Neighbour House Restaurant nestles in a delightful hideaway enjoying great views over the lake in faux-Europe central, Portofino. The restaurant is spacious and the décor stylish. Food is crossover Canto/Nouvelle Cuisine, though the menu is only available in Chinese. Neighbour’s chef chose three of his signature dishes for us to try.
The first dish comprised of half a very hard-boiled egg, decorated with a round of cold carrot, a stalk of par-boiled asparagus and a nugget of earthy tasting taro, all smeared with a generous helping of sweet honey. (RMB38)
Next came the shrimp (one) lounging in a Del Monte syrup with segments of finely diced peach. The shrimp, cooked in a light sweet/mustard batter, tasted quite good, although if it had brought a few friends and kept its fin dry, it might have been a tad more filling. (RMB88)
The third dish, beef rib, turned out to be ‘unavailable’ after an hour’s wait. (RMB188).Service was bereft of joy and slow. Wine is by the bottle starting at around RMB200.
All in all, if you want to experience a new approach to fine dining, then Neighbour House will provide you a great opportunity to educate your palate, in what may turn out to be a culinary journey of some surprises.
// 1-22 Xiangshan Zhong Jie, Portofino, OCT, Nanshan District.(8608 0303) 邻舍私房家宴 南山区华侨城波托菲诺香山中街1-22
