Celebrity Life

From exiting new openings, to Middle Eastern street food and summer treats, here’s where to eat in Hong Kong in July 2021.

Asaya Kitchen at Rosewood Hong Kong

Led by culinary director Fabian Altabert and offering Mediterranean fare, Asaya Kitchen at Rosewood Hong Kong has recently reopened for lunch and dinner. Staying true to the restaurant’s philosophy of prioritising fresh produce and techniques that maintain their unique properties, the new à la carte menus feature pickled and fermented organic ingredients as well as dishes that highlight the rich flavours Southern Europe. New must- try highlights include Spanish octopus with charred, smoky eggplant, Juniper salt and preserved lemon; and Italian red prawns crudo with chickpea hummus, espelette pepper and Arbequina olive oil.

Asaya Kitchen, 6/F Rosewood Hong Kong Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui; +852 3891 8732

181 at Fortnum & Mason

181 at Fortnum & Mason Hong Kong has recently introduced a new flambé menu that honours classic English recipes and brings its 312 years of food-and-drink expertise to the table. The selection includes all-time favourites such as beef Wellington served with dauphinoise potatoes, green beans and peppercorn sauce; seabass with chilli and garlic served with creamed spinach; and whole red master chicken. The menu also includes traditional appetisers from around the UK, like rarebit and Middle White pâté en croûte.

181 at Fortnum & Mason, Shop 022, G/F, K11 Atelier Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui; +852 3916 8181

Taqueria Super Macho

Trendy Taqueria Super Macho is now offering early week Mexican sharing-style feasts as a part of a Plated Summer Series by Black Sheep Restaurants. Inspired by Latin American summers and parties by the beach, the fiesta kicks off with a basket of crispy tortilla chips served with house-made guacamole, salsas and salt- rimmed margaritas, while mains include yellowfin tuna tostada and a Baja-style spread of crema-smothered Mexican street corn and soft tortilla tacos.

Taqueria Super Macho, 33-35 Bridges St, Central; +852 2333 0111

Fiamma by Enrico Bartolini

Since its opening last September on Victoria Peak, Fiamma by Enrico Bartolini, led by Italian head chef Paolo Olivieri, has created a cult following. The new five-course Chef’s Tasting Menu is inspired by Olivieri’s career and passion for complex flavours and texture combinations. Highlights of the new exclusive selection include fassona beef tartare topped with buffalo mozzarella sauce, quail-egg yolk and garnished with edible spring flowers and house-made tortellini served with cacio e pepe (cheese and pepper) sauce. Themed around summer, the à la carte menu also welcomes new dishes that include acquerello risotto served with jumbo green asparagus and caciocavallo cheese.

Fiamma, Shop G02, G/F, Peak Galleria, 118 Peak Rd, The Peak; +852 2657 0800

Francis at Basehall

Popular Israeli restaurant Francis has recently landed at Basehall, Central’s multi-concept food hall. Inspire by the street food of Tel Aviv and other cities around the region, rotisserie meats are the signature offering. Highlights include za’atar spiced chicken served with moudadara (a spiced rice with lentils and caramelised onion) and beef short rib shawarma. For vegetarians, the outlet offers sabich (an Israeli sandwich stuffed with fried eggplants and other condiments) asa signature item.

Basehall, Jardine House, Shops 9A, 9B and 9C LG/F, 1 Connaught Pl, Central; +852 3643 0865

Margo

The latest opening from the group behind Elephant Grounds and The Diplomat includes a modern European brasserie and an intimate drinking den dedicated to that most sublime of American inventions: the martini. Dubbed Kyle & Bain and Margo, the new concepts carry the creative imprint of previous Leading Nation efforts to bring together multiple unique F&B experiences under a single roof. The restaurant, Margo, represents an energetic new take on brasserie cooking by German chef Mario Paecke. Dishes to look out for include the Rainbow Trout Confit with a hearty, German home-style potato salad using Bavarian potatoes, grilled leek and tangy pickled radish and a sweet and savoury Seasonal Salad with rhubarb, German Belper Knolle cheese, and local pepper and honey from the same farm.

Margo, G06, 9 Queen's Road Central, Central; +852 2130 7731

Censu

Recently soft-opened in NoHo’s Gough Street, Censu by Shun Sato, who previously led the kitchen at Fukuro, Ho Lee Fook, Belon and Armani/Aqua, serves dishes inspired by nostalgic izakaya cooking as well as the chef's experiences around the globe. Dishes in the trendy eatery's debuting menu include Squid White Kimuchi, sliced squid sashimi prepared in Ika Somen style with white kimchi fermented with green apple and daikon; Unigiri, a risotto-style dish featuring onigiri cooked and served in abalone dashi, topped with jet-fresh uni, and Zucchini Flower Tempura, deep-fried Dutch zucchini flower filled with a creamy scallop prawn mousse and completed with a delicate truffle purée made of shiitake mushrooms, Madeira wine and truffle.

Censu, 28-30 Gough St, Central; +852 2997 7009

Pici Kennedy Town

Famous pasta bar Pici has recently opened a branch in Kennedy Town. Serving its famous classic fresh pasta dishes as well as daily specials and new additions, the vibrant eatery is a perfect addition to the neighbourhood's growing dining scene. We absolutely love the slow-cooked beef cheek pappardelle, Ravioli Codfish with spinach dough, capers and olives (a Kennedy Town exclusive), and the selection of fresh appetisers (especially the beef carpaccio and tuna tartare). Don't forget to order one of Pici's now-iconic desserts.

Pici, 55 Cadogan St, Kennedy Town; +852 2699 1033

TATE Dining Room

Two Michelin-star TATE Dining Room by Chef Vicky Lau has launched the new Ode to Fruit lunch menu, the latest instalment in the restaurant's single ingredient lunch series. This month, TATE is celebrating summer fruit and its colours through delicate and seasonal dishes like Aggregate, a Summer Parfait of Strawberry and Tomato, Sweet Shrimp, Veil of Yogurt Espuma and Ossetria Caviar, and Pome, Aubergine with Crispy Tofu and Bordelaise Sauce.

TATE Dining Room, 210 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan; +852 2555 2172

Club Rangoon

Trendy Burmese eatery Club Rangoon is celebrating its first anniversary with a special set menu that honours customer favourites and signatures dishes. The selection stars with Samusa and Village Style Egg Curry Bites, followed by a generous spread of noodles and Mohinga, Myanmar's delicious national dish with a rich and aromatic lemongrass and catfish broth. Club Rangoon will anso be celebrating with all-you-can-eat Samusa Parties at the restaurant's kiosk.

Club Rangoon, Ground Floor, 33 Aberdeen St, Central; +852 2503 3077

The post Where to Eat in Hong Kong this July 2021 appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Imbibed amidst an immersive patchwork of sounds, scents, and flavours, the latest edition of Krug's much-loved multi-vintage Champagne strikes a chord that is as joyful as it is delicious.

I'll be the first to concede that there's nothing quite like "the intangible quality...of taking in the terroir" but insofar as virtual tastings are concerned -- essentially the status quo for drinks industry pundits in 2021 -- the recent unveiling of Krug's latest Grande Cuvée proved to be oddly visceral and thrilling (in some ways, even touching). Every year since 1843, the eponymous makers of prestige Champagne have released a new assemblage of reserve wines, always consisting of the classic Champenois trio of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Meunier; and always left to age sur lie for 7 years.

Dispensing first with the formalities, the 169th Edition is a "generous expression" of 146 wines made in 11 different years (Krug bottle single vintages relatively infrequently), the oldest of which harkens back to the turn of the millennium. It is, however, the 2013 vintage that -- to butcher a musical analogy -- really sets the bassline: with intensely "luminous and pure" Chardonnays; racy Meunier; and Pinot Noir that extrudes a long, treacle finish. It is in a word, unsurprisingly, 'scrumptious': at its best harmonising alongside sharp aged cheese; aromatic seafood dishes; maybe even a cheeky slice of tarte tatin.

Unsurprisingly, the hallmarks of this Grande Cuvée (namely quality, consistency, and complexity) remain present year in, year out; but it's Krug's highly intuitive method of presentation that helps to immerse drinkers in the art of crafting prestige Champagne. With the jubilant voice of Olivier Krug pouring into their ears -- livestreaming in from the Maison's ancestral holdfast in Reims -- participants in these 'Encounters' were able to hear the story of the 169th Edition in a style that takes you beyond the spoken word. An "audio pairing" composed by Belgian musician Ozark Henry (and fed through to listeners using 8D technology) chronicles, in sonic form, the entire journey of the latest Krug edition: from plot to tasting, and finally harmonious blending together at the hands of Cellar Master Julie Cavil.

As ever, these 'Encounters' ended with a culinary presentation (in Hong Kong, presided over by Island Shangri-La's Uwe Opocensky) inspired by the tasting notes for the current edition -- langoustine and freshly jetted oysters seem to be much-favoured accompaniments this time round -- followed by a round of questions for the Maison's patriarch, Mr. Olivier Krug. On whether he was excited for a resumption of global travel -- to better present this 169th annual bottling -- he expressed optimism. Until then, you could do a lot worse than sipping to a soundtrack.

The 169th Edition of Krug Grande Cuvée is now available at various retail partners throughout Hong Kong, including Watson's, The Fine Wine Experience, CitySuper and Avize Wine Cellar. To learn more, visit Krug online.

The post The Curious Case for Unconventional Omakase Menus in Hong Kong appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.