Mekiki no Ginji from Okinawa and 121BC from Sydney land in Hong Kong
Watch Out For….
If you’re craving Japanese but can’t quite put your finger on exactly what dish you’re looking for, Mekiki no Ginji (Shop P502, World Trade Centre, 280 Gloucester Rd., Causeway Bay, 2895-0885; second branch in Tuen Mun) is a safe bet. Brought from Okinawa to Hong Kong by the JC Group (H One, Inakaya), the spacious resto offers specialty dishes from different Japanese regions, from seiromushi (things steamed in wooden boxes) to udon noodle broths. Things on sticks, things on rice, and things topped with uni are just a few of the 60-plus options you’ll be able to choose from.
121BC (42-44 Peel St., Central) hails from Sydney, Australia: it’s a wine bar where you can pop in for a serious drink or two after your meal. With bar stools for seats and minimalist decor, 121BC isn’t exactly your neighborhood lounge. You can also grab snacks to go with your tipple, but wines are the big deal here. Expect a wide-ranging choice of labels, including biodynamic brands and good-value varietals.
Grab both drinks and snacks at Flingers Tapas Bar & Restaurant (G/F, 13 McGregor St., Wan Chai, 2628-6738), opened by the folks behind La Maison and Mizuki, both in Wan Chai. I have no pictures yet to confirm its appearance, but the space should be lounge-y and conducive to coffee-drinking as well as cocktail-sipping. A western lunch menu (pasta, roasts, seafood) ranging from $100-$150ish is also available.
Talk of the Town
Three-star Caprice will be losing its revered head chef, Vincent Thierry, but with every end comes a new beginning. The French fine dine will be welcoming another Frenchman, Fabrice Vulin, to take the helm. Vulin hails from Briançon in Southeastern France and has worked in restaurants in his native country as well as Geneva and Morocco. His most recent post was at two-starred La Chevre d’Or in the eponymously named chateau in Èze, Southern France. Vulin has some pretty big shoes to fill, but if he’s willing to give up scenic Èze for smog-filled Hong Kong, I think he’s more than up to the challenge.