Union American Bar & Grill

Location : Shop 1009, Level One, International Finance Centre Mall,
Central, Hong Kong
Cuisine : American
Tel. # :(852) 2295-1808
Website : http://www.windy-city.com.hk/union/index.html

When around the business corners of Central and you crave some classic American dishes, you can definitely count on Union American Bar & Grill! With a semi-dim-ish environment, Union offers a Bar area nice for the after work hang outs and plenty of dishes pleasant to the international makeup of I.F.C.

I visited Union around noon hours and found myself with a menu that consisted of soups, salads, sandwiches, burgers, appetizers and much, much more. There are all sorts of items to choose from such as Boston Clam Chowder ($78 HKD), Classic Caesar with grilled chicken ($108 HKD) or even burgers like their very own, Union steak sandwich ($158 HKD). Cost wise, in general, you don't expect anything to be cheap when you're in I.F.C., but I can assure you from what I had, at least the quality of their food justifies it for the most part!

I mean, why visit an American joint if you don't go for a burger? I quickly went with the top of the list, Pulled Smokehouse BBQ Sandwich ($84 HKD). The burger came with a cherry tomato and pickle stuck on top served with fries and BBQ sauce on the side. The burger size was acceptable and definitely loaded with meat and onion. As evident from the picture (sorry with the low-resolution photo), they have grilled the bun a little to give it that soft and crispy sensation.

With the first bite, I noticed the meat within was tender for the most part and as a whole, the burger tasted good! The fries were fresh and not soggy or had any other issues. They aren't steak fries as I would like it to be but they are your common McDonald-like fries done well (a bit bigger). If you want ranch or honey mustard or any other sauces to go with your fries like I do, feel free to ask, the people at Union will gladly get some for you.

In the end, I definitely recommend this place if you're in I.F.C. and you want some classic American dishes! Union American Bar & Grill does a good job bringing the American standard into such a business related area.

< 3 1/2 out of 5 >

Pasha (Delicious!)

> Location : Shop 1-C, G/F, Cheung's Bldg., 1-3 Wing Lok St.,
Central, Hong Kong
> Cuisine : Turkish Kebabs
> Tel. # : (852) 2851-0861
> Website : http://www.donerbox.com

> Update (March 2007) :

Pasha has gone through a lot of changes from wanting to serve pizza to making a healthy slogan for their meals. Their latest attempt to win customer's heart is the best I've seen! Their NEW menu consist of 7 sections. Each section is split into a specific type of meat and if you want it in pita roll style (gyro), with rice, salad or with chips (fries). The following are your choices: Chicken doner, Lamb doner, Chips / chips with falafel, chicken tikka, choban salad and falafel (vegetarian kebab).

They're using vivid images of their products for their paper and in store menu. Which gives their new business plan a much better attractiveness. In my honest opinion, their food quality has gone through a roller coaster ride. I remember my first visit to this place I was fairly pleased. My last attempt was just a downer to me. However, my very latest attempt was just about the same as my first. The pita bread quality seem to be the same as before which is acceptable (could be better) but my only complaint was how hot my lamb doner with pita roll was this time. I thought they could have heated it longer after they rolled it up.

With the addition of a website, delivery and wireless internet available (after 3PM), Pasha has tried to do a lot food and environment wise to gain more business. In the end, my new verdict for Pasha is the same as before.


> Original Review :

Opened just for a few weeks, Pasha Kebab House is a small little place that serves a large variety of dishes. Designed more as a fast food style place, Pasha's menu offers five different category to choose from (actually six on the menu but they scrapped the pizza section due to the lack of kitchen space). The five categories are the following: Soguk Mezeler (Cold Appetizers), Sicak Mezeler (Hot Appetizers), Karisik Kebablar (Mixed Platters), Ana Yemekler (Main Courses), and Turkish Doner Kebabs (Gyros). A drink section is also listed with Turkish tea and coffee as the highlight of the bunch. The menu also indicates which items are vegetarian and which are recommended.

The first thing that comes to mind (for most people) when you eat Mediterranean, Greek and Turkish food is lamb and gyros. Also listed as one of their recommended items, I directly went with the Lamb Doner Kebab (Gyro). The description states it's a "rolled in pita bread with vegetables and requested home made sauces." The vegetables includes lettuce, red onion, tomato, and mushrooms. The pita bread is pretty big unlike the smaller round ones you see at places like Daphne's, an American Greek restaurant chain. It is like a size of a large burrito! Not as thick but still you get that infamous pita bread taste. Not exactly a kebab as the menu states, it's basically lamb wrapped inside the pita bread. Before it's wrapped up and ready to go, the Pasha people will ask you if you want to add any extra sauces such as chilli, mint, garlic or even tahini. The guy at the counter suggested chilli sauce on my gyro so I went with it.

The lamb from the vertical spit has the infamous gyro lamb taste to it. That very lamb heavy taste in your mouth. The meat was tender overall. The special white sauce made for this gyro is ranch dressing like but with a unique kick to it. Mixed along with the chilli sauce, lamb, vegetables and the whole bunch, it certainly was tasty! It gave you that slight Taco Bell fiesta feel to it. Of course, no disrespect to Pasha as my perception is stirred only by my creative mindset for the gyro I had from them definitely has its idenity of its own! It is not salty at all and a Very balance flavoring. The only thing I would suggest on a personal level is not to pan fried the pita bread too long, leaving it softer to the mouth allowing you to have more of that pita bread flavor.

Price wise, at $45 HKD for the Lamb Doner Kebab, it isn't very cheap especially for a lot of the working people in Central district that walks by (since I'm a food reviewer, I got a special discount ^^). With appetizers at $28 to $42 HKD, Mixed platters $94 to $142 HKD, Doner/Kebabs with rice at $58 to $78 HKD and Gyros at $42 to $55 HKD, you get a wide range of selections depending on your budget. Yet, with the above average quality of the sole item I had, it justifies most of the cost in my opinion. Update (12/02/06): Prices have changed since last visiting Pasha. Appetizers now are from $20 to $28 HKD, Main courses are from $30 to $40 HKD for lunch size and adding $5 dollars more for normal size. Same applying to Gyros from $28 to $30 HKD lunch size. Now the price adjustments have been made, it is more acceptable in my opinion to the common public. A great move indeed!

In conclusion, The Lamb Doner Kebab (Gyro) was definitely a good pick. Besides some personal nit-picking I had with the softness of the pita bread, I enjoyed the gyro very much! I'm not much of a person who looks at the price when it comes to food (as long as it's food!). But if I had to make an educated assessment, I do agree the prices can be a bit cheaper. Although I do agree Sheung Wan and Central district rent can get gruesome, having customers and paying your rent is better than having no customers and paying your rent. But if you're like me, don't hesitate and go try out Pasha Kebab House now! I will definitely do an update after I try some new items. For now, my verdict is...

< 3 1/2 out of 5 >