Bloom - Thanksgiving Meal

Rating: ❤❤❤

Happy Thanksgiving! Our group of 5 decided to have our Thanksgiving dinner at Bloom since they had a special Thanksgiving menu with turkey. Lily & Bloom are actually on two separate floors where Lily is a lounge on 6/F and Bloom is a restaurant on 5/F. When you take the elevators up, you arrive at Lily first and you have to take a flight of stairs down to Bloom. I've been to Lily for drinks before but not Bloom, so I was intrigued to see if the food was as good as the drinks here. Their Thanksgiving menu had 4 starters and 4 mains to choose from - we ended up choosing 3 starters and 2 mains from there as well as 3 starters from their regular menu to share. 

Eastside ($105) - this is my favorite drink from Lily! Bloom has their own bar as well with different cocktails but since none of them appealed to me, I requested this drink from Lily. Consisting of cucumber, mint, gin and lime, the cocktail was refreshing as it was tart and sweet. So good that I had two that night!

Whole Baked & Stuffed Artichoke ($160) - the artichoke arrived with some warm artichoke brandade filled in the center along with truffle dressing. The way you're supposed to eat it is to take one of the artichoke leaves, dip it into the sauce, and eat the fleshy base. The artichoke was soft while the sauce was light and flavorful. It was a light and healthy dish to start off our long night of indulgence, but to be honest, I've never been a big fan of artichoke.

Manhanttan Clam Chowder ($98) - someone in our party wanted soup so I ended up sharing this with her. The clam chowder was plentiful with tomato, potatoes, smoked corn, and clams. While it was flavorful and comforting to drink, it was not that special or amazing.

Fisherman's Charcuterie ($110) - surprisingly good! The ingredients arrived unassembled with mackerel pate, pickled herring, shiso leaves, smoked norwegian salmon, and toast. The flavors were fresh as the pickled herring was acidic while the salmon was rich. The pate was thick and creamy as a spread. Each of the ingredients tasted good by itself but even better when put together as a little bruschetta.  

Thanksgiving Specials
Baby Shrimp Ceviche ($120) - the shrimps were plump and raw while the dip was thick and creamy. The sauce was pretty spicy as it was made from yuzu habanero sauce and avocado. The portions were pretty small for the price though with only 3 shrimps and some chips along with the dip. Good but not great. 

Pumpkin Ravioli ($110) - the pumpkin ravioili was the most appealing to me on the Thanksgiving specials with Japanese spa egg and mortadella sausage, but the execution fell short of expectation. I was not able to taste any pumpkin in my ravoili. While the ravioli was soft and creamy, the flavors were not rich or memorable. The portions were also tiny to share among several people. 

Warm Fall Salad ($95) - this was a great dish! The salad consisted of grilled peaches, cabbage, and bacon. The sweetness of the peaches were nicely balanced by the saltiness of the bacon. The cabbage were soft and yummy to eat. A very nice combination of ingredients!

Bloom Fried Turkey ($295) - apparently the turkey is from Bresse in France where the birds are highly valued for their flavor and fine tender flesh. For the price, we got 4-5 slices of turkey along with mashed potato, yam, brussels sprouts, gravy and cranberry sauce. The turkey was fine and a bit dry, though the gravy and cranberry sauce helped to enhance the flavor. The mashed potato and yam were both creamy and flavorful. A bit pricey for the portion. 

Thanksgiving Platter ($350) - the Thanksgiving platter had a more variety of meat including turkey, ham, and beef along with vegetables and stuffing. The ham was alright while the beef was really good as it was tender and delicious! The stuffing was also pretty amazing as the texture was soft and creamy while the taste was flavorful and comforting. This dish seemed to be a better deal than just the turkey. 

Pumpkin Pie - you can't have Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie! Unfortunately, the pumpkin pie was pretty flat here with no flavor of pumpkin at all. The pie was thin without the creamy texture - pretty disappointing. 

Tropic Banana Split ($150) - this dessert on their regular menu fared a bit better with lots of different ingredient included like a banana walnut cake, coconut semifreddo, mango granita, strawberry ice cream, and cinnamon chocolate sauce. Almost a bit too much if you ask me as the ingredients didn't mix well together. The flavors just didn't gel together and the ingredients were all separate from each other. It was all over the place and not satisfying.

Verdict - the ambiance of Bloom was great and hip while the decor was cool and vintage. The food was a bit mixed here as they were generally pricey with small portions. Some dishes were good while others were a complete miss - perhaps because we were mainly ordering from their Thanksgiving specials. Given the inconsistent quality of the food, the prices were simply not worth it. The service was adequate but we had a communication problem with our waitress who couldn't answer any questions we had on the menu. She can take down our order but nothing else. It was a bit frustrating to be honest and detracted from the overall dining experience at Bloom. 

Bloom
6/F, LKF Tower, 33 Wyndham Street, Lan Kwai Fong, Central 
2810 6166

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