UCC Vienna Cafe

Name: UCC Vienna Cafe
City: Hong Kong
Address: Fisherman's Wharf near Laguna Verde in Hung Hom, also Harbor City and New World Centre

Website: www.ucc.co.jp

Cuisine: Coffee, desserts, western, breakfast, Japanese

Critique: We opted for this place because of location and variety of food and were not disappointed. Honestly, I was a little befuddled by the menu at first because it is a bit eclectic, but the food is good nonetheless.
I had a snack order of fried chicken and the berry waffle. My girlfriend had seafood pasta with a soy milk white sauce. The chicken was okay- a little greasy and over-battered, but better than quite a bit of the chicken I have had in Hong Kong. I ordered the large berry waffle which was more than an Eggo, but less than a Waffle House waffle. It was topped with strawberries, blueberries and raspberries and served with a dollop of whip cream, a shot glass of jelly and a small scoop of vanilla ice cream. The waffle itself was okay, but the berries, cream and ice cream made it tasty. It was nice to have a breakfast option at night. My girlfriend really liked the seafood pasta with a soy milk sauce. The soy milk sauce was similar to a normal white sauce, but thinner and probably a lot healthier as well. She likes soy milk, so it wasn't that odd for her.
UCC is also know for their coffee and unique coffee dispenser that look more like a piece of equipment from a science lab that something from a cafe. They had several omelets on the menu, pasta dishes, sandwiches, curries and breakfast dishes, but most of it had a Japanese twist to it. I never had heard of Japanese people being know for waffles, but I was thankful they were on the menu.
The location was nice and quiet, so you could enjoy a good conversation without yelling. The service was decent, but nothing to write home about. I thought her portion was good and mine was a little bit smallish for a "large" (but I am a fat American and she isn't). And for the two of us it was about 150 HKD (about $20), which is quite reasonable in Hong Kong.

Comments/Recommendations: I definitely would recommend UCC Cafe Vienna, especially if you have a group that can't decide between Western or Asian food. It would also be a nice place to have coffee and dessert if you don't want to follow the heard to Starb---s. You can definitely find better places to eat, but most of them are more expensive.

Rating: 3 Fries

Pepperonis

Name: Pepperonis
City: Hong Kong
Address: 8 Staunton Street, Soho (right off the escalators to the Mid-Levels)

Website: n/a, but to order via phone 2869-1766

Cuisine: Pizza and a little bit of everything else

Critique: I have eaten at Pepperonis twice. Both times I had pepperoni pizza (original, I know) and the second time I had their chicken sampler as an appetizer. The pizza is great, some of the best I have had in Asia. The pepperoni tastes like pepperoni and not ham or some other pork product. My friends had their version of a supreme pizza and enjoyed it. They offer a variety of types of pizza- some are the standbys you would expect in the United States, some are a bit more adventurous or creative in nature. The crust is somewhere in between a thin and thick crust, so if you don't like big thick crust around the edges, you don't have to worry; however, if you do like crust, there is enough to satisfy you.
The chicken sampler came with wings, popcorn chicken, a few small chicken fingers and fries. For the most part, these were all average.
Pepperonis also offers delivery which I would image is limited to the Soho, Mid-Levels and Central area, but I could be wrong.
Prices were fair, I think a large pizza is somewhere between $15-20 US, but don't quote me on that. The service was decent, especially since the place is usually full with a line.

Comments/Recommendations: Basically the pizza is the draw. The rest of the menu is probably hit-and-miss, but don't miss the pizza, because it is better than Pizza Hut.

Rating: 4 Fries (for pizza, 2.5 Fries for other)

MOS Burger

Name: MOS Burger
City: Hong Kong
Address: Langham Place, Mong Kok, Kowloon

Website: http://www.mos.co.jp/english/outline/

Cuisine: Burgers & Fast Food

Critique: A few days after I got to Hong Kong, I was part of a discussion of where to find the best burger in Hong Kong. I remembered a few people said MOS Burger, so when I stumbled upon it in one of the high-rise malls on the Kowloon side, I decided to try it out.
It is a Japanese chain that has spread throughout Asia. They offer a lot of different burgers- cheese, shrimp, chicken, tofu, rice, etc.
I opted for a cheeseburger and fries. The fries were okay- better than Wendy’s, not as good as McDonald’s. The burger was fair. It had an Asian taste to it, which I guess is a way of saying it didn’t taste like a good juicy American burger. It wasn’t bad, but it just didn’t offer me any reason to make a specific trip back to MOS, especially when the Golden Arches are on every corner in Hong Kong.
The price was reasonable, around 33 HK$ ($4+ US).

Comments/Recommendations: As I stated above, the food is okay, but not great enough to warrant a switch from American chains… or a particular Canadian chain, which might offer the best burger in Hong Kong.

Rating: 1 Fry

Great American Rib Company

Name: Great American Rib Company
City: Pattaya, Thailand
Address: Tepprasit Road

Cuisine: American BBQ

Critique: Given that this restaurant is very close to the hotel we stay at, the location is fabulous. The staff is friendly, and service is very fast, even in groups of 50+. The ribs are great, though not as tender as I would like. They are tender, but I prefer them literally falling of the bone. These took a fork and knife to remove the meat cleanly. The food, however, tastes great.

Comments/Recommendations: The BBQ ribs are great, stick with a half slab, it is plenty. If with a large group, I definitely recommend the family platter. Feeds 6 - 8 easily!

Rating: 4 Fries

Hungry Traveler Lives On

Hello all. It is with a sad heart that Rick leaves our part of the world, but the Hungry Traveler must go on. It is with great honor that I carry on he duties of discovering the finest cuisine in Asia. Rick will post from time to time the fine eateries he discovers in the states, so when we all head back we can partake in the fine dining he has discovered. If any of you wish to contribute to the Hungry Traveler, please let me know and I will add you to the team.

End of the Road for The Hungry Traveler

Well, things have changed. Due to the fact that I have left Asia, I will no longer be updating The Hungry Traveler. Would anyone like to take it over?

Please be patient

Please be patient..... updates are coming. I promise.

El Taco Loco Taqueria, Hong Kong

Name: El Taco Loco Taqueria

City: Soho, Hong Kong

Address: 9 Lower Staunton St. (just off the escalator)

Website: http://www.diningconcepts.com.hk/

Cuisine: Hong Kong style Mexican

Critique: Being in Soho, it is a bit of a pain to get to and not really worth the trouble. The beautiful Mexican decor is a delight to look at and it is tastefully decorated. The seven tables can fill up quick, but there is usually room at lunch time. Fully one half of their menu (the entire front side) is a drinks menu and their food menu is not extensive.

When we arrived for lunch on a public holiday, there was only one other person, who happened to walk in directly in front of us. She had her beer and chips before we even saw the waitress. We decided to order a large basket of tortilla chips and pico de gallo. We were sorely disappointed to find that the chips were an off-brand Doritos chip that is notorious for being slightly stale. The pico de gallo was good. A little frustrating at over $5 USD. It would have been worth it to have had regular restaurant style tortilla chips WITHOUT seasoning.

Among the four of us, we had a good variety from their menu: beef tacos, beef burritos, and chicken enchiladas. No one liked the tacos at all. The burrito was slightly better, and I am the only one who liked the enchiladas. The tacos seem to have been seasoned with chili powder instead of traditional taco seasoning. The shredded beef that they used for taco meat was extremely tough. They used the same beef in the burrito. However, the pico de gallo and the refried beans redeemed that effort. The enchiladas were served with sour cream and guacamole and all in a tin foil pie plate. While that was a bit out of the ordinary, the enchiladas was good. I would eat it again.

The tacos were fairly reasonable in price, except that no one ate them, so that makes them not worth the cost. The burritos were fairly expensive as well as the enchiladas. For 3 tacos, 2 burritos, 2 enchiladas, a basket of slightly stale off brand Doritos and four cans of soda pop, $24 USD was a little on the high side.

Comments/Recommendations: For my family, I am afraid that our visit today constituted 2 trips; our first and our last. I wouldn't mind going back again, but I don't think the family will be joining me. It is possible, that for the past month, we have been talking about going to El Chico's. When we saw this restaurant last week, it smelled good and perhaps we were expecting too much. In any case, the restaurant's motto or tag line is: "Muy authentica" (very authentic). I would propose a new motto: "Typical Asian Mexican Food".

Rating: 2 Fries

Nanning Brazil BBQ, Nanning, China

Name: Nanning Brazil BBQ

City: Nanning, China

Address: 4-1 Education Street

Website: Unknown


Photo: Bob S.

Cuisine: Brazilian Barbeque

Critique: I didn't have too high hopes for this restaurant, but I must say I was pleasantly surprised. They have a decent variety of meats; many of which are within the standard "Brazilian Barbeque" genre. Some, are not. I visited on a night when regular customers were dissatisfied with the service. I thought the service was decent. I am told that they are usually much more attentive to your needs, but this night was a national holiday night and they were very busy.

They had the biggest food buffet of any Brazilian Barbeque I have been to yet, with the possible exception of one in Tai'an. They had noodles, which were very good, by the way. They had veggies, soups, and a pretty good dessert bar. I was duly impressed with the fact that they had a soda fountain and brewed coffee!

The food quality was very good. The meat was hot and tasty. The kids seem to have a good time, however, they said that they didn't really like the food. Of course, they ate a lot and enjoyed the dessert bar, so you have to consider all that.

Comments/Recommendations: This is undoubtedly one of the best places to eat in Nanning. I truly recommend your going. Being that it is the only Brazilian BBQ place in town, if you speak Mandarin, you should be able to get a taxi to it without any problems. Be sure to get the prime rib and the lemon cake. Don't forget the all you can drink pop and coffee. This is a good value for the money and a good place to eat.

Rating: 3 Fries

California Steak House, Shekou, China

Name: California Steak House
City: Shekou, Shenzhen, China
Address: Central Plaza, Sea World, across from the Ming Hua, next door to Starbucks

Website: unknown

Cuisine: Steaks and Seafood

Critique: The restaurant advertises an "all you can eat" bar-b-que buffet for both lunch and supper. The biggest signs outside the restaurant advertises "American beef and pork". I took a look at the buffet and it didn't look bad. There were very thin slices of beef, but the shish-kababs looked pretty good. It included a LOT of seafood, but it was squid, muscles, whole small fishes, etc. Inside however, the salad bar and dessert bar looked very good. The restaurant is tastefully decorated and includes indoor and outdoor seating.

Most prominent in the restaurant is a large screen TV. The evening I was there, they were playing re-runs of "Tom & Jerry" over and over. There was no sound, but they had nice classical music on their PA system. For me, the Tom and Jerry aspect took away from the dining experience, but I am sure my kids would have loved it.

I had the intention of ordering one of their "American beef" steaks. I settled on a piece that was not a conventional cut. The steak was two inches thick. I ordered it medium-well, but received it well on the outer 1/2 inch and raw in the middle. I sent it back for a re-cook. When it returned, it was medium well on the middle but very well on the outside. Without a doubt this is the toughest steak I have ever had in Asia, and perhaps in my life. I ended up cutting 1/4 inch cubes to chew; anything bigger and it would have taken me all night. The French fries and steamed broccoli that came with it were good.

I will brag on this: when I ordered the steak, I asked the manager how much the dessert bar would be to go with it, as the steaks were more expensive than the buffet. After a brief thought, the manager said that he would include the dessert bar at no charge. When my steak was finished, I really didn't feel like dessert, because my jaws were tired from chewing. However, the waiter brought over a "sampler" plate from the dessert bar with about 6 different desserts. The chocolate mousse was excellent as was all other desserts.

Comments/Recommendations: I would certainly recommend your not wasting your money on the "American beef". If, indeed, it was American beef, it came from some really old milk cows somewhere in New Jersey. I intend on another visit to see about the buffet, but mostly so I can get the dessert bar again. In fact, the dessert bar gave this restaurant one more fry than what I would have given it without it.

Rating: 2 Fries

Tivoli Ristorante Italiano & Bar, Shekou, China

Name: Tivoli Ristorante Italiano & Bar

City: Shekou, China

Address: Shop 117, Sea World, Shekou, Shenzhen

Website: www.itivoli.com

Cuisine: Italian

Critique: Location. Location. Location. Those are the top three things this restaurant has going for it. On the occasion of my visit, I was met by a friendly staff who were anxious to make sure I had a good experience. My intentions were to have a nice Italian dinner, but after I saw the menu, I decided to order a steak. It was cooked almost to my specifications. It included a trip to the salad bar. I must say I have seen better salad bars at school cafeterias. A bowl of mayonnaise and bananas should not be able to qualify as a "salad". I was delightfully surprised to receive a couple of pieces of garlic toast; it was very good.

For lunch, this restaurant would be appropriate for family dining; as with many restaurants in Shekou, evening dining would require an early entrance, due to the bar atmosphere.

Comments/Recommendations: I really would recommend ordering a steak. I will go back to try their Italian and update this listing at a later date.

Rating: 2 Fries

Fat Angelo's, Hong Kong

Name: Fat Angelo's
City: Hong Kong
Address: 6 locations: three on Hong Kong Island at Elizabeth House in Causeway Bay, Elgin Street in Soho and Queen's Road East in Wanchai, one in Kowloon at The Pinnacle in Tsim Sha Tsui, and two in New Territories at Metro City and Tsuen Wan Panda Place.

Website: http://www.fatangelos.com/

Cuisine: New York Home Style Italian

Critique: Fat Angelo's is an immensely popular restaurant in Hong Kong and around Asia. Visitors to Hong Kong often head straight for Fat Angelo's to gorge themselves on all sorts of Italian delights. All dishes are served family style and you buy 1 dish for every one to two people. However, each dish is extremely expensive and most are just mediocre in taste. Where this restaurant really shines is in its service and family friendliness.

Now about the food...the best parts of Fat Angelo's are the free salad, the wonderful bread, and the desserts. You can "upgrade" to Caesar salad for a small price, but you don't get free "refills" on salad if you do. They also make some really great dinner rolls. Well, they are more loafs than rolls, but they have the rolls shape. Anyway, they bring baskets and baskets of bread. To me, that is a very good thing. They have a fairly large dessert menu which includes some yummy tiramisu, apple crumble, and some great cheese cake.

Each restaurant is tastefully decorated in 1950's Italian. The wait staff is attentive (generally) and really seem to want you to have a good time. They will go over-board to make your meal a success.

Comments/Recommendations: I recommend the Parmesan chicken, the cheese cake and the apple crumble, a la mode. I definitely DO NOT recommend the lasagna (the WORST I have ever had in my WHOLE life!), or the beef ricotta. For most dishes, Chef Boyardee makes better Italian. The high prices and low quality makes for an unfortunate combination. My kids ask for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich immediately after arriving back at home from at night out at Fat Angelo's. If the food quality was any better, it would have gotten a "4 Fry" rating, but because it is so poor, it will only get the rating below.

Rating: 2 Fries

Gaucho Garden Grill, Shekou, China

Name: Gaucho Garden Grill
City: Shekou, China
Address: No. 3 Prince, Road, Shekou, Shenzhen Ground floor of Prince Hotel

Website: unknown

Cuisine: Brazilian Bar-b-que

Critique: This restaurants meets all expectations, if you are expecting a run of the mill Chinese style Brazilian BBQ. There is nothing special about it, however, the food is good. The management really has tried to bring a good "feel" of the restaurant; it has nice dishes, pictures of real gauchos at work, presumably in Brazil, and, of course, the pre-requisite silly cowboy uniforms, worn by the staff.

The main buffet section of the meal is located around the corner from the TV screen on the wall. That is good to know because service isn't too good and you might sit there for a while before you realize there is more to your meal than just meat. However, not much more.

The food buffet , while appearing on the surface to have a great variety, is actually stocked with items that you might have trouble identifying. On the occasion of my visit, the bread was stale-ish and there really wasn't much that looked appealing.

The BBQ is pretty good. During lunch time, they aren't just killing themselves serving the beef. They list beef, chicken, lamb, and pork. For the most part, the beef was tender. I didn't think they did a very good job on the pork, however. The chicken was pretty good. The mutton was OK.

Comments/Recommendations: I have had MUCH better BBQ in China. I have also had much worse. This was pretty mediocre; not too good, not too bad. I don't really have any recommendations for Gauchos. All you can eat meat at a good price. That ought to say it all.

Rating: 2 Fries

Papa John's, Shekou

Name: Papa John's
City: Shekou, China
Address: Central Plaza, Sea World, next to the Ming Hua

Website: http://papajohns.com/

Cuisine: American Pizza

Critique: A great taste of home! Excellent decor. Actually, an upscale restaurant, if you didn't know it was Papa John's. The best tasting pizza I've had in Asia.

Comments/Recommendations: I don't normally review a chain restaurant, but this one is here for two reasons: I want you to know that it is available in Shekou; and it really does taste just like it does in the States, unlike Pizza Hut, which simply isn't the same. This truly is an exception. There is at least one other branch in Central Garden City next to Wal-Mart in Shekou and I have seen one in Shanghai. Now, if it would just come to Hong Kong!

Rating: 4 Fries

Parana BBQ, Shekou, China

Name: Parana BBQ
City: Shekou, China
Address: Astern, directly under the main bridge, inside the Ming Hua, Sea World, Shekou, China

Website: unknown

Cuisine: Brazilian Bar-b-que

Critique: The best part of this restaurant is that it is in the Ming Hua. The Ming Hua is the large former Russian passenger ship that has been turned into a hotel. I sat next to a port-hole. The developers of this hotel/restaurant extravaganza have done a terrific job on the hotel part and the restaurants. The hotel is quite posh and the rooms are actually two converted state rooms.

Now, the restaurant. I suppose that Parana is a nice phonetic attempt at spelling "Pirhanna", but you must at least be close for spell check to work. The waiters are made to wear the ridiculous cowboy uniforms that have become mandatory for Chinese Brazilian BBQ's. There was a large selection of meats and one of them was very, very good. One selection was small pieces of beef wrapped in bacon. It was almost as good as the same done with chicken. Speaking of chicken, I was a little disappointed to see how much unidentifiable chicken parts were presented on the BBQ swords.

In addition to the swords, like most restaurants of this style, a buffet is available. This particular buffet is lacking in all areas except for a very nice dinner roll. The wait-staff is friendly enough and the "cowboys" come by bearing their swords frequently enough to not let you get too hungry between servings.

Comments/Recommendations: The novelty of this restaurant is enough to bring you there one time, but it quickly wears off. There are three items on their swords that is worth the wait, but you can quickly pass on most everything else. Even their cooked banana and pineapple could be better. Again, the best part of the Parana is that it is in the bow of a ship.

Rating: 2 Fries

Roma's Bar & Grill, Shekou

Name: Roma's Bar & Grill, Shekou
City: Shekou, Shenzhen, China
Address: At the back of Taizi Hotel. Taizi Rd. Shekou

Website: unknown

Cuisine: steaks, varied

Critique: The convenient location of Roma's is one of the selling points of this delightful little restaurant. I was impressed with the friendliness of the staff and the decor/ambiance. The menu, while not extensive, did provide a generous selection of steaks. It also had a small Italian, Tex-Mex and pizza selection. The tables were covered with paper and each had a small cup of crayons for the kiddies (or creative grownups).

I haven't had particularly good luck getting a steak cooked the way I want or expect, but I was pleasantly surprized to find my medium-well steak actually medium well. The baked potato was not over or under cooked and had an American selection of toppings, including real bacon bits.

Comments/Recommendations: I truly recommend the ribeye steak with baked potato. However, I want comment on the child appropriateness of Roma's. Each table, in addition to the crayons, is also decorated with a nice candle dripped bottle of some sort. The bottle is extremely unstable and can turn over at the slightest knock. When the bottle on my table turned over, it drenched me in hot wax. It covered my hand, my shirt, and my plate, not to mention the wall behind me. Accidents do happen, although I was just a tad dissapointed with the management who offered nothing in the way of compensation. I'll readily agree that they didn't "have" to do or offer anything, but the hot wax treatment did tend to ruin my evening.

Rating: 3 Fries

Amigos Tex-Mex, Shekou

Name: Amigos Tex-Mex
City: Shekou, China
Address: On the square at Sea World in Shekou, next to Amazan BBQ.



Website: unknown

Cuisine: Tex-Mex and varied

Critique: Amigos tries hard and the waiters/waitresses are friendly. The outdoor setting is delightful. The food is so-so. If you eat an early dinner or at lunch, the restaurant will be family-friendly enough, but any later and the party goers abound. The restaurant has a huge menu ranging from chimichangas to chicken enchiladas, but, it was just a 'half a bubble off' when it comes to real good Tex-Mex. It is certainly an acceptable substitute if you haven't had your Mexican food in a very long time.

Comments/Recommendations: I can say that the chicken chimichanga was a delightful surprise on the menu, but it didn't meet my expectation when it arrived at the table. I don't think I can even put my finger on what the problem was, but it just didn't taste "right". Now, it wasn't bad, but it just wasn't "right".

Rating: 2 Fries

Jade Garden Restaurant, Macau

Name: Jade Garden Restaurant
City: Macau
Address: 35-39 Rua Dr. Pedro Jose Lobo

Website: Unknown

Cuisine: Cantonese

Critique: Wow! What great dim sum! I must admit that I have had good dim sum before, so I honestly wasn't expecting too much when we decided to eat at Jade Garden. We had a group of 13 or so, therefore we got a private dining room. That was nice, but tends to cut down on the level of service. The wait staff at Jade Garden surprised me again. We had really good service.

The problem for the casual diner will be a language barrier. The menu is in Chinese, so if you don't know what you want (or how to say it in Cantonese) it could be a problem. We were seated on the fourth floor of the restaurant (due to the private room), but I think if you sit on the second or third floors, you would have a better chance of getting what you wanted by pointing to others' tables or that I seem to recall them pushing some dim sum carts.

I don't deny being partial to cha siu bau. I happen to think that is the best single element of dim sum. They certainly didn't disappoint in this regard, either. We also ordered some noodle dishes and some rice dishes. I don't recall anything being bad or even "ify". My children really enjoyed the experience and ate well.

Comments/Recommendations: I definitely recommend the cha siu bau, but also a nice dish of gong chau ngau haw (beef chow fun). Their ying-yang rice tasted good, but the design wasn't too evident in the dish. I am giving this restaurant one fry less than what I think it should get, but I base that on the language barrier thing. If they were to get an English menu, I could give them the 4 fry rating. I'll have to go back from time to time to see about that!

Rating: 3 Fries

First Bite Sandwich Expert, Macau

Name: First Bite Sandwich Expert
City: Macau
Address: Rua do Monte 2-2A R/C



Website: Unknown

Cuisine: Western, Sandwich

Critique: This place has real potential. I ate there on two occasions, recognizing that this restaurant cannot handle a larger group. First and foremost, the first time there was the best sandwich I have had at any restaurant in Asia. I had smoked pork & mozzarella on a giant croissant. It was incredible. The croissant was just what you would expect at a great deli/sandwich place. I was really impressed. What I was not impressed with was that it took about 45 minutes to get my sandwich. I went back a second time, with just my family, to see if service would improve. It did. Immensely. However, the sandwich wasn't as good the second time. So, therefore I conclude that consistency is not their high point.

They do have a great variety. I think I remember their menu boasts 38,000 or so different combinations available. What I absolutely do not like is their menu system. They give you a "ticket" in which you create your own order for your sandwich. I don't like it that they place cheese and meat in the same category. What that means is that if you want cheese on your sandwich, you'll have to pay extra. With the large group, they got all the orders messed up and even took the liberty of changing some of our tickets. That didn't go over very well.

It is a smallish two-storey jobber with a nice decor. The wait staff were friendly, but didn't do a great job. For example: there was one young man whose job it evidently was bring the customers their drinks. The first night, their were 11 of us at our table. He made 11 trips with one drink each time. He took about 30 minutes to do this! The second time, with the 4 of us, he made two trips with three drinks but never brought my younger child her Coke. I had to ask another waitress to bring it. My children gave it a "thumbs up".

Comments/Recommendations: I absolutely would recommend this place. I do, however, in the same breath, recommend that you do NOT go in a large group. I also suggest that you put your name on your "ticket" so that they know to whom to give the sandwich. I recommend the smoke pork sandwich and I also recommend their giant croissant and/or their baguette.

Rating: 2 Fries

Fernando's, Coloane, Macau

Name: Restaurante Fernando
City: Coloane, Macau
Address: 9 Praia de Hac Sa

Website: unknown

Cuisine: Portuguese

Critique: This restaurant has enjoyed a high praise from those who have eaten there previously, from the Macau Tourism Board, and from other restaurant reviewers. I have to say that I was entirely disappointed with my experience there. First of all, the restaurant is all the way on the southern tip of Coloane Island on Hac Sa Beach. It takes a long time and a lot of effort just to get there.

I have nothing against al fresco dining, however, this particular restaurant seemed to be in a broiler. It was simply too hot to enjoy the food. At this point, however, I will interject and say that the cold water to drink was very, very cold. That is definitely a plus. I went with a very large group, so we were able to sample many different dishes. Now, there were things that I enjoyed; I simply see this restaurant as being previously over-rated. I want to bring some balance to that with this visit.

It is also fair to state that it isn't pure Portuguese food; Fernando is from the Azores, so it has a taste of the islands. Fernando was OK; a little curt, but not too bad. The service was adequate, but nothing to write home about. The portion size: cost ratio was a little eschew. It averaged US$7.60 per person. I didn't feel that I got my money's worth.

My children didn't enjoy the food very much and complained about it being so hot. There was a large area for them to play outside and there was also a foosball table. My children did not have a good experience there.

Comments/Recommendations: The bread is very good as is their pork with garlic. I would honestly recommend not going in the summer months, or only going there if you are already at Hac Sa Beach. Be sure to get the cold water; you'll need it.

Rating: 2 Fries