eat

Zuma, Hong Kong

It’s been almost five years since Zuma opened its second restaurant, having chosen Hong Kong as the prime destination while Istanbul, Dubai and Miami have closely followed suit and been introduced to this world-famous chain of restaurants developed by Rainer Becker. With so many small-sized izakaya popping up around the city, it was time for me to hop on board and finally give this high-end Japanese bar offering a try (it was an office lunch after all!)

Spread over the 5th and 6th floors of the upscale Landmark shopping complex, Zuma Hong Kong opens up to a spiral glass staircase connecting the high-class bar area with the spacious dining room, outdoor terrace and sake bar. The open space, designed by Noriyoshi Muramatsu in collaboration with the Tokyo design firm, super potato!, is chic, sleek and wonderfully lit featuring an edgy stone top open kitchen stretched across one side and the private dining area sectioned off by a sheet of sparkling glass globes. The place is abuzz with quiet chatter during lunch while the wait staff seem distracted as they rush around, almost running into each other on several occasions. Luckily, this seemed to be remedied when someone who appeared to be the absent restaurant manager returned.

Zuma offers two types of lunch sets – the Ebisu (HK$290) and Hotei (HK$480) each featuring a choice of 3 dishes. We opted for the Hotei and started with the seared scallops and prawn salad with roasted potato. It was a bit disappointing as they weren’t particularly generous with their scallops, leaving the focus of the dish’s flavours more on the roast potatoes.

On the other hand, the spicy beef tartar was a beautiful combination of textures, with a mixture of high quality beef and chopped red onions highlighted by the subtle wasabi sauce and organic egg yolk in the middle. We were a bit unsure of the awkwardly positioned sweet potato crisps but it did bring a welcome crunchy element to the dish.

Our chef’s selection of sashimi was daintily arranged atop an ice bath and with the exception of a slightly sinewy tuna, was tender and fresh. The same can be said about the chirashi donburi which was the most innovative version we had seen to date with unusually large slabs of sashimi layered on top of the white sesame covered rice ball.

If you’re searching for something more filling, you have to turn to the grilled sirloin steak drizzled with wafu sauce and aromatic garlic chips with a side of sauteed mushrooms. Neatly sliced up, the meat was juicy and infused with flavour.

Other options available were the spring king mackerel, which was marinated in a slightly thickened yuzu soy or the teriyaki yellowtail with yuzu radish, both of which had soft, white flesh and was an absolute treat for the tastebuds.

We expected a lot from Hong Kong’s version of the London award-winning restaurant and although the food wasn’t mind-blowing, we did like the relaxed, casual atmosphere and the contemporary food on offer. The price tag on lunch is reasonable especially in comparison to many other Japanese restaurants but overall probably a better business lunch venue rather than a place to unleash your ravenous appetite.

 

ZUMA
Level 5 &6, The Landmark
15 Queens Road Central, Central
T:  +852 3657 6388

ABC Kitchen, Sheung Wan

Cooked food centres have been the source of many salivating moments for me while I’ve been in Hong Kong, often having an amazing atmosphere coupled with delicious Asian selections dished out in large shareable portions. Our visit to ABC Kitchen, however, was everything the conventional dai pai dong is not. As the first and only western styled dai pai dong in Hong Kong, its presentation makes the most distinctive impression as we make our way up to the second floor of the complex. Unlike its neighbours, the owners of this eatery (yes, because it’s in a class of its own), has tables covered with red and white checkered table cloths and neatly arranged tableware. Out of place as it may seem, if they had some nice candles, I daresay it’d be a thoughtful and creative first date venue!

The menu offers some exquisite selections and for our party of 5, we managed to order almost everything available. For starters, we chose the Avocado, Asparagus & Grape Salad with Parmesan cheese ($78) and Pan-fried Foie Gras ($118) with fig jam.

Salads are always a nice way to kick-start a meal but the ethics of production methods aside, the foie gras was the first dish to make me salivate. Perfectly seared on the outside, it was soft, tender and full of flavour on the inside. Watch out though, the waiters may suggest you order more portions to go around, but sometimes its better to savour the smaller bites!

Even though it’s a cooked food centre, the owners of ABC Kitchen, otherwise known as ‘A Better Cooking’, were previously trained at M at the Fringe which has since closed. Perhaps with such training under their belt, they’ve also placed a lot of effort in ensuring the service is on par with their food offerings, which I daresay is some of the friendliest and warmest of all I’ve witnessed in Hong Kong.

Digging into the mains, the Roasted Suckling Pig ($148) which was served with caramel apple and kipfler potato, had a beautifully crisp and thin skin. The meat was tender and the fat was not enough to make me flinch but sufficient to add to the succulent flavour.

The Lamb Shank ($158) was a personal favourite having been slowly braised in Shiraz with a side of mashed potato and sauteed French beans. I love this way of cooking, and ABC Kitchen have done it well – presenting a dish where the juicy and full-flavoured meat fell easily off the bone. The Pan-roasted Pigeon ($158), conversely, may have been a bit overcooked, leaving the meat a bit too tough and a struggle to chew.

The Seared Sea Bass ($178) rested on a bed of cauliflower puree and rich lemon butter sauce with a side of asparagus. Call me greedy and unappreciative of this semi-fine dining environment but I would have liked a larger piece – just because it was so delicious! The white flesh was soft, the skin seared just right and the lemon butter sauce made the dish all the more tantalising.

Finishing up, we tried the the Beef Tenderloin ($188) which was coated with cracked black pepper and surrounded by potatoes. The pepper was enough to add a simple touch and fully seal in the fresh juices of the tenderloin.

Dessert was an entirely separate meal for an entirely separate stomach (read: be prepared to eat lots!). What was presented for us filled the table with beautifully arranged on white plates and with the exception of one, were topped with summer berries.



Although not the best dessert to share (yes, I clumsily tried to split it), the Mille Fueille ($42) was beautifully fresh and crispy, layered with custard and splashed with passion fruit sauce while the the Pavlova ($58) was my taste of Australian nostalgia for the night. Both desserts weren’t too sour and packed in just the right amount of sweetness. The Lemon Meringue Tart ($42) was delicate and dainty, but I would have preferred it to be more chilled.

The stars of the night would most definitely be the White Chocolate Mousse with strawberry sauce ($42) and Black Sesame Souffle ($48) both of which left our eyes wandering towards the kitchen and our tastebuds begging for more.

The consistency of the mousse was just right and a perfect balance of sweet and sour achieved, melting in our mouths with each spoonful. The original photo I took was when it was first brought out but I had to retake it to really show how delectable, saliva inducing and heavenly the dessert actually was.

When the souffle arrived, there was an audible cheer from my fellow diners. It looked amazing and tasted even better – like a child’s imagination of the fluffy clouds on a summer’s day. Each bite dissolved in my mouth like fairy floss with just the right amount of sesame.


When I was first told about ABC Kitchen, I had also heard rumours that everything about this little establishment taken a turn for the worse in the recent months; increasing prices and down sizing the portions but it doesn’t seem that way to me and certainly won’t put me off from returning. The food and service here are exceptional and the fact that they’ve chosen the, same may consider, frugal path of opening in a cooked food centre, I think it sets them apart and makes the experience all the more memorable!

ABC Kitchen,  Sheung Wan
Shop 7, Food Market, 1 Queen Street , Sheung Wan
Tel: +852 9278 8227

Sing Heung Yuen, Central

When you make the turn from Hollywood Road onto Gough Street, you’re faced with large crowds on your left and a long organised queue to your right. Many a time I’ve fallen into an orderly line leading into Kau Kee Restaurant, but this time the bustle of Sing Heung Yuen was more tempting. The busiest time for this dai pai dong is around lunch, between 12 to 3pm so be prepared to wait (in a rather odd way). When we arrived, we saw the local office workers hovering like vultures around the limited seating areas, so close to the diners they were almost breathing down their necks! In a place like this, it’s the aggressive and strategic who learn to read exactly which people will finish their meals the soonest, and perch themselves mere millimetres behind.

By the time the patrons before us had finished slurping and vacated their seats, we had already browsed the menu several times over and chosen a few items to devour. The more adventurous expats will be glad to hear that in the recent months, the owners have introduced (slightly sticky) laminated bilingual menus with cute little clipart illustrations! We decided to try the Tomato, Beef & Egg Macaroni ($26) and the Tomato, Luncheon Meat & Egg Instant Noodles ($23) to start and the Iced Lemon ($11) and Milk Teas ($11). Rice noodles were out-of-stock that day, but that’s another available option.

The combinations are simple, admittedly, and probably easy to dish up at home but there’s a sense of comfort which transpires from slurping the MSG-filled instant noodles, the tinned tomato and the bicarb-tenderised beef. My only qualm was the overflow of tomato soup which covered my noodles, but looking around I seemed to have drawn the short straw.

We finished up with a Peanut Butter Condensed Milk Toast ($9), roughly sliced up into four dainty triangles, which delivered just the right amount of sweetness post-lunch. Many cha chaan teng and dai pai dongs these days seem to have foregone the thickly sliced bread, so we pleased that the owners had retained it.

Hong Kong culture seems to have embraced the concept of lining up for good food and Sing Heung Yuen is definitely no exception. Although slightly chaotic, the fact that their customers include well-suited individuals willing to wait it out before having to squeeze themselves onto the less-than-hygenic stools, lies testament to the popularity of this little gem. It’s only closed on Sundays and open every other day from 8am to 5:30pm to offer cheap, comfort food with a dash of Hong Kong atmosphere, especially when you’re yelled at to move aside for two boiling bowls of noodles. After all, half the time it’s the experience that counts!

 

Sing Heung Yuen, Central
2 Mee Lun St, Central, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2544 8368

Chez Patrick Deli, Wan Chai

chezpatrick

I’m a productive person – I like to wake up early and make the most of my day, even on the weekends. My friends disapprove. Since coming to Hong Kong though, my sleeping patterns have taken a turn for the worst and I end up staying in bed until 10. Stomach growling too much to hit the gym, what better way to solve the predicament than with a lazy stroll to brunch? Probably one of the things I miss about Sydney, but I’ve discovered that my neighbourhood has a few quaint cafe offerings – one of which is Chez Patrick Deli.

chezpatrick

They offer a 2 or 3 course Deli Weekend Formula at $180 and $240 respectively. I have a bit of a sweet tooth but a third course promising dessert seemed too heavy for this morning’s brunch so I opted for the former option with a glass of orange juice and Earl Grey tea.

chezpatrick

When the Deli Sampler Starters was set before me, I was pleasantly surprised at the generous portion given. There was a huge variety from their fresh deli including pate, terrine and cold cuts apparently sourced from the Lyon region in France! Of course, I loved the extra touch of smoked salmon and salad with a freshly sliced baguette to boot.

chezpatrick

Not long after, my main course was served up. I was curious to try the Lemon Beetroot Sauce drizzled atop my Pan-fried Seabass. I can’t say I appreciated the slightly overcooked texture of the fish but the sauce added a refreshing tangy taste and a nice colour to the dish.

As the deli itself has substantially more seating than Classified on the other side of the road I was left undisturbed. Sitting there with my laptop, it was a few hours well spent away from cramped apartment space,  and could very well turn out to be a regular haunt for me.

 

Chez Patrick Deli, Wan Chai
3 Star Street, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
Tel: 2527 1408
www.chezpatrick.hk