The best restaurant service in Hong Kong? Rosewood’s Chaat sets the standard with Indian fine dining, while contemporary Neapolitan outlet Estro picks up the

• At Chaat, which won this year’s Best Service award, the full restaurant experience begins long before the guests are seated with a personalised service all the way
• Best Ambience award winner Estro was done up by acclaimed interior designer Andre Fu to conjure the welcoming aura of a southern Italian lounge

“First impressions are key to enhancing a dining experience, and a good and trained service team is responsible for that.” Restaurant manager Ramon Gonzales understands this sentiment better than most.

Gonzales stands at the helm of Chaat – Rosewood Hong Kong’s Indian fine dining restaurant – and is the recent recipient of 100 Top Tables‘ Best Service award, which recognises the precision and preparedness that goes into ensuring smooth service and a memorable experience for guests.

Our staff will not approach a table without knowing the host name

Ramon Gonzales of Chaat, winner of 100 Top Tables’ Best Service Award

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Ramon Gonzales, restaurant manager at Chaat, winner of 100 Top Tables’ Best Service award. Photo: Handout

First and foremost, every encounter in personalised. Attention is paid to first-time visitors to tailor experiences accordingly, while returning regulars’ preferences are implemented on arrival. “In both circumstances, our goal is the same; to ensure every single guest leaves Chaat craving to come back. And with chef Manav [Tuli] having my back, this is much easier,” says Gonzales.

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Chef Antimo Maria Merone, of contemporary Neapolitan fine dining restaurant Estro – winner of the Best Ambience award – shares Gonzales’ vision. Merone describes ambience as “the surroundings around the guest experience”.

“Together with the music, the service flow and the kitchen action, we aim to create a very defined and pleasant dining experience,” says Merone.

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Inside Estro, winner of 100 Top Tables’ Best Ambience award. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Each area of Estro, designed by acclaimed interior designer Andre Fu, works in harmony to complement the overall intimacy of the experience. Merone describes the distinct spaces within the restaurant: “There is the lobby, separated from the dining room with a gate resembling the entrance of an Italian coastal villa – the Mediterranean earthy colour palette, the sinuosity of the dining room, the open kitchen, visible to all restaurant guests like a stage. These are all components of the harmonic and welcoming atmosphere we want to create.”

Through its meticulous approach to scene-setting and the creation of an intimate atmosphere, Merone and his team at Estro hope to achieve their goal: “To transmit our clients to a small southern Italian salotto (lounge), bringing the warmth and comfort of southern Italian hospitality.”

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Chef de cuisine Antimo Maria Merone in Estro, the Andre Fu-designed fine dining restaurant. Photo: Jonathan Wong

At Chaat, the full restaurant experience begins long before the guests are seated. “Before a customer arrives and dines in a restaurant, there are many elements that will set the tone and mood of their experience. Starting from the reservation to the arrival experience from the host, and the menu introduction,” Gonzales explains.

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“Since the moment I arrived at Chaat, I tried to create an environment in which a guest can have a fun time and enjoy good quality of service. I wanted to move away from fine dining experience and robotic service to a more funky and lively setting without compromising on refinement and standards.”

This approach has created more room for creativity and expression, allowing Chaat to appeal to a wide audience, rather than simply targeting business diners, couples, celebratory groups and the like.

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It’s all about setting the right mood at Chaat, winner of 100 Top Tables’ Best Service award. Photo: Handout

Both Merone and Gonzales are firm believers that a well-executed fine dining experience involves more than the food alone. For Gonzales, attention to detail is key. “It is a genuine and heartfelt service that focuses on engaging and offering a personalised experience to each guest. Our staff will not approach a table without knowing the host name,” he explains. Merone echoes these sentiments, saying: “From the moment you step in, we want to convey a clear message of warmth and comfort.”

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Creating a memorable experience requires personalisation. “I encourage our team to show their personality they were hired for,” says Gonzales. Receiving positive feedback from guests is proof for Gonzales that the team has got the balance just right for a memorable fine dining experience.

Read more about this year’s 100 Top Tables winners.

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This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), the leading news media reporting on China and Asia.

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