Here's Where to Get Squeaky Clean Seafood in Hong Kong
This week's new and noted restaurants.
Stripped Clean
With all the imported seafood Hong Kong serves and the oft questionable preparation and hygiene practices in kitchens here, it’s probably best not knowing exactly what you’re ingesting if you still want to enjoy that prawn carpaccio or pot of mussels when you’re dining out. For those who want to play it safe, though, there’s the newly remodeled Table—a contemporary eatery which boasts Hong Kong’s only complete depuration system. During this process, live seafood is held in a special marine tank for a minimum of 72 hours to purge it of impurities, leaving it squeaky clean from the chopping board to your plate. While you may not taste a huge difference, you’ll feel more at ease knowing you’re consuming seafood that’s free of gunk. This new definition of “eating clean” is something we can get on board with, especially when it involves copious amounts of Australian lobster, fresh oysters (half price on Thursdays), Spanish red prawns, and a mouthwatering mud crab, roe and garlic rice dish that pops off the plate in a burst of fiery orange and red.
8/F, The Pemberton, 22-26 Bonham Strand, Sheung Wan, 2815-2367.
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Ode to Italy
Casual eatery Nom (“Not Only Meatballs”) stays true to its name this summer with a lighter range of salads, starters and seafood dishes. Chef Fabrizio Napolitano is known for dishes of rustic simplicity: creamy burrata salad with broad bean purée, smoked anchovies and bottarga ($178), and 24-month-aged organic Parma ham with stracciatella di bufala dip and baked focaccia. From the pasta selection, the “Senatore Cappelli” pappardelle ($178)is a standout with the addition of Nom’s classic beef meatballs in a rustic Neapolitan-style ragout; or opt for the ravioli ($198), which preludes the coming of autumn with the earthy flavors of pumpkin, sage and ox tongue. A visit to Nom wouldn’t be complete without a plate of their signature dish: The beef and lamb meatballs remain our favorites, but we’re also digging the new crab balls with sesame ($118), served with fries on the side for a crunchy one-two punch.
1-5 Elgin St., Central, 2540-7988.
Can You Smell the Coffee?
They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and with Linguini Fini's (49 Elgin St., Central, 2387-6338) brand new breakfast menu starring American-style breakfast wraps, egg, bacon and cheddar cheese sandwiches, and fluffy omelettes made to order—we can wholeheartedly agree. Stop by between 8am and noon at the New York-Italian-style eatery and devour a hearty morning pick-me-up, be it the grilled breakfast wrap ($69) with scrambled eggs, roasted potato, bacon, cheddar and tomato salsa fresca; the yogurt bowl ($69) with organic Afghani trail mix, fresh fruit, flax, pumpkin seeds and honey; or the LF Omelette ($79) which lets you mix and match ingredients to customize your perfect scramble. For a classic option, the American breakfast ($79) gives you two eggs any style, bacon, roasted potatoes and toast. Or opt for the breakfast sandwich ($49)—egg, bacon and cheddar on a homemade bun. Any breakfast comes with unlimited cups of Timor-Leste Maubere Mountain Coffee, with 100 percent of profits going back to support the farmers.
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