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Where to eat in Hong Kong: January’s new dining options

Garganelli pasta with duck ragu at Pici Central

A new year, a new list. We’re celebrating the start of 2018 with a list of resolutions – including enjoying all the afternoon tea and dining out options available this month. Gym memberships will still be available later this year, after all.

Pici Central

Pici Central

Given the success of Pici in Wan Chai, the Pirata Group decided the omens looked good for opening up a Pici in a second location – this time in bustling Central. Daily-made fresh pasta still takes centre stage at Pici, with new exclusive dishes for its Central location introduced to the menu.

New dishes include garganelli pasta served with duck ragu, cauliflower and Szechuan peppers; plin ravioli stuffed with gorgonzola and sautéed with poricini mushrooms and mascarpone; and seafood tagliatelle with saffron cream sauce, mussels, garlic and chilli.

Opened: late December
Address: G/F, 24-26 Aberdeen Street, Central

Fumi promises a wide range of different seasonal dishes.

FUMI

Even when it seems that Hong Kong has one too many Japanese restaurants for its own good, another one opens – and we happily indulge. The latest to open is FUMI in California Tower, which promises a wide range of different seasonal dishes – from Okinawa to Hokkaido. They offer the omakase and kaiseki options, for which the chef uses the freshest ingredients on hand to produce a one-off dining experience. Another highlight is the Daimon35 – FUMI’s award-wining house sake, which was awarded the gold medal at the London Sake Challenge in 2016.

Sashimi don set at Fumi

FUMI, which in Kanji is the first character of the word “culture”, plans to live up to its name. It will host a variety of cultural experiences, including Japanese dance performances, sake tasting classes, and even talks on food culture. A traditional Zen garden can also be found on the restaurant’s balcony.

Diners can expect celebrity guest chefs to drop by in the near future; FUMI will host its first guest chef, Aoki Toshikatsu, in March. Aoki, the second-generation chef-owner of the acclaimed Sushi Aoki in Ginza, Tokyo, will fly in to Hong Kong to showcase his expert take on Edomae-style sushi.

Opens: January 18
Address: 6/F, California Tower, 30-36 D’Aguilar Street, Central

PDT at Landmark Mandarin Oriental

PDT x Landmark Mandarin Oriental

PDT (Please Don’t Tell) will be collaborating with Landmark Mandarin Oriental to make Hong Kong its first permanent location outside New York. The cocktail bar is a favourite among savvy New Yorkers, and is regularly listed in the World’s 50 Best Bars directory. In Hong Kong, its signature intimate atmosphere paired with well-executed cocktails can be accessed via a door disguised as a telephone booth located at the top of the staircase in the hotel’s MO Bar.

The entrance to PDT at Landmark Mandarin Oriental is disguised as a telephone booth.

Expect an ever-changing menu of cocktails made with seasonal produce, as well as a limited selection of PDT’s house cocktails, such as Benton’s Old Fashioned. For bar food, diners can enjoy seasonally-rotating creations cooked up by leading local chefs – for example, its inaugural free-range pork, chicken and beef hotdog is the brainchild of Richard Ekkebus.

Opens: potentially, late January
Address: Landmark Mandarin Oriental, 15 Queen’s Road Central

Jurlique x GREEN afternoon tea at Hotel Icon

Jurlique x GREEN afternoon tea

Skincare brand Jurlique and GREEN at Hotel Icon is collaborating to create an afternoon tea experience that they are describing as “scent-sational”. From January 1 until February 28, afternoon tea at GREEN will be taking on a fragrant twist inspired by Jurlique’s most popular products.

Guests leave with a spa gift from Jurlique.

Highlights of the afternoon tea are the desserts, including strawberry rose with mascarpone cream (inspired by the limited edition rose body oil) and the strawberry marshmallow sandwich and crystal chrysanthemum (inspired by active ingredients found in Jurlique’s activating water essence). Those partaking leave with a spa gift from Jurlique – as well as a full belly.

Dates: January 1 – February 28
Price: HK$258 per person, HK$488 for two people
Address: GREEN, G/F, Hotel Icon, 17 Science Museum Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

MDNA SKIN afternoon tea set at Lobby Lounge, InterContinental Hong Kong

MDNA SKIN x Lobby Lounge afternoon tea

The Queen of Pop’s skincare brand MDNA SKIN is collaborating with Lobby Lounge for an afternoon tea set incorporating roses, Madonna’s favourite flower. Highlights of the afternoon tea set include pink puffs made of coconut, banana and ginger, rose petal raspberry cake, and scones served with Devonshire clotted cream and rose petal jam.

Those partaking in afternoon tea can also pick up a complimentary gift from the “material girl” at Harvey Nicols at the Landmark: a 30ml bottle of the Rose Mist, Madonna’s favourite product from her own line.

Dates: January 2 – February 28
Price: HK$668 for two people
Address: Lobby Lounge, InterContinental Hong Kong, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

Group shot of meats. Lily & Bloom.

‘Meat Up’ at Lily & Bloom

Lily & Bloom will play host to five rounds of “meat ups” starting from January 9. The series, which runs until March 26, showcases different cuts of beef and the skill of chefs and cooking enthusiasts in preparing and cooking them. The participants of the “meat ups” change every two weeks, with the line-up including Chris Grare from Lily & Bloom prepping flat iron, Nathan Green of Rhoda cooking beef’s heart, and Angelo Vecchio of Porterhouse cooking beef shank.

Dates: January 9 – March 26
Address: 5-6/F, LKF Tower, 33 Wyndham Street, Central

Rare by Oulton x Mandarin Oriental afternoon tea

Mandarin Oriental x Rare by Oulton afternoon tea

Mandarin Oriental is presenting a pop-up afternoon tea experience from January 15 until February 11. The afternoon tea, served at the hotel’s lobby lounge (which only seats up to 16 guests), marks the hotel’s partnership with Rare by Oulton, a collection of antiques and lifestyle objects collected by Tim Oulton, the founder of the luxury lifestyle label Timothy Oulton.

The afternoon tea service will be held at the hotel’s lobby, where diners can also view a few select items from Rare by Oulton on display, including a Louis Vuitton low hearst trunk (HK$590,000) and King Albert Edward VII gold snuff box (price on request). When munching on the three-tiered afternoon tea set, don’t forget to try the truffle toast, mini sherry trifle and the hotel’s scones paired with its signature rose jam.

Dates: January 15 – February 11
Price: HK$398 per person
Address: Lobby lounge, Mandarin Oriental, 5 Connaught Road Central

Inside Duddell's

Duddell’s Chefs-in-Residence programme hosts Dan Hong

Duddell’s launches its Chefs-in-Residence programme this year with a two-night-only dinner by celebrity chef Dan Hong. The Sydney-based Vietnamese-Chinese chef is the executive chef of two modern Asian restaurants: Mr. Wong and Ms. G’s.

Dan Hong

Highlights of the eight-course menu include Japanese scallop with ginger, scallions, white soy and Hokkaido uni; steamed soymilk custard with flower crab, kaffir lime and onion oil; charsiu-roasted toothfish with pickled radish; and lobster with egg noodles, garlic butter sauce and black truffle. Dinner ends on a sweet note with green tea tres leches cake with yuzu cream and yuzu milk sorbet for dessert.

The Chefs-in-Residence programme aims to highlight Chinese cooking from around the world and to show how Cantonese cuisine has been adapted to suit tastes in different countries over generations.

Dates: January 16 – 17
Price: HK$1,288 per person

Haku x Amelia

Haku, which made our top 10 best new restaurants of 2017 list, is kickstarting the year with a two night-only collaborative dinner with 1-Michelin starred Amelia from San Sebastián, Spain. On January 19 and 20, Agustin Balbi from Haku and Paulo Airaudo from Amelia will be presenting a decadent eight-course dinner.
Chef Paulo Airaudo from Michelin-starred restaurant, Amelia

Highlights of the menu include Airaudo’s scallops with pepper consommé, celeriac cacao e pepe with back truffle, and duck with humita and pine. Balbi will be presenting four dishes, including: red prawn with Ajo blanco, avocado and konbu; and Bluefin tuna with Polmard beef and topped with Kristal caviar.

Dates: January 20 - 21
Price: HK$1,980
Address: Sop OT G048, G/F, Ocean Terminal, Tsim Sha Tsui

Forget about trimming the waistline for now – 2018 starts with an exciting range of offerings for Hong Kong’ s food lovers