The celebrity chef’s new steakhouse struts a fine line between being a proper grill and an international restaurant with surprises
After Bread Street Kitchen (closed, but soon to re-open) and London House, international celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay returned last month to open Maze Grill, his third establishment in collaboration with local restaurant group Dining Concepts. Housed within the top floor of the new extension wing at Ocean Terminal, Maze Grill shares the same space as Hexa, Fu Rong, Paper Moon, and A-nu Retrouvez Vous; still, there is no point comparing Ramsay’s new place with the rest, as it’s currently holding fast to a no-walk in policy and has a waiting list that spans at least one month in advanced reservations. In light of such hype, we wondered: could Maze Grill be Ramsay’s best Hong Kong restaurant yet?
Like its neighbouring restaurants, Maze Grill has an expansive terrace that wraps around the restaurant itself. With more than 180 degrees of unobstructed panoramic Victoria Harbour views, it’s certainly an asset for the restaurant, with guests clamoring to secure spaces for al fresco drinks and nightcaps. The dining room itself is a narrow corridor that bends into a larger rectangular space. It’s lined with floor-to-ceiling windows which generously invite natural light to brighten up the interior, making the mahogany-toned sofas and wooden flooring even more prominent. It is worth noting that despite the comfort of settling into the booth seating, tables are rather packed together and elbow room was meagre, even for small parties of four or under.
Maze Grill is a proper grill, with prominent Asian influences weaved into a number of dishes. We began our meal with the signature prawn and chorizo toast, served with yuzu mayonnaise and coriander. Similar to the Cantonese classic prawn toast, the minced shrimps and smoky chorizo sausages are mixed and evenly coating the top of thick-bread before they were fried until crunchy and golden brown. The yuzu was rather absent from the mayonnaise, and a forlorn sprig of coriander did not contribute any flavour to the starter. Grilled octopus was served with toasted nuts and ajo blanco, or a white garlic puree. The grilled tentacles were tender with just the right hint of caramelisation all over, but it was the garlicky ajo blanco that stole the show: creamy and mildly sweet and not overpoweringly spicy, the garlic puree matched the richness of the octopus effortlessly.
Pea and parsley risotto was a refreshing dish we shared. Italian rice was cooked until just al dente, paired with a brightly jade-green parsley puree and dotted with fresh green peas. The texture of the rice was perfect, but the overall consistency could be a little thicker and use a little bit more seasoning.