Hook, Line, and Sinker

As the weather heats up, even the most well-marbled hunk of wagyu doesn’t seem so tempting anymore. When the temperature rises our natural instincts are to eat lighter and healthier. It might just be because seafood reminds people of long summers by the beach, but there’s nothing more appealing than a heaped bowl of mussels with a pitcher of sangria on a sunny afternoon or an ice-cold platter of oysters to kick off Sunday brunch. Here’s the best seafood that our hot island has to offer.

The Press Room

While not everyone can get away to Europe for the summer, there’s no reason we can’t all enjoy one of the most traditional of Parisian delights: the brasserie oyster platter. The Press Room, with its stated goal of serving the best ingredients in the simplest ways, is still home to some of the greatest oysters in town. Either order from the pricey raw oyster menu or better yet, the cheaper Le Deluxe ($590), a large seafood platter filled with their freshest oysters, together with cherrystone clams, prawns, mussels, ceviche, crabs and caviar. These oysters are imported every two days from France, Scotland, the US or Australia, and freshness doesn’t come cheap. But on the bright side the Press Room is going to donate ten percent of their monthly revenue to the victims of the Sichuan earthquake until the end of the month.
108 Hollywood Rd., Sheung Wan, 2525-3444

Frog Face Fish

The name might be a mouthful but with their new Gourmet Fish and Chips Tuesdays, Frog Face Fish is worth the effort. Their fish is sourced from Petuna, Australia’s most respected seafood purveyor, and every Tuesday will see a new take on the humble classic, fish and chips. Expect to see exotic combos such as Petuna trout with mushy pea puree, confit kipfler potatoes and truffle spiced mayo, or roasted blue eye cod with fat chips and roasted garlic aioli ($195). Not a Tuesday? Don’t worry, there’s still plenty to enjoy with their signature east-meets-west fish dishes such as the Cajun blackened red snapper zucchini spaghetti and shrimp popcorn; or the sesame-crusted tuna on watercress and daikon salad with wasabi-ponzu dressing (both $195).
43-45 Wyndham St., Central, 2869-8535.

Nadaman

The Japanese believe that eel is a dish that should be consumed with abandon in the summer months as it is chock-full of vitamin A, vital for healthy skin. Chef Takaya Ishizuka has planned a summer menu featuring wild eel from Japanese waters, so pig out on a traditional Nagoya-style eel rice ($380), or savor the delicate flavor more carefully in the simmered unagi with Matsutake mushroom and egg sauce ($680). A far more civilized way of defending yourself against the brutal summer heat than poking people’s eyes out with a parasol.
Kowloon Shangri-la, 64 Mody Rd., Tsim Sha Tsui, 2733-8751.