Being stuck in Hong Kong doesn't mean you have to miss out on the annual cherry blossom bloom. Here are the floral delicacies that will inspire a bit of wanderlust in you
The sakura season in Japan has always marked a time of new beginnings, a time when children start the new school year, and friends and family gather to picnic and drink under pink-petalled canopies in a tradition known as hanami. In Hong Kong too, there are a handful of places where cherry blossoms bloom, and to mark this natural phenomenon both here and in Japan, restaurants are dedicating seasonal set menus to the sakura and all its ephemeral glory. Read on for where you can get a taste of the fleeting flower this month.
Uma Nota's Sakura Brunch With Max Levy
Brazilian-Japanese restaurant Uma Nota has partnered with chef Max Levy of Okra to present a South American take on sakura season. The restaurant space has been festooned with flower arrangements, all the better to immerse diners in the seasonal brunch menu. Beginning with a sushi and maki section, the brunch also features raw seafood dishes and mains to share, with the menu changing monthly until May.
Highlights include the vegetarian sobazushi, which wraps jackfruit in soba noodles and a thin egg pancake; the tuna ribbons ceviche, highlighting Nikkei flavours by marinating lean and fatty tuna in tiger's milk; and the charcoal-grilled sanbaizu lamb with miso anticucho sauce. The meal ends in a crescendo of desserts, with a platter that includes sakura raindrop cake, and sakura plum and matcha cheesecake. Diners can opt for a free-flow cocktails package to enjoy unlimited refills of the Hanami Highball, bringing together rose sake, sakura liqueur, ginger beer and cherry blossom.
The Sakura Brunch is available every weekend and public holiday until 30 May for HK$500 per person.
