It felt somewhat like a reunion returning to Beef Bar. The dining room was practically empty due to the typhoon disruption, so we were privately served by the staff. No wonder they wanted us to come earlier. We had an excellent meal here a few years ago, though at that time I wasn’t writing—just taking photographs—but I remember it all well.
A far cry from the monstrosity in Milan (read about Beef Bar Milan in the stories tab). There, it was an embarrassment, whereas the Hong Kong location, holding one Michelin star, delivers beef exactly as one would expect from this restaurant group. Like all chains, however, each location is different. I don’t make a habit of dining at large conglomerate groups, but this one has stayed with me since my very first encounter.
Dining in Hong Kong is always exciting (as I often find): solid food, solid service—and I usually end up 4kg heavier! That says a lot. The same applies here; it still shows glimmers of consistency, even with experiences ten years apart. That’s something incredibly difficult to achieve. When you have a model that works, it grows with you—if you think deeply at every step. Details… detail is a safety net. Implement it, become obsessed with it, and you stand a better chance of surviving in the restaurant world.
I could have told you, “it’s gone downhill” or “it’s no longer any good”—both highly probable outcomes. The only mistake we made was ordering too much (I’m sure I’ve said that in other stories). But the menu strips away all your willpower. It was time to try and lose some of the weight I had gained—but no, I made it worse. “What’s another day?” I told myself, trying to justify it. Surely it would do no harm…
We devoured what we could from the three cuts of meat we chose, though the tacos (which we didn’t need) had already taken up a lot of space. Japanese meat is what it’s all about here—if you’re thinking of ordering something else, you may as well have stayed home. It came accompanied by fries covered with a mountain of black truffle. Green vegetables somewhat balanced the fat… don’t laugh! But yes, one of our five-a-day—or let’s say a quarter—made an appearance. Something is better than nothing!
Each cut of meat was individually served in its own Staub pot, with nothing more than a few seasonings on the side to highlight it at its best. One hundred percent confidence. Why would you need anything else? You don’t.
After such a long time, it was great to return and see that nothing has really changed—and in a good way. When you don’t feel like risking disappointment or venturing into the unknown, Beef Bar is an absolutely sound choice, and one I will keep returning to.
