New restaurants in Hong Kong: Shè in Central – hit-and-miss contemporary Chinese with a harbour view
- The crispy Bombay duck fish with salt and pepper was delicious, but the Iberico char siu and pan-fried jumbo prawns left a lot to be desired
- The restaurant is in an odd location – inside Lane Crawford’s store in the IFC Mall – but offers great views of Victoria Harbour
It seems natural that most people in Hong Kong would associate the Gaia restaurant group with Italian food. The group started almost 30 years ago with Va Bene, which occupied a prime corner spot in Lan Kwai Fong before an enormous rent hike sent them searching for a new location.
Va Bene moved to another space in Lan Kwai Fong, then to Sheung Wan in 2016, where the restaurant died a quick death.
The group still has Italian restaurants – Gaia, Isola and Joia – but has branched out, opening Greyhound Cafe in Bangkok and launching several Chinese establishments; among the newest is Shè, which serves contemporary Chinese fare.
Shè is in a rather strange location – inside the Lane Crawford shop in Central’s IFC Mall, and offers a good view of Victoria Harbour.
Silken eggplant tofu (HK$78) wasn’t tofu made of eggplant, but instead was silken tofu laid over pieces of skinned eggplant. With a light, slightly tart dressing, the dish was a refreshing start to the meal.