Wish

Image is everything...or so it would appear at Wish, the latest venture to try its luck in the somewhat ill-fated, cavernous restaurant-cum-lounge venue alongside Lido Park that was formerly home to Nhu. Sheer glass walls afford the diner views of the park and garden, whilst perhaps more importantly, allowing others to see them seated comfortably amongst stylish furniture and luxurious objets d’art. Unfortunately, style also takes precedence over substance when it comes to the food. The elaborately presented, yet watery blue ‘melon and eight precious ingredients’ rolls (26RMB) are difficult to distinguish from the similarly bland crispy roasted bacon rolls with eggplant in vinegar (38RMB). Soggy, caramel popcorn adds a somewhat bizarre and unexpected texture to the fresh Australian scallops in Sichuan sauce (78RMB), while the Taiwanese style three cups peppermint chicken (42 RMB) lacks even a hint of mint. Lest one forget the importance of appearance, the number of calories contained within each dish is conveniently displayed alongside its price on the menu. When one considers that the average diner has a recommended daily allowance of only 2,500 calories to play with, one might wish to invest it more wisely elsewhere