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.

Sabatini: Seasonal White Asparagus Menu

When: 1–31 May

Price: Starting from HK$368 + 10%

[caption id="attachment_140769" align="alignnone" width="2400"] White Asparagus and Abalone Salad with Caviar, Sabatini.[/caption]

Winter may be for truffles, but spring is the time for white asparagus. Chef de Cuisine Claudio Favero of Sabatini gets creative with top AAA-grade fresh white asparagus from the Black Forest in his new seasonal menu. Using Italian home-cooking techniques, each dish is balanced, simple and showcases the tender, sweet spears. Find dishes like white asparagus and abalone salad with caviar (HK$368), slow cooked veal loin with white asparagus (HK$408), and a returning favourite, the open ravioli with white asparagus and Sicilian red prawns (HK$488). These seasonal specialties are available at both lunch and dinner. 

Sabatini, 3/F, The Royal Garden, 69 Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui East, Kowloon; +852 2733 2000

VEA x BarChef: Birds of Paradise Four-Hands Cocktail Tasting Menu 

When: 2 & 3 May

Price: HK$780 + 10%

[dual-images right-image-url="https://www.prestigeonline.com/hk/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Untitled-design-401.jpg" left-image-url="https://www.prestigeonline.com/hk/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Untitled-design-400.jpg" right-caption="Antonio Lai" left-caption="Frankie Solarik"]

Considered the godfather of contemporary Hong Kong mixology, Antonio Lai has a way of surprising us with his inventive cocktail creations at long bar Quinary, hidden speakeasy Room 309, and tap concept Draft Land. This time, he has a multi-sensory journey up his sleeve, devised by himself and Toronto’s BarChef owner and master mixologist Frankie Solarik. The six-course tasting experience, which is named Birds of Paradise, promises to stimulate the senses with a flight of outlandish new creations and tropical installations and décor. Plus you might get a chance to meet the two pioneering bartenders in person.

VEA, 29/F, The Wellington, 198 Wellington Street, Central; +852 2711 0063

Yi x Tate: Six Hands Collaboration (Michelin Guide Hong Kong Macau Dining Series)

When: 3 & 4 May

Price: MOP$1,888; wine and tea pairing MOP$600 + 10%

[dual-images right-image-url="https://www.prestigeonline.com/hk/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Untitled-design-403.jpg" left-image-url="https://www.prestigeonline.com/hk/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Untitled-design-402.jpg" right-caption="Crispy Almond Crab Claw, Yí." left-caption="Ode to Chinese Yam, Tate Dining Room."]

In recent years, Macau has emerged as one of the most exciting culinary destinations in Asia, with a growing number of world-class restaurants, not to mention hosting the prestigious Michelin Guide and Asia's 50 Best awards. The dynamic chef duo of Wilson Fam and Angelo Wong from Morpheus' Yí have taken their contemporary Chinese menu and given it a refreshing twist in its latest collaboration with Hong Kong native chef Vicky Lau, of innovative French-Chinese restaurant Tate Dining Room. The eight-course menu is a display of intriguing flavours and visual delights, featuring a balanced union between the edible stories from Tate and Yí's modern adaptation of classic Chinese dishes. 

Yí, 21/F, Morpheus, City of Dreams, Estrada do Istmo, Cotai, Macau; +853 8868 3446

Nobu: Roku–Wareki Satsuki Grain Omakase 

When: May 14–Jun 30

Price: HK$688 for lunch (inclusive of a mocktail); HK$1,488 for dinner + 10%

[caption id="attachment_140776" align="alignnone" width="2048"] Red Snapper Karaage, Nobu.[/caption]

At the start of 2019 Nobu introduced its Roku-Wareki gourmet experience, a culinary journey taking diners through six chapters of the ancient Japanese harvesting calendar, with each chapter focusing on a special seasonal ingredient. For its third instalment, the omakase menu shines a light on Satsuki, the traditional term for the month of May, which refers to the humble grain buds of the Kansai region. The light dishes are influenced by the impending arrival of summer, with complementing ingredients such as kurodai, itoyori and kibinago fish, wild vegetables, and A5 Japanese wagyu. The omakase menu is available for lunch (six courses) and dinner (eight courses).

Nobu, 2/F, InterContinental Hong Kong, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon; +852 2313 2323

Grand Hyatt: Champagne Secrets

When: 16 May–6 June (every Thursday)

Price: HK$1,888 + 10%

[caption id="attachment_140808" align="alignnone" width="5304"] Baby Peter oysters by David Herve served with Champagne jelly and watercress crème, Champagne Bar.[/caption]

The Champagne Bar at Grand Hyatt Hong Kong is where you’d go for an intimate quiet drink. But for four weeks, the romantic, 1920s-style cavern will be transformed into French illusionist Stefan Leyshon’s 360-degree stage. The up-close and personal 90-minute performance is to be enjoyed with five courses of small plates (including Baby Peter oysters with champagne, lobster avocado roll and smoked Oriental spiced pigeon) paired with the bar’s selection of cuvées.

The Champagne Bar, Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, 1 Harbour Road, Wan Chai; +852 2584 7722

Le 39V: Barons de Rothschild Wine Dinner

When: 28 May

Price: HK$1,480 + 10%

[caption id="attachment_140778" align="alignnone" width="853"] Vendée Pork, Le 39V.[/caption]

May is the month of gastronomy à la français, or simply Le French GourMay, celebrating one of the few UNESCO-listed culinary cultures in the world. From the 1st to 31st, Le 39V is offering a delectable six-course dinner menu paired with Loire Valley wines, showcasing the 'Garden of France' through colourful seasonal ingredients. But for one night only, Michelin-starred chef and founder of the Parisian Le 39V will be in Hong Kong to craft a four-course menu paired with premium Barons de Rothschild vintages, which is a rare opportunity not to be missed.

Le 39V, 101/F, International Commerce Centre West, 1 Austin Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon; +852 2977 5266

Tate Dining Room x Atomix: Four-Hands Collaboration

When: May 28 & 29

Price: HK$1,980; wine or cocktail pairing HK$600 + 10%

[dual-images right-image-url="https://www.prestigeonline.com/hk/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Untitled-design-405.jpg" left-image-url="https://www.prestigeonline.com/hk/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Untitled-design-404.jpg" right-caption="Ode to Pigeon, Tate Dining Room." left-caption="Seabream, Atomix. "]

Chef Vicky Lau of Tate Dining Room is arguably one of Hong Kong’s most collaborative creative minds, having partnered with globally renowned culinary masters (Wilson Fam and Angelo Wong of Yi from Morpheus Macau, Natsuko Shoji of Été from Tokyo, and Mathieu Escoffier of Ma Cuisine in Singapore). This time, she joins forces with NYC-based guest chef Junghyun Park of contemporary fine dining establishment Atomix. Both Michelin-starred chefs will bring an eight-course dinner menu featuring Lau’s signature odes of French cuisine with a Chinese touch and Park’s modernist Korean dishes. 

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

The post The Top 7 Special Menus You Can’t Miss This May appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.