ins here. I tried to make advance booking a number of times over the last two weeks but they never picked up the phone. One time I actually walked over to Pacific Place and tried to make an in-person booking. That wasn’t a lot of fun. At the end, the hostess told me I could’ve made an online reservation via Openrice. I would’ve never guessed that.
LUMI has always been billed as a casual eatery that is capable of delivering fine-dining caliber dishes since Day One. We all knew they are part of the Maxim’s Group but to put LUMI’s name next to Café Landmark, I am not sure it’s such a good idea. To me, LUMI should be positioned a bit higher (I know some people are quite high on Café Landmark but why?).
Their collection of bread was probably the only thing I had no complaints about today (not that it was great).
Garlic jumbo scallops – Between mushroom soup and grilled jumbo scallop, I thought it was a no-brainer.
The first thing I noticed about this dish was the subpar presentation. I distinctly remembered that their presentation used to be “fine-dining” like the last two times I was here but it wasn’t the case this afternoon. Adding salt to the wound was the fact that the “jumbo” scallop wasn’t jumbo sized. I was starting to have a bad feeling about this.
Turned out the grilled mushrooms and asparagus tempura were fine but what happened to my half-cooked scallop? It was very very well-done.
It wasn’t an awful dish but it would have tasted (or looked) a lot better if they were doing it right in the kitchen.
Grilled US Petite tender with sakura and Toyama shrimp – I decided to get myself some red meat after my seafood starter.
This was another dish that was poorly plated, perhaps more so than the previous dish.
I have asked my beef tender to be cooked a little bit more than their “average medium” and look what I’ve got in return. Every slice of my beef was completely well done. There was not a bit of pink in any of the slices. That was not what I have requested for! The seasoning also left something to be desired. The bacon, marinated shallot and garlic combined for a flavor and texture profile that fully reminded me of our Chinese XO Sauce. To me, it’s just a waste of the US beef fillet.
Food Rating: 4/10
Price: $$$$
Address: Shop 301, 3/F, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Admiralty
Tel: +852 2918-1313
Website: www.lumi.com.hk
Opening Hours: 11:00am - 10:00pm (Mon - Fri), 10:00am - 10:00pm (Sat - Sun)
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