Keeping up with new restaurants in Hong Kong, let alone new chefs and new menus, can be tricky. Our restaurant news round-up will keep you in the loop about the city’s ever-evolving dining scene. From the latest eatery to open its doors to celebrity chefs to Hong Kong brunches and cool new bars, it’s all here!
New Menus
Farm to Table
From now until 15 July, Chef Wong Ho Kan of The Chinese Restaurant is putting the spotlight on locally farmed Hong Kong produce. May to July is when local organic okra is at its finest, and the ingredient shines in a dish of wok-fried razor clams with local oyster mushrooms. The okra helps to blend seafood flavours and that elusive element of “wok hei”. Another seasonal highlight is the wok-fried locally farmed pork with peanut sprouts and preserved olive leaves.
hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/china/hyatt-regency-hong-kong-tsim-sha-tsui
Surf & Turf
Set in the lively Tin Hau neighbourhood, Mustard Bar & Grill is the creation of chef-restaurateur Kong Wai Sing. Mustard’s concept puts “surf and turf” at the forefront, with some sophisticated touches. This style is apparent in elevated classics like Black Angus steak tartare topped with crispy fried leek and a mustard crème fraiche ($178) and grilled octopus with pickled beetroot, confit potato and lotus root chips ($198). Or, enjoy the best of both worlds with the red carabinero prawn and Wagyu M5 oyster blade ($580).
@mustardbarandgrill
Refined Dim Sum
Executive Chef Ken Yu has curated a new Cantonese dim sum menu at Hung Tong at the Kerry Hotel. His new creations feature a contemporar y flair and highlight quality ingredients. They include mantis shrimp and minced pork dumplings ($98) elevated by the addition of sturgeon caviar, and reimagined siu mai ($88) with a decadent twist of a runny quail egg set within the pork filling.
shangri-la.com/restaurants-bars/hongkong/kerry/hung-tong
Taste Sensations
Seasonal specials takes centre stage in the new dinner menu at Censu, a modernJapanese bistro known for its East-meetsWest creations. We’ve got our eye on the Censu Beef Tartare ($148) accompanied by toasted Hokkaido milk bread, and the Flathead Lobster Kataifi ($248), a Japanese drinking snack inspired by the Middle East. There’s also Three Yellow Chicken Paella ($388), which is like a cross between Singapore’s beloved chicken rice and a Spanish paella. (Fact File: Did you know that Censu is a play on the Japanese word “sensu”, meaning “folding fan”?)
Gourmet Dining Meets Art
ADD+ is a concept that seamlessly integrates gastronomy into the museum-going experience. Parked along the waterfront promenade of Art Park in the West Kowloon Cultural District, it offers gorgeous harbour views. If you’re planning a day at the museum, pop in here for lunch first. The menu features international fare with exciting twists. A signature is the stir-fried spaghetti with barbecued pork in goose oil ($138) – a specialty inspired by owner Dr Peter Lam. With just 50 servings available each day, you’ll want to snap this up quick!
mplus.org.hk/en/add-all-day-dining
Summer Specials!
The Arcane Collective’s trio of venues have introduced a rotating selection of refreshing summer dishes. Michelin-starred flagship venue Arcane is offering new items such as Hokkaido scallop carpaccio paired with a timut pepper sour cream and fennel. The plant-forward Moxie, meanwhile, will feature new dishes including white asparagus with oregano gremolata and sauce bordelaise. Cornerstone will also introduce some novel additions; the pan-fried sea bass sounds like a winner – it’s served with a smooth curry velouté, broccolini and smoked baby aubergine.
Culinary Tour of Spain
La Paloma has launched its biweekly Wednesday Tapas Tour. The tour introduces traditional tapas dishes from various Spanish regions. On each of the Wednesdays, diners will savour eight different dishes plus a dessert, for $458 per guest. They’ll also have the option of reordering their favourites on a freeflow basis throughout the evening! Each event highlights a different place, from the seafoodrich cuisine of Galicia to Catalonian yummies.
Healthy Lunchboxes
Popular food hall BaseHall is bringing back popular conscious lifestyle brand Nüte to debut its latest concept, Benko by Nüte. The word “benko” is a portmanteau, formed from the Japanese words for healthy (“kenko”) and lunchbox (“bento”). The gourmet grab-and-go concept serves a range of hearty and healthy Japanese-inspired bento bowls, each one featuring distinct Japanese flavours, a balanced mix of nutrients, and satisfying portion sizes.
New Restaurants, Bars and Cafés
Michelin-starred Mosu Opens New Restaurant
Mosu Hong Kong, the first international outpost of two Michelin-starred Mosu Seoul, has opened at M+ Museum. The restaurant seats 60 guests and includes a pair of private rooms. Executive Chef Sung Anh is known for developing sophisticated flavours using rustic Korean ingredients including burdock bark, savoury seaweed and handmade dongchimi (a type of kimchi), and his menu concept draws on childhood memories, telling stories through the dishes. Expect some classic dishes from Seoul that also take advantage of fresh seasonal produce from Hong Kong.
mplus.org.hk/en/mosu-hong-kong
Pooch-friendly Café
Kennedy Town is known for its abundance of pet owners, who will all be pleased to hear about the addition of pet-friendly Blend & Grind in their neighbourhood. The all-day café features two of the brand’s specialty blends along with a healthy menu highlighting brunch staples like shakshuka and açaí bowls. Not a coffee drinker? There’s also a wide selection of teas, smoothies, juices and infusions. In the evenings, the café serves small plates for sharing, along with a selection of signature cocktails.
New Heights for HAKU
Innovative dining concept HAKU has just moved to a new location at the rooftop garden of IFC Mall. To celebrate, Executive Chef Rob Drennan has introduced a fresh tasting menu that showcases the restaurant’s contemporary style while paying tribute to ingredients from Japan, along with produce sourced from Hong Kong farms. You can look forward to everything from hotaru ika – tare-glazed bioluminescent firefly squid grilled on binchotan charcoal and served cold with finger lime caviar and a shisho emulsion – to buttermilk fried chicken. The fan-favourite artichoke ice cream remains on the menu too!
Chronological Cocktails
25:00 is a new speakeasy-styled cocktail bar hidden above Luk Yu Tea House in Central. To get a taste of what this bar is about, Head Mixologist Kenzo Lee (of Woobar at W fame) has put together a unique cocktail tasting menu that explores HK’s culinary culture in a chronological format. The Journey to 25:00 ($588) menu begins with a tipple inspired by the morning ritual of yum cha, and includes one cocktail, the Bo Jai Fan, that boasts the intriguing savoury addition of preserved sausage fat!
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