Prince's Kitchen

On entering the softly lit multi-levelled interior of Prince’s Kitchen and perusing the three extensive menus of Western and Asian dishes one can’t help but feel a little excited. At first glance this is a sophisticated and classy joint. Unfortunately the illusion doesn’t take long to evaporate. The Western food on the menu is a poor show. The pate is served on dry slices of sweetish toast, the tasteless veal ribs are presented with stale Pringles and the baked shrimp is drowned in the cheapest type of processed cheese on the market. The Asian fare is much better but can be got elsewhere for a fraction of the price (a meal for two will cost RMB300-500) and with a lot less pretentiousness. The staff are friendly and well-meaning but inattentive and slow. There is a 10% service charge for which you get a server who will fiddle pointlessly with objects on the table, find it impossible to stand still for the two minutes it takes to write down an order, snap your plate away within a second of you taking the last morsel from it and require to be reminded three times about the drink order. Prince’s Kitchen aims high but falls way too short.