The Pantry Cafe — Restaurant in Hong Kong

Our family meal at The Pantry Cafe was completely ruined by what can only be described as shockingly poor service. From the moment we were seated, one particular waitress with dyed blonde hair remained fixated on her phone, both while we were reviewing the menu and while she stood idly nearby. This complete lack of attention to customers set the tone for everything that followed.

I distinctly heard our clear order of mussels linguine, triple pancakes, and three drinks. When our food arrived with waffles instead of pancakes, the delivering server politely acknowledged the mistake and offered to correct it. We appreciated this appropriate response and expected that would be the end of the matter.

However, the original distracted waitress then approached our table with a menu in hand and rudely insisted we had "pointed to the waffles." Her accusatory tone and refusal to take responsibility for what was clearly her mistake (likely caused by her inattention to her phone) was unacceptable.

The situation became even more unbelievable when this same waitress left the restaurant mid-service, still engrossed in her phone. While the manager did offer an apology, they failed to properly address the waitress's dishonest behavior or complete lack of professionalism.

Faced with such poor treatment, we chose to cancel the incorrect pancake order entirely and only paid for the linguine and drinks that were served correctly. No customer should have to endure being lied to about their own order, especially when the mistake clearly resulted from staff negligence.

The complete breakdown of basic service standards we experienced, from the inattentive order-taking, to the false accusations, to the lack of meaningful resolution was astonishing. Until The Pantry Cafe implements proper staff training and enforces fundamental standards of honesty and professionalism, I cannot recommend dining here. What should have been a pleasant family meal became an exercise in frustration due entirely to the...

Don't judge a book by it's cover. i.e Don't look at the photos and plan to have a lunch there. We came here today at lunch time for a friend's birthday. We ordered for spicy sunshine burger with chips, chicken salad, grilled salmon with penne and chicken burratta fettuccine.

Grilled Salmon Caramelised Onion Cream Penne (LUNCH SET)- First of all, my colleague ordered for soup. The server came and put a salad on the table and walked away. When we called the server,there was no apology, instead the salad was taken away and soup was put on the table. The milkshake was served before the meal. The carrot soup felt like canned soup. The pasta was bland-lack of sauce. The saving grace was the salmon which was tasty despite being flaky. Rating 2/5

Buttermilk Chicken Salad - I had the salad which tasted like a regular Caesar salad with some really dry, cold and unappetising chicken. The portion was okay but I think pizza hut would make a better salad. Rating 2/5

Spicy Sunshine burger with chips and Cappuccino- This was the birthday girl's meal. The server put a latte on the table(she had ordered a cappuccino)and went away. No chance for redemption. The burger patty meat was evenly cooked which was good but it was served in a milk bun(sweet). The chips were good(her words) Rating 2/5

Chicken Burrata Fettuccine - This meal was actually good! The chicken was tender, moist and delicious. The sauce was delectable. This was the only meal which was served piping hot. Rating 4/5

The ambience and the seating was good Rating 3.5/5 The staff gave us a wooden basket to keep our bags and purses. Nice touch there!

Would I go there again?? Definitely not. The food is not that great and it is slightly on the pricey side. So the price/value/taste equation...

The Pantry Cafe has recently opened up a new branch at Metro Plaza. Visited their MOKO shop a while ago and the food quality was promising so we decided to pop in for dinner.

◆Pomegranate Lime Soda Slightly sweet and sour. Refreshing carbonated drink.

◆White Wine Mussels Thick, rich and creamy sauce. The mussels were soft and velvety. Served with garlic toast.

◆Bolognese Fettuccine w/ Onsen Egg Appetizing sauce loaded with minced beef and chopped tomatoes. The Onsen egg was delicate and custardy.

◆Grilled Australian Beef Sirloin Steak 11oz A standout. Grilled to the right point. The big piece of sirloin had been cut into small slices which was perfect for sharing. The pinkish meat was tender and moist. We picked mushroom cream sauce and black pepper sauce which were both finely seasoned. Served with freshly fried chips or mashed potatoes.

On top of the outstanding food quality and big portions, the staff provided excellent service. Definitely...