I thought the longest queues in Wynyard were at Jamie's. I was wrong. Only 3 weeks in, newly opened Merivale restaurant Mr Wong has been a huge success of late run by executive chef Dan Hong as well as a few other big names in Chinese cooking. Located in literally what is a back alley, Mr Wong is easy to miss for those who aren't directly looking for the restaurant. For those who are, be prepared to brave through some serious stench from opposing restaurant's wastes as well as massive queues.
It's a beautiful, well-considered fit out; reminiscent of a sprawling Hong Kong tea houses of old and it's evident that a crazy amount of money has been put into it. Menus are both in Chinese and and English, surprising given the clientèle being non-Asian dominant.
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| Seafood Dumpling Consommé 9.8 |
We start off with a seafood dumpling, pricey and somewhat unattractive in comparison to the picture on their site. Nevertheless, it was meaty, sweet and delicious.
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| Baked Venison Puff 10.8 |
Next up were some seriously amazing puffs; fall-apart saucy spicy venison encased in a gorgeous buttery pastry.
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| Foie Gras Prawn Toast 12 |
Best. Prawn. Toast. Seriously amazing toast with that slightly resistant prawn meat and a touch of luxury with the sweet buttery foie gras.
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| Abalone and Chicken Shumai 12 |
A de-constructed shumai comes before us, deliciously saucy, sweet and intense.
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| Lobster Mei Si roll 11 |
Let the crispy items keep coming, it's nearly all noodle with just a little nugget of lobster but what did you expect at 11 dollars.
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| Sichuan steak tartare 18 |
If there was a best dish there, it would have to be in my opinion their take on a steak tartare. It's bloody delicious with a pleasant chilli kick and well rounded-deep flavour given by the spring onions and deep fried garlic chips.
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| Stir fried egg Noodles with king prawn and prawn roe 18 |
The noodles were unanimously average at best, the promise of king prawns clearly failing on us because of what definitely were shrimps and lacking a definite oomph in flavour.
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| Roast white chocolate ice cream, yuzu curd, longans and raspberries 12 |
There's a refined consideration for textures in this particular dessert. The roast white chocolate ice cream has a superb bold flavour that doesn't over power the much more sweet tart yuzu curd and logans.
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| Green apple ice, osmanthus jelly, water chestnuts and coconut sorbet 12 |
There's also a superb mix of textures in this one, refreshingly light and beautifully balanced; it's a nice way to end our meal.
I admit, I am a huge fan of Dan Hong but the overall Mr Wong package doesn't live up that standard. Initially promising, high hopes bring easy disappointment. Dim sum comes out quickly as is to be expected at restaurant with a cuisine that prides itself on rapid delivery. We eventually gave up on and cancelled our mains because, after more than half an hour of waiting, they didn't seem like they were coming out ever. We then had to wait nearly another half an hour for desserts despite asking previously that they came soon after the mains, which oddly arrived half-way through eating our dessert despite being cancelled...
An hour between courses is just utterly appalling when considering it's a Merivale establishment, new restaurant or not. A contrasting experience to most of others that have eaten; service was just aloft and inattentive and failed to apologize at all. It's a remarkably produce driven menu, respectful to the classics that's just let down by a lacklustre and forgettable service and meagre portions that leaves much to be desired. It's pleasing that Merivale do care and have since apologized over phone and invited us to come back, however, I find myself hesitant although optimistic. To newcomers, go for the more unusual items and dim sum and dessert items. However, expect inconsistency. You won't be disappointed for the most part.
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