Chicken liver pâté. Photo: Xiaomei Chen
Source:
https://scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3012285/try-everything-menu-meat-centric-mr-brown-wan-chai-and-bring Food & Drink
Try everything on the menu at meat-centric Mr Brown in Wan Chai, and bring your friends
- From the half duck to the Iberico pork muffin, carnivores are in for a treat
- It’s best to go in a group to give you the chance to sample all the dishes
Empanadas at Mr Brown in Wan Chai. Photo: Xiaomei Chen
The menu at Mr Brown, a meat-centric restaurant in Hong Kong’s Wan Chai district, is brief – 12 starters, five mains, a few side dishes and three desserts. But bring at least three friends, because you’ll want to try just about everything.
The one dish I wasn’t excited about trying was the Iberico pork muffin (HK$70 each) because I thought it was an American-style muffin – the thing you eat for breakfast if there’s nothing better on offer. But a friend insisted on ordering it, and we were all happy he did. It turned out to be English-type muffins, split in half and filled with pork, cabbage, aioli and mustard. It was fantastic – messy to eat, but full of rich flavours. My only wish is that it was larger.
Chicken liver pâté (HK$80) was another delicious dish: a generous smear of the smooth, rich but light paste. We spread it on the thick polenta chips (only three, although we were four diners), then added a dab of the sweet, chunky blood orange marmalade.
Empanadas (HK$100 for two) were plump, with a moist, flavourful beefy filling.
Pork ribs with black garlic and apple (HK$140 for four) were tender and the glaze was nice, but they could have used a little more salt.
Grilled aubergine with miso tahini and chilli (HK$90) was a light contrast to the meaty starters.
Half duck with golden beets and pomegranate. Photo: Xiaomei Chen
Caramel slice. Photo: Xiaomei Chen
When reading the menu, I immediately focused on the 12 hours smoked brisket (HK$210), but it was my least favourite dish. The meat was peppery, moist and tender, but was cut very thin – hot brisket tastes better in more substantial slices.
We all loved the half duck (HK$250). The meat, juicy and deeply flavoured, was served with thinly sliced golden beets, pomegranate seeds and a thin sauce that we ignored because the duck was so good on its own.
For dessert, the caramel slice (HK$80) – almost like a semifreddo – was light and cool, while the smoked apple cigars with bourbon and vanilla cream (HK$80) were shatteringly crisp and not oily.
Mr Brown, Pinnacle Building, 9 Ship Street, Wan Chai, tel: 3101 1081. About HK$320 per person without drinks or the service charge.