Hong Kong restaurant news: chefs Agustin Balbi and Ricardo Chaneton launch TacOmakase at Rosita, Chinesology celebrates Hong Kong flavours and more

For those that remember the Tatler Dining Kitchen experience with Andō and Mono—As Told Through Tacos—back in October last year, chefs Agustin Balbi and Ricardo Chaneton are back at it again. This time, the duo will host a taco-themed dinner experience at their co-venture Rosita, with head chef Marco A. Livoti. The omakase-style taco menu, dubbed TacOmakase, will occur on select Mondays starting April 24 and allows guests to sample creative interpretations of the taco. 

Highlights from the menu include a hamachi and avocado tostada to start, followed by a spot prawn and hamachi sour pisco ceviche. A selection of six different tacos will then be served to the table including a red prawn and amaranth taco, Wagyu beef tongue and chimichurri taco, duck carnitas taco with tamarind mole and more. The menu closes with smoked aged flan and dulces for dessert.

The TacOmakase menu is priced at HK$888 per person and is available to book on the following Mondays: April 24, May 8/15/29, June 19, and July 3/17/31.

Read more: Chefs Agustin Balbi and Ricardo Chaneton open Latin American restaurant Rosita

Rosita, 1-7 Ship Street, Wan Chai, Hong Kong; +852 2555 0628

Chef Leonard Cheung has refreshed Cultivate's menu for spring with new dishes to reflect the best of the season along with new renditions of some of their signatures. The crisp watermelon taco and flavourful maitake with ‘phở gras’ remain while a new dish, the white asparagus, is showcased with shiro ebi and brightened with lemon confit and snap peas. Another new favourite is the murasaki, meaning purple in Japanese, New Zealand venison loin katsu. Inspired by the deep colour of venison, the loin is lightly breaded, and paired with lavender mustard and a variation of purple vegetables. The new menu finishes with a new take on the banana and caviar dessert which makes use of locally-sourced bananas from the New Territories that are ripened, smoked in hickory and made into ice cream. It sits atop a banana bread crumble and, of course, comes with caviar for that addictive combination of sweet and savoury.

Contemporary Chinese restaurant Chinesology is launching a new menu on May 1 that celebrates Hong Kong's culinary heritage. Created by chef and native Hongkonger Saito Chau, the Flavours of Hong Kong menu is also a collaboration with four local brands: Tiu Yuen Soy Company, Ser Wong Fun, Lee Hoong Kee, and Kam Hing Noodles, which have been a source of inspiration and are featured in some of the dishes.

Designed to honour local flavours and evoke nostalgia, the ten-course menu (HK$2,288 per person; minimum booking for two people) includes dishes such as crispy fried chicken made using fermented sweet soy sauce from Tiu Yuen Soy Company and premium angelica from Lee Hoong Kee; lotus leaf-steamed wild Ma Yau fish with Ser Wong Fun's homemade snake wine; and whole abalone with pan-fried crispy noodles from Lee Hoong Kee and Kam Hing Noodles, among other dishes.

The meal also comes with a claypot rice-inspired cocktail made using Ser Wong Fun's snake wine and preserved sausage. The whisky-based drink is blended with Peychard’s, orange and hinoki bitters before it is garnished with crispy rice. 

Chinesology, Shop 3101, 3/F, IFC Mall, 8 Finance Street, Central, Hong Kong; +852 6809 2299

Highland Park has launched its rare 54-Year-Old whisky to celebrate its 225th anniversary. With only 225 bottles globally, this exceptional single malt scotch is the distillery’s oldest-ever release and is presented in a bespoke oak box that embodies the isle of Orkney’s unique contours and terrain. Highland Park has partnered with Bonhams Auction to offer one of the 225 bottles for sale on May 18, with all net proceeds donated to the Save The Children Fund.

Ahead of the occasion, Highland Park’s senior global brand ambassador Martin Markvardsen has teamed up with chef Silas Li of Hong Kong Cuisine 1983 to celebrate contrasts of the senses with a unique tasting menu. Available every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in May with only 15 sets offered per week, the nine-course menu includes Hokkaido scallops with Highland Park 18 Year Old, Peking duck with Highland Park 25 Year Old, and stir-fried prawns with Highland Park 40 Year Old.

Zuma is set to offer an exclusive culinary experience that marries the delicate flavours of Japanese cuisine with the rich complexity of Burgundy wines. The Beyond Zuma’s Wine Cellar Burgundy wine dinner is a six-course menu crafted by executive chef Quynh Phuong Brown and head sommelier Nicola Perrone to gradually progress the taste and complexity of each dish to complement the accompanying wines. Featuring six pairings, expect matches like grilled Obsiblue prawn in negi goma sauce with Chassagne-Montrachet, Châteaude Pommard 2020; and Japanese Wagyu tataki and maitake with black truffle butter with Gevrey-Chambertin, Les Jeunes Rois, René Bouvier 2019. This dining experience is priced at HK$1,788 per person.