Five of the best new restaurants in Hong Kong’s Central district
- Two Chinese, two Western and one South American restaurant show off the best of their cuisines at these new Central eateries
- La Petite Maison’s salade Nicoise is probably the best you’ll find
Hong Kong’s Central district is restaurant heaven, with a vast array of cuisines represented and some of the best chefs you can find anywhere in the world.
New restaurants pop up there all the time, but how do you know which are worth drooling over?
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Don’t worry, we’re here to help. Here’s what we think are five of the best restaurants that have opened in Central over the last few months.
(Prices are per person and exclude drinks and service charge.)
Old Bailey
2/F JC Contemporary, Tai Kwun, 10 Hollywood Road
Old Bailey specialises in the cuisine of Jiangnan, an area that includes the cities of Shanghai, Suzhou and Hangzhou. The meal started off perfectly with a palate-whetting dish of local bean curd with sesame oil followed by an excellent Liangxi crispy eel.
The pan-fried Iberico pork dumplings were so good that we had to order a second portion, while a pair of red-braised lion’s head meatballs had a smooth and delicate texture.
About HK$420 per person. Click here for the full review
Madame Fu
3/F Barrack Block, Tai Kwun, 10 Hollywood Road
The atmosphere at Madame Fu is supposed to evoke the grand Shanghai-meets-Paris cafes of the 1920s and ’30s. Tiger skin green peppers with spicy dressing were very nice, with a firm bite and a light smokiness. The crispy pork belly was just fantastic, with delicate, crisp skin, a sufficient amount of fat and tender meat.
Steamed garoupa fillets with glass noodles and fresh chilli were similarly delicious, while wok-fried rice noodles with sliced Angus beef was a good version of this classic dish.
About HK$470 per person. Click here for the full review
La Petite Maison
1/F H Queen’s, 23-29 Stanley Street
This restaurant is in the food- and art-focused H Queen’s tower in Queen’s Road Central (although its entrance is on Stanley Street). It serves by far the best salade Nicoise I’ve ever tried. The tuna was soft and moist and the romaine lettuce leaves small and crisp. There were strips of sweet red pepper, small, sharp bites of anchovies and olives, green beans, and a light, creamy, well-balanced dressing.
Salt cod croquettes with pepper relish were hot and crisp, while the only disappointment was the thin crust apple tart with vanilla ice cream, because the pastry was tough.
About HK$750 per person. Click here for the full review
Hunter
3/F-4/F The Place, 139 Queen’s Road Central
The geoduck with yuzu and lime zest didn’t get the meal off to the best start – the zest obliterated the sweetness of the geoduck – but after that it got much better.
The hanger steak with a forest mushroom rub had a strong, beefy flavour and was nicely chewy, while the osso buco agnolotti – tender pasta with a filling of shredded bison and bone marrow in an intense broth – really blew our minds. Delicious s’mores Alaska finished off a top meal.
About HK$425 per person. Click here for the full review
Ichu Peru
3/F H Queen’s, 80 Queen’s Road Central
The opening of Ichu Peru was one of the most anticipated of the year – it is the only restaurant in Asia by chef Virgilio Martinez of Peru’s Central Restaurante, which is sixth on the list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Unsurprisingly the food was delicious. The pez limon – yellowtail ceviche topped with crisp slices of fried sweet potato and large kernels of choclo – came with a yuzu vinaigrette that was so vivid, tangy and delicious that my guest asked for small cups of it so we could drink it. And the quinoa with greens, goat cheese and ginger sofrito was beautifully done with its garnish of lavender flowers and bright dyed seeds.
About HK$650 per person. Click here for the full review
