When Hong Kong restaurant Haku reopens in May it won’t just be at a new location but offering a new food concept. Having served Japanese fusion fare in Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon it will serve Western fare at IFC Mall in Central on Hong Kong Island – and has hopes of earning a Michelin star. The restaurant is taking over the fourth-floor space in IFC Mall previously occupied by gaming bar Pong IFC and giving it a sleek, minimalist Japanese-Scandinavian look with lots of wood, stone and glass that invites guests to take in the harbour views while dining. Its kitchen will pivot to offering contemporary Western dishes that incorporate Japanese ingredients and cooking techniques. Chef Rob Drennan, who arrived in Hong Kong about a year and a half ago, is staying in charge at Haku and says its food concept has evolved over that time. “It seemed like a good chance for us to redefine ourselves … and do some cool and interesting things,” he says of the move across Victoria Harbour. The benefits of green banana flour, a new superfood great for gut health “I want to utilise the things I’ve learned and the places I’ve been, in the United States, Europe and now here, and how I can bring all of those elements together into your dining experience.” Drennan previously cooked Americanised Japanese food in Texas and worked in Norway. One of the signature items on the menu will be American fried chicken with caviar, paired with beer. Other dishes will include Parker House rolls (a type of bread roll) made with black garlic and accompanied by whipped brown butter and truffle , and Hokkaido uni on black brioche toast with yuzu truffle emulsion and pickled onions. If we do the things we want to do ... and a Michelin star comes from that, [then] happy days Rob Drennan, Haku A dessert from the old Haku has made the cut – roasted Jerusalem artichoke ice cream with chocolate sauce, on a bed of toasted hazelnuts. Lunch will be priced from HK$600 (US$75), and dinner at around HK$2,000. “The price isn’t actually going to increase much from the old Haku. It will still be relatively affordable but the menu will be much longer,” Drennan says. “We just want people to chill out, relax and take their time.” With that in mind, there will be only one sitting for dinner, he says. While the menu will feature many imported ingredients, Drennan is keen to use more locally sourced produce – particularly vegetables and microgreens. Drennan has, during the restaurant’s renovation, been visiting organic farms in the city, such as hydroponic farm Full Nature and Farmhouse Productions in the New Territories, which will bring vegetables to Haku and take back waste to compost. While the original Haku only served sake pairings, the new Haku will also serve wine and non-alcoholic “zero pairings” featuring kombucha -based drinks. Sake breweries facing a slow death dispense with tradition to survive Drennan hopes Haku’s move to Central and menu changes will help in its quest for a Michelin star. “We definitely want to shoot for a star,” he says. “I think we can do it, but we need to do this for ourselves before we do it for anyone else. “If we do the things we want to do, and we do it in a manner that we know is the best way to do it, and a Michelin star comes from that, [then] happy days.” Haku, Shop 4011, Podium Level 4, IFC Mall, 8 Finance Street, Central, 2818 8030