When most of us imagine French cuisine, we might picture dainty dishes with fancy plating and fussy waiters in tuxedos. But a bevy of new restaurants are encouraging diners to bid this stereotypical image goodbye. Within the last of couple of years or so, newcomers to Hong Kong’s dining scene have delivered fun, casual spaces and menus to match, including everything from chicken cordon bleu to moules frites (mussels with fries) and lamb shank. The dishes may be different, but they’re all French, all simple and all refreshingly unpretentious.
The trend was arguably kicked off by Parisian-style brasserie Saint-Germain (1A Wong Nai Chung Rd., Happy Valley, 2838-6131), which opened in quiet, chilled-out Happy Valley in 2011. With a cozy yet subtly classy interior featuring a cream and green checked floor and vintage Art Nouveau posters, its menu features salads, pastas, chicken stew and cuts of beef and lamb. Opened more recently—last year, to be precise—on the Western end of Hong Kong Island are La Cantoche (G/F, 5 Wa Lane, 227 Hollywood Rd., Sheung Wan, 2426-0880) and Bistro du Vin (G/F, 1D, 1 Davis St., Kennedy Town, 2824-3010). Chalkboards and bentwood chairs give Bistro du Vin its character, with no-nonsense dishes such as bouillabaisse, scrambled eggs and madeleines on offer.
A two-story space with colorful seating, graffiti on the white brick walls and a foosball table next to the entrance, La Cantoche was opened by French-born David Sung, who moved to the city eight years ago. Having helped out in the kitchen of his family’s restaurant since he was 12, he says he first started to cook for himself in Hong Kong because he couldn’t find beloved food from home in the city. Soon enough, this lead to his idea to open a space of his own. “The concept was to offer really basic comfort food—nothing fancy—but well-executed. It’s fancy in the execution, not the presentation,” he explains. “I included some of my mom’s recipes on the menu.”
Other eateries beyond the classic bistro have popped up around town as well, such as French takeaway La Rotisserie (G/F, Manhattan Avenue, 255 Queen’s Rd. Central, Sheung Wan, 2324-1898), which specializes in roasted chicken with various sides, soups and desserts. Brasserie de L’Ile (4 Arbuthnot Rd., Central, 2147-2389) is another example, with the main highlight of its menu being straightforward moules frites and a seating setup that includes alfresco dining on the terrace.
Last but not least is F.A.B., which stands for French American Bistro (G/F, 30 Hollywood Rd., Central, 2810-1600) and—as its moniker suggests—takes inspiration from French, American and other European cuisines to produce a menu of tasty offerings such as sandwiches, tartines, roasted chicken and seabass tartare, all with a Gallic twist. Weekends also often see revelers spilling onto the sidewalk.
“You don’t just go to a restaurant to eat, to feed yourself,” Sung of La Cantoche says. “It’s about how people make you feel in the restaurant. Here, we try to make people feel comfortable.” And with a glass of wine and a plate of simple, delicious French fare, how could we feel anything but?