It seems we must get used to social distancing rules around the world until the Covid-19 pandemic is over and with the latest and most extreme measure taken by the government to close dining in at restaurants at 6pm, you’d want to make your meal count. The newest additions to Hong Kong’s restaurant scene includes three concepts that boast Michelin stars in their home cities of Seoul and Tokyo. This includes Hansik Goo, the latest offshoot by Korean chef Mingoo Kang of Michelin-starred Mingles. Tsim Sha Tsui is where the action’s at with new openings in K11 Musea and Ocean Terminal in Harbour City. Wagyu beef is a favourite in this city and there are two additions with Hiyama, which specialises in sukiyaki beef slices, from the prefecture and Yakinikumafia, the grilled meat offshoot of beef specialists, Wagyumafia. You will have to take advantage of your daylight hours to patronise these exciting new restaurants, when you do decide to make your meal count. See what we think of these restaurants in making your choice. Hansik Goo Acclaimed chef Mingoo Kang, the talent behind two Michelin-starred Mingles in Seoul, brings his contemporary twist on Korean cuisine to Hong Kong. Offering an eight-course tasting menu (HK$780 per person) with add-ons for a little extra, the sharing menu reflects chef Mingoo’s cooking style, and diners can pair dishes with Korean wines. An à la carte menu will be available soon, too. We start with bugak, an assortment of Korean chips such as fish skin, tofu that was really silky, perilla leaf and seaweed. This was followed by a delicate tasting dubu wanja, a modern take on traditional Korean meatballs made from tofu, crab, zucchini with anchovy in a crab stock and a pine nut sauce. Hansik Goo, the new Korean restaurant hip Hongkongers are talking about We loved the yukhoe – Korean-style beef tartare made with Australian Wagyu topped with a quail egg yoke and came with a crunch of Korean pear and Jerusalem artichoke chips. Our highlight was the samgye risotto, which combines two popular Korean dishes, ginseng chicken breast and leg coated in rice flour and fried, which sits on a bed of risotto. Next was fried snapper with two-year kimchi – the fish was tender and the crispy skin perfect with the aged kimchi, which is not as sharp as regular kimchi. For mains is another famous Korean dish, bulgogi. We wrapped the thin slices of marinated beef in lettuce and it is served with glass noodles, mushrooms and chopped onion. The tender beef was deliciously flavourful and the crispy lettuce added a crunchy and cool element to the dish. The last savoury dish was spicy gochujang noodles with kimchi, perilla leaf topped with beef ribs – another delicious winner. We ended with refreshingly light Korean melon and Korean grains ice cream with crispy puffed rice. 2/F, 8 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central, 2798 8768 Hiyama Connoisseurs of beef know that Hiyama Wagyu is some of the most esteemed meat in Japan. First founded as a butchery and meat supplier in 1912, Hiyama in Tokyo added a restaurant to its premises in 1928, specialising in sukiyaki – a style of slow-cooking ingredients in a mixture of soy sauce, sugar and mirin wine. The famed establishment has received a Michelin star for 10 years in a row. The entrance and corridor leading to the dining room are lined with bamboo, emanating serenity and calming your mood as you are met by incredible views of Victoria Harbour when you are seated. We indulge in the five-course take set menu (HK$888), and our favourites of the evening include the Wagyu spring rolls with shiso leaf on the starter platter. Filled with meaty goodness, the hints of shiso balance the richness and provide a pleasant floral aftertaste. The carnivore diet: 2 weeks of meat and water? No thanks We enjoyed the trio of sushi that came next. The trick with beef sushi is that prime produce must be used; otherwise, you are left with chewy beef after the rice has long dissolved in your mouth. Our favourite of the three was the seared beef sashimi, where the bite was clean and the char brought out the buttery flavour of the fat. Finally, the pièce de résistance was the sukiyaki Hiyama A5 Wagyu. Cooked by experts at a sukiyaki station, the first piece of premium beef arrived drenched in the sweet sauce amid a small bowl of egg wash. We loved the consistency of the beef, so smooth it had the softness of custard – a testament to a perfect fat-to-meat ratio. A single bite alone is worth a visit to Hiyama. Shop OTE302, 3/F, Ocean Terminal, Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui, 2885 3203 Yakinikumafia This is Yakinikumafia’s first international outlet outside Japan, a yakiniku concept by Wagyu expert Wagyumafia. It is the only restaurant in Hong Kong that uses single breed Ozaki Wagyu, which is rare even in Japan. The Wagyu is hand cut for the grill using minimal wastage techniques and with every part of the cow used. It is best for first timers to try the combo set (HK$480) – this includes a combination plate of cuts which includes fatty – otoro, medium fatty – chutoro and lean – akami Wagyu. It comes with big eye barbecue sauce with an egg yolk in the middle, and is garnished with daikon and black pepper. We grill the meat at the table before dipping the pieces into the sauce. The otoro, which is more fatty, was buttery smooth and went well with the barbecue sauce. The chutoro is good medium rare and we dipped that into Wagyusco red sauce which is made by Wagyumafia, and consists of fermented chilli paste with kanzuri – koji, yuzu and salt, and habanero pepper and soy sauce. The akami went well with a little salt and pepper. But really, the meat is so tasty, it doesn’t need condiments. We also tried the Ozaki rib-eye (HK$680/200 grams) which was grilled by our server to perfection and was another melt-in-the-mouth moment. Other dishes we added to the combo were Wagyu bone broth (HK$60), made in Kobe with Ozaki beef bones stewed for more than 24 hours, koshihikari rice (HK$50) and pickled cucumber (HK$30), which was refreshing between meat courses. Finish with the home-made ice cream, which is a soft and creamy dessert with a hint of salt. For a cooling drink we tried the refreshing yuzu soda. Shop 202, Hollywood Centre, 2/F, 233 Hollywood Rd, Sheung Wan Tirpse Japanese culture is famous for its meticulous attention to detail and when this kind of discipline is applied to other world-famous cuisines, the results are outstanding. That’s why many home-grown French restaurants in Tokyo have received several accolades. One such eatery is Tirpse, which received a Michelin star within two months of opening. Located on the second floor of the swanky K11 Musea, the decor at Tirpse’s Hong Kong address incorporates wood elements with black marble and copper accents, giving it a strong air of executive sophistication. The name is “esprit”, the French word for spirit, spelt backwards, reflecting the free spirit of the cuisine. Meet Hong Kong filmmaker Derek Tsang Kwok-cheung, director of Better Days We sat down to a seven-course set menu (HK$1,288) where highlights included the starter of beetroot carpaccio with crabmeat and hazelnut snow. The tart vegetable gave way to briny crab, and the hazelnut highlighted the nuttiness of the flesh on the palate. Soup is rarely the star of a meal but the soup at Tirpse blew this idea out of the water. A medley of bite-sized firefly squid, egg and Parmesan cheese, the dish was an explosion of umami the magnitude of Mount Vesuvius. For mains, we opted for a tender lamb rack, and the accompanying charred bamboo shoots made this dish an epiphany of what Tirpse represents. The use of the traditional Japanese ingredient in combination with Alpine garlic brought out an alkaline nuttiness that enhanced the flavour of the lamb. Ending the meal on a sweet note was the mango meringue with almond milk and lemon sorbet, which had a fantastic balance of tart and sweet flavours. Every dish brought a new experience to the palate – Tirpse’s legacy is set to continue in Hong Kong. Shop 219, 2/F, K11 Musea, Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, 2333 0031 Harbourside Grill Set on the harbourfront with a large terrace perfect for enjoying cocktails while watching the sun set over the islands, this new eatery is in the spot that Maze Grill occupied. We started with an Alaska sour (HK$118) – a refreshing white rum, sage, coconut, chartreuse yellow and lime cocktail before settling into what was to become a delicious feast. We began with sharing plates of Yorkshire asparagus, gently poached with four-day cured eggs and a mustard and shallot dressing, followed by perfectly cooked seared scallops with crispy pork belly, curried cauliflower purée, capers and raisins (HK$218). The steak tartare with grilled sourdough (HK$158) came next. 7 best restaurants in and around Harbour City to try Made with Australian fillet, the steak tartare was prepared tableside mixed with egg yolk, chopped shallots and capers, and finished with Worcestershire and Tabasco. It had the right balance of taste and texture. The stunning salad of French beans, truffle aioli, watercress and Parmesan (HK$138) included cooked baby artichokes garnished with 24-month Parmesan and toasted hazelnuts, and was a light interlude before the heavy meat dishes arrived. The sea bass was the best we have tried, pan-fried to perfection, sitting on crushed potatoes mixed with chives and butter with a poached lobster on top and served with lobster bisque. This is the one to go back for. Our favourite meat dish was the wet-aged US sirloin (HK$488/300g) from Snake River Farms. The steak was tender, a cross between Wagyu and Black Angus, and was flavoured well. We also had the T-bone (HK$988); both came with a selection of sauces. Our favourite dessert was the apple tarte Tatin with crème fraîche (for two, HK$158), the dark and sticky caramel with Braeburn red apples, crispy pastry and the right amount of cinnamon was a delight. S hop OTE401, Level 4, Ocean Terminal Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui, 2619 9100 Want more stories like this? Sign up here . Follow STYLE on Facebook , Instagram , YouTube and Twitter .