Cover Photo: Casa Cucina

From a single-origin cocktails to open-fire cooking, there’s plenty of new additions to Hong Kong's dining scene this month to keep your tastebuds satiated

As we well know, Hong Kong is home to one of the most competitive dining scenes in the world, with the wealth and density of restaurants and bars in the city offering diners a near-endless choice of options to choose from, whether it’s for a casual weeknight dinner or a special occasion. On any night of the week, diners can pick from modern cicchetti to bijou cocktail lounges. There’s plenty of new additions to Hong Kong's dining scene this month to keep your appetite satiated, so keep scrolling for the latest openings to add to your dining circuit in the weeks ahead.

March

Tatler Asia
Above Photo: Mue Mue

Mue Mue

Best known for helming Chinesology in Central, chef Saito Chau proves he's not just a one-trick pony with the opening of Mue Mue in Tsim Sha Tsui, an expansive Thai restaurant with Chinese inflections. Derived from the Thai word for 'hand', Mue Mue covers 7,000 square feet with indoor and alfresco dining, with a number of private rooms too. The menu spans signatures like crispy chicken in tom yum marinade, Wagyu beef cheek in puff pastry with red curry, and royal Thau tom yum kung soup, while Mue Bar offers a number of twists on classic cocktails using Thai botanicals.

Mue Mue
Shop 302, 3/F, Mira Place, 132 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong; +852 9833 0788, muemue.hk

Tatler Asia
Above Photo: Casa Cucina

Casa Cucina

After two years, popular Sai Ying Pun restaurant Casa Cucina has moved to new environs in Causeway Bay, marking an evolution in its brand of cicchetti-inspired dishes by chef-owner Anthony Cheung. An alum of Amber and Jean-Georges, Cheung's cuisine focuses on seasonal ingredients and handmade pasta, with old favourites like morels pappardelle and new additions such as a cheesy Welsh rarebit making the new menu. At HK$498 per head, the signature sharing set menu offers a comprehensive lay of the land, best accompanied with picks from the sizeable cocktail menu.

Casa Cucina
Shop C & D, Riviera Mansion, 59-65 Paterson St, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong; +852 2152 0556, casacucina.hk

Tatler Asia
Above Photo: XX Bar

XX Bar

Having variously been a women-only bar and a VIP lounge over the years, XX Bar has now revamped to become a cocktail bar open to the public—regardless of gender. Featuring rare aged spirits, fine wines and seasonal cocktails within a lush setting draped in ultramarine and complete with views of the harbour, XX Bar is a luxurious affair owing to its name, which stands for excellence and exclusivity. 

XX Bar
Rosewood Hong Kong, Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong; +852 3891 8732, instagram.com/xxbarhongkong

Here Thai Market

Chef Thitid "Ton" Tassanakajohn of Bangkok's Le Du, currently ranked first in Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2023, seems to be everywhere since his win, and aside from opening Niras in K11 Musea last year, he's recently expanded his reach to New Town Plaza in Sha Tin with the launch of Here Thai Market, where he designed the food menu alongside chef Man Wai Yin of Chef Man restaurant in Bangkok. Featuring Cantonese-influenced Thai cuisine alongside staples like boat noodles, skewers and wok-fried noodles with the option of adding abalone and fish maw, Here Thai Market also serves coffee from Luen Ngen Coffee, a Thai coffee brand that was originally founded in 1968.

Here Thai Market
Shop A216, 2/F, New Town Plaza Phase III, 18 Sha Tin Centre Street, Sha Tin, Hong Kong

Caligari

Named as one of the 100 most highly rated restaurants in all of Japan by Tabelog, famed Tokyo curry restaurant Caligari has opened its first overseas outpost in Entertainment Building in Central. The eatery, which first opened in Tokyo's Akihabara district, is also the two-time winner of the Kanda Curry Grand Prix in 2019 and 2023; curry fanatics regularly queue for signature dishes like the curry tonkatsu, minced Wagyu croquettes and Tatsuta chicken breast set, all made with curry utilising ingredients imported from Japan, and featuring spices such as fennel, cumin, coriander, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and mustard seeds.

Caligari
Shop F, 2/F, Entertainment Building, 30 Queen’s Road Central, Central, Hong Kong; instagram.com/caligari_hk

February

Ming Pavilion

Found on the pool and spa floor of the Island Shangri-La, Ming Pavilion offers a decidedly different take on Chinese dining. The cuisine might be Hokkien, but the surroundings are lush, with plenty of jade tones, foliage and rattan furniture to evoke a tropical getaway. On the pass is chef Jack Lam Yeung, whose take on contemporary Hokkien dishes extends to the likes of Xiamen ginger duck, aged Yongchun vinegar jellyfish terrine, sweet and sour lychee pork and more. Complementing the culinary proceedings is a tea service by in-house tea sommelier Tiffany Chan. 

Ming Pavilion
Address: Level 8, Island Shangri-La, Pacific Place, Supreme Court Road, Admiralty, Hong Kong; shangri-la.com

Draft Land 

Ever packed at its Central location, cocktail taphouse Draft Land has opened up its second Hong Kong location on Tang Lung Street in Causeway Bay. The same industrial looks prevails here, with the centrepiece being the wall of 20 taps serving pre-batched favourites like the Guk Bou and Oolong Tea Collins, as well as new exclusive libations like the Yuwasabi and Watercress Honey.

Draft Land
Address: Shop D, G/F, Soundwill Plaza II - Midtown, 1-29 Tang Lung Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

Ella

The third and last venue to open in Singular Concepts' sprawling nighttime entertainment complex The Trilogy, Ella is an intimate jazz speakeasy dedicated to the soulful tunes of its namesake, Ella Fitzgerald. Bathed in warm, low lights and featuring sky-high views of the Central cityscape, the space is anchored by a grand piano from which a rotating curation of the city's jazz talents belt out well-loved compositions. Cocktails here skew classic, with the Roasted Boulevardier a particular highlight.

Ella
Address: 26F, The Trilogy, H Code, 45 Pottinger Street, Central, Hong Kong; instagram.com/ellaxoxo.hk

Tatler Asia
Above Charcoal grilled eel (Photo: Charcoal Bar)

Charcoal Bar

New from the Lubuds group is Charcoal Bar, a harbourside restaurant centred around open-fire cooking. Octavium alum Bjoern Alexander is the brains behind the cuisine here, with signatures like charcoal-grilled local eel, lychee wood-grilled tiger prawn, lychee wood-smoked op rib, and a crispy rice cake combining Chinese cured sausages with parmesan and Acquerello rice. Cocktails, wine pairings and a view of Victoria Harbour complete this winning combination.

Charcoal Bar
Address: Shop OT G62, G/F, Ocean Terminal, Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong; instagram.com/charcoalbar_hk

Tatler Asia
Above Photo: Gavin Yeung/Tatler Dining

Socio

The newest watering hole on Central's Staunton Street is Socio, a cocktail bar from spirits professional Amir Javaid and the team behind Finding Daisy. Belying its small footprint, Socio's drinks menu has globe-spanning ambitions, with "single-origin" cocktails that hone in on the unique botanical and spirits landscapes of locations from around the world. Celebrating Australia, the Anise Myrtle combines its namesake aromatic with blackberry, coconut soda, pomelo vermouth and wattleseed; while the Kome doffs its hat to Japan with notes of wasabi, melon, sake, elderflower and miso.

Socio
Address: 17 Staunton Street, Central, Hong Kong; instagram.com/socio.hk

Uogashi Nihonichi

Uogashi Nihonichi, a Japanese fresh fish specialist from Tokyo, expanded its presence in Hong Kong with a vibrant new standing sushi bar in Central Market, following its debut at Airside, Kai Tak. Embracing its fish-market heritage, this second location offers a lively atmosphere with affordable Edomae-style sushi and premium seafood. Rice bowls, including Wagyu beef with uni and king crab options, are available at lunch alongside sushi and deluxe omakase sets that highlight seasonal seafood delicacies. The Central Market branch, part of a planned expansion across Hong Kong, combines time-honoured Japanese cuisine with a unique dining vibe, complemented by a selection of premium sake and Japanese whiskeys.

Uogashi Nihonichi, Central
Address: G12, G/F Central Market, 80 Des Voeux Central, Central, Hong Kong; instagram.com/uogashinihonichi.hk

January

Sabatini

Opened in Rome for 65 years and in The Royal Garden for 31 years, Sabatini has expanded to a gilded new home in IFC, designed by Steve Leung Design Group with plenty of rooms large and small to accommodate all manner of dinner congregations. Chef Marco Livoti, previously of Sake Central and Rosita, heads the classically-oriented Italian menu here, which includes plates like homemade bigoli in Veneto-style duck ragu, New Zealand scampi carpaccio with Oscetra caviar, and dry marinated Wagyu beef with horseradish mayonnaise and wild rocket. 

Sabatini
Address: Shop 4008, Level 4, ifc mall, 8 Finance Street, Central, Hong Kong; instagram.com/ifcsabatini

Carna by Dario Cecchini

You might have seen the mustachioed, Tricolore-wearing celebrity butcher Dario Cecchini on social media, and now you can try his bistecca as well with the opening of Carna in the new Mondrian Hong Kong, featuring atmospheric spaces designed by Joyce Wang. Panzanese steak, anyone?

Carna by Dario Cecchini
Address: 39/F, Mondrian Hong Kong, 8A Hart Avenue, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong; book.ennismore.com

2Sup

The reincarnation of Sup1, a cult French-Cantonese bistro that opened in the early 2000s, 2Sup (‘twenty’ in Cantonese in reference to the new address) brings back founder Vincent Wong’s penchant for mixing various cultural influences in lip-smacking dishes alongside budget-friendly wine pairings.

2Sup
Address: 20 High Street, Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong; instagram.com/2suphk

Trattoria Felino

Ex-Grissini head chef Marcello Scognamiglio has opened a modern Neapolitan trattoria with ex-Zuma restaurant manager Felix de Arriaga, bringing easygoing dishes such as pizza nel ruotino and braised yellow chicken in a claypot to a space that evokes the rawness of the streets of Naples.

Trattoria Felino
1-7 Ship Street, Wan Chai, Hong Kong; instagram.com/trattoriafelinohk

Qura

Intimate and decadent, the new bar at Regent Hong Kong is rendered in Art Deco and vintage accents, with harbour views to boot. With rare spirits and a cigar lounge in tow, this is one cocktail den to while away the hours.

Qura
Address: Lobby Floor, Regent Hong Kong, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong; hongkong.regenthotels.com

December

Tatler Asia
Above Photo: Lai Sun Dining

Plaisance by Mauro Colagreco

Chef-owner of Mirazur, which was crowned best restaurant in the world by World's 50 Best in 2019, Mauro Colagreco has unveiled Plaisance, a three-storey dining destination on Central's swanky Duddell Street. Derived from the French term for leisure, the restaurant was created alongside Lai Sun Dining and spans nearly 10,000 square feet in total, with each level representing a different depths of the ocean from the member's lounge in the basement, to the casual bistro and bar on the ground floor, and the fine-dining restaurant on the first floor. Accordingly, the ever-changing menu will draw from sustainable marine sources in dishes like kinmedai with rooibos tea-tomato sauce, abalone with koji and marine liver sauce, and sawara with beetroot and black shallots.

Plaisance by Mauro Colagreco
Address: 1 Duddell Street, Central, Hong Kong

Tatler Asia
Above Anne-Sophie Pic (Photo: Forty Five)

The Cristal Room by Anne-Sophie Pic

Transformed by the Parisian studio Gilles et Boissier, the designers behind the Baccarat Hotel in New York, The Cristal Room is a thoroughly elegant affair, thanks in part to its collaboration with French fine crystal brand Baccarat. Setting the tone for highly decorated French chef Anne-Sophie Pic's cuisine, the design captures the spirit of Baccarat, exemplified by an entrance with a chandelier that embodies the four elements of earth, air, fire and water.

Pic, who has garnered 10 Michelin stars across her restaurants including one-Michelin-starred La Dame de Pic in Singapore, draws from her storied lineage and decades of culinary innovation to introduce dishes that interpret Asian ingredients for a top-class French fine-dining experience, including Yunnan peas with geranium rosat leaves and caviar; and Les Berlingots ASP, pasta filled with 24-months aged comté.

The Cristal Room
Address: 44/F, Forty-Five, Gloucester Tower, Landmark, Hong Kong

Leela

Derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Lila’, Leela is the new “culinary playground” of Manav Tuli, the former head chef of Chaat in Rosewood and Tatler Dining's Chef of the Year 2022. Found in Lee Gardens Three, Leela offers a la carte and set menus that will highlight dishes influenced by the Mauryan dynasty, the largest empire in Indian history, in which locality and seasonality were key. Local meat, vegetables, grains and spices sourced from the likes of Prime Organic Limited, Farmhouse Productions, Hong Kong Aquaculture and Wah Kee Farms feature prominently in dishes like Lucknowi Tokri Chaat, a beloved snack inspired by Royal Café in India, and Saoji Lamb Shank, a reinterpretation of a classic dish from Nagpur.

Leela
Address: Shop 301-310, Lee Garden Three, 1 Sunning Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong; instagram.com/leela.hkg

Tatler Asia
Above Photo: Kinsman

Kinsman

New to Peel Street in Soho is Kinsman, a Cantonese cocktail salon from Singular Concepts. Featuring an interior inspired by the films of Wong Kar-Wai, especially the seminal In the Mood for Love, the bar was designed in collaboration with Atelier Shan. In an effort to highlight overlooked Cantonese and Chinese spirits, the cocktail menu primarily features the likes of Yuk Bing Siu, black glutinous rice wine, monkfruit spirit, and local amaros from Magnolia Lab in cocktails such as the Kowloon Dairy, a Hong Kong-style milk punch with a salted cream cap, and the Papaya Van Winkle, a Martinez-style stirred drink with papaya wine, N.I.P gin, roselle liqueur and tomato syrup. Meanwhile, the food menu consists of creative Cantonese bistro fare like a Chinese sausage platter sourced from nearby Sai Ying Pun, baked Wagyu ox tongue rice with 24-month aged Comté cheese, and a selection of contemporary tong sui (Chinese dessert soups) with the option of adding a spirit pairing.

Kinsman
Address: G/F, 65 Peel Street, Central, Hong Kong; instagram.com/kinsman.hk, book.bistrochat.com/kinsman

House of Culture

Former Brut chef Gavin Chin's new homage to Asian-Australian cooking is now open in Sai Ying Pun after a year in the works. Styling itself as a culinary home for third-culture kids—much like Chin's own upbringing as a Malaysian-Australian in Perth—House of Culture features geologic interiors inspired by natural Australian hotspots like Uluru and Margaret River, within which Chin serves his distinct brand of boundary-crossing cooking. Expect dishes like 12-hour slow-cooked short rib with rendang reduction, laksa donut with coffee oil, and Kagoshima pork chop marinated in apple and shio koji. Former Woo Cheong Tea House bar manager Panda Lee helms the bar here, with equally creative pours like a clarified Bloody Mary with shrimp and tomato.

House of Culture
Address: Shop B, G/F, Kenbo Commercial Building, 335-339 Queen's Road West, Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong; book.bistrochat.com/houseofculture

Nikutoieba Matsuda

Renowned Japanese Wagyu restaurant Nikutoeiba Matsuda has chosen Hong Kong to open their first international outpost. With locations in Nara and Osaka, it's known as being one of the most difficult restaurants to book in the Kansai region. Seating only nine guests at a time, the restaurant serves the same menu as the Japan locations, with Wagyu starring in every one of the 14 courses—meaning there's no fish or vegetable courses to bulk up the menu. Featuring signature dishes like Wagyu beef tartare sushi and Wagyu fillet cutlet sandwich, the kitchen is helmed by Ishibashi Hitoshi, who trained extensively with co-founder Shinji Matsuda.

Nikutoeiba Matsuda
Address: 39 Gough Street, Central, Hong Kong

Dead Poets

Opened by the team behind The Old Man, Dead Poets is a new dive bar on Aberdeen Street in Central that transforms into a cafe and barber shop by Sauce by day. Cocktails on the opening menu include Whisky Bar, a mix of salted coconut and caramel, mint shiso and Rebel Yell bourbon; and Unknown Pleasure, featuring salted Sprite, plum cream-custard, Plum I Suppose from Empirical Spirits, and vodka.

Dead Poets
41-49 Aberdeen Street, Central, Hong Kong; instagram.com/deadpoetshk

Chôm Chôm

Soho mainstay Chôm Chôm has reopened after a month-long renovation, offering a revamped experience and a new menu of Vietnamese street food-inspired dishes. Inspired by a team trip undertaken over the course of a month in Vietnam, head chef Logan Hester has assembled a repertoire of dishes like the chicken and cabbage salad, pho roll, salt and pepper soft shell crab and Ca Ri fried chicken. Meanwhile, the cocktail menu focuses on easy-drinking, flavourful concoctions, including the signature Pho-jito, the Kaffir Lime Margarita, and the Chôm Chôm Espresso, a twist on the espresso martini.

Chôm Chôm
Address: 58 Peel Street, Central, Hong Kong; +852 2810 0850, chomchom.com.hk

Bochord

With its lush, walnut-panelled interiors and leather banquettes, this new opening in Causeway Bay’s World Trade Centre is the perfect retreat to while away the chillier days of December. Named after the old English word for a library, Bochord aims to create an atmospheric dining experience bolstered by dishes like Nagasaki chicken roulade, Carabinero prawn with shrimp roe noodles, and grilled A5 Miyazaki Wagyu rib cap.

Bochord
Address: L1101, 11/F, World Trade Centre, 280 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. +852 3613 0092

November

Melody: House of Food & Music

Arriving in Sai Ying Pun, Melody: House of Food & Music is a unique venue combining dining, drinking, and entertainment across five distinct rooms—a Kitchen, Dining Room, Music Room, Bar Lounge, and Garden Room—where guests can expect delectable plates, carefully crafted drinks, and a stellar music program. Led by chef Jamie Draper, the kitchen offers elevated modern European dishes inspired by his classical training. Bar manager Kaan Gilmour curates a diverse beverage program, while music scene legend Johnny Hiller oversees the music experience, selecting hits from genres as diverse as Cantopop to 1970's Cambodian jazz, Balearic, cosmic, wave and electronic.

Melody: House of Food & Music
Address: 100 Third Street, Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong. melodyhongkong.com

Alice Pizza

Renowned Roman pan pizza specialist Alice Pizza has opened its first Asian branch in Wan Chai. The brand is known for its thin, light, and crispy pizzas, baked in large rectangular tins and sliced to order, with the majority of ingredients imported from Italy and Hong Kong's pizzaioli trained by instructors from the prestigious Alice Pizza Academy. Staying true to the brand's heritage of artisanal Roman pan pizza, the menu offers a variety of options, from classic flavours to vegetarian, vegan, and innovative creations. 

Alice Pizza
Address: G/F, 92 Queen’s Road East, Wan Chai, Hong Kong. +852 2518 3502, alicepizza.hk

Nobu

Open in 2006 until the renovation of InterContinental Hong Kong in 2018, Nobu makes its highly anticipated return to the Tsim Sha Tsui harbourfront at Regent Hong Kong. Nobu Matsuhisa's namesake restaurant is known for its distinctive fusion of Japanese cuisine with Peruvian influences, with signature dishes like the famous black cod with miso, yellowtail jalapeño, and toro tartare with caviar rubbing shoulders with South American-inspired delights like tirodito and Nobu ceviche. The omakase menu encompasses a curated selection of Nobu classics, crafted with the finest and responsibly sourced local ingredients. Leading the culinary team at Nobu Hong Kong is executive chef Jason Au, a seasoned expert in modern Japanese and Asian cuisine. 

Nobu
Address: 2/F, Regent Hong Kong, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong; +852 2313 2313, dining.regenthk@ihg.com

Yi Pin Prawn

Founded by Hsiao Wen Ming in Taiwan, Yi Pin Prawn has opened its flagship store in Tsim Sha Tsui for shellfish lovers of all stripes. The flagship introduces 17 new prawn flavours alongside a selection of scrumptious side dishes: expect the likes of pepper prawn, salted duck egg prawn, garlic prawns, steamed chilled beer prawns, salted clams, pepper conch, grilled cuttlefish sausage, sesame oil vermicelli, sesame chicken, and more. To ensure the utmost freshness and quality, live prawns are delivered daily and cooked to order in a specially designed cauldron that enhances the natural flavours of each ingredient. 

Yi Pin Prawn
Address: UG/F, 80 Kimberley Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. +852 3996 9304

New York Cut

Steak lovers have another haunt in town with the opening of New York Cut. Located in Central's H Queen's building, the restaurant focuses on premium steak dishes with its collection of top-notch beef from eight countries across Europe, America, and Asia. The menu features an array of signature steaks including the likes of 120-day grain-fed Hanwoo from South Korea and Galacia milk-fed sirloin from Spain, alongside other main course options and delectable American desserts.

New York Cut
Address: 2/F, H Queen’s, 80 Queen’s Road Central, Central, Hong Kong. +852 2555 0666, newyorkcut.com.hk

Terracotta Lamma

The team behind The Shady Acres has expanded their footprint to sunny Lamma Island with the opening of Terracotta, a seaside restaurant and holiday home. Ex-Bedu chef Richard Solnik serves seasonal Mediterranean dishes using a charcoal grill, while sessionable cocktails and alcoholic pitchers from the minds behind Honky Tonks Tavern and Quality Goods Club are available to sip on. The private abode on the first floor is due to launch later in the year to welcome holiday-makers.

Terracotta Lamma
Address: G/F, 47 Yung Shue Wan Main Street, Lamma Island, Hong Kong. +852 9176 7500, terracottalamma.com

October

Yuan

Replacing the short-lived Kontrasto on Hollywood Road is Yuan, which styles itself as Hong Kong's first contemporary vegetarian Chinese fine-dining concept. Conceived by chef Ronald Shao, who heads up Mian at The Murray, and executed by head chef Law Chak-Kei, Yuan's cuisine ascribes to Buddhist tenets of harmonising the five flavours of sour, bitter, sweet, spicy and salty, while avoiding "pungent" vegetables like the five allium plants of scallions, garlic, chives, leeks, and onions. Signature dishes include portobello mushroom stuffed with shredded king oyster mushrooms, jicama, and morel mushrooms; braised winter melon with preserved vegetables, a vegetarian take on Dongpo pork; and the Crystal Dumpling, made from thinly sliced radish and filled with mixed beans puree, peach gum, and various vegetables. The 12-course dinner tasting menu starts from HK$1,280 per person, while the lunch tasting menu is priced at HK$680.

Yuan
Address: Shop 2, G/F, Chinachem Hollywood Centre, 1-13 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong. instagram.com/yuanhongkong, +852 2728 7278

The Alchemist's Philosophy

The newest kid on the molecular mixology block is The Alchemist's Philosophy. Headed by Matthew Lau, formerly of Moonkok, the cocktail bar serves up libations based on the seven stages of the alchemical transformation: the Two Faced combines mayonnaise and mustard with Cabernet Sauvignon and represents the stage of separation, while the Smouldering Ember represents calcination with its smoke-filled medley of herbs and cucumber.

The Alchemist's Philosophy
Address: 14/F, 10 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong. instagram.com/thealchemistphilosophy

Blotto

Easygoing neighbourhood bar Blotto is the latest addition to Kennedy Town, with Austen Lendrum of Apothecary heading up the drinks programme. Featuring cocktails with names such as Fuddled, Drunk as a Skunk and Elevated, the menu also features a selection of smoothies and food items like hot dogs. Actual dogs are also welcome here, while regular quiz nights are sure to keep regulars coming back time and again.

Blotto
Address: 66-68 Catchick Street, Kennedy Town, Hong Kong. instagram.com/blottobar_hk

El Taquero

Hong Kong is slowly but surely headed towards taco parity with the opening of Mexican restaurant El Taquero in Wan Chai. Opened by Epicurean Group, the 45-seat eatery is helmed by executive chef Alejandro Ramírez Pérez, whose affinity for the regional cuisines of Hidalgo, Nayarit, Jalisco and Mexico City informs the menu. The "trompo", a vertically rotating spit rotisserie that was first introduced to Mexico in 1800 by Lebanese immigrants, is the centrepiece of the restaurant, with the taco al pastor being a signature item. It's joined by dishes like other tacos like the fish sayulita, Oaxacan chapulines and pollo adobado, best washed down with a sizeable margarita and cocktail selection.

El Taquero
Address: Shops B-F, G/F, Yan King Court, 119 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai, Hong Kong. +852 2811 1998, instagram.com/eltaquerohk

Anju

Found in Civic Square atop Elements in West Kowloon, Anju brings the convivial atmosphere of South Korea's neighbourhood restaurants where food and drink are enjoyed in equal measure. Accommodating 70 diners at any one time, Anju serves up late-night comfort food such as galibijang and jeonbogjang, which is a new take on the popular Korean dish of raw crab marinated in soy-sauce brine; bang-eo hoe, where kingfish is wrapped in lettuce alongside avocado purée, watermelon radish and perilla; and the house signature Yangnyeom chicken, where local three-yellow chicken chopped into pieces, cooked twice for crispiness, then stir-fried with sugar, vinegar, gochujang and soy for tangy goodness. No Korean meal is complete without copious amounts of alcohol—to that end, Korean liqueurs, soju, beer, somaek, makgeolli and cocktails are available to order.

Anju
Address: Shop R004, Civic Square, Elements, Kowloon Station, 1 Austin Road West, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. +852 2196 8733

Shop B

Sister restaurant to the recently revamped Pondi, Shop B is chef George Kwok's take on Hong Kong's iconic dai pai dong stalls. The all-fun, no-frills dining experience encompasses Cantonese wok-fried classics like dry-aged fried pigeon marinated in soybean curd, lemon chicken, stir-fry king, and the slightly more unconventional potato and Chinese sausage salad with onsen egg—all washed down with copious amounts of Blue Girl beer.

Shop B
Address: Shop B, 10-14 Fuk Sau Lane, Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong. instagram.com/shopb.hk

Tatler Asia
Above Bengal Brothers founders Vidur Yadav and Tanvir Bhasin (Photo: Nichol Mak / Tatler Hong Kong)

Bengal Brothers

Initially opened as a takeaway stall in Wan Chai, Bengal Brothers has now expanded into a buzzy canteen seating 25. The eatery now boasts an extended menu of regional Indian street food classics, including chaats, snacks, kathi rolls and large plates, all clamouring to be washed down with chilled beers, cocktails, and whisky. The ADDA brunch every Sunday from 11am to 3pm is as good an introduction as any to the cuisine of South India, with eggs Kejriwal and Idli plates, Mimosas and Gin Rickeys on offer. 

Bengal Brothers
Address: G/F, 6 Johnston Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong. instagram.com/bengalbrothershk

Donovan's

Veteran chef Donovan Cooke has opened an eponymous fine-dining restaurant in Causeway Bay. A native of Yorkshire, Cooke trained at London's The Savoy and with the likes of Michel Roux and Marco Pierre White, before moving to Melbourne where he opened classical French restaurants est est est and Ondine. Since 2004, he has cooked at the Hong Kong Jockey Club's Derby Restaurant as chef de cuisine, where he was recognised as an Honorary Commandeur of La Commanderie des Cordons Bleus de France. At Donovan's, Cooke serves contemporary European dishes as part of an eight-course tasting menu, which includes dishes like kingfish with heirloom tomato, olive and feta sorbet, and red prawn tartare with cauliflower and caviar.

Donovan's
Address: 16F, Cubus, 1 Hoi Ping Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. instagram.com/donovan.hongkong

Nissa La Bella

Inspired by the French Riviera, Nissa La Bella has revamped its interior and menu along the lines of a bistro and wine bar concept. Featuring cosy red banquettes, polished wooden furnishings, vintage posters and artwork, the new spaces play host to the cooking of chef Cyril Dieumegard, whose new menu offers joue de boeuf and bouillabaisse alongside a wine list featuring an array of reds, whites, and sparkling wines from both renowned and emerging vineyards in Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Champagne.

Nissa La Bella
Address: 10-14 Upper Station Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong. pastis.hk/nissa-la-bella

Chôm Chôm

Chôm Chôm, which closed its doors temporarily for an extensive renovation in July, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year and has reopened, offering the tradition of bia hoi, enjoying fresh beers on the street, once more. This hiatus, however, was more than a mere physical transformation. Head chef Logan Hester led the team on a month-long tour across Vietnam, diving into its rich food culture and flavours as they went. Inspired by their trip, the Chôm Chôm team will be serving a menu of Vietnamese street food-inspired dishes such as ca ri fried chicken, crispy duck rolls, grilled toi bo prawn and more, along with vibrant cocktails and bia hoi-style beers on tap.

Chôm Chôm
Address: 58-60 Peel Street, Soho, Central, Hong Kong. chomchom.com.hk

September

001

After a hiatus, Hong Kong's first speakeasy cocktail bar makes a comeback in swanky new quarters hidden somewhere in Tai Kwun. Ensconced behind a heavy, black door decorated with a single ornate doorbell, the interiors of 001 are designed by Canalside Studio to reflect the heritage of its historic location using intricate mirrored details and sweeping wooden accents, alongside intimate booth seating for clandestine conversations. 001 is currently in its soft opening phase and is not accepting any reservations.

001, Tai Kwun, 10 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong; instagram.com/001.hk

Lockdown

Look for the toilet to find the latest venture of Indonesian bar veterans Agung and Laura Prabowo, whose newest opening, Lockdown, pays tribute to Hong Kong's period of social restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic. Located just opposite Penicillin, the bar seats only thirty guests at any given time, and encompasses a rotating bar station conceptualised by Agung Prabowo himself. On the menu, expect 25 cocktails priced at HK$100 under three different categories: Experimental, Vintage and Remastered, made using the latest technology and trends in mixology. Find out more.

Lockdown, G/F 27 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong; +852 6201 5855

Tokyo's two-Michelin-starred Sushi Kanesaka has opened its latest overseas branch serving Edomae omakase with Lai Sun Dining, taking over the space that formerly housed Masa Hong Kong. Just 20 lucky guests at a time are able to sample the craft of head chef Seiji Taniguchi, formerly of Sushi Kanesaka's prestigious Tokyo Palace Hotel branch and who trained under Kanesaka's protégé, Kikuchi Shunsuke. Watch the video above for a closer look at what it's like to dine at Kanesaka Hong Kong, and find out more here.

Kanesaka Hong Kong, 5/F, CCB Tower, 3 Connaught Road Central, Central, Hong Kong; +852 2117 1175, kanesakahk.com

Kew+

Gaia Group's newest project spans over 7,000 square feet in Harbour City, offering something for everyone. Inspired by the Kew Gardens in London, the foliage-laden venue encompasses both indoor and outdoor dining areas, serving diverse cuisines ranging from dim sum to Western grilled delicacies and Japanese sushi. The beverage menu also spans the day, with seasonal fruit teas and cocktails alike. Meanwhile, the pastry section is the place to go for cream cakes, fruit tarts, cheesecakes and more.

Kew+, Shop 412, Ocean Centre, Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong; +852 3480 6771

Bistro La Baie

New to the Tseung Kwan O Promenade is Bistro La Baie, a modern French bistro led by chef Devon Hou, previously of Cobo House. The menu pays tribute to France's culinary traditions, encompassing both familiar bistro classics and innovative creations. Warm starters such as roast bone marrow with escargot and Angus beef tartare segue into main courses like duck fat confit halibut and "La Baie" bouillabaisse, which highlight the ocean's riches. The culinary journey concludes with the indulgent citrus crème brulée tart, offering a twist on a classic dessert. 

Bistro La Baie, Shop G02, G/F, Monterey Place, 23 Tong Chun Street, Tseung Kwan O, Hong Kong; +852 2360 0801

Penna

Joining sister restaurants like Pano and Pleka, chef Ken Lau's latest addition to his repertoire is Penna, a home-style Italian restaurant opening in Cityplaza in Taikoo Shing. Offering hearty, affordable dishes from the south of Italy, the menu can be split into handmade pasta dishes like carbonara and lobster ricotta cheese ravioli; lesser-known appetisers like deep-fried beef tripe, roasted bone marrow with baked oysters and roasted Italian escargot; and more substantially, meat dishes like charcoal-grilled 10oz M5 Wagyu sirloin and roasted three-yellow chicken. For the office crowd, Penna is already cooking up a lunch set priced from HK$168 and up.

Penna, Shop 314, 3/F, Cityplaza, 18 Taikoo Shing Road, Taikoo, Hong Kong; +852 2886 3378

Mâm Amis

Opened by the team behind Chilli Fagara, Mâm Amis is a new Vietnamese eatery in Sheung Wan that brings a menu centred around Indochinese sharing dishes within heritage-inspired interiors. Expect dependable heavy hitters like wok-fried spicy curry crab, Vietnamese-style chicken curry, succulent 48-hour slow-cooked beef short ribs roasted on an open-flame BBQ grill, and the house signature phở. Meanwhile, a cocktail menu designed by Raphael Holzer of Fernet Hunter pays tribute to legendary Vietnamese jazz singer Hong Thanh using a number of Vietnamese spirits infused with herbs and aromatics. 

Mâm Amis, Shop A & B, 27 Hillier Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong; +852 2893 3309

Bar Anima

Previously the head bartender at Dio Cafe & Bar, Bone Cheng is one of the faces behind Bar Anima, a Japanese-style cocktail bar that offers precisely made classic cocktails and seasonal fruit-based libations in relaxed settings. From mainstays like the Manhattan and Vieux Carré to lesser-known recipes like the Adonis and Grasshopper, anything goes at this cosy watering hole where conversation with the bartenders is highly encouraged.

Bar Anima, 8/F, Stanley 11, 11 Stanley Street, Central, Hong Kong; +852 5133 4555, instagram.com/bar.animahk

August

Perla

Having shed a questionable name, Radicalchic, which occupied a 101st-floor space atop the ICC, has now been revamped as Perla, a fine Italian restaurant that shifts its focus to the south of Italy and the Amalfi coast. Headed by chef Fabiano Palombini of the exceptionally short-lived Kontrasto, the menu at Perla is ostensibly one of simplicity with seafood at the fore—a 2.5-meter-wide aquarium that houses the catch of the day attests to this. Priced at HK$1,680 per head, the six-course tasting menu features the likes of yellowfin tuna tartare with Japanese white uni, guazzetto seafood stew with kinki fish and sea bream, and homemade "cappelletti" ravioli with cod and sea bream filling.

Perla, Shop B1, 101/F, International Commerce Centre, 1 Austin Road West, West Kowloon, Hong Kong; +852 3618 7880

Chapter

Replacing the former site of Duck & Waffle in IFC Mall, Chapter is a newly opened, casual European restaurant serving breakfast, dinner and everything in between. Split into three sections, Chapter opens at 7.30am when the bakery counter begins serving freshly baked pastries, artisanal sandwiches and healthy salads alongside a coffee selection. The lunch menu in the dining hall rotates bi-weekly, with handmade pasta, seafood and meat dishes alongside a salad bar. Afternoon tea and early evening drinks bridge the gap until dinner, at which point Chapter rolls out three-course set menus; and on weekends, a brunch menu makes full use of the restaurant's harbour views and light-filled space.

Chapter, Shop 1081, 1/F, IFC Mall, 8 Finance Street, Central, Hong Kong; +852 2982 1883

Man Yuen Restaurant

Wong Tai Sin is a neighbourhood that rarely features on our pages, but leave it to CK Poon, the charismatic ex-manager of Tatler Dining 20 honouree Forum, to bring the neighbourhood back on our radar with the opening of his own institution, Man Yuen Restaurant. Found in the shopping centre of a housing estate in the shadow of Lion Rock, the restaurant offers value for money in nostalgic and rarely-found Cantonese dishes such as pan-fried honey-glazed golden oysters, deep-fried eels with preserved black olives and aged tangerine peel, and pig liver siu mai. Meanwhile, Poon's decades of experience in the F&B industry keep the wheels of the restaurant operation well-greased and the service approachable and attentive.

Man Yuen Restaurant, Shop S02, 2/F, Tin Ma Court Shopping Centre, 55 Chuk Yuen Road, Wong Tai Sin, Hong Kong; +852 3188 9095, instagram.com/manyuenrestaurant

Check In Taipei

The third opening in just one year, Check In Taipei's newest location in Causeway Bay pays homage to the railroads of Taiwan through immersive interior design by local outfit Design Eight Five Two—following in the footsteps of the preceding two locations in Harbour City and Yuen Long, which took inspiration from the cities and coastline of Taiwan respectively. Replete with an entrance inspired by the Longteng bridge ruins, train car-inspired booths and a main dining room crowned by a "skylight" surrounded by a ceiling mural, the restaurant doesn't skimp either when it comes to the photogenic quality of its dish offerings—in addition to the standard fare of lu rou fan and braised beef noodles, new dishes unique to this location include the golden seafood congee with crab, clams and shrimp head oil; and the made-for-Instagram taro coconut milk mochi.

Check In Taipei, Shop 7, 4/F, World Trade Centre, 280 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong; checkintaipei.hk

C View

The team behind the Curator cafe chain has partnered with acclaimed homegrown designer Alan Chan to open C View, a design-forward Shanghainese restaurant perched atop the tower of M+. Blessed with views of the Hong Kong skyline, the restaurant interiors take cues from the East-meets-West architectural language of M+ as designed by Herzog & de Meuron's, with a limited colour palette and shifting volumes that explore the interplay between light and shadow in real time. The menu, meanwhile, features heavy hitters from Shanghainese cuisine, as well as the cuisines of the surrounding provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang—diners can expect the likes of steamed freshwater herring, Huadiao-marinated “drunken” chicken and deep-fried sweet and sour mandarin fish with pine nuts.

C View, 16/F, M+, 38 Museum Drive, West Kowloon, Hong Kong; +852 2880 5535, curatordining.com/cview

KIN Sheung Wan

KIN Food Halls has expanded to Sheung Wan from its original base in Quarry Bay, delivering its ethos of responsibly sourced produce and quality fast food to a new neighbourhood. Despite the smaller footprint than the original, the new food hall packs a punch with its food offerings: the opening menu features the likes of chilled konjac noodles from Michelin Bib Gourmand-recognised Twins Liangpi; soba noodle salad from homegrown alt-milk brand Momo's; Malaysian TV host Jason Yeoh's organic beef rendang; and organic pad kra pao from Easy Buddy in Bangkok.

KIN, G/F, Wing Cheong Commercial Building, 19-25 Jervois Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong; kinfoodhalls.com

Chatterbox Cafe

Best known for its mandarin chicken rice and laksa noodles, Singaporean restaurant Chatterbox Cafe has expanded to newly-opened mall The Wai in Tai Wai. The new location is an ode to all things Singaporean, with the menu featuring the likes of stir-fried ocean prawns with crispy oatmeal and Singapore Assam sea bass, alongsides classics like mandarin chicken rice, white pepper bak kut teh, and Chatterbox king prawns laksa. The new branch at The Wai also incorporates Singaporean art and design elements, including a mural created by the renowned Singaporean art collective Ripple Root.

Chatterbox Cafe, Shop 304, 3/F, The Wai, 18 Che Kung Miu Road, Tai Wai, Hong Kong; facebook.com/chatterboxcafehongkong

Nove at The Galleria

Chef Umberto Bombana's modern dim sum lounge, Nove, is expanding with a new location in The Galleria on Queen's Road Central, adding to its sister outlet at The Fringe Club. Taking over the two-level space that was formerly home to Margo and Kyle & Bain, Nove offers classic dim sum dishes alongside a signature Peking duck, available in half portions. Meanwhile, the mixology program features classic riffs and tea-inspired cocktails.

Nove at The Galleria, Shop 6, The Galleria, 9 Queen's Road Central, Hong Kong; +852 2180 6799

Rozan

New to Hong Kong's thriving kappo scene is Rozan, opened in Wan Chai under the Lai Sun Dining umbrella. Seating only eight at a traditional counter, Rozan is open to members only and takes just one reservation each night to ensure the full privacy of its diners. Chef Takashi Hasegawa heads the culinary programme, which is entirely catered to the tastes of each dinner party, though the ingredients are always flown in from Japan for the most authentic seasonal flavours.

Rozan, G/F, The Oakhill, 18 Wood Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong; +852 5599 8132

Barcode

Previously found high above Central on Glenealy, bar, cafe and dessert parlour Barcode has moved to a more amenable location with its latest reincarnation. With its plush lounge setting and views of the Mid-Levels escalator, it's the perfect spot to sip on coffee or a dessert-inspired cocktail while people-watching all day long.

Barcode, UG/F, 45 Cochrane Street, Central, Hong Kong; instagram.com/bar_coffee_dessert

Teppanyaki Mihara Goten & Takumi Mixology Salon

Causeway Bay welcomes a one-two punch of gastronomy with the opening of Teppanyaki Mihara Goten, the latest addition to the portfolio of Japanese chef Terufumi Mihara, who also runs the original Teppanyaki Mihara in Tseung Kwan O alongside Trattoria Kagawa in Wan Chai. Serving lunch and dinner menus, the latter priced from HK$1,580 for 10 courses, Goten specialises in surf-and-turf dishes grilled on the teppan, with signatures like grilled Australian lobster with rich hollandaise sauce, and Kumamoto A5 Wagyu sirloin and tenderloin.

Sharing a wall with Goten is Japanese-style speakeasy Takumi Mixology Salon, helmed by bartender Rayven Leung. The menu features original cocktails and twists on classics, though it's the option of bespoke cocktails in which Takumi specialises, with the bartender creating libations on-the-fly and customised to the whims of the guest.

Teppanyaki Mihara Goten, 3/F, Cubus, 1 Hoi Ping Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong; instagram.com/goten.hk

July

Tatler Asia

Intervals

A new artisanal cocktail bar has touched down at the Skybridge of Hong Kong International Airport. Taking its name from such "intervals" that airport time is measured in, this new craft cocktail space was created by Mei Mei Song, former Tatler editor and current director of global brands and transformation at Plaza Premium Group, alongside spirits educator Victoria Chow, who headed the creative direction for the cocktail programme. The menu itself has been broken down into flights of cocktails which drinkers can choose depending on how long of an interval they have before their next flight, while a revolving selection of eight pinchos (tapas-style bar snacks) served from a perambulating trolley make for the perfect snack-sized bites to scoff down in a jiffy.

Intervals, Unit 9SB206, Level 9, Skybridge, Hong Kong International Airport, Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong; intervalsbar.com

1st & Beaudry

It's been a long time coming, but after a year's delay owing to the pandemic, Esdras Ochoa of 11 Westside fame has finally opened his latest restaurant, 1st & Beaudry, at The Arca hotel in Wong Chuk Hang. Named after the street corner in downtown Los Angeles where Ochoa began selling tacos 16 years ago, the restaurant pays homage to the distinct cuisine that the City of Angels is known for, borne from the cultural mish-mash found in the Californian metropolis that mixes Mexican, Korean, Vietnamese and Middle Eastern communities. Open only for lunch during the soft opening phase, the menu features sections dedicated to salads, bowls, soups, sandwiches and tacos—among the highlights are the M.B. Chowdah, a classic American clam chowder served in a housemade sourdough bowl; the Cubano with honey glazed ham, pork belly pil-pil and melted Swiss cheese; and the East of Crenshaw, a taco featuring a blue corn tortilla, bluefin tuna, ancho chilli and avocado.

1st & Beaudry, 7/F, The Arca, 43 Heung Yip Road, Wong Chuk Hang, Hong Kong; instagram.com/1st_and_beaudry

Read more: First look: 1st & Beaudry brings Esdras Ochoa's LA memories to Wong Chuk Hang

Eggslut

Californian fast food chain Eggslut has opened first Hong Kong location in Causeway Bay's Fashion Walk. Founded as a food truck in 2011 by Alvin Cailan, the cult brand has since expanded to five locations across the United States, as well as international outposts in Singapore, Seoul, Tokyo and London. The menu at Hong Kong's Eggslut stays true to cult items like the Fairfax and Gaucho sandwiches, with the all-important free-range eggs sourced from New Zealand, and the brioche buns made locally to exacting specifications by Bakehouse. Don't miss out on sides like truffle hash browns and the "Slut"—a glass jar filled with a coddled egg atop mashed potato with gray salt and chives—all washed down with a cup of fresh OJ.

Eggslut, Shop 2, G/F, Fashion Walk, 11-19 Great George Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong; eggslut.com

Tatler Asia
Above Photo: The Volcano

The Volcano

The latest addition to Hong Kong's bubbling hotpot scene is The Volcano, the city's first mu kratha restaurant specialising in a style of hotpot indigenous to Thailand that both grills meat and boils vegetables and other ingredients in the same dome-shaped pot. Within a tribal-themed interior, diners can indulge in an array of authentic Thai flavours, including the restaurant's signature Mookata hot pot, for which diners can pick from soup bases like beef bone boat noodle soup, and chicken soup with lemongrass and coconut milk. Other popular items on the menu include butterfly pea flower mango sticky rice, and shrimp chips with salted egg yolk sauce, all washed down with colourful Thai coolers. 

The Volcano, Unit B, 1/F, 10 Canal Road West, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong; instagram.com/the.volcano.mookata

Tatler Asia
Above Photo: Aroma Wine Bistro

Aroma Wine Bistro

Opening in Causeway Bay, this new Nordic-inspired dining destination from Caffeination Group offers a haven for grape juice enthusiasts with a curated wine list that features over 200 labels, with a focus on Burgundy's best alongside artisanal producers. Chef Roger Boschman incorporates the restaurant's wine-centric ethos into the food menu in pairing items such as fried chicken with Jura vin jaune sauce, burrata crab meat agnolotti, M8 Wagyu zabuton steak and French cheeses. With seating for up to 26 guests, the restaurant also features an alfresco dining area on the balcony.

Aroma Wine Bistro, Shop 206-210, Lee Garden 3, 1 Sunning Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong; +852 9591 6838

Maggie Choo's

Ashley Sutton has done it again: following closely in the footsteps of the opening of The Mixing Room, the Australian miner-turned-bar designer has brought Maggie Choo's, a bar and cabaret concept that originally opened in Bangkok, to a hidden location just opposite Tai Kwun. Disguised as an ersatz antiques shop, a press of a button opens up a secret door into a cavernous space designed to resemble an old-timey bank vault and realised with the help of local design studio Atelier Shan, complete with cast iron vault door, bank teller windows and Victorian chandeliers. The cocktails also take inspiration from the Prohibition era, with spirit-forward stirred tipples and little-known classics on the menu. Immersion is the name of the game, with cabaret dancers dressed in orientalist garb and jazz and blues performances spiriting drinkers away to another era altogether.

Maggie Choo's, Shop 1, G/F, 1-13 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong; +852 6250 6000, maggiechoos.com.hk

Tatler Asia
Above The signature tsukemen (Photo: Mengokoro Kunimoto)

Mengokoro Kunimoto

From humble beginnings in 2011 in Tokyo’s Katsushika ward, Japanese ramen bar Mengokoro Kunimoto has expanded to Hong Kong with its first overseas location. With a focus on elevating the soup base, Mengokoro Kunimoto offers a different base for each type of ramen. The shio ramen, for example, is made with a homemade salt sauce that blends four types of salt to create a complex yet delicate soup base. The restaurant also offers four different house-made oils to enhance the flavours of each ramen. The noodles are made fresh every day in Hong Kong and crafted according to Mengokoro Kunimoto's special recipes, while most of its ingredients are imported directly from Japan to maintain the same quality and taste that made the original establishment so successful.

Mengokoro Kunimoto, G/F, 12 Spring Garden Lane, Wan Chai, Hong Kong; instagram.com/mengokoro.hk

Tatler Asia
Above Iberico pork chop (Photo: The Baker & The Bottleman)

The Baker & The Bottleman

The Baker & The Bottleman has revamped its upstairs wine bar into a full-service bistro with an ingredients-driven menu inspired by Roganic's ethos of seasonality and sustainability. Diners can start off with a selection of generously sized starters ranging from grilled cuttlefish with a fennel and asparagus salad, Jerusalem artichokes with roasted onions and sliced pears, raw Hokkaido scallop with citrus, and Farmhouse Productions leeks with charred piquillo peppers, hazelnuts and grapes. The Big Plates section features mains that can easily be shared, from the classic fish burger and dry-aged local duck served with roasted parsnips and watercress, to the signature Iberico pork chop with braised cabbage and pork jus. A desserts section of crème brûlée, apple tarte tatin, and peaches and cream rounds out the menu. While offered in à la carte style, the menu can also be enjoyed as a three-course set for HK$380.

The Baker & The Bottleman, G14-15, G/F, Lee Tung Avenue, 200 Queen’s Road East, Wan Chai, Hong Kong; thebakerandthebottleman.hk

Tempura Araki

Originating from Sapporo, Hokkaido, two-Michelin-starred Tempura Araki has opened a sister restaurant in Hong Kong, bringing its brand of haute tempura to the city. Helming the open kitchen is chef Takahito Sato, who trained at the original location for nine years—among his signatures are the kuruma prawn with head, sea cucumber roe and anago (saltwater eel). Seating just eight people at a time, Tempura Araki serves a lunch menu for HK$780, while the dinner tasting menu can be booked for HK$1,600. 

Tempura Araki, 5/F, 10 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong; +852 5138 4298

Dolos

Taking over the former Hatch space, this new bistro is the latest Hong Kong opening from Josh and Caleb Ng of Twins Kitchen. Seating just 20, the restaurant is named after the concrete wave-breakers that line Hong Kong's shores, representing the connection between land and sea. To that end, head chef Sean Yuen, who previously cooked at now-closed restaurant/recording studio tfvsjs.syut, has designed a considered, seafood-centric menu that draws influences from French and Japanese culinary traditions in dishes such as monkfish liver with Japanese fruit tomato, banyulus vinegar and sesame semonlina sourdough; and grilled eel in sansho sauce and carrot oil. What's more, wine lovers can also bring their own bottles to enjoy without any corkage fee.

Dolos, G/F, 60 Staunton Street, Central, Hong Kong; instagram.com/dolos.hk

June

Tatler Asia
Above Crab bee hoon (Photo: Can Lah)

Can Lah

First opened in IFC Mall, Singaporean-Malaysian restaurant Can Lah has expanded to Harbour City, bringing chef Francis Chong's brand of Southeast Asian cuisine to Tsim Sha Tsui. Among the signatures that are new to the Kowloon location are the likes of stir-fried garoupa head with Kam Heong sauce, Singaporean chilli crab, Kapitan shrimp curry claypot and crab bee hoon with Heyuan rice noodles, all of which pay respect to their origins in the hawker centres of Singapore. Guests can also drop by during the afternoon for a three-tiered Nanyang-style afternoon tea to take in the harbour views, or alternatively during the early evening for happy hour with Malaysian-inspired bar bites.

Can Lah, Shop 4101, 4/F, Gateway Arcade, Harbour City, 3-27 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong; +852 3618 8138

'gallery right' 'gallery right'
'gallery right' 'gallery right'
Photo 1 of 2 Views from King Lung Heen (Photo: Hong Kong Palace Museum)
Photo 2 of 2 The interior of Xia (Photo: Hong Kong Palace Museum)

Hong Kong Palace Museum

11 months after its opening, the Hong Kong Palace Museum welcomes two new F&B outlets this month.

Xia

Inspired by the six tours that the Kangxi and Qianlong emperors embarked on south of the Yangtze River, Xia is a Chinese teahouse that brings together palace food culture with regional folk delicacies. Served within an interior designed by artists Stanley Wong and William Lim, the menu comprises dishes like sweet pea cake, the Empress Dowager Cixi's favourite dessert; braised duck with lotus seeds from Qing Dynasty imperial cuisine; the stewed bird's nest beloved by the Qianlong Emperor; and local specialities such as Chongqing noodles and Shanxi meat buns.

King Lung Heen

Found on the museum's fourth floor with panoramic views of West Kowloon and the Hong Kong skyline, King Lung Heen is a Cantonese restaurant that offers traditional dim sum and Cantonese dishes presented with a creative twist. Expect house signatures like braised abalone and goose feet in oyster sauce, and sweet and sour Iberico pork with pineapple. The restaurant also features a spacious, column-free banquet hall that can accommodate up to 40 banquet tables, making it the perfect venue for special occasions.

Hong Kong Palace Museum, 8 Museum Drive, West Kowloon, Hong Kong; hkpm.org.hk

Tatler Asia
Above Photo: Sukiyaki Isekuma

Sukiyaki Isekuma

New to Tsim Sha Tsui is Sukiyaki Isekuma, which provides a modern spin on a traditional Japanese dish. Helmed by Fukuoka-born chef Koichi Kuga, the restaurant offers an omakase-style dining experience that revolves around the beef hotpot tradition of sukiyaki. Embracing both the subtler Kansai sukiyaki style and the stronger flavours that evolved in the Kanto region, Kuga sources the finest, well-marbled beef from Japan which he showcases over six- or nine-course tasting menus—expect mouthwatering premium cuts from breeds like Olive-gyu from Kawaga, Kyoto Himegyu, and A5 Namiki Wagyu from Kaneko Farm in Aomori. A selection of best-in-class sakes and Japanese wines are available to complement.

Sukiyaki Isekuma, G13, Harbour Pinnacle, 8 Minden Avenue, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong; +852 2109 1155, sukiyakiisekuma.com

Tatler Asia
Above The interior at The Praya were designed by Stanley Kwok (Photo: The Praya)

The Praya

Now open at the One-Eight-One Hotel in Shek Tong Tsui, The Praya is a sleek, new contemporary Cantonese restaurant where renewed classics meet a formidable mixology programme. Meaning "reclaimed land" in Portuguese, The Praya is inspired by Hong Kong's openness to new ideas from abroad; in this vein, head chef Samuel Ng builds on his family's traditions to create a unique blend of Western and Asian cooking techniques using Chinese ingredients, 80% of which are locally sourced: the master stock beef quintet in grandma's chilli oil, and the grilled threefinger threadfin with 30-year-old salted lemon and preserved olives are examples that ring true to this ethos. At the bar, former Perfume Trees Gin brand ambassador Paul Chan has designed a cocktail menu based on the five elements, with left-field entries like Hot Century Egg and Golden Ham Melon to sip on.

The Praya, Level 3, 181 Connaught Road West, Shek Tong Tsui, Hong Kong; +852 3181 1666, thepraya.hk

Feuille

French chef David Toutain, the talent behind the eponymous two-Michelin-starred Paris restaurant, is taking his culinary vision to Hong Kong with the debut of Feuille (pronounced 'feuy' and French for 'foliage'). Feuille marks Toutain's first restaurant outside France and celebrates the possibilities of local ingredients—after all, Toutain's commitment to sustainable practices and ethical sourcing earned his Paris restaurant a coveted Michelin Green Star in 2020. In Hong Kong, he continues his eco-friendly initiatives by sourcing ingredients from local producers and organic farms.

Underpinning the cuisine at Feuille is a degustation that transposes the traditional structure of a meal onto the biology and life cycle of a plant: appetisers are centred around a beginning of seeds and grains; entrées around leaves, stems and roots; and desserts around flowers and fruits. This extends to the zero-waste approach that informs every dish, with ingredients often making repeated appearances at several points in the menu, or in multiple variations as part of the same course. Find out more.

Feuille, 5/F, The Wellington, 198 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong

The Savory Project

Rather than honing in on a single spirit like his temple to mezcal at COA, mixologist Jay Khan's newest opening The Savory Project instead focuses on—as the name suggests—savoury mixed drinks, bolstered by a selection of expertly designed non-alcoholic cocktails, reflecting the change in Khan's lifestyle, as well as that of co-founder Ajit Gurung.

Predominantly featuring cocktails based on notes of earthy or umami character with the use of ingredients such as meat, fungi, brine and more, the concept came from Khan and Gurung's observation of an increase in customer requests over the years for less sugar or sweetness in their drinks. Foremost on the menu are house riffs on savoury classics like the Gibson, alongside originals like the Thai Beef Salad—a close cousin to COA's own deliciously umami Bloody Beef Maria. 

The Savory Project, 4 Staunton Street, Central, Hong Kong; thesavoryproject.com

Tatler Asia
Above Photo: Lantana Beach Club

Lantana Beach Club

Day-trippers to Lantau's Cheung Sha Beach now have one more place to decamp to for drinks and bites in the form of Lantana Beach Club. Decorated like a chic beach shack in shades of white and blue, the restaurant serves a variety of Italian cuisine, including pizza, pasta, and salads, catering to the diverse tastes of families and friends. Lantana Beach Club has curated a thoughtful selection of French wines to complement the Italian fare, including red, white, and rose, perfectly paired with the meal. Free-flow party packages are also offered for those looking to host a memorable beachside event.

Lantana Beach Club, 40 Lower Cheung Sha Beach, Lantau Island, Hong Kong; +852 5322 7969, instagram.com/lantana_hk

May

Falcone

Falcone is the newest restaurant to open under the Black Sheep umbrella. Taking over a harbour-facing venue inside IFC Mall, the establishment aims to capture the effervescence of Naples through a menu of neo-Neapolitan pizza and pasta, complemented by an accessible list of selected red and white wines.

Helming the kitchen are head chefs Josh Stumbaugh of Associazione Chianti and Roberta De Sario of Motorino, who have honed in on the essence of neo-Neapolitan pizza with creations like the Salsiccia e Zucca (Japanese pumpkins, sausages, mozzarella, gorgonzola cheese) and Diavola (tomato, mozzarella, salami piccante). The menu also highlights seafood from Naples, with dishes like vongole sautèe and carpaccio di gamberi rossi.

Falcone, Shop 1082, IFC Mall, 8 Finance Street, Central, Hong Kong; pizzeriafalcone.com

Ronin

Opened back in 2013 by Yardbird founders Lindsay Jang and Matt Abergel, seafood-centric bistro Ronin has just emerged from a total revamp with a newly renovated space as well as a fresh menu. The restaurant's penchant for playful East-West fusion has stayed the same, however, with new creations like dan dan-style cuttlefish and celtuce, smoked beer batter sawara, Wagyu yukke handroll and the like gracing the menu. Regulars will also be glad to hear that the signature unagi chirashi-don continues to be served.

Ronin, G/F, 8 On Wo Lane, Central, Hong Kong

An Choi

You might have picked out this homey new Vietnamese eatery in Sheung Wan by way of its sunshine-yellow exterior. Inside, husband-and-wife duo Lewis and Kay cook up authentic Vietnamese noodle dishes and bánh mì in an interior filled to the brim with Indochinese tchotchkes and paraphernalia—a daily rotating menu features the likes of bún bò huế, phở bò and bánh canh cua, while the bánh mì uses bread baked fresh everyday. On the drinks menu, guests can choose from the likes of salt coffee or egg coffee, and come happy hour, a selection of Vietnamese beers and cocktails.

An Choi, 15-17 Mercer Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

Orchard

Hong Kong's first cocktail bar championing eaux-de-vie and fruit spirits is now open in Soho. Intimate speakeasy Orchard features a cocktail menu by head bartender Alex Pun, with highlights such as the luscious Butter Me Up (Calvados, VSOP cognac, banana, amontillado sherry, biscuit liqueur, butter) and the fruit-forward Normandy Highball (Calvados, applejack, pimento dram, apple and pear soda, cinnamon). The house collection of fruit spirits also features bottles from France, Germany, Chile and the US, with the young bar team eager to educate drinkers on the category's many nuances and complexities.

Orchard, 28 Gage Street, Central, Hong Kong

Tatler Asia
Above Founders Sabin KC and Roman Ghale in front of Uncle Miguel (Photo: Handout)

Uncle Miguel

New to Central's Peel Street is Uncle Miguel, a new Mexican restaurant that offers tacos, cocktails and music with the aim of bringing the flavours and culture of Mexico to Hong Kong. Named after an elderly Mexican man the founders encountered while traveling in Cuba who was selling his hometown tacos in a foreign city, Uncle Miguel showcases a menu of regional specialties from northern and central Mexico, including classic quesadillas, fajitas, enchiladas rojas, ceviche, and a five-taco platter. The restaurant's signature margaritas and tequila menu are diverse, while their traditional horchata provides a light and delicate alternative for hot summer days.

Uncle Miguel, G/F, 49 Peel Street, Central, Hong Kong; +852 3686 0377

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Above Shizuoka musk melon jelly (Photo: Shikigiku)

Shikigiku Bar

Japanese restaurant Shikigiku has opened an adjoining bar-cafe in IFC Mall, translating the restaurant's ethos into pastries and cocktails. The design of the restaurant was led by interior designer Steve Leung, combining elements inspired by the traditional craft of furoshiki with natural wood tones and bespoke furniture. During the day, pastry chef Rachel Ngai offers a variety of pastries made fresh daily featuring Japanese seasonal fruits and produce; while executive chef Masayuki Goto has designed a menu of bar bites including Miyazaki Wagyu sandos, mini okonomiyaki and radish cream cheese. Cocktails range from classic concoctions to more creative recipes to suit all manner of tastes.

Shikigiku, Podium Level 4, IFC Mall, 8 Finance Street, Central, Hong Kong; +852 2805 0600

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Above The Hasta La Vista cocktail (Photo: Vista Bar)

Vista Bar

Occupying the old home of Aqua in One Peking Road, Vista has partnered with Campari to launch Vista Bar, an Italian-inspired penthouse bar with stunning panoramic views of Hong Kong's skyline. Italian-inspired cocktails make up the lion's share of the drinks menu: the 'Eight Shades of Red' cocktail series created by bar director Lorenzo Coppola includes signature drinks such as Peking (One) Duck, Beet Me Softly, and Nitro-Negroni Ice Cream. Meanwhile, the Negroni and Friends selection features four variations of the classic Negroni cocktail, including Spicy Beach and Truffle Mezcal Negroni.

Vista Bar, 30/F, One Peking Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong; +852 2778 3255

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Above Sicilian red prawn tartare and caviar with celeriac puree (Photo: Pleka)

Pleka

Lubuds Group has opened Pleka, a contemporary Italian restaurant located atop IFC Mall, joining sister restaurants Palco and Pano. Helmed by chef Ken Lau, Pleka offers lunch, a la carte dishes, and multiple tasting menus against panoramic views of Victoria Harbour, while an outdoor alfresco area offers wine and finger food. Featuring dishes heavy on Japanese and European produce, diners can expect dishes such as slow-cooked French baby pigeon with black truffle and red wine sauce, and charcoal grilled Miyazaki A4 Wagyu beef tenderloin with port wine sauce. Pleka is also one of the few fine-dining restaurants in Hong Kong to offer a vegetarian tasting menu.

Pleka, Shop 4010, 4/F, IFC Mall, 8 Finance Street, Central, Hong Kong; +852 2889 3839 

The Green Door

Founded by the team behind OBP, The Green Door is a speakeasy that takes over the former space occupied by 001. Make your way past the venue's bare shell on the ground floor and descend into a moody, minimalist subterranean bunker perfect for nighttime soirées. Ex-Brut chef Gavin Chin has designed a menu of hearty American-influenced bistro dishes such as market prawn ceviche with wasabi and lemon, charred butter lettuce with mandarin and radish, sous-vide ribeye with citrus butter and peppercorn sauce, and classic apple pie with vanilla bean ice cream; while Arlene Wong (formerly Awa Awa and The Pontiac) has been signed on to design the cocktail menu.

The Green Door, LG/F, Welley Building, 97 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong

Aera

Serving Nordic-inspired cuisine in Wan Chai, Aera is an exciting new addition in the casual fine-dining circuit. From his open kitchen, executive chef Chevalier Yau and his team turn out a ten-course seasonal menu that includes dishes like mussels with panna and caviar, paracress dumplings in cepes broth, and three-yellow chicken leg soaked overnight in maltose. During the evening, only the tasting menu is served (HK$1,188 per head), but those who want a taste of what Aera offers can opt for the lunch menu which begins at a bargain price of HK$178 per person.

Aera, G/F, 6 Stewart Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong; +852 2389 9901

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Above 20-day house dry-aged U.S. striploin with coffee grounds (Photo: Carver)

Carver

Crowne Plaza Hong Kong in Causeway Bay has launched Carver, a contemporary steakhouse that offers a selection of succulent beef sourced from all around the world, including the United States, Australia, and Japan. The restaurant features a bespoke cabinet for dry-aging beef at the entrance and a sophisticated cocktail bar that emphasises the personal bond between bartender and guest. Star items on the menu include charcoal-grilled USDA Prime, Wagyu, and dry-aged beef—as well as a selection of beef dry-aged in coffee grounds. The glass-windowed, state-of-the-art dry-aging cabinet is Carver's focal point—here, cuts of beef are hung or laid on shelves to age in temperature- and humidity-controlled conditions. In addition to its a la carte menu, Carver also offers a five-course lunch menu priced from HK$318, featuring soup of the day, cold appetiser, salad bar, main and dessert.

Carver, 1/F, Crowne Plaza Hong Kong Causeway Bay, 8 Leighton Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong; +852 5978 5971, carver@cphongkong.com

April

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Above Photo: Check In Taipei

Check In Taipei

Vacating its home of more than eight years underneath the Mid-Levels escalator, Check In Taipei has moved its flagship location to Yoho Mall in Yuen Long, with stunning interiors to boot. Designed by Peter Lampard of local firm Design Eight Five Two to reflect elements of the Taiwanese coastline, the restaurant is crowned by a 45-metre-long centrepiece installation of indigo-dyed fabric waves created by the locally based Giants Tie Dye workshop. The new restaurant continues the brand's theme of fusion Taiwanese fare, with dishes like prawn tom yum beef noodles, truffle cheese corn egg crepe, taro balls with earl grey jelly and the highly Instagrammable butterfly pea flower mochi on offer.

Check In Taipei, Shop G002, Yoho Mall 1, Yuen Long, Hong Kong; +852 2606 6380

Source Bar

Taking up residence in the newly opened Y Hotel, Source Bar is the latest addition to Sai Ying Pun's small but burgeoning bar scene. Designed by the LTMC collective, the tapas and cocktail bar was built to resemble natural water sources, with sandstone finishes and an undulating ceiling evoking the feeling of swimming inside a cave. The cocktail menu features riffs on classics alongside house signatures, while the tapas menu offers options like the Tapas Treasure Box, an assemblage of snacks to enjoy with a sundowner.

Source Bar, 1/F, Y Hotel, 89 Des Voeux Road West, Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong

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Above Photo: Cafe Bau

Cafe Bau

"Demon Chef" Alvin Leung has done it again, partnering with the Lubuds hospitality group to launch a new concept in the old Wan Chai home of Bo Innovation, named Cafe Bau. Taking its name from a shortened form of the Bauhinia x Blakeana, the hybrid flower that appears on the flag of Hong Kong, Cafe Bau similarly features a hybrid cuisine born from a mix of Cantonese cuisine and Leung's culinary influences from around the world. Featuring three- and seven-course dinner menus, Cafe Bau offers dishes like grilled squid with spicy Shatian pomelo jam, smoked flounder barley and squid ink chips; salt roasted beetroot with Pat Chun vinaigrette; and slow-cooked local oxen brisket.

Cafe Bau, Shop 8, Podium 1/F, J Residence, 60 Johnston Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong; +852 2126 7212

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Above Nana Chan (Photo: Plantation)

Plantation Tea Bar

Nana Chan, the founder of the now-closed Teakha, has opened Plantation Tea Bar in Shek Tong Tsui, which carves out a space in the city for the appreciation and enjoyment of fine teas. The bar features a 12-seat stone counter where guests can enjoy a monthly tea tasting menu, led by tea masters on hand. The bar also offers an à la carte menu and nostalgic snacks, and visitors can purchase speciality teas including rice-scent aged pu'erh, the experimental red Dancong, and the dessert-like honey orchid Dancong cultivar, each of which can be paired with nostalgic snacks like traditional date and walnut pastilles and savoury seaweed crackers.

Plantation Tea Bar, 18 Po Tuck Street, Shek Tong Tsui, Hong Kong

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Above Bar Cyclone founder Jack Wu (Photo: Handout)

Bar Cyclone

Jack Wu, a former professional cyclist turned wine expert, has opened Bar Cyclone, a private wine membership club Central. Inspired to pursue his passion for wine and spirits while competing in Europe, Wu (who is also a partner at whisky bar Club Qing) works directly with wineries in Europe such as Weingut Rappenhof and Azienda Agricola Sciara to produce unique bottlings for his bar, alongside Wu's personal collection of rare wines totalling 320 wines. Bar Cyclone operates with a membership system that entitles members to discounted prices and exclusive access.

Bar Cyclone, 18/F, M88, Wellington Place, 2-8 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong; barcyclonehk@gmail.com

March

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Above Photo: Yurakucho

Yurakucho

Taking after the gado-shita—the izakayas found underneath the train tracks—of Tokyo's train stations, Yurakucho (named after such a station in central Tokyo) is the flagship venue of rapidly expanding hospitality group Singular Concepts. Inhabiting an unmissable stretch of Wyndham Street in Central, the bar and restaurant features interiors by Nicole Choi Studio that recreates the gritty experience of dining and drinking 'under the girders', as gado-shita translates to in Japanese. 

For the occasion, Singular Concepts co-founder Gagan Gurung has created an easy-drinking menu of quaffable cocktails for salarymen and revellers alike, including highballs on tap, a pandan rum-based riff on the Penicillin, spicy concoctions and a number of sake labels served from an ice tray built into the central communal table. In the kitchen, chefs Vickly Mau and Matthew Chan serve an approachable menu of appetisers, rice and noodles, kushikatsu (fried skewers), robatayaki from a charcoal grill, and desserts.

Yurakucho, G/F, Yu Yuet Lai Building, 43-55 Wyndham Street, Central, Hong Kong

Barkada

Translating to 'a group of close friends' in Filipino, Barkada takes over a street-facing space underneath the Mid-Levels escalator. Spearheaded by Filipino-American food influencer Jen Balisi in partnership with Singular Concepts, Barkada serves up dishes from her cookbook, as well as new creations that meld traditional Filipino cuisine with modern sensibilities.

With dishes like adobo popcorn chicken, brown butter pancit, and sizzling sisig accompanied by a cocktail menu by Gagan Gurung that incorporates the likes of pandan gin, ube, calamansi and more, Barkada looks to rope in a whole new contingent of diners and drinkers into the food culture of the Philippines.

Barkada, 48 Cochrane Street, UG/F, Foco, Central, Hong Kong

See also: ‘It’s a flavour bomb’: Food influencer Indulgent Eats on championing Filipino cuisine at Barkada

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Enishi

Shun Sato of Censu has partnered with husband-and-wife chef duo Toru Takano and Ami Hamasaki to open Enishi, an upmarket teppanyaki restaurant in Central. The three culinary talents met while working in Australia, and Enishi ("fate" in Japanese) marks the coming together of their paths once again. Seating 23 in total, Enishi serves an 11-course tasting menu that encompasses unique dishes like shirako gyoza in crown daisy green sauce, Sichuan-style steamed scorpion fish, Ezo Awabi abalone in liver sauce, and wagyu tenderloin.

Enishi, G/F, 49 Bonham Strand, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong; +852 2997 7009

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Above Photo: Voynich

Voynich

Resembling a maxed-out vision of an Officine Universelle Buly boutique, Voynich is an intriguing new addition to Harbour City that's as much a feast for the eyes as for the tastebuds. Divided into themed rooms featuring names like The Room of Curiosity, The Bespoke Wardrobe and The Room of Wisdom, Voynich pulls visual references from grand European interiors from the 19th century, with lush wallpapers, marble, brass and mosaic tiling enveloping diners in a fantastical environment. The menu, meanwhile, somewhat jarringly adheres to the tenets of Cantonese cuisine, with a dim sum selection spanning the likes of baked Iberico pork with tangerine peel and pesto sauce,crispy ma la siu mai, and steamed har gow with asparagus and red pepper.

Voynich, Shop 401, Ocean Centre, Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong; +852 6639 6688

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Kushitei

Kushitei

First opened as an open-counter kushiage (deep-fried skewers) eatery in Tokyo's Ebisu neighbourhood in 2019, Kushitei has since expanded to ten locations across Japan, and now, its first overseas location in Tsim Sha Tsui. Seating just 20, Kushitei offers two omakase menus of kushiage numbering at 10 to 12 courses and spanning skewers like wagyu sirloin with truffle sauce, premium Japanese chicken fillet roll with yellow chives, and lotus root with mentaiko. A drinks list of sakes and umeshu help provide a refreshing counterpoint to the fried cuisine.

Kushitei, Shop G04-05, G/F, Grand Centre, 8 Humphreys Avenue, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong; +852 2688 6150

Macelle

Settle down at this new joint by the team behind Steak King for affordable Italian bistecca in Soho. Seating 50, Macelle offers signature items served piping hot from the wood-fired Josper oven, such as the 1kg Angus Fiorentina steak (HK$695 for two people), a 1.5kg M5 Wagyu rump cap (HK$995 for 3-4 people), and choice cuts like Iberico pork chops, marinated lamb chops, seasonal sausages, skewers and more. Macelle also offers fresh meat and seafood for purchase from their in-house butcher's counter.

Macelle, LG/F, Sharma Soho, 9-11 Staunton Street, Central, Hong Kong; macelle-steak.com

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F.I.G.S. Bistro Mediterranean

From the team behind Quiero Más comes this new Mediterranean concept serving the Taikoo Shing community. Standing for France, Italy, Greece and Spain, F.I.G.S. is helmed by chefs Gary batra and Javier Perez, the latter of whom has cooked at the likes of one Michelin-starred Árbore de Veira and FoFo by El Willy. The duo have designed a menu that consists of lip-smackers like tune tartare on home-baked macarons, crab cannelloni, chicken souvlaki and Basque-style grilled octopus, all served within a 6,000-square-foot Hernan Zanghellini-designed interior. Just outside, the Apéro Terrace Bar offers easygoing aperitivos in an alfresco setting with a menu designed by mixologist Vincent Chua.

F.I.G.S. Bistro Mediterranean & Apéro Terrace Bar, Shop 601, 6/F, 1111 King's Road, Cityplaza One, Taikoo Shing, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong; +852 2126 7357

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The Seafood

Appropriately blessed with views of the sea from its location in Harbour City, The Seafood is a contemporary take on Chinese seafood cuisine with globe-spanning ambitions. Executive chef Francis Chong brings together the bounty of the sea with over 30 types of seafood available: there's Alaskan crab, Australian snow crab, king crab and mud crab, cooked in whatever method you choose, from baking with Sarawak white pepper or traditional butter and cream, to frying with a coating of Singaporean oat batter. Also not to be missed is the poultry, with the 48-hour smoked duck and crispy pigeon cooked with Chinese wine being particular favourites.

The Seafood, Shop 4101, Level 4, Gateway Arcade, Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong; +852 3618 8168

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Snow Garden

Considered one of the Four Great Traditions in Chinese gastronomy, Huaiyang cuisine, which originated from the confluence of the Huai and Yangtze rivers in Jiangsu province, is known for its meticulous knifework and prodigious use of Chinkiang vinegar and sweetness to elevate ingredients. In Hong Kong, North Point's now-closed Snow Garden was long a fixture to indulge in Huaiyang cuisine—and now, the restaurant has been revived at an all-new location in Hung Hom. Featuring classics like the signature pan-fried pork buns and double-boiled Jinhua ham Soup with chicken and Tientsin cabbage, Snow Garden has also introduced new dishes in the Huaiyang tradition like ox tongue marinated with rice wine sauce, Shandong-style spring chicken, and sautéed river prawns reimagined as vibrant green balls.

Snow Garden, Shop 101, 1/F, Y83, 83 Wuhu Street, Hung Hom, Hong Kong; +852 3897 9686

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Man Mano

New to the neighbourhood of Tung Chung is Man Mano, a new Italian family-style restaurant by the Woolly Pig Group. With an emphasis on making the dishes from scratch, Man Mano's menu comprises bread baked daily in-house, fresh hand-rolled pasta, and meat and seafood dishes done in a rustic, central Italian style. Look for appetisers like squid ink arancini and carpaccio with pumpkin vinaigrette, shallots and toasted hazelnuts; house-made pastas like pappardelle with slow-roasted Australian beef cheek ragu, maccheroni cooked with slow-roasted Australian lamb shoulder, and tortelloni with prawn mousse and parsnip chips. Entrées like red prawn saffron risotto and slow-cooked crispy suckling pig bring up the rear, alongside sweet bites like cannoli and cannoncini "cream horn" puff pastry.

Man Mano, Unit 418, Citygate Outlets, 18-20 Tat Tung Road, Tung Chung, Hong Kong; manmano.com.hk

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The Peak Lookout

While hardly new—the restaurant has been operating for 21 years and the building proper dates back to 1902—The Peak Lookout has emerged from an extensive renovation with new interiors and dishes to take it many more years down the road. The Grade II-listed historic cottage-like structure remains the same, but the insides have been tastefully updated with contemporary fixtures and finishes that pay homage to the past while remaining in line with modern sensibilities. On the menu, you'll find an array of international comfort food, from Hainan chicken rice and a tandoori section, to more elaborate items like a three-tiered seafood platter. Shaded by a banyan tree, the outdoor terrace also makes for the perfect sunset viewing spot.

The Peak Lookout, 121 Peak Road, The Peak, Hong Kong; +852 2849 1000

February

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Above The interior of Artifact

Artifact 

Amidst the casual offerings in Basehall 2 is Artifact, a newly opened omakase-style bar space conceptualised by Beckaly Franks, Ezra Star and Michael Larkin, and manned by ex-Silencio chef Sato Kiyoshi. With 14 seats, it's an intimate dining experience that highlights a degustation menu based on the culinary philosophy of shun, where highly seasonal ingredients play a central role. Another culinary pillar at Artifact is caviar, specifically the premium sturgeon roe supplied by Royal Caviar Club, which adorns all the courses from bread to dessert. Look out for the signatures like Carabineros prawns with smoked miso cream and baerii caviar, as well as kinmedai with kabu and yuzu. A focused selection of hard-to-find wine labels also accompanies the menu to impeccable effect.

Artifact, Shop 5 & 7, Basehall 2, LG/F, Jardine House, 1 Connaught Place, Hong Kong; artifactbar.com

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Kappou Mu's
Above Photo: Kappou Mu

Kappou Mu & Room 3

Located in Tsim Sha Tsui’s H Zentre, Kappou Mu and Room 3 joins the plethora of F&B offerings in this bustling tower. At Kappou Mu, a kappo-focused open kitchen serves seasonal dishes using only the freshest produce from across Japan, such as Kobako crab and Omi A4 Wagyu beef, to diners seated at an intimate 14-seat hinoki counter. Service is attentive and the restaurant boasts an impressive sake selection—including some exclusive bottles—to boot. Meanwhile, the adjoining Room 3 is a contemporary Japanese-influenced cocktail bar offering Japanese tapas-style bar bites accompanied by one-of-a-kind cocktails such as The Fiction, an Amazonian dried fruit-infused Japanese gin concoction.

Kappou Mu, Shop UG01-03, UG/F, H Zentre, 15 Middle Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong; +852 6617 6602

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Yakiniku Ishidaya

Founded by chef Kiyonori Ishida, this Kobe beef specialist expands its footprint with the opening of a brand-new location in Causeway Bay, adding to its first overseas branch in Central. The second branch complements its Wagyu-centric offerings with uninhibited harbour views, but indeed, it's the former that you'll come for: featuring an official designation from the Kobe Beef Marketing & Distribution Promotion Association, the restaurant's meat is sourced only from heifers, or female cows that haven't borne any offspring. Premium cuts on offer include the striploin, short rib, Chateaubriand, top sirloin cap and sirloin butt, as well as harami skirt steak exclusive to this location.

Yakiniku Ishidaya, Shop 1001, 10/F, World Trade Center, 280 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong; +852 2817 7938  

Yatchabar

Opening under the renowned Wagyumafia co-founder, Hisato Hamada, this cosy izakaya and sake bar adds an irreverent, neon-bathed option to the Japanese dining scene in Hong Kong. While many were stuck at home during the pandemic, Hamada continued to scour the markets of Japan for the finest ingredients. “Yatcha, yatcha” was a common phrase thrown around between stalls, sparking his desire to bring the bounty of Japan to diners in the same way that the market vendors did for him. Expect a selection of small obanzai platters and kushikatsu dishes, such as their one-bite scallop with ikura and wasabi, served in continuous fashion from the home-style kitchen, alongside premium cuts of Ozaki Wagyu beef topping everything from udon and yakisoba to Taiwanese lu rou fan. To top it all off, Yatchabar stocks bottlings of its in-house Sharaku sake series, which are served to everyone in the house whenever the bell above the bar is rung. 

Yatchabar, Shop 2, G/F, Guardian House, 32 Oi Kwan Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong; +852 2133 4999, yatchabar.hk

Pentola

Opened by Urban Coffee Roaster co-founder and Hong Kong Coffee in Good Spirits 2021 champion Gary Au, Pentola is a sizeable all-day destination in Tai Po that takes guests from brunch all the way to after-dinner cocktails. From the menu, highlights include Italian beef carpaccio, chargrilled Angus beef steak with fries, and fresh mussels in coconut milk mirasol chilli sauce. Not to be missed are the fresh handmade pastas, including earl grey slow-cooked beef cheek parpadelle and Boston lobster spaghetti. Wash it all down with a glass of the Modern Irish Coffee, featuring Jameson Irish whiskey, Ethiopia Wush Wush anaerobic natural coffee, Okinawa brown sugar and cream.

Pentola, Unit G01-02, Tai Po Arts Centre, 12 On Pong Road, Tai Po, Hong Kong

Gonpachi

This longstanding Causeway Bay izakaya has made the leap across the harbour to One Peking Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, where it takes over what used to be Hutong's original location. Named after Shirai Gonpachi, a historical samurai figure who has since become the main character of several kabuki theatre plays, the interior of Gonpachi recreates the traditional yokocho (izakaya-packed alleyways) of a historical theatre district with open kitchens nestled in market booths. The menu features signatures like hand-pounded buckwheat soba noodles and kushiyaki skewers; Japanese-style tapas like the Hokkaido crabmeat croquettes and Gonpachi pizza also come highly recommended.

Gonpachi, 28/F, One Peking Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong; +852 2727 1957

Dara

Translating to "auntie" in Kapampangan, the local language of the city of Pampanga (widely considered the food capital of the Philippines), Dara is a newly opened bar and restaurant in Sai Ying Pun that's pairing cocktails inflected with flavours of the tropical peninsula alongside Filipino comfort food. Kapampangan native Imelda Santos Bunoan is the steady hand—and eponymous dara—in the kitchen, turning out dishes like pancit palabok (vermicelli with shrimp, chicharon and thick smoked fish sauce), kare-kare (pork belly in peanut sauce), and sizzling sisig with chopped pork maskara and chicken liver. The cocktail menu is equally considered, with pours like the Pandan Negroni, Calamansi Margarita, and Tabing Dagat (pomelo-infused scotch, grape soda, seaweed, Laphroaig) to wet your whistle.

Dara, 1/F, Artisan House, 1 Sai Yuen Lane, Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong; instagram.com/dara_hkg

Filo Cibo e Vino

Happy Paradise might be gone, but the space has been revived by the Giando Group as a casual trattoria serving dependable Italian classics. Translating to "thread, food and wine" in Italian, the menu highlights the power of Italian cuisine as a common thread to bring people together. Featuring dishes from chef Filippo Bencini's home in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, signatures include fried burrata with tomato and basil; roasted pork belly with mashed potato and mustard candied fruit; and braised beef in Barolo wine with polenta; as well as a selection of pasta dishes made fresh in-house on the daily.

Filo Cibo e Vino, UG/F, Ming Hing House, 52-56 Staunton Street, Central, Hong Kong; +852 9250 6028

Akanoshou

From the team behind 10 Shanghai comes an elevated teppanyaki and sushi omakase restaurant with sophisticated interiors by respected interior designer Steve Leung to match. With 15-year veteran Chong Wai-Cheong on the teppan and chef Okura Masataka—based in Hong Kong since 1978—leading the sushi team, Akanoshou boasts a formidable offering on both fronts. Signatures include the kohada sushi and wagyu sando, as well as slow-cooked ox tongue and blacklip abalone prepared à la minute.

Akanoshou, 6/F, HDH Centre, 8 Pennington Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong; +852 2577 0611

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Calle Ocho

Found in Fashion Walk and featuring two floors that span 2,500 square feet and 130 seats, Calle Ocho is an ambitious 25th opening for the Pirata Group that evokes the experience of dining in Madrid. Spiriting diners away to the confines of an authentic boqueria, the menu espouses the virtues of tapas, with an opening selection of 34 tapas dishes and two paellas offering guests a panoply of Iberian flavours. "It's adventurous because where you might be eating a main course in a restaurant, here you can be eating three tapas," says executive chef Victor Caballé Molina. Read more.

Calle Ocho, 8 Cleveland Street, Fashion Walk, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong; +852 2638 8895, calleocho.hk

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Above Photo: Ozakaya

Ozakaya

Yet another new izakaya has emerged in Wan Chai. Ozakaya is headed by chef Jason Luk, whose menu borrows heavily from Osaka's regional cuisine while incorporating contemporary touches. Signatures include starters like smoked botan ebi with Hokkaido scallop mousse, and uni truffle paste toast; while other menu items feature a takoyaki croquette with a tonkatsu mayo, plus an uni and bone marrow noodle dish. From a respectable cocktail selection, go for the Bloody Piggy, a play on the classic Bloody Mary, or the shiso mojito using a generous dollop of plum wine.

Ozakaya, 1/F, 74-80 Johnston Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong; +852 3702-5245

 

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Above Sunday roast at 69 on Jervois

69 on Jervois

Sitting on the Sheung Wan street named after the second Lieutenant Governor of Hong Kong, 69 on Jervois brings international comfort food alongside British classics to the city. Despite the eight-meter-high ceilings, the spacious venue retains a classic interior and the atmosphere of a friendly neighborhood eatery. Offerings include British home-style classics and comfort food with the occasional local twist: the classic Cumberland sausage and lentil casserole and the Borrowdale Australian pork chop are particular highlights. To complement the generous helpings, the restaurant offers a well-curated wine list as well as a free-flow Sunday brunch option.

69 on Jervois, G/F, The Chelsea, 69 Jervois Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

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Above Robatayaki selection at Nakame no Teppen

Izakaya Nakame no Teppen

Hong Kong welcomes another authentic robatayaki experience to its dining scene as Tokyo's Izakaya Nakame no Teppen opens its first overseas branch in the city. In a subtle nod to the original branch's location inside Tokyo's Meguro station, Nakame can be found in the basement of the Kowloon Hotel, with the intimate, dimly-lit interior featuring custom tatami booths and an open robatayaki bar to bring diners straight to the heart of Tokyo. Signature dishes include the grilled unagi ochazuke set and monkfish liver with ponzu sauce, all of which are sourced from Yamagi, a renowned wholesaler in Tokyo’s Toyosu fish market. Aside from the lively izakaya atmosphere, Nakame no Teppen also offers interactive experiences like sake tasting and a traditional mochi pounding performance.

Izakaya Nakame no Teppen, Shop B3-01, B3/F, The Kowloon Hotel, 19-21 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong; +852 2367 9368  

December-January

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Big Buns

Calling Wan Chai its home, this cheekily named grab-and-go eatery opened by chef Jeff Li is serving quick, easy and unapologetic sandwiches to the neighbourhood. Pick between options like The Chick (scrambled egg, American cheese, sweet onion jam, brioche buns) and The Hangover (bacon, spam, scrambled egg, onion jam, hash browns), or opt for a mid-afternoon pick-me-up in the Bite-Size French Toast, drizzled with peanut butter, Nutella and condensed milk—all washed down with a milkshake.

Big Buns, Shop G16, Emperor Group Centre, 288 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

Kappo Mizuki

It seems that Hong Kong just can't tire of omakase, if the opening of Kappo Mizuki in Yuen Long is anything to go by. Opened by Leung Yip, a member of popular Hong Kong boy band Error, this new temple to Japanese cuisine offers kappo cuisine with subtle interventions of French technique in dishes such as simmered abalone alongside salt-grilled Sawara fish, steamed Japanese spiny lobster with kamaboko paste, and fresh sea urchin maki roll is served for dinner. Meanwhile, an extensive choice of fruit liqueur, shochu, and sake are on hand for those looking to indulge in alcohol.

Kappo Mizuki, Shop 15-16, G/F, Manhattan Plaza, 23 Sai Ching Street, Yuen Long, Hong Kong

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Bushra

Meaning “good news” in Arabic, Bushra brings a combination of exotic flavours from the Middle East, North Africa, and the Mediterranean to Tsim Sha Tsui East. The dreamy, Bollywood-inspired venue spans two floors and features a theatrical curved bar connected to a “secret garden”, as well as a shisha terrace for a post-dinner puff. Helmed by Morocco-born El Mehdi Zenasni, Egyptian Sakr Tamer and Najib Farkhoury from Lebanon, the kitchen turns out authentic classics like Moroccan beef tagine, the oven-baked whole sea bass, and Persian chicken pilaf. Meanwhile, a Middle Eastern-inspired cocktail menu by The Wise King's Sandeep Kumar offers pairing possibilities in libations like the Chickpea Pina Colada and Baklava Sour. 

Bushra, G6 & UG16, Tsim Sha Tsui Centre, 66 Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong; +852 6172 3591

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Gogyo

Kyoto ramen export Gogyo, which closed its doors in IFC Mall back in 2019, has returned to a new location in Hong Kong. Situated inside Landmark's Alexandra House—right by Central MTR station—the restaurant is akin to many eateries in Japanese train stations across the region. Named after and inspired by the five elements of wood, fire, earth, metal, and water, Gogyo celebrates the harmony of these components by offering five signature ramen recipes. This includes the signature Kogashi miso ramen and a collaboration ramen with Lawry's which features roasted USDA prime beef consomme.

Other highlights on the menu include grilled skewers presented by Hachibei, the yakitori expert from Japan; seafood in the form of fresh cuts of sashimi and a Kyoto-style DIY sushi set; light bites including a Wagyu sando, spicy Flagrantly Tasty Wings (FTW) smothered in Flagrant hot sauce, and much more. As for the drinks, there is a secret menu that offers a neat Kyushu-produced shochu collection which includes Murao, Mao and Mori Izo, collectively known as the 3Ms.

The restaurant has also partnered with other local labels including the likes of Heroes Beer Co and Taboocha along with Hong Kong talents such as local illustrator Celine Ka Wing Lau, all in the spirit of innovation.

Gogyo, Basement 1, Alexandra House, 16-20 Chater Road, Central, Hong Kong; +852 3568 5833; gogyo.com.hk

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Oniku Kappo Jikon

Tucked away inside K11 Musea, Oniku Kappo Jikon is an intimate nine-seater wagyu-forward kappo restaurant that presents the latest in seasonal, Kyoto-inspired fare to diners with a constantly changing menu. Featuring prime cuts of beef sourced from Tokyo's Wagyu Hiyama, Kappo Jikon is helmed by head chef Makoto Ohtani, who expertly oversees a tasting menu (HK$1,980 per person) that spans everything from delicate soups and the freshest sashimi, to a hassun platter showcasing the best of the season, and a sukiyaki course that's cooked in front of guests. Signature dishes include the uni hot dog and the kombu-cured wagyu beef tongue—with a side of enthusiastic and interactive hospitality to entertain through the night.

Oniku Kappo Jikon, Shop 506, 5/F, K11 Musea, Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong; +852 2686 1866

Azito

Joining Hong Kong’s ever-growing list of Japanese restaurants, chef Tomiaki Yoshii creates a transcendent experience that encapsulates the taste of Kyoto. Within an intimate venue in Central, Yoshii serves a seasonal kaiseki menu that draws from his mother's cooking, as well as his time helming the kitchen at the now-shuttered Tominokoji Yamagishi. Diners at Azito can expect a luxurious and personal omakase experience, where contemporary Kyoto delicacies are presented, such as ox tongue cooked in a soft-shelled turtle broth, as well as handmade wheat soba noodles made à la minute.

Azito, 9/F, FOCO, 48 Cochrane Street, Central, Hong Kong; +852 2886 0186

Bite by Bite

Located in the heart of Mong Kok, Bite by Bite offers elevated takes on traditional mains, desserts and snacks in a modern dining space. Dishes take inspiration from the local street vendors from all around town, serving reinventions of old-school and iconic Hong Kong snacks: from siu mai served on a hot skillet with the typical soy chilli drizzle, to salted egg yolk chicken wings, sweet soups, and an egg waffle where you can "paint" the toppings on, the dishes play with feelings of nostalgia that Hongkongers closely associate with the city's iconic snacks.

Shop 4, G/F, Ngai Hing Mansion, 22 Pak Po Street, Mong Kok, Hong Kong; +852 3709 8250

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Sep 

The Central dining scene continues to foster a diverse culinary community with Sep, a new concept by the Lai Sun Dining Group that specialises in grilled Vietnamese dishes made using live wood fires. Upon entering Sep, guests will find themselves in an evocative Indochinese space replete with wood panelling and bamboo accents, as well as a chef's counter where diners can watch the wood-fired grills being expertly manipulated by executive chef DoBee Lam and his team. The signature eight-course tasting menu (HK$1,680 per person) showcases proteins like Sep's dry-aged yellow chicken and French Quarter Chilean sea bass. Each diner has the option to accompany their dish with the chef’s wine pairing recommendations. 

Sep, 19/F, H Code, 45 Pottinger Street, Central, Hong Kong; +852 2116 5433

 

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Oro

Meaning “gold” in Italian, Oro, a glamorous new restaurant opened in Central by hospitality industry veteran Gian Franco Razzani, highlights the history of Italian immigrants who risked their lives in hope of a brighter future by moving to New York. This deeper meaning within Oro’s backstory is exhibited through their family-style hospitality which offers a personal experience for each diner. Within the elegant surroundings, guests can expect a fusion of American and Italian cuisines, paying respects to traditional Italian cooking with a touch of charm from the Big Apple. Expect elevated dishes like the Risotto “Acquerello con Astice & Fegato Grasso”, and the must-try black truffle wagyu tartare and Tartufo Nero. Upstairs, Oro's sister bar Top Town is an alluring destination for rooftop cocktails and to soak in the surrounding cityscape.

Oro & Top Town, 30-31/F, 28 Stanley Street, Central, Hong Kong; +852 2133 7517

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Crust Sorrento

Opening as a sister venue to Crust Italian in Wan Chai, Crust Sorrento brings the flavours of Naples and the Amalfi Coast to Tseung Kwan O. With its baby blue and white mosaic tiling and views of the surrounding greenery, the venue offers plentiful indoor and outdoor seating to bask in the coastal weather. On the menu, diners will find signature dishes like Alaskan crab risotto, whole spring chicken, and chicken Milanese. Meanwhile, chef David Puig Zaragoza provides a one-of-a-kind experience as he offers his perfected classic Neapolitan desserts to all. The bar space here pours an extensive selection of Italian wines that can pair perfectly with one’s meal. 

Crust Sorrento, Shop 5, G/F, Monterey Complex, 23 Tong Chun Street, Tseung Kwan O

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Hancham & Bong Ru

Two longtime Korean restaurants in Tsim Sha Tsui, Bong Ru and Hancham, have reopened alongside one another in a new and combined location. Hancham—meaning "a long time" in Korean—is a modern Korean barbecue restaurant that brings diners an authentic taste of Korea. Its contemporary atmosphere encapsulates the classic Korean barbecue experience with grill tabletops and servings of premium quality cuts. Alongside an array of Korean classics, the restaurant's signature choices include dry-aged Suk Seong Deungsim as well as the house-marinated Hancham Galbi. The merge with Bong Ru also allows customers to enjoy Korean-Chinese delicacies including Jijanmyeon and Jjamppong. Meanwhile, Hancham’s extensive drinks menu offers a wide choice of soju and makgeolli to complement a hearty meal.

Hancham & Bong Ru, 1/F, Winfield Commercial Building, 6-8A Prat Avenue, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong; +852 2311 6822

November

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Above Chefs Romain Dupeyre and Adrien Castillo
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Above Pigeon with liquorice, aubergine and anchovies

Racines

Created by the same team behind French bistro Bouillon, Racines—meaning roots in French—is a fine dining concept focused on the culinary diversity of the South of France. Together with chefs Romain Dupeyre and Adrien Castillo, formerly of Petrus and Caprice respectively, the restaurant presents tasting menus that feature modern takes on French classics. From a classic pigeon dish with liquorice, aubergine and anchovies on the five-course Genèse menu (HK$1,288) to the red mullet dish with beetroot, orange and sauce diable on the creative seven-course Plénitude menu (HK$1,688), the dishes stem from childhood memories and professional experiences that make the most of the region's ingredients and terroir. The intimate space is warm but elegant with a wooden counter where you can watch all the action.

Racines, G/F, 22 Upper Station Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong; +852 2886 8076

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Above Vista head chef Andrea Mura (Photo: Vista)

Vista

Taking over the former home of Aqua at the top of One Peking Road is Vista, a brand new ristorante that will celebrate the best of Italian cuisine against the backdrop of Hong Kong's famed skyline. Helming the kitchen is chef Andrea Mura, who opened Aqua Group's Cantina in Tai Kwun, and who will be serving a menu of Venetian cicchetti, grilled seafood, and handcrafted pastas. In a departure from Aqua Spirit's more contemporary leanings, the bar space at Vista will be pouring classic Italian cocktails and aperitivos. Look for the new venue to open from November 16 onwards.

Vista, 29/F & 30/F, One Peking Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong; vistahk.com

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Bàrbar

The clue's in the name: Bàrbar combines a Spanish tapas bar and a wine bar, bringing a dose of Spanish gastronomy on restaurant-heavy Ship Street in Wan Chai. Steered by Epicurean Group culinary director Edgard Sanuy Barahona of Pica Pica fame and executed by head chef Ronald N. Nelson, Bàrbar features a long open kitchen from whence twists on Spanish classics emerge, like Madrid squid bocadillo, charred deboned beef rib and roasted pumpkin purée from the Josper oven, pigeon rice, and lobster Fideua, a take on a traditional Valencian noodle dish. Meanwhile, the wine bar serves an extensive selection of Spanish wines, sherries, and gins that span the breadth of the country.

Bàrbar, Shop A, G/F, 9 Ship Street, Wan Chai; +852 2810 0008, barbar.hk

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Above Photo: Danji

Danji

Taking over the former Roots Eatery space on Wan Chai's Sun Street is Danji, a modern Korean bistro opened by Seoul Recipe founder Jennifer Kim that takes its name from the traditional earthenware pots used to store and ferment classic Korean sauces. Having opened her Korean grab-and-go concept in 2017, Kim is looking to flesh out her culinary offering with the opening of this sit-down eatery in the see-and-be-seen Starstreet Precinct. Within the cosy restaurant space, diners can expect elevated home-style Korean cooking in dishes like braised pork belly, grilled eel, fried chicken and galbi jjim braised beef short ribs. Other specialties include Hanwoo striploin grilled at the table, and soy sauce marinated Korean blue crab. A drinks list of Korean beer, makgeolli and sake is also available to complement the food.

Danji, 7 Sun Street, Wan Chai, Hong Kong; +852 2623 9983, book.bistrochat.com/danji

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Above Photo: Rêveri

Rêveri

Opened by husband-and-wife team Jessica Kesumo and John Law, Rêveri is a new bistro in Sheung Wan that encapsulates contemporary pan-Asian cuisine in its "casual fine dining" menu. Launching with a lunch service and two tasting menus for dinner (HK$1,080 up), a glance at Rêveri's signature dishes reveals creations like truffle brioche with seared Japanese scallop, butter poached lobster with Shaoxing wine sabayon, the Australian Wagyu Duo braised with red fermented bean curd and served with celeriac and potato gratin, and the Japanese sea bream fish rice. Wine and sake pairings are also on hand for those looking for a little tipple.

Rêveri, 20-24 Mercer Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong; +852 6778 7278‎, reverihk.com

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Above Photo: Nanhai No. 2

Nanhai No. 2

Opening as the sister restaurant to Nanhai No. 1 in Tsim Sha Tsui, Nanhai No. 2 brings the maritime exploration-themed southern Chinese cuisine of the original to Hong Kong Island. Located in Causeway Bay, Nanhai No. 2's menu pays tribute to Zheng He, the legendary mariner who led seven expeditionary voyages during the Ming dynasty to assert China's dominance on the seas; accordingly, the restaurant's design features maritime design elements to complement the view of Victoria Harbour, with the private rooms named after the destinations that Zheng He's fleet sailed to, including Malacca, Ceylon, and Persia. Signature dishes also reflect this seafaring scope, in creations like Sri Lankan-style Negombo crab, braised oxtail and beef shoulder blade in Malacca style paired with roti, and a series of typhoon shelter dishes that take inspiration from closer to home.

Nanhai No. 2, 12/F, World Trade Centre, 280 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong; +852 2435 3088

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Above Photo: Trattoria Kagawa

Trattoria Kagawa by Mihara

Terufumi Mihara, the man behind Teppanyaki Mihara and Koi, has opened a new and intimate venue on Wan Chai's Ship Street that pays homage to the cuisine of his home prefecture of Kagawa, Japan, with a menu of Italian-Japanese delicacies that are sure to hit the spot for any yōshoku cravings. Despite being the smallest prefecture, Kagawa, which can be found on the island of Shikoku, has an outsized culinary footprint thanks to its thriving olive industry, which provides the feed to raise wagyu cattle, pork and chicken, lending their meat a distinct and delicate flavour. At this new restaurant, 80 percent of the produce has been sourced from Kagawa, spanning a menu of appetisers and small bites, teppanyaki, pasta and risotto, meat mains and desserts. 

Trattoria Kagawa by Mihara, G/F, 18 Ship Street, Wan Chai, Hong Kong; +852 5394 3690, trattoriakagawa@ponghk.com

October

Kilo Steakhouse

Opening as the eighth restaurant under Umberto Bombana's Octavo Management Group, Kilo Steakhouse sees chef Nate Green (formerly Rhoda, Henry) return to Tsim Sha Tsui to serve his signature cuts of steak. The restaurant takes over the previous home of Cobo House, commanding postcard-perfect views of the Hong Kong skyline from behind K11 Musea's distinctive tubular glass facade. Inside, Bombana's son Bart has curated neon light paintings to mirror the view, sourcing compositions from the likes of Keith Haring and Swedish artist André Saraiva. Within this space, diners can expect Green's usual finesse with seafood and meats, including highlights like the barbecue platter of briskey, pork belly, and Andouille sausage; and the Kuro Black Label M7+ American Wagyu grain-fed striploin. 

Kilo Steakhouse, Shop 602, Level 6, K11 Musea, Victoria Dockside, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong; octavo.com.hk

 

The Mixing Room

Replacing J. Boroski is a new venture from the Iron Fairies Group called The Mixing Room, a bar concept based on characters from founder Ashley Sutton's The Iron Fairies children's book trilogy. Like Sutton's other venues, The Mixing Room is characteristically whimsical and evocative, featuring an interior bedecked in strung bottles holding various spices and herbs; this approach extends to the menu, which features concoctions chock full of homemade sodas, house infusions, craft spirits and more. Former senior creative consultant of Proof & Company, Tom Egerton heads the cocktail programme here, whipping up drinks with names like A Cheeky Mango and Mouna's Escape.

The Mixing Room, Ezra's Lane, Central, Hong Kong

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Above Photo: Terrace by LQV
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Above Photo: Terrace by LQV

Terrace by LQV

After opening the upscale restaurant Terroirs by LQV in Central this past June, the LQV Group has swiftly followed up with Terrace by LQV, a decidedly more laidback sister location in sunny Stanley. Here, the bottle selection takes advantage of the seaside venue and predominantly focuses on rosé, white wines and champagnes for easy drinking both during the day and night. To complement, the food menu features lighter classics from the south of France, including dishes like grilled French sea bass, and pastis flambée prilled Prawns, served with linguine and Provencal tomatoes. Take a bit of the lifestyle home with the restaurant's retail corner, which stocks French artisanal cheeses, wines, cold cuts, jams, fresh baked bread and pastries.

Terrace by LQV, Shop 505, Stanley Plaza, 23 Carmel Road, Stanley, Hong Kong

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Above Photo: Ponty Cafe

Ponty Cafe

The Pontiac is expanding into the daytime with the opening of Ponty Cafe right next door. Born "out of necessity due to government restrictions", the cafe first began as an extension of opening hours at The Pontiac, but is now a fully-fledged cafe in its own right. The drinks list features black and white coffee drinks alongside all-day cocktails like the Dive Bar Bloody Mary and the Iced Spanish Coffee designed by The Pontiac co-owner Beckaly Franks and Ezra Star of Mostly Harmless. Meanwhie, the food menu is the realm of chef Rachel Wedlock, an Edinburgh native who was most recently at Winston's Coffee and The Cupping Room—expect dishes like sage pork sausage biscuits and gravy; HK steak au poivre with Szechuan cognac cream sauce; and the triple-stack buttermilk pancakes.

Ponty Cafe, 15 Old Bailey Street, Central, Hong Kong

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Above Photo: Mulino

Mulino

New to Tsim Sha Tsui East is Mulino, a restaurant that styles itself along the lines of Mediterranean cuisine. Opened by Chess House Restaurants, the group behind Chutney in Central and The Hunter in Tseung Kwan O, the menu features Italian standards like vitello tonnato, pappardelle ragu, and risotto verde, but more interesting are the Middle Eastern additions—owing to Egyptian chef-turned-culinary-director Mohamed Hegazy and Moroccan executive chef Faycal El Moujahid—like mutabal smoked eggplant dip prepared tableside, lamb koftas and chicken skewers prepared in a charcoal oven, and roasted whole lamb spare rib dusted with cumin. A respectable cocktail menu brings together bright fruity and vegetal flavours in the glass, perfect for sipping on the harbourside patio.

Mulino, Wing On Plaza, Units 1-6, 45 & 46, G/F, 62 Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong; +852 2721 3600

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Above Photo: CulinArt 1862

CulinArt 1862

Some good news about energy for a change: Towngas is celebrating its 160th anniversary this year, and to mark the occasion, it's opened up a slick new restaurant in Causeway Bay called CulinArt 1862. The kitchen is helmed by half-German, half-Chinese chef Stanley Wong, who cut his teeth at high-end restaurants and hotels in Germany, Switzerland, South Africa, Australia, and New York, where he was the executive chef at Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Spice Market. Split into two sections, the restaurant's lounge features a casual menu drawing inspiration from cuisines around the world while using sustainable ingredients; while the chef's table features a seven-course tasting menu (HK$1,288 per person) that encompasses dishes like red prawn tartare with jalapeño and yuzu, oxtail tortellini in beef consommé made using a siphon coffee maker, and binchōtan-grilled Rangers Valley striploin. 

CulinArt 1862, 1/F, Chinachem Leighton Plaza, 29 Leighton Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong; +852 2884 2603, culinart1862.com

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Above Photo: The Butchers Club

The Butchers Club Grille

Having taken the city by storm with its gourmet burgers in 2014, The Butchers Club is back in decidedly more grown-up fashion with a new sit-down steakhouse in Taikoo Place. The Butchers Club Grille is a 55-seat restaurant featuring a surf-and-turf menu of dry-aged meats and seafood, with cuts of beef dry-aged for between 30 to 45 days. Guests can choose between dry-aged USDA Prime cuts of Angus beef like the rib-eye, porterhouse, New York strip and more; or alternatively, wet-aged cuts like Australian grain-fed filet, M3 wagyu striploin, or Angus tomahawk. These are roasted in a Montague oven that's capable of achieving temperatures of up to 900 degrees Celsius, effectively forming a crust around the steak to seal the juices inside. Of course, burger fiends can still find their fix with the classic dry-aged burger, served with a side of truffle fries. The restaurant also features a wine list of 80-plus labels which can be ordered with your meal or bought at retail.

The Butchers Club Grille, G/F, Westland Gardens, 12 Westlands Road, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong; +852 2388 9644

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Above Mediterranean bluefin tuna belly in Sicilian pistachio crust and fumetto reduction (Photo: The Italian Club)

The Italian Club

While it originally opened in 2017, eventually expanding to four locations across Hong Kong, The Italian Club was forced to close its doors over the course of the pandemic. Now it's making a return in altogether swankier premises, with a revamped Soho location designed by the renowned Pininfarina Architecture. Serving only 24 covers a night, The Italian Club now features a focus on seafood flown directly from the Mediterranean, expressed in a 12-course tasting menu by chef-founder Stefano Balsamo that features dishes like paccheri in Sicilian pistachio pesto and Mazara del Vallo prawns; Mediterranean bluefin tuna belly in Sicilian pistachio crust and fumetto reduction; and baked Mediterranean monkfish with percebes and Italian artichokes. The restaurant also features an extensive wine list of 400 labels sourced from across Italy's varied terroirs.

The Italian Club, 32 Elgin Street, Central, Hong Kong; seafoodwinebar.com

September

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Above Baked escargots (Photo: The Hawk & Aster)

The Hawk & Aster

Replacing Le Pain Quotidien in Pacific Place is The Hawk & Aster, a new venue by the Leading Nation hospitality group (Wagyumafia, Elephant Grounds, Morty's) that is the first in a line of "Grand Cafes"—all-day restaurants that will be open seven days a week serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. It's also a collaborative effort across the group's portfolio: La Rambla's Rafa Gil ideated the opening menu of approachable European-inflected dishes like steak frites, Ozaki wagyu burger, and baked escargot; while The Diplomat's John Nugent is responsible for the wine and cocktail menu. An Elephant Grounds kiosk completes the package, serving espressos and lattes alike to the denizens of the mall.

The Hawk & Aster, Unit 008, Level LG1, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty, Hong Kong; +852 3501 8557, thegrandcafes.com

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Above The team behind Grand Hyatt's Champagne Bar (Photo: Grand Hyatt)

Champagne Bar at Grand Hyatt

After a year's hiatus, the Champagne Bar at Grand Hyatt Hong Kong has reopened to the public with a reinvigorated team and menu. No surprises for guessing the focus of the bar here, with an impressive 16 champagnes available by the glass, and a whopping 80 labels by the bottle ranging from Krug and Ruinart to boutique producers like Jeeper, Vilmart & Cie, and Roger Coulon. Aside, more esoteric options include Méthode Champenoise sparkling wines from around the world, yet made using the traditional wine-making technique in the Champagne region of France. An easy-drinking happy hour also entices with champagne spritzes mixed upon ordering with house-made fruit liqueurs.

Champagne Bar, Lobby Level, Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, 1 Harbour Road, Hong Kong; +852 2584 7722

Don't miss: In Praise of Grower Champagnes

Uncle Ming's

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Above Dramatic wood-lined interiors at Uncle Ming's (Photo: Aki Hong Kong by MGallery)

Opening atop the brand-new Aki Hong Kong by MGallery hotel, Uncle Ming's is a sleek watering hole with panoramic views of Wan Chai and bowtie-wearing bartenders that offers a comprehensive, globe-spanning selection of whiskies to the aficionado crowd, alongside a number of classic whisky-based cocktails. Dressed in cedar panels and warm lighting in line with the rest of the hotel's Japanese design theme, the bar presents patrons with the choice of 80 international labels and rare single malts, each of which can be ordered on its own or sampled as part of a country-based whisky tasting flight. Those who prefer their drinks mixed will find classics like the Boulevardier and bourbon and grapefruit-based Brown Derby rubbing shoulders with new creations like the Oolongtini, served under a dramatically smoked glass dome.

Uncle Ming's, 25/F, Aki Hong Kong - MGallery, 239 Jaffe Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong; +852 2121 5000

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Above Wagyu beef fried noodles (Photo: Demon Celebrity)

Demon Celebrity

Just a five-minute walk away from the new Bo Innovation, in what used to be the home of iconic European-style restaurant Jimmy’s Kitchen, Alvin Leung, aka the "Demon Chef", is opening another restaurant that fully leans into a nostalgia for the Hong Kong of yore. 

Demon Celebrity is a double billing of Leung and Cheng Kam-Fu, the executive chef of one-Michelin-starred Celebrity Cuisine. Though Cheng is known for his faithful execution of Cantonese dishes, at Demon Celebrity, both chefs will offer their elevated take on the “soy sauce Western” cuisine unique to Hong Kong, which was no doubt influenced by the colonial-era dishes that were served at Jimmy’s Kitchen over a nine-decade-long lifespan.

Diners can anticipate the likes of lobster à la King and glutinous rice balls stuffed with crab roe grace the menu, alongside a roster of Cheng’s Cantonese dishes like stuffed chicken wings with bird’s nest, fried pork maw with black beans, and sweet and sour pork fried in a soft batter—an artefact of old Hong Kong cuisine that is only found today at Chinese takeaways in Canada, says Leung.

“Don't expect any foam powders or nitrogen. It's about more about comfort and taste, while activating a bit of excitement,” he says, describing the menu of Demon Celebrity as very much the product of a “happy marriage” of ideas between himself and Cheng. 

“We’re very giving, we have a lot of respect for each other. He always puts me first and I try to put him first.”

Demon Celebrity, South China Building, 1 Wyndham Street, Central, Hong Kong; booking@thedemoncelebrity.com

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Above The hinoki sushi bar made up for half of Sushi Haru's design budget (Photo: Sushi Haru)

Sushi Haru

First opened in LKF Tower almost two years ago to the date, Black Sheep Restaurants' intimate eight-seat omakase bar, Sushi Haru, makes a return after a long hiatus. Gone is opening chef Motoharu Inazuka, who now helms Sushi Hare on Bridges Street; now, Sendai native Hirokuni Shiga, who hails from a family of culinary professionals, having grown up in his father's kappo restaurant, has assumed the role of itamae. Shiga has worked across a number of cuisines including kaiseki, tempura and yakitori, but was drawn back to Edomae-style sushi for the connection it provides to producers as well as customers.

“I don’t want the experience to be unapproachable," he says. "In Japan, there are so many hard, long faces behind the counters, a sort of seriousness that can sometimes appear angry. I like to engage more; I want my guest to enjoy their experience and leave filled with that joy, this is what makes true hospitality.” 

Sushi Haru, Mezzanine, LKF Tower, 33 Wyndham Street, Central, Hong Kong; +852 2111 1450

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Above Photo: Yashima

Yashima

Taking over Co Thanh’s old spot in Kau U Fong, Yashima joins Hong Kong’s ever-growing list of Japanese restaurants with a kaiseki, or traditional multi-course, omakase menu. The restaurant takes its name from the flat-topped volcanic plateau in Kagawa and uses a Japanese character (杣) to represent the art of woodwork which is also reflected in the hinoki wood interior and Kyoto zen garden-inspired design. 

Helmed by Tokyo-born chef Kōya Takahashi, the restaurant offers two seasonal menu options for lunch and one for dinner that may change from day to day depending on the ingredients available. Some mainstay dishes, however, include signature sushi; seasonal vegetables with abalone, prawn and Hokkaido uni topped with Russian caviar; grilled Japanese lobster marinated with kinome white miso; tempura Hokkaido hairy crab; and Ayu sweetfish topped with roe with somen.

Yashima, G/F, 2-4 Kau U Fong, Central, Hong Kong; +852 2328 8089

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Above A spread of Central European snacks (Photo: Schnitzel & Schnaps)

Schnitzel & Schnaps

Taking over Rubia on Hollywood Road, Schnitzel & Schnaps is a new restaurant by the same group and takes its name from two of the most well-known dishes and spirits from Central Europe. The restaurant has two levels with a cocktail bar on the ground floor offering a wide range of schnaps, beers and wines and an upstairs dining room that offers a menu with a sizeable schnitzel selection and more.

The schnitzels here are coated with bread crumbs from dried German kaiser rolls and a mixed herb blend before it is shallow fried for a crisp cutlet that remains tender inside. Highlights include the classic wiener schnitzel made with milk-fed veal; schnitzel à la holstein, a pan-fried pork chop with a fried egg; and the yellow corn-fed chicken thigh jägerschnitzel served with chanterelle mushroom gravy. The menu also has a range of sausages from the region to try with cabbage slaw, sauerkraut and potato salad.

Schnitzel & Schnaps, G/F, C Wisdom Centre, 35 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong; +852 2889 1199

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Jiangsu Club
Above Steamed cod in Huadiao wine (Photo: Jiangsu Club)

Jiangsu Club

Found just north of Shanghai, Jiangsu province boasts a long and storied culinary tradition that is regarded as one of China's eight great regional cuisines, defined foremost by precise temperature control, highly seasonal ingredients, and a focus on seafood thanks to the region's coastal proximity. In Hong Kong, the newest establishment to serve this cuisine is Jiangsu Club in Sheung Wan, where three veteran chefs combine their talents to serve authentic representations within an elevated setting. There are cold dishes like fried eel and freshwater with vinegar glaze; elaborate poultry creations like the Eight Treasures Duck; as well as iconic dishes like thick-cut braised pork belly. A dim sum selection will also keep diners satiated during the day.

Jiangsu Club, 2/F, Alliance Building, 130-136 Connaught Road, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong; +852 6230 8973

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Above Crispy sea cucumber stuffed with tofu fish mousse, served with mapo minced pork sauce (Photo: Hong Kong Cuisine)

Hong Kong Cuisine 1983

Look past the rather bland name, and you'll find utterly contemporary leanings at this newly revamped Happy Valley mainstay. Upon the restaurant's 10-year anniversary, and observing a lack of new talent entering the market, owner Baldwin Cheng sought to revamp Hong Kong Cuisine's menu and kitchen culture to be more divulging of the often closely-guarded secrets of the old hands. The result is a tasting menu that doesn't shy away from molecular gastronomy touches like foams, smoke, mousses and more. 

Within the degustation, chef Silas Li flexes his creative muscle in dishes like braised boneless duck web stuffed in chicken wings (a play on the Chinese idiom 鷄同鴨講, or “chicken speaking with duck”); bird’s nest stuffed winter melon ball with roasted duck sea cucumber sauce; and layered steamed egg white, crab meat with Huadiao wine and lily flower root foam served in an egg shell. For those who still want their Cantonese fare done the traditional way, Hong Kong Cuisine's a la carte menu still offers family-style sharing dishes for larger gatherings to enjoy.

Hong Kong Cuisine, 1/F, Elegance Court, 2-4 Tsoi Tak Street, Happy Valley, Hong Kong; +852 2893 3788

Tatler Asia
Above Japanese yakiniku (Source: Miyazaki Niku Honpo)

Miyazaki Niku Honpo

It seems Hong Kong can't get enough of Japanese-style barbecue either with the opening of Miyazaki Niku Honpo. The new yakiniku restaurant is the first overseas branch from the Kyushu brand and exclusively imports its Wagyu—the full cow and rare cuts—from the award-winning Ouka farm. Aside from Miyazaki Wagyu beef, the menu also has Kyushu A5 Wagyu beef, Kagoshima Kurobuta pork, Kumamoto chicken, salads, snacks and other seasonal Japanese produce and ingredients to try. The menu has a semi-buffet option too so you can just keep beefing it up or sample signature dishes such as the beef bone broth ramen and Wagyu dumplings.

Miyazaki Niku Honpo, 6/F, Sugar+, 25-31 Sugar Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong; +852 3568 5330 or WhatsApp +852 6880 8908