Hong Kong restaurant news: David Toutain of Feuille welcomes Lasai from Rio de Janeiro, Mandarin Oriental launches new gin, and more

Ovolo Southside has debuted Informal Affairs, a rooftop gin pop-up bar in collaboration with Tatler Dining’s Best Local Drinks Producer for 2022, N.I.P. Gin. Transporting guests back to the ’90s and early 2000s, the dai pai dong-inspired cocktail bar pays tribute to a bygone era of Hong Kong in cocktails created by The Wise King’s Sandeep Kumar and Ovolo’s Bar Manager Issac Lim. Meanwhile, a Hong Kong-inspired vegetarian snack menu by Ovolo Hotels executive chef Raul Tronco Calahorra and visual designer Ron Wan features throwbacks like gin-brined Airplane Olives and Salt & Pepper Tofu. Open every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 3pm.

Ovolo Southside
Address: 64 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Wong Chuk Hang, Hong Kong

Led by chef-owner Kenichi Fujimoto, Sushi Fujimoto has launched a new sushi lunch menu and seasonal omakase. The former Sushi Saito chef showcases his Edomae-style sushi in a new lunch menu, priced at HK$1,580, which features up to 12 sushi pieces, a small maki roll, Japanese tamago, miso soup and Japanese fruit. As for the seasonal omakase, priced at HK$2,980, guests can sample the best of the season, with seafood items such as ankimo (monkfish liver), shirako (cod milt), female snow crab and nodoguro (blackthroat seaperch) meticulously prepared to highlight their natural flavour. Both menus are available daily, except for Wednesdays and Sundays. 

Dan Ryan's Chicago Grill presents a revamped menu filled with hearty and comforting dishes. The menu also spotlights 17 vegetarian options, with highlights including an heirloom tomato and grilled peach salad with fresh mozzarella. Meat lovers can enjoy an unassuming salad wrap with smoked pancetta packed with flavour, the upgraded Wagyu beef burger and New Jersey-style disco fries with bone marrow. After an invigorating uplift, signature drinks include the Born a Star Martini and the whiskey-based cocktail Deez Nuts made with peanut butter, chocolate, and salted vanilla. 

Dan Ryan's Chicago Grill
Address: G40 & G41, Lee Tung Avenue, 200 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong is heralding “60 Fantastic Years” with the unveiling of The Mandarin, a limited-edition gin, crafted in collaboration with Hong Kong-based Two Moons Distillery, which recalls the hotel's original name from its 1963 inception. The essence of the spirit captures the hotel’s signature room fragrance with key notes of osmanthus and grapefruit. Enhanced with kaffir lime leaf, it also nods to The Oriental (the Thai hotel that The Mandarin merged with) legacy while ginger and oolong tea is a reflection of Hong Kong's tea culture. Coriander seeds introduce a spicy accent while the incorporation of wampee leaf and lychee skin adds an earthy, smooth and eco-conscious finish. Commemorating this launch, the hotel’s beverage manager, Devender Sehgal, introduces The Mandarin Gimlet, a cocktail available from October 16 at The Aubrey, Captain’s Bar, and Chinnery.

Artifact has transformed into Artifact Kaya, an izakaya-inspired chef's table, to serve the likes of Japanese donburis during lunch and an eight-course dinner tasting menu in the evening. To complement this, the beverage menu will feature refreshing highballs and punchy sake bombs, as well as caviar and wine pairing options.

Over at Artifact Bar, a new seasonal cocktail menu dedicated to Citadelle gin from France. Highlights include the Rickey, a cocktail inspired by the Citadelle’s botanicals of yuzu and blueberry; Stirred Gimlet, created with Citadelle, white grape, shiso, and toasted sesame; and The Martinez, an autumn-inspired cocktail with flavours of charred rosemary, cherry and cinnamon, among others.

Artifact
Address: No. 1 & 2, Shop 5 & 7, LG/F, Jardine House, 1 Connaught Place, Central, Hong Kong

Feuille is gearing up for its first-ever four-hands event on October 31 and November 1. The two-day affair will be a collaboration between chefs Rafa Costa e Silva of one-Michelin-starred Lasai from Rio de Janeiro and David Toutain of Feuille and two Michelin-starred David Toutain in Paris. Drawing from their shared tenures at Mugaritz in Spain, both chefs champion sustainability and have a keen appreciation for local produce. Guests can anticipate dishes including cassava, chicken and bell pepper, with flavours and produce that meld French and Latin American inspirations. Those keen on indulging can opt for a lunch experience priced at HK$1,688 or dinner at HK$2,588, both menus are subject to a 10% service charge. 

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