Slim Taste

Slim Taste
9/F 11 Stanley Street, Central
Hong Kong

A friend recommended this restaurant and, two weeks later, I visited the venue, discreetly placed in an innocuous building near Lan Kwai Fong in Central.  Nestled between larger, more prominent restaurants, the restaurant is certainly a hidden gem and worth a visit if only to take refuge from the hustle and bustle of Central life.

The selling point of the restaurant is the cardboard decor.  From the furniture, including cup holders, seats, stools and tables, to the bathroom signs, everything is made of cardboard.  The scene is incredible at first blush; I certainly couldn't believe that cardboard and lots and lots of masking tape could support such an enterprise, but the impossibility is the restaurant's appeal, isn't it?  Besides, I'm sure this model has been tried in Japan (Maybe, the products were made in Japan.) and what kitsch appeals in Japan may also appeal in Hong Kong.

The food is but an afterthought when dining at the restaurant.  My friends and I marveled not at the assortment of noodles, meats and buns, steamed, fried, salty, sour, spicy, but at the tables and chairs that could support our weight and which, at that time, remained untarnished by spills, drops and other natural foodie disasters.  Nevertheless, the food was delicious and reasonably priced. (My group of six split a check of $309.)  I tried the purple rice buns, that come steamed or fried, and they were quite filling.  Next time, I will try the purple rice noodles, which also came highly recommended.  I don't think eating here will break your budget; then again, it certainly won't leave you feeling slim!