Chôm Chôm — Restaurant in Hong Kong Island

My first dine-in in Chom Chom was very disappointing compared to my other experiences at Black Sheep Restaurants (Artemis&Apollo, La Vache, Le Garcon Saigon, Le Petit Saigon, Fukuro, Grand Majestic Sichuan, Peng Leng Jeng).

First, we made an appointment through an employee for a black series booking but wasn’t provided with the black series menu. Furthermore, we were not asked about our dietary restrictions nor preference as I am not keen on having cilantro on my dishes. The food and drinks we ordered were great though the portion was quite small and wasn’t enough to share with a group of people.

Second and most importantly, the service we received tonight was exceptionally bad. My friends and I were never asked about how the food/service was throughout the whole night. Additionally, there was one staff on the floor who tidied the wet tissues with a TONG(?) from the table, dropped them to the floor several times and making a loud TSK sound with an annoyed expression next to my friend. Until now, we are not sure what behaviour this is in front of customers and seems very unprofessional which ended the night even worse.

Third, when asking for the bill, I have found out there were TWO items on the bill that I have not given consent to nor have been informed of. When checking the bill, we were charged an additional $48 for extra hamachi which we were not informed that the original portion was only 4 pieces. They took it upon themselves and decided to add another piece without informing us that there will be additional charges. Also, we were charged $1 for “Feeding Hong Kong”. No, I do not mind giving a $1 donation BUT surely would love to be informed what the donation was when being presented the bill.

My friends and I have paid our service charge to Chom Chom but with all due respect, may I ask where the service was? This was only a few of the unpleasant moments that happened throughout the night. We have been to a few Black Sheep Restaurants but never have been this disappointed with the...

Chôm Chôm is a popular place for Vietnamese street food and drinks on Peel Street in Soho. Opening hours are 5pm until late (Sat-Wed) and 6pm until late (Thurs-Fri).

This place is always crawling with people, either waiting for a table or stopping by for a beer before moving on. They don't take reservations so if you want to eat inside without a wait, pop in early before the crowds settle in.

We dined here recently on an early Sunday night, taking up spot at the bar so we could watch the chef and his team put together the various menu items. A lot of great looking small dishes were prepared in addition to what we tried.

For our meal, we tried the signature VFC (Vietnamese Fried Chicken) starter. This was a serving of five perfectly fried chicken wings, with a delicious marinate and slice of lime. The flavour was better than expected. We next tried Pho Roll, which was a traditional rice roll filled with beef, garlic, pickle and basil, topped with a lightly pungent sauce. Again, an attractive serving filled with vibrant flavours.

Lastly, we tried the Mango, papaya & beef salad. Would have preferred a bit more beef but difficult to complain. Flavours were strong and lasting but not overly spicy. Fruit was crispy, giving the salad perfect texture. We also tried a Pho-jito cocktail, a creative and refreshing rum based drink with lemongrass, lime, mint, basil and two whole chiis. Was a bit surprised at how much I enjoyed this drink, even while taking in my meal.

In the end, Three of three on the food orders and a positive score on the cocktail tried. All food served was perfect for sharing, making this a great place for friends as well as couples. We really liked our recent meal at Chôm Chôm and are looking forward to our...

This place is always busy and is typically only open for dinner. With the Covid restrictions I was able to finally eat here during lunch time. They take a creative take on Vietnamese food from the northern part of Vietnam. If you are looking for pho you won't find that here. The food is decent but I was expecting more given I'm paying a premium price wise. They really are aggressive with the sugar in their dishes and you really need to like things sweet to enjoy their interpretation of some the dishes.

Food: 3.5 stars Service: 4 stars Value: 3 stars Overall: 3 stars

Cha Ca hanoi is one of my favorite Vietnamese dishes after having it in Hanoi. As mentioned earlier the version here is really aggressive with the sugar. Otherwise I think the flavors are pretty good. Dill and scallions are proportioned nicely and the fish is cooked well.

The Bun Cha also suffers from being really sweet. It isn't that sweet in the places I've had it in Hanoi. I think I would have enjoyed my meal more if I only had one of the two.

For the appetizers I had the spring rolls and the Vietnamese pizza. Spring rolls are pretty standard and delivered on kind of what I expected. The Vietnamese pizza is probably something I wouldn't...