The Parlour at 1881 Heritage (Hong Kong)

It's my mom's birthday, and one of the missions today was to find a nice place to take her out to dinner.  I was in the TST area, and wanted to find something close by.  My friend took me to a newly opened outdoor mall behind Ocean Terminal called 1881 Heritage.

It's built around the similar colonial style as the old Hong Kong Observatory building (now I think they call the Hullet House) that stands in the spotlight. The open mall is built around it, and as usual fashion the mall opens, but half the stores are still to be occupied.

Hidden away in different nooks, are some fine dining restaurants.  The Parlour is on the ground floor of the Observatory building.  Inside the glass walls are lined with chinese style hexgons, and seems like something out of the 1970s Hong Kong.  We sat out on the balcony, which was nice and the weather was mild.

They have a very nice Afternoon Tea menu, which I would like to come back another time for.  The dinner menu seemed a bit sparse, but still some good choices.

The seat was quite dim. We asked them to bring a candle.

My mom had a Lobster Bisque ($90hkd). It was tasty, and they added brandy (my mom had to make sure),  and you can taste the lobster. It wasn't creamy, and I don't think it was supposed to be. They poured it out from a teapot. I couldn't get my camera out in time.

I ordered the Chillean Sea Bass. (all entrees around $180-190 and up). It was light, yet subtly flavourful. Served on a lemon sauce, and some veggies on the side, the combination of tastes complimented each other. I paired it with a glass of the New Zealand Sauvignon blanc ($90)

My mom got the Filet of Cod. It was saltier, but really flavourful.  I think the parma ham on top added a smoky, salty taste. Underneath I think it was gnocchi, or beans.

For dessert, only the Apple Pecan Pie and the Rumbaba caught my eye. We ordered the latter. The description said it had chantilly cream and shortcake in an Earl Grey infused sauce.  My mom commented that it was a very simple and cheap to construct dish (the ingredients) but they presented it nicely. I especially liked the texture of the walnuts crunchy in the cream.

The staff were super friendly. The only thing I have to complain is that it was strange when we got our entrees, the server picked up the pepper mill from our table and asked us for pepper. Would rather him not do anything. Awkward.

By night time the area was filled of tourists, models, and wedding photographers taking in the lights.