ReviewNew Hong Kong restaurants: Madame Fu – delicious dishes to match the lavish surroundings in Tai Kwun, Central
Designed to evoke the grand Shanghai-meets-Paris cafes of the 1920s and ’30s, the colourful interior did not outshine the cuisine, with the crispy pork belly fantastic and lamb rack with minced pork and chilli sauce mouth-watering
As my guests and I were led past the main dining area of Madame Fu at Tai Kwun in Central, and ushered into a frilly Pepto Bismol pink room, we strongly suspected that this was where they put all female groups.
There were several ladies celebrating one of their birthdays, and later on, another all-female group arrived. The plush, velvet-covered curved banquettes were comfortable, and wouldn’t look out of place in the film Marie Antoinette, with ladies in elaborate costumes eating macaroons.
Unfortunately for me and my guests, pink isn’t our colour, although the first group of diners seemed to be enthralled by the room and could not stop taking selfies.
Fortunately, we had the food to distract us.
As with Mrs Pound in Sheung Wan and Fang Fang in Lan Kwai Fong, Madame Fu has a made-up back story. It’s too long to repeat here, but the atmosphere of the place is supposed to evoke the grand Shanghai-meets-Paris cafes of the 1920s and ’30s.