Hong Kong restaurant doubles as home furnishings showroom - our first impressions of Gough’s on Gough in Central
Ex-Dot Cod chef serves modern British cuisine, Japanese and Peruvian dishes in comfortable setting created by furniture designer Timothy Oulton; some of the food is a little heavy on the salt
Gough’s on Gough isn’t just a restaurant: it is also a vehicle for furniture designer Timothy Oulton to showcase his home furnishings. Chef Arron Rhodes, who, until two years ago, worked at Dot Cod in Central, cooks up modern British cuisine. The chef has recently travelled around the world, something that is reflected in his dishes, which use ingredients sourced globally.
We couldn’t have visited on a worse night – a red rainstorm signal had been hoisted, and our feet were soaked by the time we walked into the practically empty restaurant.
Manager Jonathan Jones welcomed us warmly, led us up the spiral staircase to a dining area that has marble floors and well-worn leather chairs, and seated us at a table with mismatched tableware.
Diners can choose à la carte, or have the tasting menu (HK$988 per person). We went for the former and our meal cost more than HK$1,200 for two, including mocktails.
We were served several amuse-bouches: bite-sized “beef pop shots” featured beef heart tartare seasoned with anchovy mayonnaise and wrapped in pastry biscuits; PBC turned out to be potato, beans and cheese; and “English seaside” – squid ink tapioca cracker with a mousse of crab, seaweed and pickled cockle.
Our starter of Scottish brown crab salad (HK$158) was a refreshingly light dish of crabmeat mixed with charred cucumber and garnished with thin slices of green apple and dollop of ewe milk ricotta.
Dashi custard (HK$158) included sea urchin, shimeji mushrooms and trout roe topped with thin strips of nori, but it was a touch too salty from the addition of teriyaki sauce.
The dominant ingredient in the dish of Peruvian corn (HK$138) was avocado. It was mixed with bright red corn kernels infused with chicha morada [a sweet Peruvian drink]. The corn was juicy and sweet, and we enjoyed the range of textures, but the portion was small.
For the main course, the roasted Hawkes Bay lamb rump (HK$358) was a good dish to share. The meat was tender, but also too salty. We liked the addition of the salt-cured carrots and edamame beans.
Instead of dessert, we sampled the cheese platter (HK$158 for one, HK$288 for two). Perhaps because there were just a few diners that evening, we were served a generous portion for one. The cheeses included Wensleydale, brie de Meaux, a delicious mature goat cheese, and mature cheddar, which were accompanied with fig jam and quince paste.
Gough’s on Gough, 15 Gough St, Central, tel: 2473 9066
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