February is a good time to be a foodie in Hong Kong – in addition to Lunar New Year and Valentine’s Day menus, there are new restaurant openings and gastronomic collaborations to look forward to this month.
New opening: Sichuan Lab
Fiery senses come alive at Sichuan Lab, where authentic Sichuan cuisine is on the menu. Sichuan Lab is helmed by Kenny Chan, a veteran chef with over 50 years of experience, and is located on the ground floor of L’hotel Group’s new boutique-styled serviced apartments dubbed Lodgewood by L’hotel Wanchai.
Where to eat vegan in Hong Kong this Lunar New Year
Traditional Sichuan delicacies will be served alongside the chef’s own dishes with modern twists. Apart from classic dishes like poached mandarin fish slices in chilli broth and tan tan noodles, diners will be able to order dishes like spicy thick soup with vinegar and peppers (made with kampot pepper from Cambodia), as well as 52-degree Celsius, slow-cooked, smoked duck breast.
Opens: early February
Address: G/F, 28 Tai Wo Street, Wan Chai
Tel: 3126 6633
New opening: Redhouse
The latest restaurant to open at California Tower is Redhouse, the sister restaurant of SHÈ, which opened at IFC Mall in December. Redhouse also offers modern Chinese cuisine, from roast meats and seafood dishes to vegetarian options and dim sum. Signature dishes of the new restaurant include Peking duck and crispy roasted suckling pig made with 4-pound piglet.
Opens: early February
Address: 23/F, California Tower, 32 D’Aguilar Street, Central
Tel: 2344 2366
New opening: Roganic
Following the hotly-anticipated opening of Aulis Hong Kong, Simon Rogan opens Roganic Hong Kong in mid-February.
Roganic started as a two-year pop-up experience in Melbourne, before crossing the ocean to London and is now about to establish a presence in Hong Kong. The restaurant will offer farm-to-table dishes made with seasonal ingredients.
Diners can choose between the 10-course Roganic Long Taster Menu and the eight-course Roganic Short Taster Menu. Both feature items inspired by Asian ingredients.
8 places serving culinary delights in Hong Kong in January
The Hong Kong location will also have a eight-seater dessert bar, where diners can order à la carte or as a tasting menu. Signature desserts include molasses and burnt milk, yellow beetroot sorbet, and rhubarb with fermented honey, beetroot and rose.
Opens: mid-February
Address: UG/F 08, Sino Plaza, 255 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay
Tel: 2817 8383
New opening: Mr Brown
The brains behind hit restaurant FRANCIS are opening their second restaurant, Mr Brown, this month. Located a stone’s throw away, Mr Brown is set to be a grill and smokehouse joint that fuses the smoky flavours of a barbecue with delectable flavours from the Mediterranean.
Opens: late February
Address: G/F, 9 Ship Street, Wan Chai
Tel: 3101 1081
Highland Park at Room 309
Highland Park has teamed up with cocktail bar Room 309 to create two cocktails inspired by single malt whiskies: The Dark Soul and The Light Soul.
Where to eat in Hong Kong: 8 great places to try this November
The Dark Soul is made with cherry liqueur, herbal liqueur, white creme de cacao and chocolate bitters, and topped with torched cinnamon and white chocolate. The Light Soul features clarified watermelon and thyme cordial, clear red apple juice, Fino sherry and a touch of watermelon liqueur – and is presented in a crystal goblet for added flourish.
Each cocktail is named after two special edition single malt whiskies, The Dark and The Light, representing two different seasons experienced on the Orkney Islands where the distillery is located. The Dark celebrates the colder months, is more full-bodied with a spicier and smoky flavour and is matured in European oak sherry seasons casks. The Light celebrates the warmer months, is sweeter with nutmeg and vanilla flavour, and is matured in American oak casks. Highland Park is known as Scotland’s most northern whisky distillery with more than 200 years of history.
Date: until Feb 21
Address: Room 309, 3/F, The Pottinger Hong Kong, 74 Queen’s Road Central, Central
Tel: 2807 1272
VEA x Odette
One-Michelin-starred VEA teams up with two-Michelin-starred Odette for two nights only for a four-hands collaboration effort. Odette, located at the National Gallery Singapore, is known for its take on French cuisine, creating romantically-inspired dishes with a creative twist.
Highlights of the eight-course menu include confit beets with Kristal caviar, horseradish and smoked eel by Odette, and Wagyu beef char siu with crispy daikon and scallion by VEA. Dinner ends on a sweet note with a dessert by Odette whimsically named ‘Floating Island’ and made with mango, passion fruit and kaffir lime. VEA offers lotus seed paste with red date caramel, sea salt and puff pastry.
Dates: Feb 21 and 22
Price: HK$2,880 per person, with an additional HK$780 per person for wine and cocktail pairing
Address: 29-30/F, The Wellington, 198 Wellington Street, Central
Tel: 2711 8639
Where to eat at the Tai Kwun Centre in Hong Kong
Haku x Toyo Eatery
Haku joins forces with Toyo Eatery for at two nights only. Led by Jordy Navarra, Toyo Eatery was the winner of the “One to Watch” award by Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2018. The restaurant is at the forefront of the Manila food scene, with its modern take on traditional Filipino flavours. Signature dishes from the two-year-old restaurant include three-cut pork barbecue silog, as well as loins of bangus.
Highlights of the four-hands menu include a kinilaw of oyster by Toyo Eatery, and a dish made with white asparagus, bagna cauda and caviar by Haku. Dinner ends on a sweet note, with petit fours of wagashi by Haku paired with chocolate with dulce de leche and fish sauce by Toyo Eatery.
Dates: Feb 28 and Mar 1
Price: HK$1,980 per person
Address: Shop OT G04B, Ground Floor, Ocean Terminal, Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui
Tel: 2115 9965
Johnnie Walker Blue Label Bothy
There is a new hideaway in town – that is, if you can find it. Johnnie Walker is taking over Test Kitchen in Sai Ying Pun for a pop-up experience that will have you wondering if you’ve been whisked away to Scotland by whisky fairies. The pop-up, which is only open by private invitation or through Le Comptoir, will run until March 2.
Five of the best spicy hotpot spots in Hong Kong
Guests will get to taste rare whiskies sourced from four of Scotland’s major whisky making regions, including a 1975 Cambus single cask expression. Complementing the whiskies is a gastronomic experience prepped by Noël Berard of two-Michelin-starred Écriture and Nicholas Chew of Bibo.
Date: until Mar 2
Price: HK$1,820 per person, including an engraved bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label
Address: Test Kitchen, Shop 3, Kwan Yick Building Phase 3, 158A Connaught Road West, Sai Ying Pun
Tel: 5200 2061
Want more stories like this? Sign up here. Follow STYLE on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter
