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Caffè Greco, a new petite café in the Marco Polo Hotel Arcade in the Harbour City mall, combines the quality of Aqua Group restaurants’ food with a relaxed casual environment. Those of you who want a quick bite between errands can grab individually packaged sandwiches while others can sit in and enjoy their special pastries over a cup of tea – that is, if you can find the place!
Tucked away behind the Lane Crawford menswear section, I had my fair share of turning the wrong corners and annoying a dozen sales staff before I arrived at the café. Word of advice, make your way through Lane Crawford until you reach their menswear then exit the department and turn left (it’s near the luggage section)!
Once there, I was welcomed by a warm rustic yet stylish ambience, filled with wooden coffee tables, Italian movie posters and jam jar-filled cubbies. Those wishing to get lunch-to-go (particularly useful for office workers nearby) can head over to the fridge where you can choose from an array of sandwiches like the Chicken Koslo Sandwich or pastas like their Smoked Duck Breast Linguine – a quick bite with a twist!
We were invited to try the Prawn Thai Salad, which was a mix of bean sprouts, prawn, peppers and a sweet and spicy Thai sauce on the side. It was a very light, simple and refreshing starter; you can control its tanginess by being more (or less!) heavy handed with the sauce.
We also tried their signature toasted Black Panini; a little intimidating at first sight, the squid ink dyed bread was not burnt black but was in fact, just the right level of crispy, wrapped around a tasty mixture of soft smoked salmon, melted cheese, tomatoes and cucumber.
Thankfully I only had a few bites of each of the savoury dishes so I had plenty of room for Caffè Greco’s signature cakes! These are made by the pastry chefs at Hullett House (you can also buy their signature tea and rose petal jam to take home) and are practically mini works of art. We started with a cute strawberry cheesecake in a jar had just the right amount of fresh fruit to gooey cheese (even if any sign of a biscuit base had gone AWOL).
Next we tried the Blackcurrant and Yoghurt Bar, which had a creamy structure with a fruity aftertaste. I can see this being a ladies’ favourite with its mouth melting sweetness, feather-light texture and berry colours. The Green, a pistachio crunch cake that impressed even a nut-hater like myself! You don’t get any of the overbearing gritty taste of the pistachio and only its aromatic essence combined with a delicate cakey sweetness and a scrumptious crunchy base. We, of course, saved the best for last – the Chocolate and Salted Caramel Tart. A rock-hard chocolate shell and a creamy chocolate ganache sitting on a slightly salty crust, it was somewhat difficult to tackle with Caffè Greco’s wooden disposable cutlery, but was total heaven in a dome!
Pastas and sandwiches are around $50, with more substantial salads priced around $80 and most of the cakes around $40 – making it an alternative and similarly stylish afternoon coffee hang-out for The Library Café downstairs. So if you’re hanging around TST and are in the mood for a light lunch, small snack or some delectable sweet treats, come try out Caffè Greco for a new take on traditional lunch goodies!
Caffè Greco Shop MPHK, 3/F, Marco Polo Hong Kong Hotel, Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui 2110 4868
