Cafe bar On 8 — Restaurant in Hong Kong Island

I ordered the tea set on Klook for only $279, which is a great deal for two people—less than$150 per person. Considering its location in Central, this is very reasonable. The venue is also conveniently close to the nearby botanic garden, just a five-minute walk away, so you can easily make a day out of it.

The tea set includes typical items such as macarons and sandwiches. Interestingly, there are also some local Chinese dishes. While the taste itself doesn't quite warrant a second visit, the view is absolutely amazing. It's a fantastic spot if you have some free time and want to experience something new.

Cost-wise, it's very affordable and ideal for student couples looking for a unique place to visit. However, for adults, there are many other options in the nearby area.

The staff seemed to be mostly part-time but displayed good customer service skills. Although they weren't very familiar with the menu, they did their best to assist. The overall service was fair, but not exceptional.

On the downside, the floor manager, Ben, needs improvement. He appeared very nervous and his service skills were poor. At one point, he asked me to wait but ended up shouting at me due to his nervousness, which was puzzling given the few guests present. Additionally, his limited English skills were surprising for a manager in an international city. I wish his employer could provide more training...

I've written my fair share of reviews by now but still, this is a curious one.

The location screams luxury and the view matches it. The decor exudes a certain "old-wealth" vibe to it - to the point where it feels like you have travelled back in time to Hong Kong in the 70s/80s. What is really curious about all of this though is that none of it feels artificial/ re-created. Whether by design or due to a lack of funding, the bar genuinely feels like it's stuck in the past.

But the food?

The food was thoroughly disappointing.

We ordered a tea set and the presentation, whilst maintaining the restaurant's dated theme, was par for the course given the price tag.

The taste, however, is the issue. The buns on the mini burgers were soggy, the patty was bland and the "caviar salmon hors d'oeuvre" was overpowered by the chunk of blue cheese sitting at the centre of the canapé. (If only they had relocated that block to the burger - imagine). The mini lobster roll was equally lacking in seasoning and the assortment of mini desserts were in the main too sweet for my liking.

So would I recommend this place?

I mean if you're nearby and you want to experience "old Hong Kong" (the wealthy part at least), then I would say "why not - might as well try it once." But for me to return (or recommend others to do so), they would have to massively up their culinary game to...

I would give the atmosphere a 4 possibly 5 if not for the attention seeking wealthy crowd that take away some of the potential joy of the restaurant. That being said, the servers basically cater to them and forget about a normally dressed person making service totally unacceptable. I may not speak as "sophisticated" and dress primarily for comfort when traveling but my expectations and money have the same value. The food, though looks good, leaves much to be desired in terms of taste. I've never come across a restaurant that served a guest hot water especially in 27 degree Celsius weather. I asked for a dessert menu and the stupid putz of a server hands me the check instead as if that's not an indirect way of telling a person to settle the check and leave. And there was no language barrier because I spoke in the Canto dialect of Chinese. Then he tells me the restaurant only serves ice cream when there was a refrigerated display case filled with assorted albeit decadent cheesecakes. If Restaurant Impossible ever went international, Cafe Bar on 8 should be the first choice in renovating restaurant hospitality and food quality. In 36 years of traveling to Hong Kong, this is by far the worst restaurant and restaurant experience I've encountered. Snacks from the Sinopec, across the street, would've been a much better choice! I HIGHLY DON'T RECOMMEND...