Cover Chef Cam Wong whips up a champagne pairing menu at MOTD (Photo: Handout)

The food and drink happenings that you should know about this week

However you like to indulge, there's much to choose from this week: from Italian-American nonna-style cooking, or just pure and unadulterated Venetian cuisine, to sake pairings, champagne dinners, and much, much more. Keep reading to find out where to book your next gastronomic adventure.

See also: Tatler Dining Kitchen Presents The Bombay East Indian Girl This September

Frank's 2.0 Is Now Open

Tatler Asia
Above Photo courtesy of Frank's

Frank's, the Italian-American restaurant and bar at the top of Pottinger Street, marks its return as it completes a refresh of its interior, coinciding with the launch of a new food and drinks programme. Taking inspiration from the traditional Italian-American social clubs of New Jersey and New York, chef Vinny Laura has revamped the menu in the upstairs dining room in the form of a collectible zine highlighting new culinary additions.

These include the alla Genovese, which incorporates Old Tom gin into its pesto sauce; baked oyster with braised oxtail, XO aioli and pickled scallion; caramelle pasta filled with sea urchin, roasted tomato and ricotta stuffing; and smoked black cod in shiitake broth and neonata paste. Popular dishes from the previous menu, such as Frank's meatballs, linguine clams, and orechiette with homemade sausage and broccoli rabe, will continue to be served under the Frank's Originals section of the menu.

In the bar area downstairs, a revamped cocktail menu by former Bibo bar manager Alex Chatté riffs off the flavour profiles of classic Italian-American dishes, while DJs will make regular appearances to spin an all-vinyl soundtrack of retro hip-hop. 

 

Frank's
Italian   |   $ $   |  

G/F-1/F, 79 Wyndham Street, Central, Hong Kong

Website Website
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MOTD Partners With G.H. Mumm For Champagne Pairing Menu

Tatler Asia
Above A selection of dishes from the Under The C menu (Photo: MOTD)

Following pop-up menus by chefs Jimmy Wong and Ching Tso, private dining space and event venue MOTD welcomes chef Cam Wong to head their next dinner series, a champagne pairing menu in collaboration with G.H. Mumm's RSRV collection. Formerly trained in fine arts, Wong switched her focus to the culinary arts by embarking on a course on Spanish cuisine at Le Cordon Bleu Madrid, before completing stints in the kitchens of Catalunya (now La Rambla), A Side / B Side, and Bo.Lan in Bangkok.

At MOTD, Wong will be serving the nautical-inspired 'Under The C' eight-course menu (HK$1,280), featuring dishes like pumpkin smash with fromage frais, pan-fried MOE pork collar with orange zabaglione sauce, and slow-cooked octopus in oolong sauce. These are paired with the Blanc de Blancs 2012, Blanc de Noirs 2009 and Cuvée 4.5 respectively (HK$388 for three-glass champagne pairing).

Held from September 16 to 18, and September 23 to 25, the 'Under The C' dinner series is now available to book online here

MOTD, 1/F, Union Park Tower, 168 Electric Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong; +852 2335 5333

Related: How To Talk Authoritatively—And Interestingly—About Champagne

Between Coffee Pops Up At The Upper House

Tatler Asia
Above Between Coffee is the latest to take over the lobby of The Upper House (Photo: Handout)

With the closure of the Mother Pearl pop-up at The Upper House comes the swift opening of Between Coffee, which takes over the same space in the lobby from now until October 31. Expect Between's classic drinks like the Sesame Mountain and Matcha latte, which sit side-by-side with summery beverages like the Strawberry Blondie (homemade strawberry shrub, lemon juice, sparkling water, thyme) and the CBD Special (cold brew hojicha, lemon juice, cane sugar syrup). Feeling peckish? Chow down a wagyu onigiri or egg sando, or make it a strawberry sando if you're craving a taste of summer. 

To celebrate the launch of the collaboration, The Upper House and Between are hosting a citywide giveaway in which one winner can enjoy an exclusive staycation at The Upper House. Check out @upperhouse_hkg for more information on how to enter.

Between Coffee pop-up, Level 6, The Upper House, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty, Hong Kong

See also: Net-A-Porter And Between Coffee To Launch A Vegan Food Set In Tai Kwun

The Seafood Loves Sake Festival Returns After 3 Year Hiatus

Tatler Asia
Above Seafood and sake galore at Yat Tung Heen (Photo: JFOODO)

As the largest single market for sake outside of Japan in 2020, Hong Kong provides ripe opportunity for the Japan Food Product Overseas Promotion Center's (JFOODO) months-long Seafood Loves Sake promotion to make a comeback this year, following three years after its first edition in 2018.

A whopping 60 Japanese restaurants and 40 Cantonese restaurants are participating in the event—which runs until December 31—with each venue launching at least three seasonal seafood dishes, followed by a curated sake pairing by sake sommelier Ivan Sean. Among the participating restaurants are the likes of Nadaman in Island Shangri-La, Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken, Kona, and Trattoria Queen Hollywood.

Piggybacking on Hongkongers' love of reviewing restaurants, Sake Loves Seafood will enter diners into a lucky draw for a sake staycation at Eaton Hotel and dinner at Michelin-starred Yat Tung Heen for those who post a review on OpenRice immediately after their meal. All those who participate will also receive a small bottle of sake to take home on a first-come first-served basis.

For more details and a full list of participating restaurants, click here.

Relish Debuts Italian Dinner Series, Beginning In Veneto

Tatler Asia
Above The Relish dining space in Wong Chuk Hang (Photo: Relish)

Wong Chuk Hang private kitchen Relish whisks us to Italy this summer as part of its Giro d'Italia dinner series, which aims to explore the country's rich regional cuisines, beginning with the province of Veneto. Using Italian produce sourced by food importer Bright View, the one-night-only dinner will take place on September 24, featuring such regional delicacies as smoked swordfish carpaccio with fennel and orange, and crispy zucchini flowers filled with anchovies and mozzarella, followed by mains of creamy risotto with green asparagus, sausage and Asiago cheese, and chicken and pork ribs with sausage allo spiedo.

Afterwards, Relish's expansive terrace will play host to live entertainment, with free-flow Italian Mule cocktails available for all to enjoy. The Giro D’Italia Veneto dinner with free-flow wine package costs HK$980 per person. Reserve your seat online here.

Relish, Unit 22D, Yally Industrial Building, 6 Yip Fat Street, Wong Chuk Hang, Hong Kong

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