The Imperial Seafood Restaurant | 123 Eagle Street, BRISBANE CBD QLD 4000
I
found out about the opening of The Imperial when I was frantically
searching for places to dine in Hong Kong. Yes, the trip won't happen
for another year, but I'm very particular when it comes to holiday
planning and we usually start planning well in advance.
So
as I was saying, I was drooling all over my keyboard while day
dreaming about eating some freshly steamed lobster and
scallop dumplings at Lung King
Heen when I came across the opening a brand new riverfront Chinese
restaurant, which is literally located one block away from where we
live. I turned to the other travel bunnie and straight away, he knew,
we had to go there. ASAP.
And
that's how we ended up in front of The Imperial on Saturday night.
Greeted by a cheongsam (a.k.a. qipao)
wearing hostess, we were led
into the lavishly decorated restaurant, which was practically empty,
so we easily scored a window seat that offered a pretty good view of
the Story Bridge.
After
having browsed the menu, which for a Chinese restaurant
has surprisingly rather limited options (but you would definitely not
miss the hefty price tag of $5,500 for a bottle of Château
Lafite Rothschild), we ordered a Sichuan
koushui chicken ($16.80)
for entrée. As for mains, it was sweet
& sour pork ($29.80)
and crispy
duck with plum sauce ($38.80)
with jasmine
rice for
two ($4.50 each).
I
must admit that I felt pretty unsettled when I saw the price for each
dish. Having been to so many Chinese restaurants in Brisbane, The
Imperial is indeed the most expensive around. I suppose with its
prime location, it's has to make money somehow. So inevitably, I
expected good food and I had no complaints with the food that I got.
The sichuan koushui chicken served cold, had the perfect balance of
the spiciness from the sichuan peppercorns and the smooth peanut and
sesame paste, with a hint of Chinese cooking wine that came through
the tender flesh. It was a great appetiser. The mains were presented
beautifully, especially the sweet
and sour pork.
It was served in a carved-out pineapple and the bite-sized pork
morsels were coated in a very tasty sauce. But my personal favourite
was the duck. The crispy skin on the outside was wrapped around the
succulent meat and I found it difficult to put my chopsticks down.
We
finished the meal with their mango
pancake with ice cream ($9.50)
which was the most disappointing dish of the night, in terms of
presentation and taste.
It
was a nonetheless a wonderful night but as much as I enjoyed the
food, I really don't see us returning anytime soon. After all, it was
just Chinese food and I can think of a dozen places that can serve up
some delicious dishes at a more reasonable price.
Total
Bunnie Dollars Spent: $113.90
I suppose I was expecting a lot more from this place. They made a massive deal out of the fact that they had 3 chefs from Hong Kong and that the cuisine in China is rapidly evolving and this would be reflected in the menu. Then I get sweet and sour pork in a pineapple. Really? That's contemporary cuisine? (Min you, I twetted the heck out of the photo and got some good laughs...) I'll be interested to see how this place goes as it's aimed at the high end of town but whilst the fit out and views are lovely, they need to do a lot more work on the menu I think. Thanks for the review.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on this one. I didn't mind the fact that the sweet and sour pork was served in a pineapple, but I must admit that I was expecting top quality Chinese cuisine, given how much they raved about their chefs and not to mention the price that they charge for each dish. I wasn't willing to pay over $80 for a peking duck two ways. It's nice for the CBD to finally get a fancy Chinese restaurant, but I think they still need to make lots of improvements.
DeleteIf you like delicious seafood in pleasant atmosphere with beautiful Brisbane river view, The Imperial has it all!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for your support even when we are newly open.
ReplyDeleteAs a very tiny staff who witnesses the change of the Restaurant, I would like to express our keen determination in improving food and service level in providing excellence to you our precious customer.
Our chef from Hong Kong make new dishes frequently from now on and our waiters (incl me) are improving serving skills day by day.
If we would have a opportunity to have you to come back, please call us and ask for our newly researched special Imperial 4 Small Dishes (one of those is drunk chicken as I remember) for a try.
Will you be trying the yum cha ?
ReplyDeleteyep, it's definitely on my list :)
DeleteDon't bother trying dim sums... my partner and I tried twice and both times were horrible! Even if they had a promotion it's defo not worth it. Super oily, highly priced, service was unprofessional...
ReplyDeletethanks for letting me know :)
Delete