Keeping up with new restaurants, new chefs and new menus in Hong Kong can be tricky as there’s always so much going on! Our regular Hong Kong restaurant news round-up aims to keep you in the loop with what’s going on when it comes to new menus and new venues in the city’s ever-evolving dining scene. From the latest eatery to open its doors to celebrity chefs to brunches and bars, it’s all here!
Secret speakeasy
Fans of exclusive experiences should head to Foxglove to discover the hidden cocktail bar, Frank’s Library. Located in the depths of Foxglove behind closed curtains is a secret alcove library where bar manager Derek Tsui will be serving up a unique cocktail menu created with house-infused spirits and fresh ingredients. Offerings include cocktails with a cream cheese foam and made with goji liquor. 18 Ice House Street, Central.
More: foxglovehk.com
Top teppanyaki
Ukiyo Teppanyaki Steakhouse has opened its doors in Causeway Bay, specialising in premium dry-aged beef. With state-of-the-art dry-ageing lockers available on-site, guests can take their pick from an expertly curated collection of beef aged for between 20 and 45 days, and opt to have their selection sliced tableside. Guests can even store their meat and choose when to dine. The Japanese concept seats 14 guests in the main room, with a private room for seven.
More: 2152 8880
Sunday special
Fans of a roast dinner will be pleased to hear Gaucho is debuting its first ever Sunday Night Roast. Choose from five tantalising options for mains including Bife de Ancho – Argentine beef beautifully marbled for a full-bodied flavour, or Bife de Chorizo, sirloin served with crackling. Other mains include fusion-inspired hoisin and orange-glazed sweet and citrusy confit pork belly, spatchcock chicken and sea bass fillet. The roast dinner is HK$299 and is served with accompaniments such as vegetables and Yorkshire pudding.
More: gauchorestaurants.com
Going green
Vegetarian and vegan friends take note! Leading Korean restaurant Jinjuu has teamed up with Impossible Foods to bring a modern Korean twist to the plant-based meat. All foods on this special collaboration menu are vegan, and includes the classic mandoo (steamed Korean dumplings). Fusion creations like Korean Impossible® Tacos and Bulgogi Impossible® Sliders are available as well for those looking to try Korean food for the first time. All the flavour and texture at a fraction of the environmental impact.
New family-friendly brunch
Popular Central resto, TokyoLima, has launched a family-friendly brunch. Kids can play in the Kid’s Corner and enjoy a special menu of just HK$128 that includes two main dishes, juice, ice cream or sorbet. They can also be convinced to finish their meal with the promise of being able to raid the Sweet Station at the end! If they tire of the Kid’s Corner, there is also colouring for the table. Meanwhile, parents can indulge in the ceviche and sushi bars, and the DIY Bloody Mary station, as well as the four-course Omacasa brunch at HK$398 per person. Free-flow drinks can be added in for only Hk$180 per person.
More: tokyolima.hk
New rooftop bar
The thriving Wong Chuk Hang district has a new rooftop bar in time for summer, with Komune launching Above by Komune, on the 23/F of Ovolo Southside. Enjoy a creative menu of craft cocktails by Cocktail Professor, as well as food from Komune restaurant, created by Michelin-trained Chef Alvaro Ramos. The space can be customised during the day for meetings and private events.
More: komune.com.hk
New weekend brunch at EAT.it
Italian restaurant EAT.it has launched a new weekend brunch where the whole family are welcome, including pets! Brunch can be enjoyed inside the spacious resto, or outside on its terrace, complete with foosball tables. Brunch is served from 11.30am to 3.30pm, with dishes including a warm quinoa & farro salad with mixed greens and one Italian fried egg (HK$95), a brunch calzone with fennel sausage, poached & scrambled eggs, cooked ham, mozzarella and cherry tomato (HK$120), or the Uovo in Purgatorio – two Italian poached eggs, spicy pomodoro, salami, smoked mozzarella and pizza bread (HK$115). Drinks options include pitchers of Bloody Mary, Sicilian lemonade, or juices. A glass of sparkling Prosecco is HK$33 and five bottles of Peroni Beer are HK$150.
Summer menu at Beef & Liberty
Beef & Liberty is adding permanent vegetarian-friendly menu items from the plant-based Impossible® range. The new dishes include an Impossible® Thai Burger – now with vegan soya mayonnaise – and Impossible® Chilli Cheese Fries. Another permanent item will be the vegetarian-friendly Cherry Tomato Salad(HK$49), made with cherry tomatoes, basil, red onion and sherry vinegar dressing. Until 19 August they will also have special summer menu items including a Lobster Sandwich (HK$239) ifeaturing fresh Boston lobster with celery, lemon, mayo, chives and smoked paprika. Accompany the dish with Brussel Sprouts (HK$49) (V), charred to perfection with black garlic, crispy garlic and shallots, chilli, coriander, lime and soy sauce. For dessert, they will have enjoy an Eton Mess (HK$59) with strawberries, whipped cream, meringue and coulis.
More: beef-liberty.com
Junior Pizza Making at Sunday Brunch
Enjoy a lesiurely Sunday brunch at DiVino Patio while the kids do a pizza making class! Every Sunday from noon to 2.30pm, kids aged four to ten years of age can roll their own dough and make pizza, while their parents can enjoy have a leisurely brunch from either the a la carte menu of the three-course power brunch. There’s also an indoor pop-up playroom once pizza making is over. Pizza making is HK$120 per child, and includes an eight-inch pizza with the child’s chosen toppings, and free-flow juices and sodas. Dining vouchers go to the best pizza maker, and all participants get a certificate.
More: divinogroup.com
New modern Chinese resto
Star Street has a new restaurant with modern Chinese restaurant and roast house Madame Ching opening its doors. Madame Ching will bring a bold approach to the familiar flavours of Chinese cuisine. The restaurant’s blend of old-school Hong Kong and global influences is seen in chef Son Pham’s menu, which features local dishes such as char siu and roast goose, served in reimagined ways. The resto also has an affordable cocktail list, which features Asian aromatics, such as Sichuan peppers, cardamom, ginger and goji berries.
More: madameching.hk
Elia drops anchor
A new Spanish dining venue, Elia, has opened in East Tsim Sha Tsui. Elia is a restaurant-cum-bar space inspired by the vintage nautical Spanish scene, where South-eastern Spanish bites are served paired with designer cocktails. Michelin star chef Miguel Lopez has created an ingredient-driven, Spanish-inspired menu for nightly dinner servings from 4pm till close. The bar is headed by award-winning venue mixologist Alfredo Aguilera.
More: zincgroup.com.hk
Chifa open for business
Lima’s Barrio China has come to Hong Kong with the opening of Pirata Group’s newest resto, Chifa, on Peel Street. Chifa cuisine originates from 19th century Chinese migrants who settled in Peru. Nestled behind the wet market on lower Peel Street, the Charlie & Rose-designed restaurant features pared-back interiors and woven bamboo on the walls and ceiling for a casual vibe. Chifa cuisine began when Chinese migrants starting using local Latin American ingredients to recreate their dishes of home. Dishes include duck spring rolls, which are filled with duck meat, oyster sauce and Chinese vegetables served with creamy Peruvian choclo corn.
More: chifa.hk
Shake Shack
Shake Shack has officially opened for business in Hong Kong. The signature ShackBurger is HK$50, its legendary vegetarian ‘Shroom Burger is HK$66, and its original Shack-cago Dog hot dog is HK$39. In addition to Shack classics, their first HK outlet will also have menu items influenced by local flavours. These include the Milk Tea Shake, which is vanilla custard blended with black tea, and The Heart & Tart of Central egg tart. The cult fast food eatery is open daily from 11am to 11pm, on the fourth floor of the IFC mall in May. Since the original Shack opened in 2004 in NYC’s Madison Square Park, the company has expanded to more than 90 locations in 19 US states, and more than 50 international locations including London, Istanbul, Dubai, Tokyo, Moscow, and Seoul. Shake Shack has ranked No. 16 in Bon Appétit’s “The 20 Most Important Restaurants in America” and No. 7 in TIME Magazine’s “17 Most Influential Burgers of All Time”.
More: shakeshack.com.hk
New lunch sets at Fang Fang
Modern Chinese cuisine specialists Fang Fang have new lunch set menus. Expat Living sampled their latest offerings on a recent weekday. Set on the 8th floor of the LKF Tower, the restaurant has a sophisticated, but welcoming feel, making it perfect for a catch-up with friends or a business lunch. There are three sets, the Express which is perfect for those watching the clock, the Signature set which has all of Fang Fang’s favourite dishes, and the Executive set lunch for those looking to host clients and colleagues. Diners can choose to have one of the sets, or you can order from their a la carte dim sum menu, which has a good range of steamed and fried dumplings. We opted to try a few dumplings from the dim sum menu, along with dishes from the Signature lunch set. The pork and shrimp dumplings were plump and full of flavour, while the garlic prawn spring rolls were perfectly crispy and filled with a generous amount of prawn. The Signature menu also comes with dumplings, so we indulged in their signature shrimp dumplings. The Signature set has six starters to choose from. On the day of our visit we chose the crab meat sweet corn soup, before diving into a delicious dish of tender stir-fried New Zealand lamb with wok-fried leeks from the main courses. The meal was rounded out with creme brulee, given an Asian twist with the use of ginger. Fang Fang also offers a great range of cocktails – or mocktails for those who need to head back to the office – making its new lunch sets a winner on all fronts.
More: fangfang.com.hk
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