Temptations on Hong Kong menus this month: matcha, giant squid, sake and tempura

Green tea powder is incorporated in dishes such as tofu with sea urchin, crispy chicken and pavlova; Mediterranean specialities from a guest chef and seafood three ways should please discerning diners

Susan Jung

Published: 4:09pm, 31 May 2016

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Until June 18, food and beverage outlets at the Kowloon Shangri-La in Tsim Sha Tsui are featuring dishes that incorporate top-grade matcha from Yamamasa Koyamaen from Kyoto.

Nadaman’s green tea kaiseki is HK$1,180 and includes house-made matcha tofu with fresh sea urchin; fresh snow crab with yuba tofu and matcha powder; and tempura platter with matcha salts, kisu smelt, whitebait and spring vegetables.

At Shang Palace, the green tea creations include stir-fried river shrimps with matcha; and sliced crispy chicken on matcha toast. Cafe Kool has green tea desserts on the lunch and dinner buffets, including matcha opera cake and matcha pavlova.

Kowloon Shangri-La’s sliced crispy chicken on matcha toast.

The Cafe Kool lunch buffet is HK$328 plus 10 per cent (HK$248 for children) Monday to Friday and HK$408 plus 10 per cent (HK$288 for children) Saturday, Sunday and public holidays. The dinner buffet is HK$578 plus 10 per cent (HK$458 for children) Sunday to Thursday and HK$628 plus 10 per cent (HK$488 for children) Friday, Saturday and public holidays.

Green tea desserts are also being served in the Lobby Lounge: weekend afternoon tea buffet (HK$318 plus 10 per cent for adults, HK$268 for children), and special green tea creations can be ordered from Deli Kool. Information and bookings for all the outlets: 2733 8988.

Christian Martena, whose Strand Restaurant at the Strand Hotel in Myanmar is scheduled to open in November, is guest chef at Scarlett Cafe & Wine Bar in Tsim Sha Tsui until June 8. The chef’s Mediterranean dishes are available a la carte and include black ink cappuccino with slow-cooked giant squid and hot potato mousse; and grilled lamb chop with Jerusalem artichoke three ways. Bookings: 3565 6513.

Sake Bar Ginn in Lan Kwai Fong is holding a summer draft sake tasting on June 4. For HK$500 plus 10 per cent, guests can enjoy the buffet-style dinner plus free-flow sake such as Eikun Junmai Daiginjo Nama Chozo;Koshino Homare Daiginjo Summer Nama; and Harushika Junmai Ginjo Nama Summer Edition. To book e-mail [email protected]

Inagiku Grande at the Royal Garden in Tsim Sha Tsui is featuring a tempura set lunch for HK$588 plus 10 per cent.

Available until June 26, the lunch includes appetisers, rice or noodles, and dessert, plus three types of seafood tempura (such as live shrimp, abalone and sea urchin) and unlimited vegetable tempura. The lunch is served only at the tempura counter. Bookings: 2733 2933.

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