MIC Kitchen in Central offers a seven-course treat, from Korean fried frog to a grilled cheese sandwich
- Alvin Leung continues his innovative style, with delicate, elegantly presented courses
- Dishes include lobster, beef carpaccio, Brussels sprouts, custard with smoke, and spam
The newish incarnation of MIC Kitchen is very different from the one that used to be in Kwun Tong. The original space had conventional tables and chairs; the new one – in Central – has around 22 high seats at a U-shaped counter around the open kitchen.
If the space looks familiar, that’s because you might have known it in its previous carnations, Liberty Private Works and Twenty Six by Liberty. MIC Kitchen is one of Alvin Leung’s restaurants, although the chef is better known for his Michelin three-star Bo Innovation.
The menu is different from the original MIC Kitchen, too. It used to be à la carte; now it’s a seven-course set menu for HK$800 plus 10 per cent. An extra course of white truffle spam and eggs has a supplement of HK$378, and there’s an optional wine pairing for HK$550.
The meal started with a rather heavy but very delicious amuse bouche: a small grilled cheese sandwich made with brioche, aged Comté and Lyonnaise onion. I’d be happy to eat a larger version of this for lunch any day.
We liked the taste of the next amuse bouche – a variation of Korean fried chicken with a sweet-spicy gochujang glaze, which substituted frog for the chicken. But because the frog was minced, you couldn’t really tell what meat it was. The pickled daikon that came with the frog – a traditional accompaniment to KFC in Korea – was too acidic.