Hong Kong and Macau Christmas menus with a twist: Mexican, Indian, Italian, German, East-meets-West – wash them down with Willy Wonka cocktails
- Bored of turkey, stuffing and roast potatoes? Hong Kong restaurants offer a vast range of alternatives, including Asian takes on classic dishes
- You could have a European Christmas meal, spiced Indian treats including a special Christmas pudding kulfi, or a Mexican-themed celebration
’Tis the season for indulgent meals and festive dining, and plenty of restaurants in Hong Kong are embracing the Christmas spirit with menus curated for the holiday season.
Roast turkey, honey-glazed ham, Brussels sprouts and Yule logs are sure-fire favourites on Christmas menus and are perfectly nice, but if you’re feeling naughty and want to opt for something more out-of-the-box, we’ve got you covered.
From flavour-packed Indian dishes to meat-filled Mexican platters and a round-up of whimsical cocktails inspired by Willy Wonka, here are seven unconventional Christmas menus that will have you feeling just as merry and bright.
1. Heimat by Peter Find
Experience the tastes of a German Christmas at Heimat, where chef Peter Find has created several lunch and dinner menus featuring hearty dishes and traditional flavours.
The restaurant’s four-course festive lunch menu (HK$480) includes chestnut soup with black truffle; traditional German oven-roasted duck leg with apple, red cabbage and mashed potato; and hazelnut spiced cake with vanilla custard and plum compote.
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Meanwhile, the six-course festive dinner menu (HK$1,380) features Heimat’s own glühwein (German mulled wine, directly translates to “glow wine”) with dishes like blue lobster with beetroot, cranberry and orange curd; wild boar ragout with pumpkin confit and gingerbread; and sea bass with Savoy cabbage and Black Forest ham. Both menus are offered until December 23.
From December 24 to 26, Find is serving his Weihnachtsmenü (Christmas menu, HK$1,680), which includes pan-seared Hokkaido scallop with German potato foam and Oscietra caviar; and Dover sole with bacon and Brussels sprout leaves.
8/F, LKF Tower, 33 Wyndham Street, Central
2. Pici
Pasta bar Pici has had a winter wonderland revamp with several seasonal dishes, including two decadent starters: truffle mushroom cappuccino served with Parmesan fondue and garlic croutons (HK$120) and baked Tomino cheese (HK$140).
For mains, there’s Christmas cannelloni with mushroom trifolati, as well as cavatelli sea urchin. Both will be served on the Christmas brunch (starts at HK$298).
For dessert, the pistachio fondue (HK$160) can be shared, while Pici’s panettone (HK$390), available from December 21 to 27, can be taken away from the restaurant’s numerous locations if you would prefer to enjoy the Christmas spirit at home.
Multiple locations, including Kingearn Building, 24 to 26 Aberdeen Street, Central
3. Cornerstone
Those looking for a fusion feast should head to contemporary Australian bistro Cornerstone, which is serving a four-course Christmas dinner menu (HK$888) with an Asian twist from December 22 to 25.
The meal begins with canapés, including gougères with Mornay sauce; and oyster mousse with grapes, cucumber and caviar. Shared starters include a beetroot salad with green curry purée; cured Ora King salmon with brioche toast and Sichuan-spiced potato salad; Japanese egg custard with girolle mushroom, leek and pumpkin tofu purée; and beef tataki with a soy yuzu dressing.
For mains, guests can choose between a poached half yellow chicken (for two), aubergine katsu or “char siu” glazed octopus with smoked cauliflower purée. The dinner ends with spiced chocolate cake, which comes with feuilletine, seasonal fruit and Grand Marnier-infused ganache.
49 Hollywood Road, Central
4. Lai Heen
Over in Macau, one-Michelin-star Lai Heen is offering an East-meets-West Christmas experience with an eight-course dinner menu (2,688 patacas) that features Cantonese dishes with a Western twist.
The meal, available on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, begins with a platter of foie gras jelly, pan-seared Australian scallop with caviar, and roast turkey rolled with tamarind paste.
That is followed by double-boiled wild yellow fish maw with French partridge soup; sautéed king prawns and French quail breast in sherry sauce; pan-seared Australian M9 Wagyu beef; simmered pumpkin with Iberico ham in taro sauce; and fried rice with king crabmeat and egg white.
For dessert, the restaurant is serving a baked pudding with wild honey-marinated French crystal citrus in port wine sauce, and a baked chestnut paste pastry.
51/F, The Ritz-Carlton Macau, Estrada da Baia de Nossa Senhora da Esperanca, Macau
5. Chaat
If a menu filled with warming spices is more your thing, Indian restaurant Chaat is offering a Christmas lunch menu (HK$988) from December 24 to 26 and a Christmas dinner menu (HK$1,588) on Christmas Eve.
The lunch menu includes dishes such as salmon dill tikka served with yogurt, cashews and beetroot pickle, as well as the Awadhi turkey korma with cardamom, clove and fennel. The dinner menu features both dishes, as well as Parsi prawn pav with wild tiger prawn and soft butter bun; tandoori Wagyu beef cheek with hung yogurt, Kashmiri chilli and cinnamon; and black truffle dum biryani with basmati rice and morel mushrooms.
Both meals end with Christmas pudding kulfi, a reinvention of a classic Christmas dessert and an Indian frozen treat.
Victoria Dockside, 5/F Rosewood, 18 Salisbury Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui
6. Te Quiero Mucho
Take a culinary trip to Mexico at Te Quiero Mucho, which is offering festive sharing plates full of vibrant Mexican flavours from December 21 to January 2.
The menu (HK$698) opens with the plato de antojitos, which features Mexican favourites, including deep-fried beef taquitos, mini chicken tinga sopes (similar to a mini flan), mini quesadillas, mini tlacoyos (similar to tortillas) with suadero (pork or beef brisket).
The meat offerings continue with the parrillada northeña – a sizzling platter filled with grilled rib-eye beef, pork belly, lamb and more – paired with an assortment of sauces and sides. A serving of Ponche Navideño, a hot traditional Christmas punch made with fruits and spices, rounds out the meal.
The Sheung Wan, 286 Queen’s Road Central
Pop-up: Ovolo Southside, 64 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Wong Chuk Hang
7. Singular Concepts
Fancy a tipple to cap off the festivities? Singular Concepts is presenting “Willy Wonka and the Cocktail Factory” this December, with six of the group’s bars each offering a whimsical cocktail inspired by Roald Dahl’s classic novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Barcode’s Oompa Loompa martini (HK$118) is a fruity concoction of vodka, Frutips blackcurrant confectionery, guava and lemon, while The Daily Tot’s scrumdiddlyumptious rum-ish coffee (HK$120) is a blend of Flor De Caña rum, Mr Black coffee liqueur, hand-drip coffee, nutmeg and cream.
Fans of chocolate can opt for Barkada’s whipple-scrumptious martini (HK$110) – vodka, chocolate nut liqueur, leche flan syrup, and coconut cream – or Bianco & Rosso’s Wonka Bar chocolate truffle negroni (HK$120), which features truffle-infused gin, Campari, chocolate vermouth, and orangette.
At Tell Camellia, the whizzdoodles (HK$120) combines matcha, beetroot, coconut and chocolate, while the everlasting gobstopper hopper (HK$110) from Yurakacho is a mix of sweet potato shochu, shiso, crème de cacao, and cream.
True to its theme, there are also six golden tickets up for grabs – just look at the bottom of your glass to find out how to score one.
Multiple locations in Central, including 1/F, 65 Peel St, Central
