Homemade bread is nicely displayed in a basket.
Swiss chard & borlotti beans earthy soup, natural in taste.
Risotto with porcini mushrooms and Parmigiano
The
main course "Red snapper with sage, tomato & capers" (yes, this is
the main course) is very small in size. The fish is very palatable.
Capers (beneath the fish), brownish grey in color, are very small in
size and have a bean-like texture.
Cookies (4 pieces for 2 persons)
The set lunch
Water at $60
Gaia Ristorante
G/F Grand Millennium Plaza, 181 Queen’s Road Central, Central, Hong Kong. (1 minute walk from MTR Sheung Wan Station Exit E2)
香港中環皇后大道中181號新紀元廣場地下
Tel: 21678200
Opening Hours: 0930 – 2400 Daily
Style: Italian
Average spending: $250
Date: December 2006
Remarks: 10% service charge
Boss
of my friend highly suggests this Italian restaurant. We arrived a bit
before lunchtime. In the restaurant, there are only 4 customers in a
table. We really do not know whether it is so good as suggested. The
restaurant has 2 portions, indoor and outdoor. Since it is now in
winter, it is better to lunch indoor. Overall area in Gaia is not large.
Tables are reasonably aligned. There is no need to fear that the diners
at next table can hear your chat.
We ordered 2 lunch sets of
$228 each. The main courses include rice, fish or beef. We order
“Risotto with porcini mushrooms and Parmigiano” and “Red snapper with
sage, tomato & capers”.
Before long, homemade bread nicely
displayed in basket is served in front of us. Bread is still warm.
Waiter pours vinegar and olive oil to a plate.
Either “Swiss
chard & borlotti beans earthy soup” or “Daily Selection of antipasto
buffet style” is the second item to serve. We both order the daily
soup. It is a vegetable soup with beans, very natural in taste, and has
no meat in the soup. The antipasto includes salads, sliced sausage and
ham. Maybe, we may try the antipasto next time.
Rice is served in
a big white plate. The portion is just enough for a normal person. The
rice cooked in cream and mushroom is still hot when served. We only know
that it is delicious. Red snapper (鯛魚) is in very small portion. The
size is about 2.5 inches times 4.5 inches. There are also cauliflower
(花椰菜). broccoli (西生菜) and quite of lot of capers (花蕾) beneath the fish.
Capers, brownish grey in color, are very small in size (about 0.5 cm in
diameter) and have a bean-like texture. Snapper is lightly pan-fried on
both sides, very palatable and fresh. We are impressed by snapper’s good
taste. From these 2 main courses, we understand the reason of Gaia to
set the lunch at such price. It is value for money, except the portion
is really small, especially the fish.
Since there are many
offices in the Central, the restaurant is full during lunchtime. It is
suggested to reserve a table in advance. Dinner set is priced at around
$600 per guest. In view of food portion and its quality, it is priced a
bit higher. Anyway, Gaia is really a good choice of Italian food.
Service: 4/5
Price: 3.5/5
Food: 4.5/5
Environment: 4/5
Variety: 3.5/5
Hygiene: 4.5/5
Overall: 4/5
