QMO on trendy Ship Street offers Mediterranean fusion dishes with impressive starters and tapas
Lee Hill-choi
QMO
J Residence, G/F, 4 Ship Street, Wan Chai, 2836 0699
QMO (Quriosity Meets Obsession) is the latest eatery on trendy Ship Street. Previously at the QRE Centre in Wan Chai under the name Quemo, the new dining spot has reinvented itself from a strict Spanish menu to fusion Mediterranean cuisine.
Cocktails are tasty but visually unimaginative. We tried Q Ship, which is a blend of gin mare, Blue Curacao, lychee liquor, peach schnapps and Sprite (HK$128) and is a good pre-dinner aperitif.
QMO has shifted its style in accordance to the hip crowd with dark auburn interiors and a line-up of interesting dinner dishes, most notably the starter and tapas selections.
The duck's breast tataki with smoked aubergine (HK$108) makes for a tasty, light starter. Fine duck breast slices are layered on top of a stretch of aubergines sprinkled with watercress.
The crispy pork with organic egg and sobrasada - a raw cured sausage from the Balearic Islands (HK$128) - is good for sharing. Breaking and stirring the runny egg adds to the main ingredients. The crispy pork is a typical Chinese roast and local diners may scoff at the not-so-crispy skin, but those unfamiliar with "the-crunchier-the-pork-skin-the-better" notion may appreciate the flavours this dish brings.
Mains include baby lamb rack with asparagus and finger potatoes (HK$228) and the lobster and spring chicken with chickpeas (HK$218). Both were fine but had no wow factor.
Missing from their menu at the time we visited was the paella, but executive chef Martin Carrasco can prepare it on request.
End on a refreshing note with the sorbets. The coconut-ginger and kaffir lime sorbet (HK$68) is an interesting concoction with ginger overtones.
