aqua — Restaurant in Kowloon

Too much of hype about this place. We first visited it during our wedding anniversary 13 years back when it was located at Ashley Road. Superb services, great views from 30th floor and great food THEN. Fast forward to yesterday when we revisited the place at its current location during our wedding anniversary again.

From reservation, you could sense that it was not the same great service anymore. I made this reservation 3 months ago and requested for a window seat. Told me no guarantee as it was on first come first served. Okay maybe policy has changed since it’s at a new location etc. More red flags appear when we arrived. Low floor at 17th storey. Views were pretty limited at that height. Kinda ushered to a table that was in between the window middle panels so it was like some restricted view. Mind you, we came at 6pm for our 7pm dinner reservation, when it just opened so we were like the first or second customer there, so you guess we should have been given the best table in the restaurant right. As they did say, first come first serve basis. When got to the table, there were other much better tables without the window panels kinda blocking our view that were not offered to us. And cannot help but noticed a bouquet placed on one of the existing tables already so where is the first come first served for seating. Appears they had reserved the table already for that guests.

Didn’t want to kick up the big fuss but next to come was worse. Service was kinda non-existent. You had to look out for servers and try hard to get their attention. Mind you, by now, only a few tables have seated. Not a busy time for a Monday evening. Finally got to order and we went for the signature pasta and pizza and they turned out disappointing. Pasta appeared hard and pizza was so so. It wasn’t cheap definitely. We didn’t even order drinks as we thought we head to the bar area later. Bill alone was $1100+ HKD. And we decided to only order this little as there was not even an attempt to recommend us some stuff to try. A big turnoff. We were planning to make dinner quick and be over. Don’t even talk about seconds and desserts.

I had better food and impeccable service throughout my stay in HK dining at some Michelin star restaurants in Hong Kong for similar prices. This was not even close in terms of food and service. Am shocked that people actually rate it at more than 4* here.

Was told we had to settle the bill before heading to the bar which was again not a good sign. When we went over to the bar, the bartender said the outdoor bar was closed due to renovations. I am like, what is an outdoor bar area when it’s closed. No wonder on one else was sitting even at the indoor bar area.

Seriously, this place needs to work on providing better service and food. Not expecting you to perform at Michelin standards but at least try harder. Server didn’t even bother to recommend anything. Just took orders and left. At this price point, many places do lots better. Even a local place like Yung Kee did a better job for us.

Only reason why we went to try this place was to reminisce what we had years ago and I must say, it really disappointed. To add, I was telling them since 3 months back that I was going to celebrate my anniversary and they didn’t even remember. Only when I was told to confirm my reservations and I reminded them, and they said they will put in a note to say happy anniversary if I ordered a dessert. I am not looking at freebies but at least suggest something for us since it’s a special occasion.

Won’t recommend this to others. Not even worth the view as there are many better ones with views of Victoria Harbour with much better food and service at this price point. Also, it was noisy etc, totally unlike what I remembered Aqua to be...

If you are wondering if the Aqua weekend brunch or the Zuma weekend brunch is better, here's your answer: Zuma hands-down. A group of us have been taking it upon ourselves to compare the AYCE weekend sushi brunches this spring, and Aqua was a big let-down.

APPETIZERS: The appetizers at Zuma are better and of a much larger variety. You probably get twice the variety of appetizers at Zuma. The only thing we ordered extra of at Aqua was the gyoza, which was quite good. At Zuma, we got extra of almost every appetizer, especially the amazing salmon civiche and tuna tartare. The massive tempura prawns were fantastic, too, and the avocado salad was delicious. Aqua did have a nice seasoning on their edamame, but the beans themselves were mushy inside.

SUSHI: This came very nicely displayed at both restaurants. The large block of ice inscribed with "Aqua" was neat. However, it is not AYCE when it comes to sushi and sashimi at Aqua. The only thing we could get more of was the rolls. Our server told us it was an additional 180 per person for an extra serving of sashimi. That was a huge surprise, to be honest, and definitely did not thrill any of us. At Zuma, it is free for all--unlimited, delicious sashimi, and it was so good.

MAIN: For the main course at Aqua, we ordered the delicious-sounding pork loin, which came out completely unexpectedly, not as a loin or chop (as it seemed to be written), but as paper-thin strips with just as many onions as pork in a moist broth. It was a sautéed dish that looked like cafeteria food (but did taste good). One person ordered the lamb, and it was good, but not great. At Zuma the spicy beef tenderloin was perfectly cooked and the iberico pork was very much enjoyed.

DESSERT: The dessert at Aqua was quite nice and a pretty display. They recognized the anniversary of our friends with a little sign written in chocolate that said "Happy Anniversary." The tiramisu was quite nice.

DRINKS: At both places we did the simple options. Aqua had a soda package for 100 HKD that included tea, juices, and sodas. Zuma had a complimentary fruit tea that was iced and delicious.

SERVICE: The server at Aqua was...distracted and not seeming to enjoy his job or the day. He was proficient, but not great. When we asked for the dessert course, as the mains came out very slowly and took time, he cleared my husband's plate that was not even close to being finished. He had turned around to look at a boat in the harbor and when he turned back around it was gone! Zuma's service was fantastic. We felt seen and as if we were having a special experience that the waiter was a part of.

AMBIANCE: Zuma and Aqua are both very nicely decorated and feel special. You can't beat the harbor view at Aqua, though.

If you're like us and you want to try out both places, I highly suggest going to Aqua first so you're not disappointed by the let down after Zuma being much, much better in service and food.

Pictures of the food...

Food Review: Truffle Pasta- 2/10 Cons: uneven noodle size starchy noodle flavor uneven noodle texture too much oil/butter Pros: Truffle itself was good. Table of 5; did we finish it? No.

Wagyu- 5/10 Pros: fair marbling the one piece of mushroom was the best part

Cons: slices too thick = doesn’t melt in mouth and leaves a slab on fat in your mouth that makes you want to gag after the 2nd piece. none of the sauces were good Table of 5; did we finish it? No.

Kimchi fried rice- 3/10 Pros: color? Cons: crunch chip texture felt like something you’d eat as a kid. Crushed up chips in a bowl of white rice. It would have been a good nostalgic meal if the restaurant ambience centered around comfort. plain taste too much going on in the food itself Table of 5; did we finish it? No. You’d be better off making this at home. Really easy! White rice, white vinegar, 2 eggs, soy sauce, splash of sesame oil, bit of truffle oil, gochujang, bit of oyster sauce, bit of chicken powder, cut kimchi, green onions, white onions, minced garlic, fry and pour half of it out. With the other half, fry some more for more crunch if you want(it’s not really a crunch, but to incorporate different textures that actually fit into the meal). Sounds like a lot, but it’ll only take 10 mins.

There’s overall too much going on in ALL the food items. For confidentiality purposes, I did not review all food items ordered. The quality is good and I understand the skill needed to cook these meals is most notably high. To say the very least, this meal was highly underwhelming in comparison to the elegance/luxury focal point. To say we desire a refund is an understatement.

Service: Was okay. The whole time, the waiter just created a very stiff and unfriendly environment. Walking in, there was already an expectation to be proper. Instead of being greeted with comfort, we are greeted with coldness. To be professional is one thing, but accommodating based on your customers is another. I believe there was a little belittlement that occurred due to our attire.

Atmosphere: Party music and eating “luxury meals” with elegance. That was a mix I had never thought I would experience. Windows were foggy due to rain, but can we really blame them for bad timing? I saw a lot of reviews complaining about this, but I don’t understand how customers can expect the windows to be cleaned 24/7. If you have an invisible disability, I encourage you to avoid this place as it can be overwhelming.

Edit: leave us alone. We no longer want to be in...