New Peruvian Restaurant, Sheung Wan Spots and Bangkok's Bo.lan

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Published: 4:00pm, 26 Apr 2012Updated: 3:11pm, 19 Oct 2016

Watch Out For…

Super exciting news: Concept Creations will be opening a new Peruvian (!!) restaurant in June. Apparently Peruvian cuisine is the latest craze in big cities like New York and London, and now we’ll get to experience it too, in the form of Chicha (Spanish for a type of popular South American fermented drink), which is going to be located on Peel Street where the awesome Chez Patrick used to be (Chez Patrick, by the way, has relocated to 2/F, Garden East, 222 Queen’s Rd. East, Wan Chai, 2541-1401). I don’t think I’ve really experienced Peruvian cuisine before so I’m not sure what to expect here, although am really excited about more South American representation in our city. And, to let you know that this isn’t just some random whim from a big restaurant group, Concept Creations staff actually had the Peruvian Consulate General help them arrange trips to Lima for training purposes, and also leveraged the expertise of the Peruvian Society of Gastronomy before putting this whole concept together. From what I know so far, Chicha’s dishes will contain lots of aji peppers, a whole bunch of international influences (Japanese, Italian, Spanish, even Chinese) amalgamated together, and some pisco sours to round it off. Can’t wait!

Back to my fave ‘hood: Sheung Wan. Arashigawa Yakitori (G/F, 105 Jervois St., Sheung Wan, 2462-0598) and Societi (G/F, 87-89 Jervois St., Sheung Wan, 2815-9000) are two new names to watch for. The first is a cozy Japanese yakitori joint (natch) that my colleagues and I checked out on the third day it was opened. Yummy seasoned grilled veggies, beef, chicken and all that good stuff are available here, and at reasonable prices too (read: not Yardbird). The staff are pretty surprisingly nice, which is a bonus. The second, Societi, is a high-ceilinged, casual-comfy bistro that serves breakfast all the way to dinner. Satisfying anchovy-tinted spaghetti aglio e olio to be had here. Same owner as Shugetsu on Gough Street!

Talk of the Town

The talented chefs from Bangkok’s Bo.lan (42 Sukhumvit 26 Soi Phitchairongnarong Songkram Klong Toie, +(66) 2 260 2962) will be headed to Hong Kong next week! It just so happens that I’d tried out the resto during a quick weekend trip last month—and absolutely loved everything we had there. I have to pass on the news so that as many Hongkongers as possible will be able to experience their magic without having to fly to Bangkok first. Duangporn Songvisava (aka Bo) and Dylan Jones are the masterminds behind Bo.lan, and they bring a modern touch to classic Thai cooking while staying very true to its roots. We had the freshest, loveliest squid, beautifully spiced pork, and a whole bunch of other dishes (we practically ordered the whole menu between the six of us) and it was just ooohs and aaahs all over—mainly for the food, but sometimes for the mosquitoes—when we went for dinner at their beautiful restaurant. Anyhow, Bo and Dylan will be brought here by the Amateur Gourmet Meetup group to host a couple of dinners and cooking classes between May 2 to 6, and if you’re interested, remember to head over to www.meetup.com/Amateur-Gourmet to sign up. Hopefully there’ll still be spots left! Thanks e*ting for the heads up!

Last month, Anheuser-Busch InBev’s super duper brewmaster George F. Reisch came to town to spread the gospel on beer tasting and pairing. To get some pointers, check out our article here. We’re also giving away 20 sets of free Leffe, Stella Artois and Hoegaarden beer glasses to our diligent readers who can answer the question at the bottom of the article. What are you waiting for?

Email me at [email protected] or follow me on Twitter: @adele_hklife.

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