Will stylish interiors and a panoramic view be enough to make up for service that didn’t make the cut?

The mystery of Hexa was unveiled in November: a contemporary Chinese restaurant with nightclub entertainment in the mix, courtesy of the team behind Club Cubic in Macau. It is currently the only Cantonese establishment on this side of Harbour City, and prides itself on its spectacular 270-degree harbour view, offering a front-row, al fresco seat to enjoy firework displays and the magnificent island skyline.

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Above Inspired by the 1960s, Steve Leung's designed interior blends warm tones accented with dark green marble with dark wood and brass. (Photo: Hexa)

On a weeknight, Hexa is bustling even when it’s half-filled. Designed by the celebrated Steve Leung, the restaurant’s interior is stunning, pairing dark green marble with dark wood and an abundance of brass. The space is divided into two wings—we were seated on the right, where leather and velvet are matched with warmer tones and art-deco-inspired patterns.

Mandarin Oriental-alum Harry Hung has taken the helm at Hexa, and the menu covers a rich selection of Chinese classics with a new twist.

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Above Iberico charsiu is becoming popular in the city's best Chinese restaurants, and Hexa's version is sweet and served with house-dried raisins. (Photo: Hexa)

We began our meal with crispy stewed thin beef slices, where beef was deep-fried and tossed in caramel, laced with hot Sichuan peppercorn chilli oil. The beef was sliced thin enough to shine light, crisp with a sharp sting of heat mellowed with sweetness and numbing sensation. The signature roasted Iberico pork with honey sauce was simply presented on a marble platter, alongside house-dried raisins. Hexa’s version of the charsiu was tough and a bit overcooked.

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Above Fried vermicelli with crabmeat and egg and bean sprouts is a bestselling dish at Hexa. (Photo: Hexa)

Boston lobster fillets with fluffy egg whites and fresh milk sauce took nearly an hour to arrive. The egg whites came in a light pile, and were well-executed—like a savoury floating island with a touch of milk added in, and lobster chunks folded throughout the whites. The deep-fried golden crispy chicken is the real winner of the night. A deboned half-chicken is deep-fried until golden-brown, and the meat was perfectly tender and the translucent skin the shade of toffee and, most importantly: crispy without oozing excessive grease. The fried vermicelli with crabmeat and egg and bean sprouts was popular, too. The egg was stir-fried into golden confetti but the vermicelli was broken up too much in the wok.

Desserts are decent at Hexa. Jasmine tea panna cotta’s theatrical arrival with dry ice and traditional tea-ceremony setting is impressive, and so was the light, floral panna cotta with just the right touch of infused jasmine tea. Yuba mousse with raspberry jelly was creamy with sharpness from the raspberries.

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Above Cocktails at Hexa are creative but not a good match for Hexa's food offerings (Photo: Hexa)

The wine list covers a wide range of reds, whites, and spirits but rare finds are scarce, although a short list of Chinese baijiu spirits are also available, as are cocktails. Among them is Thai Boxing, a small porcelain barrel holding a rum-based cocktail with coconut water, coconut cream, and Thai herbs. This mild cocktail is sweet and very cold, though not a good match for Hexa’s food offerings. 80’s Pop Diva blends pineapple juice with passion fruit and Kyoho grape liqueur and served in a copper vessel, keeping the cocktail cool throughout the evening.

On the night of our visit, we were asked to arrive early to accommodate an event only to find that the restaurant was half-empty throughout the night. Orders were forgotten and misplaced throughout the meal, and we were served dishes we did not order. The staff had little knowledge of the restaurant’s food offerings, although our tea was refilled and kept warm throughout the night. It was also difficult to get the staff’s attention but as soon as the bill was requested it arrived within seconds.

Hexa is set to host DJ sets and live music, The decent food quality may be the main draw, but the lacklustre service is the performance we’d rather skip.    

Rating: 3/5  


How we rate
Each of our reviewers score restaurants based on four main criteria: setting, food, service, and drinks, taking into account more than 35 different points of reference including manners of staff, usefulness of the wine list, and whether or not the restaurant makes an effort to be environmentally aware. 5/5 indicates an exceptional experience; 4-4.5/5 is excellent; 3-3.5/5 is good to very good; and 2.5/5 or lower is average to below average. Before visiting a restaurant, the reviewers will book using a pseudonym and do not make themselves known to restaurant staff, in order to experience the venue as a regular guest—if this is not possible, or if we are recognised, we will indicate this in the review.

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