Top picks for Christmas dining

This year’s festivities are looking a little different for many of us, especially with travel restrictions in place. Still, there are plenty of things to be thankful for over Christmas, New Year’s Eve and beyond – like the following incredible line-up of meals, drinks, treats and more from some of Hong Kong’s best restaurants and food establishments. We’ve done the legwork to bring you a great guide to Christmas dining – at home or out!

Roganic

Chef Ash Salmon has created a divine-sounding Christmas menu for guests to enjoy at Roganic. His contemporary style of European cooking combined with the restaurant’s emphasis on the best ingredients – locally obtained wherever possible – will be at the forefront of the menu, which has a roast turkey with all the trimmings as its centrepiece. Other dishes include caramelised chestnut, hazelnut and apple with house caviar, and prawn, pickled celery and dried tomato.

Oh, and the sweets sound dreamy – a 70 percent chocolate fondant featuring tonka bean and milk ice cream, and a good ol’ Christmas mince pudding.

The menu is available on 24 and 25 December, for both lunch and dinner, and costs from HK$980 per person.

Roganic
Sino Plaza, UG/F 08, 255 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay
2817 8383 | roganic.com.hk

Dear Lilly

This romantic restaurant and lounge bar is popular for lunch, dinner and cocktails alike, thanks to its sweeping views of Victoria Harbour, and a stunning interior with an elegant French feel. It goes without saying, it’s an ideal backdrop for festive celebrations, too.

This year, Dear Lilly is offering a four-course Christmas menu (from HK$588, 24 and 25 December) that starts with jerusalem artichoke soup, moves on to a choice of beef short ribs and salmon tartare for entrée, follows up with a platter of roast turkey and roast beef (served with roasted veg, sage-chipolata stuffing and red wine sauce), and finishes on a triumphant note with a spiced pumpkin cheesecake or a Dear Lilly Heart (raspberry and white chocolate).

Dear Lilly
Shop 4010, Level 4, IFC Mall, 8 Finance Street, Central
2771 6060 | diningconcepts.com/restaurants/dear-lilly

Duddell’s

Celebrate Christmas with a tasty spread courtesy of Michelin-starred Chef Li Man Lung of popular Cantonese restaurant Duddell’s. Christmas Brunch is offered from 25 to 27 December, with two time slots each day – lunch from 12 to 3pm, and early dinner from 4.30 to 7.30pm. Keep an eye out for the aptly red and green coloured shrimp dumplings! The brunch costs from HK$650 (HK$350 for children), and there are free-flow and premium alcohol packages available too.

Meanwhile, the Duddell’s Christmas Menu is available for dinner from 24 to 27 December and is an eight-course set dinner featuring the likes of baked full lobster and Miyazaki A4 wagyu. It’s priced from HK$1,388, including a glass of Ruinart Rose or a Berry Smash cocktail.

There’s also a nod to the colder weather with a special winter-themed Alaskan King Crab Set Menu. This eight-course tasting menu heroes the sweet, soft flesh of these crabs from the Bering Sea; it’s priced from HK$5,888 for four guests, and an à la carte menu is also available.

Duddell’s
Level 3, Shanghai Tang Mansion 1 Duddell Street, Central
2525 9191 | duddells.co

Smoke & Barrel

Did someone say barbecue for Christmas? Yes, please! Smoke & Barrel is great for any time of the year, but it comes into its own during the festive season, with a bunch of exciting menus.

The restaurant’s Pre-Order Christmas Menu is available until 26 December (except Christmas Day) and costs HK$488 per person. For that, you can enjoy a three-course sharing menu, with starters, mains, sides and desserts. We’re not sure what we prefer the sound of more: the 12-hours smoked brisket or the grilled giant prawns with Cajun spices! The menu is available lunch and dinner; you just need to order 48 hours in advance.

On Christmas Day itself, there’s a special HK$588 menu available from 12pm to 6pm, again featuring starters, mains, sides and desserts for sharing, with all the smoky goodness of the restaurant’s signature meats and more.

Prefer to do Christmas at home? The Takeaway Turkey Menu costs HK$1,888, serves around six to eight people, and is available up to 26 December. You just need to order 48 hours in advance, and you’ll be dressing your Xmas table with the likes of a 5 to 6kg smoked turkey, mash potato, honey-roasted pumpkin, pecan pie, a bottle of bubbles and other goodies.

Finally, you can also ring in the start of 2021 at Smoke & Barrel while enjoying a bunch of shared plates, ranging from suckling pig porchetta to Sri Lankan prawns. The New Year’s Eve menu is HK$588 per guest.

Smoke & Barrel
1st & 2nd Floor, 32 Wyndham Street, Wyndham Mansion, Central
2866 2120 | smokeandbarrelhk.com

Porterhouse

Let Porterhouse do the heavy lifting for your festive dinner party with its Party Menu for the holiday season. For HK$2,000, you get a 6kg roasted whole organic turkey served with pickled lemon and cranberry sauce, and a bunch of tasty sides – brussels sprouts, mashed potato, roasted pumpkin with smoked paprika, French beans and shallot dressing, and garlic and chilli broccoli.

You can also dine in over Christmas and New Year, with a Festive Brunch Buffet available from 25 to 27 December (HK$448 per adult, half price for children three to 11 years). It’s served across two two-hour sittings (11.30am and 1.45pm) and includes unlimited delicacies from the buffet, with festive turkey, a carving station, a seafood bar and dessert station. Drinks packages are available for HK$188 and HK$288, each for two hours of free-flow.

The restaurant’s six-course Festive Set Dinner runs from 24 to 27 December and costs from HK$888 per person, while the six-course New Year’s Eve Set Dinner is from HK$988.

Porterhouse
7/F, California Tower, 30-36 D’Aguilar Street, Central
2522 6366 | porterhousehk.com

The Optimist

Indulge in irresistible Northern Spanish cuisine at The Optimist this holiday season with special brunch and dinner menus (from HK$550 per person), sure to leave a smile on your face. There’s a tapas range to savour, from fresh and juicy gambas “al Ajillo” and bluefin tuna tartare to flavourful truffle croquettes. Main selections include the popular Juicy Lobster Rice and a deliciously grilled suckling pig, amongst other fan favourites.

New this year is a dedicated Vegetarian Menu (HK$580 per person) featuring 12 month-aged Manchego cheese, stuffed piquillo peppers, and mushroom rice with porcini and caramelised onion sofrito, so it’s easier for everyone to celebrate around the same table together. “Pa amb Xocolata” and Basque Cheesecake for dessert are the positive punctuation marks on these indulgent holiday meals! The brunch menus are available on 25 and 26 December, and 1 January 2021, and the dinner menus are across two sittings (6pm and 8pm) on 24, 25 and 31 December.

The Optimist
G/F, 239 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai
2433 3324 | theoptimist.hk

La Rambla by Catalunya

In IFC mall, Spanish restaurant La Rambla has some mouth-watering December menus on offer, including a Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Dinner (24 and 25 December). The three-course meal includes the likes of churros and caviar with sour cream and dill, and roasted Ping Yuen organic Catalan-style chicken. It costs from HK$1,180 for adults, and half price for kids. There’s also a bunch of decadent optional add-ons available – think caviar, white truffle, and Jesper-grilled Ozaki beef.

The restaurant’s El Mercado Brunch is available from 25 to 27 December, and again on 1 January 2021, and costs from HK$780 for adults, and HK$340 for kids under 10 years. For that, you get unlimited salads, Spanish cheeses and charcuterie served to your table, five different sharing tapas, four types of main course and four types of made-to-order paella (yum!). When you’re finally done, a Christmas dessert trolley will roll along to the table!

When it comes to New Year’s Eve, there’s more great dining in store, with a whopping nine-course set menu (from HK$1,680), including a glass of Pol Roger Champagne to start.

La Rambla by Catalunya
3071-73 Level 3, IFC Mall, Central
2661 1161 | larambla.hk

FUMI

Looking for something different to the regular turkey-and-trimmings spread? Stylish Japanese fare is the name of the game at FUMI, and the restaurant is encouraging festive gatherings of a leisurely nature with a buffet of its own seasonal highlights.

The Christmas and New Year’s Eve Dinner Buffets will of course feature the freshest sashimi, along with the likes of Miyazaki barbecue, Hokkaido sashimi donburi and baked lobster with sea urchin sauce.

The dinner buffet is priced from HK$750 for adults and HK$380 for children (ages three to 11 years). Also, if you book by 13 December and pay a $200 deposit, you can secure three spots and get one free one, too. There’s also a special six-course Festive Menu available on 25, 26 and 31 December for HK$888 per person. Meanwhile, brunch from 25 to 27 December is priced at HK$480 per adult and HK$280 per child.

Prefer to dine at home? Try the Takeaway Party Menu, available throughout December with a minimum spend of HK$3,000. Psst … get 25 percent off takeaway orders by going through Lan Kwai Fong Delivery Direct.

FUMI
6/F, California Tower, 30-36 D’Aguilar Street, Central
2328 3302 | fumihk.com

TokyoLima

It’s a culinary celebration at TokyoLima this season, with Nikkei brunch and dinner menus (from HK$448 per person) that the restaurant promises will be “extra joyous”!

Curated by Peruvian Culinary Director Arturo Melendez, each holiday menu features a multi-course selection of signature dishes, from small plates through to generous sharing plates such as Maguro Nuevo with tuna, avocado, sesame, beetroot mayo and tobiko. We love the sound of the meaty mains too, including the picanha (grilled rump steak) covered in anticuchera sauce and sweet potato puree, and the “Secreto of TokyoLima”, slow-cooked “secreto” Ibérico pork with sweet soy sauce and garlic chips. The selection of desserts includes Oye Papi chocolate mousse and Free 4 You – a gluten-free orange and almond cake.

With its buzzing izakaya atmosphere and other surprises planned at TokyoLima, it’s a good one to pencil in for a happy holiday morning or evening. Festive brunches are available on 25 and 26 December, and 1 January 2021, from 11am to 4pm (HK$448 per person), while Christmas and NYE dinners will be held across two seatings (6pm and 8pm) on 24, 25 and 31 December (from HK$580 per person, depending on date and seating time).

TokyoLima
G/F, 18-20 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central
2811 1152 | tokyolima.hk

Main St. Deli

Main St. Deli at The Langham is spreading the holiday cheer with its sought-after Turkey-To-Go Takeaway. The roasted US Tom Turkey (6 or 9-10kg options) comes with stuffing, gravy and all the trimmings; it’s enough to satisfy up to 18 people. To make your house party or company party complete, add on the New York-style deli’s Black Angus prime rib or one of many other options, along with accompanying sides and condiments.

The turkey takeaway costs HK$2,388, or HK$3,888 for the larger bird, and needs to be pre-ordered 48 hours in advance. There are dine-in options at Main St. Deli too, with the same delicious turkey and a host of other holiday treats.

Also at The Langham is the Christmas Market, every Saturday and Sunday until 27 December. From 12pm to 8pm, including Christmas Eve, guests can shop at the market, which features local craftsmen peddling their wares, as well as a booth manned by the hotel’s charity beneficiary Heep Hong Society, which will be selling a custom-designed colour-in tote-bag. All proceeds of the tote bags will be donated back to benefit children and youths with diverse needs.

Main St. Deli
8 Peking Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
2132 7898 | langhamhotels.com

Tango Argentinian Steak House

Celebrating 10 years in Hong Kong in 2020, Tango is a seductive rendition of an authentic Argentinian steak house. The restaurant’s Traditional Christmas Menu ramps up the flavour across four courses. Highlights include an appetiser of grilled Ibérico pork cheek, and veal sweetbreads with slow-cooked onions and criolla sauce, among other choices, plus sides of grilled cauliflower with fresh black truffle, and humita saltena, a traditional corn dish. Among the mains are an Argentinian beef pie with foie gras, spinach, aged ham and red wine bordelaise; grilled line-caught Mediterranean fish; roast chicken stuffed with butter and fresh tarragon, and a vegetarian option of stuffed peppers with asparagus cream. A pair of chocolatey desserts wrap things up.

The special dinner menu is available on 24 and 25 December (from HK$638) with an à la carte menu also available.

Tango Argentinian Steak House
• 1/F, 77 Wyndham Street, Central
• Shop R008, 3/F, Civic Square, Elements, 1 Austin Road West, Tsim Sha Tsui
2525 5808 | 2780 1181 | diningconcepts.com/restaurants/tango-central

22 Ships

To get the ball rolling at 22 Ships, there’s a range of superb-sounding à la carte Christmas specials when you dine at the restaurant during December, including Chef Antonio Oviedo’s whole-roasted suckling pig with grilled gem lettuce and piquillo peppers (HK$1,288).

Prefer to celebrate at home? Available all month is the “En Tu Casa” Menu; this costs HK$3,098 for four guests, and includes lamb shoulder, red snapper, lobster salpicon, Ibérico cold cuts, Spanish cheeses, Burnt Basque Cheesecake and much more.

Or, if you want the full catered experience, the restaurant’s Chefs at Home deal offers a Christmas Sit Down Dinner – seven courses from HK$1,980 per person plus catering costs. There’s also a Christmas Family Style Menu from HK$1,100 plus catering costs, with six types of tapas, three mains and a dessert.

22 Ships
22 Ship Street, Wan Chai
2555 0722 | 22ships.hk

The Pottinger

It’s a stylish holiday season ahead at The Pottinger Hong Kong, with celebratory menus, lavish brunches and staycation packages to enjoy.

At Gradini Ristorante e Bar Italiano, the Christmas five-course set dinner (24 and 25 December) features the likes of homemade ravioli with wild mushrooms, Mediterranean seafood salad with lobster, and Australian Kobe beef with braised lentils. The dinner costs HK$888 per person and is available over two sessions: 6.30pm and 8.30pm. For celebrations on 26 and 31 December, and 1 January 2021, there’s a five-course menu for HK$528 (with similar session times as above).

If brunch is more your thing, head to Gradini on 25 or 26 December, or 1 January, from 11.30am to 2.30pm (HK$588), for your fill of cold cuts, salads, pan-seared foie gras, homemade pastas, and a choice of delish mains. Try not to fill up completely, as the desserts come in unlimited servings – yes, including tiramisu!

To make Christmas extra-special – we deserve it after 2020, right? – The Pottinger has a variety of staycation packages available, from a romantic Christmas Eve including a dinner for two, breakfast the next day, and a Venchi chocolate gift set (from HK$1,950 per room), to the Merry Brunch Staycation, available on 25 and 26 December and 1 January, from HK$1,650.

The Pottinger
74 Queen’s Road, Central
2308 3188 | sino-hotels.com

Pirata

Pirata is serving special tasting menus for brunches and dinners over the holiday period; brunch on 25 and 26 December, and 1 January 2021; and dinner across two seatings (6pm and 8pm) on each of 24, 25 and 31 December.

You can expect honest and generous Italian food, made with fresh ingredients and cooked with love. Fan-favourite Pirata classics will feature, including burrata and cold cuts, delicious pastas like spaghettini all’astice (lobster spaghetti) and hearty mains including the Christmas veal roast and fresh fish of the day. Traditional tiramisu and panettone are the sweet finishes to these satisfying, celebratory feasts.

Kids’ menus are available from HK$98, and both vegetarian Christmas dinner and New Year’s Eve dinner options are available (HK$480/$680).

Pirata
29/30F, 239 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai
2887 0270 | pirata.hk

BLT Steak

Great food aside, there’s a nice bonus that comes with dining at BLT Steak. There’s a spectacular waterfront harbourside view across Victoria Harbour from the alfresco terrace.

Still, if you book a table for the restaurant’s Christmas buffet (24 and 25 December), your attention will soon be drawn to your plate. BLT’s mix of French bistro elements combined with American steakhouse flavours is well and truly on display for the festive season, starting with the chilled seafood bar – fresh oysters, crab salad, tuna tartare and more. Follow up with a clam chowder with brioche croutons, a selection of charcuterie, cheeses, pates and salads, and, from the carvery, USDA dry-rubbed prime rib and honey-glazed ham.

Mains include tasty-sounding braised lamb shanks and a breaded scallop dish, with sides such as roasted corn with Cajun spice, and crispy brussels sprouts with aged balsamic and bacon bites. Dessert may be worth the admission price alone: it includes Christmas log cake, passionfruit mousse, fruit tart, New York cheesecake, tiramisu, cookies and fresh fruit.

The Christmas buffet is priced from $598 per person.

BLT Steak
Shop G62, G/F, Ocean Terminal, Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui
2730 3508 | diningconcepts.com/restaurants/blt-steak

AMMO

As the team at Italian-Japanese fusion restaurant AMMO says, the holiday season is all about fun with family and friends at home. That’s why they’ve prepared a home-delivered Party Turkey Set (HK$2,180 per set) and Party Prime Rib Set (HK$2,800 per set) for you to indulge in an epic feast without having to leave your door!

The Party Turkey Set includes a 4.5kg US turkey that’s been brined, marinated, tenderised, filled with home-made stuffing then roasted for two hours, with the resulting crispy skin covering tender meat below. A classic cranberry sauce and turkey gravy are served on the side.

With the Party Prime Ribs Set, you get 3kg of 120-days prime rib, which has been rubbed with mixed herbs and mustard, seared at a high temperature to lock in the juices, then roasted with rosemary and garlic until medium rare. It’s served with beef gravy on the side.

Both sets serve around eight people and are accompanied by four traditional festive sides – think the likes of maple purple potato mash, three-cheese brown butter truffle macaroni, and fudgy Hershey Chocolate Brownies with Madagascar vanilla sauce.

Place your order by 5pm, four days in advance. You can then either collect your order from AMMO or have it delivered to your home for a HK$250 delivery charge (not available for outlying islands).

AMMO
Asia Society Hong Kong Center, 9 Justice Drive, Admiralty
2537 9888 | ammo.com.hk