As it did in its previous incarnation, The Pawn makes the most of its space in a heritage building (an old pawnbroker) on Hennessy Road, Wan Chai. Before it closed for renovation — during which they sold off the furniture and decoration — the place served modern British cuisine.
When it reopened a few months ago, the interior had changed, but it still serves modern British, only with celebrity chef Tom Aikens in charge of the menu.
Our starters and dessert were excellent, but we liked the mains far less. I loved the confit salmon with pomelo and grapefruit vanilla dressing (HK$150).
The salmon was silky smooth, and came with candied citrus zest, citrus powder, edible pansies, and pickled cucumber slices. Warm poached prawns with vanilla olive oil and coriander yogurt (as a starter for HK$150, or main for HK$250) was beautiful. The waitress poured a hot broth over the raw prawns, which didn't cook them, just warmed them. There was a thick, zingy, lemony purée at the bottom of the bowl.
For the mains, the brined pork belly with fermented grain and miso (HK$250) was relentlessly brown, heavy and one-dimensional. Some kind of acidity or green vegetable would have lightened the dish.