Where to eat in Hong Kong in June: 16 new restaurants and menus to try, from chef Antonio Oviedo’s first solo venture Agora, to Cantina, Koi and Yat Tung Heen’s fresh new Cantonese dishes
- Heimat is Hong Kong’s first German fine dining restaurant, while Cantina and Ramato fly the flag for Italian cuisine, and Koi and Ushidoki add new Japanese flair to the scene
- Yat Tung Heen has gone all in on a fresh new menu of Cantonese dishes just in time for summer, while Aqua has some new digs – with killer new harbour views
With the easing of most social restrictions in Hong Kong, things are almost back to normal for the F&B scene. That makes June the perfect time to check out the city’s new restaurants or to revisit old favourites that have recently updated their menus in anticipation of full houses yet again.
Happily there are many new dining concepts worth trying out this month. Agora and Cantina are open in Tai Kwun, promising excellent Spanish and Italian fare, respectively. Elsewhere, Heimat is delivering something truly original for Hong Kong – contemporary fine dining German cuisine – and new Japanese options come in the shape of Kicho, Ushidoki and Koi.
New openings
1. Agora
Two years after taking over at 22 Ships, chef Antonio Oviedo is finally helming his own concept in Hong Kong, while also continuing to oversee the Wan Chai neighbourhood favourite. Opening on the ground floor of D Hall inside Tai Kwun, new effort Agora offers contemporary Spanish fine dining through seasonal tasting menus. As much as possible, the menus aim to highlight premium seasonal ingredients sourced from the greater area of Spain, whether Verdial extra virgin olive oil cultivated from centenary olive trees in Málaga, choricero dried chilli peppers from the Basque country, or Gamoneu, a fatty, lightly smoked Spanish cheese made in parts of the Asturias using goat, cow and sheep’s milk.
Shop 14, G/F, D Hall, Tai Kwun, 10 Hollywood Road, Central
2. Kicho
The first of two new concepts from AP Place Hong Kong Co. Limited opening in Manning House is an omakase-style chicken (tori kappo) specialist, serving renowned free-range Kuro Satsuma chicken from Kagoshima. Overseen by veteran head chef Chikashi Yoshida, the Kicho signature is a 16-course dining ritual, spanning starters, soup, yakitori, slow-cooked chicken, vegetables, a main dish and dessert. Seasonal ingredients will provide freshness and an authentic taste of Japan, say staff, while other fare will be low-fat, low-calorie and both light and plentiful.
2A, 1/F, Manning House, 38-48 Queen’s Road Central, Central
3. NEZ Wine Bistro
A new arrival at H Code in Central, NEZ Wine Bistro has taken inspiration from the bistros of Paris and offers diners honest, refined French cooking paired with an impressive selection of boutique and hard-to-source wines.