Celebrity Life

Culled from Hong Kong’s always-hot dining scene, here are some of the most exciting menus to try this month. Be prepared for chef takeovers, collaborations melding divergent cuisines and seasonal specials – these one-off opportunities are not to be missed.

Arcane’s Veganary Menu

When: 1 to 31 January
Price: HK$888 + 10%

The newly appointed President of Food Made Good Hong Kong (a local campaign driven by the provenance and purpose of food, aiming to influence sustainability in the food service sector), Shane Osborn is bringing the organisation’s initiatives into his Michelin-starred restaurant, Arcane. For the whole of January, Chef Osborn has created a vegan menu which is designed to reduce its carbon footprint, limit food waste and as its name suggests, reduce meat consumption. The five-course menu honours seasonal fruits and vegetables while still utilising the chef’s high calibre cooking techniques and fine dining values. Natural and organic wines are also on offer to pair with the menu.
Arcane, 3/F, 18 On Lan Street, Central; +852 2728 0178

Rech by Alain Ducasse’s Kaviari Caviar Menu

When: 2 January to 29 February
Price: Five-course menu with Baeri Caviar HK$1,388; Five-course menu with Osetra Caviar Prestige HK$1,488; Five-course menu with Kristal Caviar HK$1,688 + optional HK$688 for vodka, Champagne and wine pairing +10%

Renowned for some of the freshest French seafood creations in town, Rech by Alain Ducasse starts the year off with a decadent five-course caviar menu. Partnering with Kaviari Caviar for its supreme quality eco-responsible roe. Guests will be presented with three of Kaviari’s finest to choose from – Baeri caviar from Siberia, Osetra Caviar Prestige from Europe and Kristal Caviar from Thousand Lake in China – to go with Chef Guillaume Katola’s dishes.
Rech by Alain Ducasse, InterContinental Hong Kong, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui; +852 2313 2323

HAKU x Victor’s Fine Dining

When: 6 to 8 January
Price: HK$2,580 +10%  
HAKU is welcoming the new year with Chef Agustin Balbi’s culinary friend and peer, Christian Bau of three Michelin star Victor’s Fine Dining for a special three-night collaboration. Both chefs shares a love for Japanese culinary traditions and progressive cuisine, making this four-hands meal a unique harmony of European flavours with Asian innovation. Expect to be wowed by Chef Bau’s Kanpachi with oysters and sea herbs and A4 Kumamoto Kuro-gyu with eggplant; and Chef Balbi’s Steamed king crab legs, Hokkaido scallops and signature Abalone rice with chorizo.
HAKU, Shop OT G04B, Ocean Terminal, Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui; +852 2115 9965

La Rambla x Gallery de Chele

When: 7 & 8 January
Price: HK$1,780 + 10%

Chef Chele Gonzalez’s food can be described as Spanish cuisine with a Filipino twist. Pair that with Chef Ferran Tadeo’s modern Catalan flavours and you’ve got one of the most unique combinations of culture packed in one meal. Drawing on the two chefs’ common Spanish heritage and international exposure, the collaboration fuses both chef’s regional experience with their native roots. The 12-course degustation menu sees the finest ingredients sourced both locally and internationally from land and sea to bring guests a taste of Spain and Southeast Asia in perfect harmony.
La Rambla, 3071-73, L3, ifc mall, 8 Finance Street, Central; +852 2661 1161

Gems & Pearl at Tosca di Angelo with Antonia Klugman

When: 14 & 15 January
Price: HK$1,998 + 10%

Episode two of five in the Ritz-Carlton’s Gems & Pearl Italian Culinary Journey vignette continues with legendary chef Antonia Klugman of one Michelin-star L’Argine a Vencò in Dolegna del Collio, Italy. This one-off menu melds the talents and styles of both chefs, led by ingredients-forward approach to cooking with a strong emphasis on sustainability and seasonality.
Tosca di Angelo, Level 102, The Ritz-Carlton, West Kowloon; +852 2263 2270

TATE Dining Room x Hisa Franko

When: 16 & 17 January
Price: HK$2,180 + optional drinks pairing start at HK$580 + 10%

It’s not the first time that Chef Vicky Lau of TATE Dining Room promotes fellow female chefs in unique collaborations. We’ve seen incredible success with her previous partnerships with Natsuko Shoji of Été, Bee Satongun of Paste, and Margarita Fores of Grace Park. Continuing her celebration of powerful female chefs, TATE takes it cross-continent in 2020 with a lineup of world-renowned guest chefs. To start, Chef Ana Ros (who some may recognise from Netflix series Chef’s Table and World’s Best Female Chef of 2017) joins Chef Lau from her restaurant Hisa Franko in Slovenia. The 10-course tasting menu will see both chefs’ innovative creations, and one highly anticipated collaborated course.
TATE Dining Room, 210 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan; +852 2555 2172

WHISK x Restau K Yamauchi

When: 16 & 17 January
Price: HK$1,388 + optional HK$380 for wine pairing + 10%

For quite some time now, WHISK has been inviting some of the world’s most acclaimed chefs to its kitchen for dining collaborations. The first of 2020, The Mira will welcome guest chef Kenichiro Yamamuchi of Restau K Yamamuchi from Nagoya to lend his flavours for a culinary partnership with chef Olivier Li. The eight-course dinner takes on some of the freshest seafood including Kaviari Caviar, Aogani crab, Kurumba shrimp, razor clams, squid. To go with the meal, an optional wine and cocktail pairing is also highly recommended.
WHISK, 5/F, The Mira Hong Kong, Mira Place, 118 – 130 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui; +852 2315 5999

Mono

When: 22 January

Price: HK$2,880 + optional HK$880 + 10% (+ 3% carbon tax)

Newcomer Mono of JIA Group has had quite the buzz since its opening in December. After just one month, Executive chef Ricardo Chaneton welcomes friends and culinary talents Agustin Balbi of HAKU, Virgilio Martinez of Central Restaurante, and Pia Leon of Kjolle for one night to explore and share gastronomic approaches. The South American roots of the four chefs will be presented in a 12-course menu with optional wine pairing to complement the meal.

Mono, 5/F, 18 On Lan Street, Central

The post The Top Special Menus You Can’t Miss This January appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Hong Kong is one of the world’s most exciting culinary capitals, where good food is more than abundant. In that light, we’ve put together a few of our tastiest tidbits and most memorable morsels that are worth tracking down to try.

Michelin Guide Hong Kong Macau 2020 Gala Dinner

December was a big month for fine dining, especially with the announcement of Michelin Guide Hong Kong Macau 2020 in the same month. This year, the Gala Dinner featured a glorious meal and offered a seven-course menu centred around "Sustainability Through Motion". It shone a light on sustainability, fair-trade food and other eco-friendly measures. The evening kicked off with a dish created by none other than Alain Ducasse, who served Chilled blue lobster, rich nage and gold caviar, a dish from two Michelin starred Alain Ducasse at Morpheus. Not only was the dish rich and sumptuous, but the blue lobster was also sustainably sourced from Brittany, while the caviar was from a Chinese producer -- allowing us to enjoy the dish on a sustainable level, too.

Alain Ducasse at Morpheus, Level 3, Morpheus City of Dreams, Macau; +853 8868 3432

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Zuicho

New Japanese restaurant Zuicho offers refined kappo cuisine. For those not yet familiar with kappo, it means to cut and cook with fire, and is presented as a multi-course meal that is left up to the chef. Located in the former Sushi Shikon space (which has now moved to the Landmark Mandarin Oriental), Zuicho is helmed by Head Chef Fumio Suzuki who spent his years honing his skills in Japanese haute cuisine, or kaiseki, and it's evident in his presentation. The Pen shell clam with chrysanthemum, mitsuba seaweed sauce and shiso flower dish was a sight for sore eyes; simply elegant but with incredible flavour too. Smokiness from grilling the seafood comes through slightly, while the sauce releases umami accented by the aromatic shiso flowers.

Zuicho, The Mercer Central, G/F 29 Jervois Street, Sheung Wan; +852 2156 1883

Associazione Chianti

Black Sheep Restaurants group does it again with one of its new restaurants: Associazione Chianti. Located in Wan Chai's already happening Ship Street, guests who enter the Tuscan trattoria will notice the butchery at the front, which sets a rustic and relaxed tone throughout the restaurant. During our first visit, we sampled a fair few premium steaks, along with hearty pastas and of course Chianti, but what stood out the most was the Bistecca alla Fiorentina. Dry aged in-house and seasoned with a dry rub of Chianti aromatics, it's cut thickly and perfect for sharing. The result is a tender, flavourful meat that will satisfy all carnivorous cravings. It also goes very well with the rich salsa di manzo, made with Chianti and peppercorn sauce.

Associazione Chianti, 15 Ship Street, Wan Chai; +852 3619 3360

Hue

Located in the recently renovated Hong Kong Museum of Art in Tsim Sha Tsui, modern Australian restaurant Hue is a refreshing addition to our city's concentrated dining scene. Firstly, it's huge. The 5,000 sq. ft. restaurant is on the museum's first floor and offers a stellar panoramic view of Victoria Harbour. Secondly, the menu is brief, but bodes well as one assumes that dishes will receive more focus and thus executed to a higher quality. Thankfully, this is absolutely true here, and the Carabinero prawns with smoked herring butter sauce is a great example of this. The fresh umami-packed prawn pairs fantastically with the savoury and buttery sauce, while its whiskers are battered and deep fried for texture.

Hue, 1/F Hong Kong Museum of Art, 10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui; + 852 3500 5888

Kappo Rin

The Landmark Mandarin Oriental transformed their seventh floor with a fair few restaurant openings this year and during the last couple of months of 2019, this included Sushi Shikon's sister restaurant Kappo Rin. Another kappo to join Hong Kong's roster, this 8-seat restaurant is opened in collaboration with Master Chef Yoshitake of Ginza’s three Michelin starred Sushi Yoshitake and offers beautifully presented traditional and seasonal Japanese dishes. During our visit, this included a rice dish that will remain in our food memories for a long time -- Rice with golden eye snapper and salmon caviar. The fish was softly cooked and the salmon roe added incredible flavour to the rice. Karasumi, or salted mullet roe, was also grated on top to add an extra touch of umami and luxury.

Kappo Rin, 7/F The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, 15 Queen's Road Central, Central; +852 2643 6800

Amber

Awarded two Michelin stars for the twelfth year in a row, it's safe to say that Amber continues to hit the mark in the world of fine dining. However, this year saw chef Richard Ekkebus take Amber to a new level of progressive cuisine, and thus the two Michelin stars do well in affirming his direction and creativity. Since the revamp, we've enjoyed many items on the new menu. One such dish is dessert; the Bitter chocolate, with smokey bourbon barrel, Michter’s and crispy buckwheat puffs. Contrary to expectations, the dessert was not overly rich or potent. In fact, it was flawlessly balanced in flavour. A small spray of whisky beforehand lends an exquisite aroma and gloss, while textural plays make the dish fun to eat. A wonderful ending to the meal that I would enjoy again, and again.

Amber, 7/F The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, 15 Queen's Road Central, Central; +852 2132 0066

Honjo

Modern Japanese restaurant Honjo has fast become a popular haunt for dinner thanks to its fun, eclectic and tasty cuisine. Now, they've stepped it up a notch with a brunch experience too. We realise that it's not technically one top dish, but with plenty of fantastic options, we couldn't decide. Dishes such as the Wagyu tataki in chorizo oil and deep fried chicken with black Okinawan sugar are the number one crowd pleasers, but overall, the brunch experience is well executed. This also includes the sushi, sashimi and maki stations, which feature an assorted collection crafted by Executive Chef Miguel Huelamo.

Honjo, 1/F Hollywood Centre, Queen's Road West, Sheung Wan; +852 2663 3772

Jalan

Featuring Malaysian street food injected with modernity, Jalan is a vibrant restaurant that combines Chinese, Indian and Malay influences on its menu. Meaning ‘street’ in Malay, guests can expect dishes such as Beef rendang samosas, Coconut roasted prawn curry, Roti canai, and Pandan custard doughnuts. But our top dish has to be the most moreish: the Laksa fried chicken. Infused with Peranakan coconut curry paste, the succulent chicken thigh meat is packed with flavour, before it is fried until crispy. The sauce is tangy, and more so an Assam laksa, but works really well to provide a brightness before a deeper heat begins to warm up. If you haven't tried Jalan yet, we would strongly suggest to explore the exotic flavours of Malaysia in a modern and tropical setting on Soho's Peel Street.

Jalan, 42 Peel Street, Central; +852 2386 2216

The post The Top 8 Dishes We Ate in December 2019 appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Never one to shy away from new openings, the dining scene in Hong Kong continued to thrive in 2019. We witnessed the launch of some very exciting new concepts as well as restaurants that travelled from overseas to join our dynamic city. From contemporary French cuisine and a luxury smokehouse and grill, to a modern approach to Japanese sushi and even a wine-focused eatery -- we had it all, and then some. But if you're wondering which ones came up top, then read on for our top eight restaurant openings of 2019.

1. Cornerstone

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Shane Osborn, the Australian chef behind one Michelin-starred Arcane and Netflix’s Final Table contestant, did it again with his second establishment Cornerstone. Occupying a smaller 24-seat space on Hollywood Road, the modern bistro feels more relaxed but is every bit as fantastic. Offering all-day dining, the menu is short, concise and filled with items that showcase the season's best produce, in true Australian style. Simple, but refined, and extremely satisfying, the food hits all the right notes and dishes are updated regularly. Signatures include a Salmon with herb cream cheese, homemade malt bread and cornichons, as well as a hearty mushroom Tagliatelle with optional white truffle (when the season is right).
Cornerstone, 49 Hollywood Road, Central

2. Henry

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When former Rhoda chef Nathan Green left the Ritz-Carlton, we all waited in anticipation to find out where he might turn up next. Thankfully, fans of his work will be pleased to know he did not go far. For he is now the Chef de Cuisine of the American grill, smokehouse and butcher concept Henry. Located in yet another opening of the year, Rosewood Hong Kong, Henry offers a menu inspired by the flavours and ingredients of America’s southern states. From premium cuts and signature meats such as the 44 Farms Texas whisky and ash-aged beef, T-bone and porterhouse, to dishes including a Butcher’s shop terrine, Henry's burger and an indulgent Mac & cheese with devilled lobster.

Henry, Level Five, Rosewood Hong Kong, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui; +852 3891 8732

3. L'Envol

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Hong Kong has many French fine dining options to choose from, but when the restaurant is led by seasoned chef Olivier Elzer, it's worth paying extra attention to. Recently awarded its first Michelin star, L'Envol offers innovative French gastronomy with curated tasting menus. During our first visit, we enjoyed beautifully presented dishes that were executed with precision and always remained balanced in flavour. The menu changes seasonally, but is always excellent, and is offered in an equally impressive restaurant which comes complete with its own French cheese cave.

L'Envol, 3/F, The St. Regis Hong Kong, 1 Harbour Drive,  Wan Chai; +852 2138 6818

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4. Louise

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It was only a matter of time that celebrated chef Julien Royer of Odette, Asia's Best Restaurant 2019, would spread his culinary wings to our shores and he did so with Louise earlier this year. The concept is inspired by the traditional French cuisine that Royer was brought up on, and is now led by Executive chef Franckelie Laloum. The menu showcases honest cooking with a modern twist using the best (and local where possible) ingredients. Highlight dishes include the sautéed Hong Kong frog legs with parsley and garlic chips, Angel hair pasta with Kristal caviar, and the roasted Hong Kong yellow chicken with Nigata rice en cocotte.

Louise, PMQ, 35 Aberdeen Street, Central; +852 2866 0300

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5. Mono

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If you were to guess the meaning of this restaurant's name, you probably wouldn't have thought it was connected to Mono-ha, the 1960s Japanese art movement. But this contemporary French restaurant is indeed inspired by the same essentialist approach. Hence, offering a single ingredients-driven tasting menu, which changes with the seasons. Furthermore, Petrus alum chef Ricardo Chaneton who also came from Mirazur; the World's Best Restaurant 2019, uses his background and memories to add South American nuances to his cuisine. The result of which is stunning. Think Ocean crudo with perfectly cooked seafood brightened with leche de tigre and a Miéral pigeon dish served with a deep and flavoursome 26-ingredient mole.

Mono, 5/F, 18 On Lan Street, Central; +852 2200 7000

6. Roganic

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Another new Hong Kong restaurant to be awarded its first Michelin star is overseas import Roganic. Hailing from London, acclaimed chef Simon Rogan has brought with him a restaurant that offers contemporary British cooking with the same farm-to-table concept as its sister. Having visited both restaurants, we got to know Rogan's cuisine quite well and found that his focus was always on letting the flavours of the ingredients speak for themselves. It's apparent in his exceptionally executed menu with seasonal dishes such as the leek, turnip and yellow chicken or Seaweed custard with beef tendon and pike perch.

Roganic, Sino Plaza, UG/F 08, 255 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay; +852 2817 8383

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7. Somm

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As the new Amber and Sushi Shikon marked its place in The Landmark Mandarin Oriental this year, so did French neo-bistro Somm. Offering an incredibly diverse selection of over 1,600 champagnes, wines and sakes, the restaurant also serves up some really fantastic dishes too. A concise and seasonal menu currently includes items such as freshly shucked Ebisu winter oysters or signature dishes such as Japanese Pork Belly with BBQ Sauce & Hakata Cabbage. All dishes can be thoughtfully paired with the sommelier's choice or guests can experiment themselves, making it the ideal restaurant for both wine newcomers and connoisseurs alike.

Somm, 7/F, The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, 15 Queen's Road Central, Central; +852 2132 0055

8. The Araki

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One more restaurant coming in from the British isles is Mitsuhiro Araki's namesake The Araki, which opened recently in Tsim Sha Tsui's 1881 Heritage. Having previously been awarded three Michelin stars in both Tokyo and London, one wonders if the stars will follow. The concept remains the same in the Hong Kong outpost and offers Araki's renowned style of sushi which honours the origins of Edomae. It therefore makes use of local seafood such as fresh Hong Kong tiger prawns, mantis shrimp and clams. Paving the way for non-Japanese sushi masters. Expect more than the sushi you know, as that is certainly what we experienced here.

The Araki, Block, House 1881, G/F, Stable, 2A Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui; +852 3988 0000

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The post 8 of Our Favourite Hong Kong Restaurant Openings of 2019 appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.