appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

liveArticle

appConfig

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sectionsV2

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

json

Bernice Chan

Cherry trees are blossoming all over Japan now, but if you can’t go in person to appreciate the cherry blossoms, you can be there in spirit by trying cherry-flavoured drinks and themed dishes at Hong Kong restaurants. We picked five of the best cherry blossom (sakura) menus.
Japanese cherry blossom season is here but trees could be wiped out by foreign species of beetle
Zuma
Floral artist Kirk Cheng has Zuma into a pink oasis, installing cherry blossoms on the ceiling. Guests can sample drinks inspired by cherry blossom such as sakura gin and tonic, sakura bellini and sakura sour (HK$80 for non alcoholic, HK$120 with alcohol).


For dessert, diners can indulge in Japanese sakura cheesecake made with seasonal wild strawberries, home-made Wasanbon cookies, Hokkaido cheese and sakura ice cream (HK$178).
Landmark Level 5 & 6, 15 Queen’s Road Central, Central, tel: 3657 6388.

Sagano
To mark the start of spring this fine-dining Japanese restaurant offers a sakura set lunch (HK$380) and kaiseki for dinner (HK$1,250) on the cherry blossom theme. The set lunch features 10 small appetisers, including grilled silver cod with miso paste, salty-cured Toyama squid and sakura sesame bean curd, assorted sashimi and for dessert, home-made sakura pudding and sakura ice cream using real sakura leaves from Japan.
Meanwhile the kaiseki includes thinly sliced flounder, fatty tuna and squid with caviar, Zuwai crabmeat and cockle in vinegar sauce, chirashi sushi served with red miso soup, and the aforementioned sakura pudding to finish the dinner.
1/F, New World Millennium, 72 Mody Road, tel: 2313 4222.

The Peninsula Boutique
The store in the basement of The Peninsula features cherry blossom-themed edible treats (HK$55-HK$580), shortbread, pastries, cakes, and chocolates along with sakura-infused tea. The items can be bought individually or in sets.
Customers can also take part in a digital painting contest, with a grand prize of a three-day stay at The Peninsula Tokyo with return flights for two.
B/F, The Peninsula Arcade, Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, tel: 2696 6969.

Lobby Lounge, InterContinental Hong Kong
Also nearby in Tsim Sha Tsui, the Lobby Lounge in the InterContinental Hong Kong has “A Feast of Sakura” cherry blossom afternoon tea set (HK$688 for two). Hanami is the traditional custom of enjoying viewing the cherry blossoms, and executive pastry chef Cyril Dupuis has a selection of floral-themed French pastries.
There’s a strawberry fresh fruit cream cake, chestnut, sakura and green tea cake, and letao orange, passion fruit and sakura cake, as well as savoury items like shrimp tartare with yuzu and sakura crispy shrimp, and duck foie gras with sakura jam. The tea comes with home-made plain and raisin scones served with Devonshire clotted cream and sakura petal jam.
Some creative beverages are also available, both cocktails (HK$165) and non-alcoholic drinks (HK$125) such as Vilma’s Garden (vodka, elderflower liqueur, strawberries, lime juice and sauvignon blanc); Secret in the Woods (sakura-infused gin, cucumber, rose syrup, lemon juice and cream); and Imperial Sakura (7-Up, rose syrup, strawberries, blackberries, lime juice and mint).
G/F, InterContinental Hong Kong, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, tel: 2313 2323.

Sushi Tsubomi
Japanese fine-dining restaurant Sushi Tsubomi in Causeway Bay is gearing up for spring with a new omakase (chef’s choice) menu called “Cherry Blossom” (HK$1,688). There’s seasonal sashimi such as sakura bean curd from Kyoto topped with sea urchin and caviar with yuzu foam, and seasonal oyster with sakura vinegar dressing and fatty tuna.
There’s also Japanese seaweed marinated with sakura leaves, and the flavour of bamboo shoots is enhanced with seaweed rose dressing.
Included in the meal is steamed amadai (tilefish) with salted sakura leaf presented in a bonito broth.
22/F, V Point, 2-22 Tang Lung Street, Causeway Bay, tel: 2339 1899


Authentic farm-to-table experience in Hong Kong reconnects diners to nature

Hong Kong has how many rice varieties? One woman’s drive to celebrate them all

Your Hong Kong weekend drinks guide for April 17-19

Your Hong Kong Sevens weekend food guide for April 17-19

Food and Drinks

Taste of Japanese cherry blossom without leaving Hong Kong: five places serving themed menus and drinks

Spring cherry blossoms in Japan have inspired chefs and mixologists at Hong Kong restaurants

Sakura menu, Assorted Truffles and Pralines from Peninsula Boutique. [21MARCH2018 FEATURES FOOD]

Sakura menu, Sagano Sakura Set Lunch from Sagano. [21MARCH2018 FEATURES FOOD]

Sakura menu Sakura Sour from Zuma. [21MARCH2018 FEATURES FOOD]

Sakura menu, Blossom from Peninsula Boutique. [21MARCH2018 FEATURES FOOD]

Sakura menu roasted beetroot salad with goma ponzu sauce from Zuma. [21MARCH2018 FEATURES FOOD]

Dishes from the kaiseki with cherry blossom theme at Sagano restaurant in Hong Kong.

Blooming cheek: Chinese tourists under fire for boorish behaviour during cherry blossom display

A man seen kicking a tree to ensure there is plenty of fallen blossom for a picture. Photo: Sina.com

Lifestyle

Food & Drink

Spring cherry blossoms in Japan have inspired chefs and mixologists at Hong Kong restaurants


Spring cherry blossoms in Japan have inspired chefs and mixologists at Hong Kong restaurants, who’ve come up with some inventive and appetising drinks and dishes


Taste of Japanese cherry blossom without leaving Hong Kong: five places serving themed menus and drinks

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Spring cherry blossoms in Japan have inspired chefs and mixologists at Hong Kong restaurants

Spring cherry blossoms in Japan have inspired chefs and mixologists at Hong Kong restaurants