SO NOT TASTY

Its name is a misnomer, that's for sure.

Heck, we ate lunch there this afternoon and after an interminable wait, we were ushered to a booth and given the menu to scan. Prices range from 24-45 for the noodle soups and stir-fried noodles, and from 36-lower hundreds for congee. While I wasn't surprised at the numbers, given that the place is in high-rent and high-end IFC Mall, the tiny portions were disappointing, to say the least. Chee Kei in Russel St., Causeway Bay, which I wrote about a long time ago, charges much less but with double the quantity and definitely better quality.

Little boy was famished so we hurriedly ordered the wonton noodle soup, and chose the large bowl (HKD36). When the waiter arrived with the tray there were 3 similar-sized bowls with the same amount of noodle and soup in them. He asked us if we ordered the large and upon hubby affirming he took one of the bowls and placed it on the table. We asked what the other bowls were and he said they were small orders but I SWEAR they all looked the same. I cook so I'm pretty much attuned to weights and quantities and the large and small were one and the same! Unfair!

Obviously Little boy finished the whole thing but was still hungry, so we ordered the noodle in soup (HKD24) which arrived in a small bowl, again, with noodles so pathetic it would take less than 3 times for a chopstick to lift it all up. Little boy made short work of this order, which I feel is highway robbery.

Hubby ordered the stir-fried noodles with pork in soybean paste which looked, in the picture, quite generous and similar to Chee Kei's Spicy Pork noodles. This one cost a whopping HKD45. What arrived was a "platitoful", in a small plate whose size was better fit for leftovers.

We also had the rice rolls stuffed with barbeque pork. The sweet soy sauce that came with it was familiar and satisfying, the rice rolls were not. I ordered the shredded pork and century egg congee (HKD 36) but the pork was stringy and dry, like unmanageable hair full of tangles. I've tasted better congee, in larger bowls and at cheaper prices, in Causeway Bay. Beef brisket is a favorite of mine, so I had to try the beef brisket noodle, which, while tender enough, tasted so ordinary.

Hubby was still hungry so we tried the deep-fried wontons with sweet and sour sauce. A few tiny, shriveled up balls arrived, tasting too salty for their own good, with a washed-out sauce that tasted neither sweet nor sour. When the bill arrived I was shocked and wounded to find out these shriveled excuses cost HKD40! No way will I recommend this resto to anyone. I am so happy we ate at Union Bar last night with friends instead of Tasty. Not that Union Bar was spectacular, but at least it wasn't as distasteful. I totally wasted my time waiting for a seat at this place. Maybe expansion isn't good for them. Sometimes staying small and out of the way is the secret (They have branches in Happy Valley and Hung Hom which I'm sure is nowhere as flashy as the IFC one). If there's one redeeming factor to this rant, though, it's the HKD22 cha siu bao with runny sauce that I saw one table devour in seconds. I'll try that next time, but only that, and probbaly a long time from now.