Frantzén's Kitchen – Hong Kong — Restaurant in Hong Kong

Frantzen & Fordism: A Study in Mutual Decline.

A core tenet of Fordism is the notion of paying higher wages to workers even though they are doing less work; a concept so stupid, it is no surprise it was concocted in the United States of America.

As the increase in automation and technology reduced the demand for physical labour, Fordism continued to perpetuate across the Western world. The consequences? This has bred laziness, sloppiness, and a mindset that has and will continue to lead to decline.

To discover this for yourself, spend an evening at Frantzen’s Hong Kong - an experience so torrid, I wish I could turn back the hands of time. Like an American tourist in an art gallery, Frantzen’s staff were loud, imposing, and lacked decorum.

The cocktails were served with the added literal touch of your waiter’s fingerprints on the inside of the glass, and you are also treated with a prod to the shoulder if you happen to get in the way of them clearing the table. Unless I was unknowingly and covertly being recruited into a Spy Agency, I at the very least expected hygiene and manners at a “Michelin”-level restaurant. After all, the opinion of a tyre brand is of utmost importance.

The presentation of the food led me to believe that the lights must have gone out in the kitchen or the waiter had tripped over the dimly lit stairs leading to the bathrooms. The food itself was a rollercoaster of emotions. The truffle toast was lovely, because I am a huge fan of ham & cheese toasties. Like a Korean horror film, the fun quickly ended. From thereon, the dishes were uninspiring, bland, and certainly unloved. If you do visit, I strongly advise you to avoid any of the courses that include white asparagus and mint oil.

You may take this review as a joke, or the words of a difficult patron, but I am an honest and fair person. I praise good food and good service when I experience good food and good service. If I experience the opposite, it is only fair that I share the same honest approach. Frantzen’s Hong Kong is not a shadow of its flagship; it felt like I had entered into a pale imitation at best. If you seek great food worth your time, there are far better places nearby. If you seek a brand that you can name drop in conversation, certainly go...

Rating is based on the following parameters:

Service: 5 stars Atmosphere: 4 stars Food: 4.5 stars Value: 3 stars

I’ve been wanting to try Frantzen’s kitchen for a while . When I found out they serve lunch on Saturdays I decided to give it a go.

From the reviews I have read about this place the general consensus is that the food is great, unique for Hong Kong, and the portions are small. When they say snacks they mean something you can eat in two bites. The mains are small too as they are similar to a tapas size as opposed to an entree. Service was excellent and the waiter was very attentive to explain each menu item. Also, what you will read is that the price is high for what you get. All these points are true. If they had a tasting menu and offered a lump sum amount I think it would be a bit more palatable price wise . It’s can of hard to stomach when you see things individually priced.

I started off with the summer truffle toast with truffle tea. A lot of reviews rave about this dish. Although really Instagramable I didn’t think that much of it and given the price I would not order this again.

The smoked salmon dish was exactly what I expected. Nice and clean and a solid dish. Also the volute was also well executed and a tasty dish.

The standouts of the meal was the “lamb hot pot” and the scallops. The lamb was super tender and didn’t have any gamey taste. The stock and vegetables paired with it perfectly and was not only a beautiful plate but also extremely delicious. I would order this again. It is definitely one of the best dishes I have had while living in Hong Kong.

The other standout was the Hokkaido scallops. Living in Hong along you will see a lot of things branded as Hokkaido but really it’s just marketing. These scallops were legit and melted in my mouth. I wish I had ordered two servings of the lamb and scallops and passed on some of the other dishes.

To end the meal I had the smoked ice cream for dessert. Presentation was awesome but the taste wasn’t anything special. I wouldn’t...

My first time. It is a North European restaurant with an excellent organisation, the staff is well trained, the food was fresh and the taste was unbeatable. It was suggested from one of my friend which is a regular guest there. It is not a random place where to crash for a quick meal. It is more like a special culinary experience. The food quality was superb, and the wine paring was very impressing. There is a semi open kitchen which could entertain us during the meal. The staff was friendly and professional, all the team was perfectly coordinated. The bread was warm and fresh and Our first starter was the French toast , with yummy melted cheese and a lot of black truffle, I didn’t ask where the truffle come from but I assume suppose to be from Hunan for the texture, it was served with a small cup of a very tasty tea , probably made with mushroom and other veggies . The second course was sea urchin with caviar and egg, the egg was cooked in a new special style which I never tried before, probably an Asian fusion cooking style, which was delicious. After that we had fresh salmon,slow cook lobster and cod fish fillet; all the food was small portion to make sure you still have space for the other courses ; we manage to pare a New Zealand Chardonnay and ends up with a Pinot Noir, the wine was superb. The name of the company was BellHill, I highly recommend; After the seafood, we arrive to one of the last corse, which was a nice tender beef fillet with mushroom sauce, which we choose to pare with a France Bordeaux, my friend favourite; The dessert were good, but the best was the cheese platter, small selection but sooo yummy!!! We pared the cheese with a dessert wine from Hungary which was my first time to try the Tokajy, if you like sweet wine, it’s a must try!!! What impressed me more was the french toast , the New Zealand wine and the Hungarian one, these items were completely over my expectation. But everything was absolutely perfect....