Hillside, one of two (in-house) restaurants inside the newly-ish opened Kimpton Tsim Sha Tsui Hong Kong hotel (the other being chef Vicky Lau’s restaurant JIJA), bills itself as a “third-culture kitchen”.
I am a third-culture kid, having earned my stripes across a few countries, so a meal at Hillside would be fitting to a) understand how third-culture-ism can be represented in the kitchen, and b) to see if it actually works.
Their á-la-carte menu features a mish-mash of American, Vietnamese, Thai, Cantonese, Japanese, and vaguely Western recipes, inspired by the travels of the now-former executive chef Logan Hester, who worked in the hotel’s launch team, and the team of international chefs at the restaurant.
From the off, the meal begins snappy with the honey mustard burnt ends (HKD228). Infused and made fatty with fish sauce, bringing about a caramelised and slightly acidic flavour, the burnt ends are addictive and instantly tick off the synapses in your brain begging for more.
The Chick-Fil-A-inspired honey mustard sauce compliments the beefy bits with a sweet touch.
The second appetiser to come, landing on my table as I gawk at the Hong Kong Island skyline view that Hillside captures, is the grilled cabbage caesar (HKD168).
Unlike your typical caesar salad, this caesar is sliced neatly to avoid chomping on massive leaves with not very much seasoning. Each leaf and section is liberally slathered with a tangy sauce and dusted off with parmesan cheese and very salty anchovies. I do wish however that the sauce was more creamy and salty to counter the moistness of some of the lettuce chunks deep into the salad.
Complimented by the mushroom ragu (HKD188), a nice pasta addition that brings a good balance of vegetables to the meal and cleanses the palate with the other salty dishes, the pho spiced Wagyu beef rib (HKD888) is a very good reason to book your group meal here.
This mega slab of meat appears as your typical American-style brisket, but the beef rib possesses a Vietnamese smack to it. Each bite is slobberingly fatty and beefy, made great with a habitual snacking on the Vietnamese-style basil and onion accoutrement served on the side to cut the fat. It is a large dish, made for sharing, and super indulgent.
As for the dinner, I enjoyed the magnificent mango sago pudding (HKD98) which converts the traditional dessert into an artistic piece with heavy tones of mango and a few dollops of coconut.
Our verdict of Hillside
A meal at Hillside is made for the lovers of international cuisine and those who find it tough to choose what cuisine they want to enjoy in one sitting. All five dishes I enjoyed didn’t have grand faults, and neither have the others on the menu from what the reviews online say, which shows that a multicultural menu can work to its full potential, without some cuisines faltering. Yes, the space can be made more ‘cool’ to match the menu, but I will be back again.
Hillside, 12/F, Kimpton Tsim Sha Tsui Hong Kong, 11 Middle Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, 3919 6828, book here
| Order this: honey mustard burnt bits, mushroom ragu, pho spiced Wagyu beef rib Menu: á-la-carte menu Price for two: HKD500-HKD750 | Atmosphere: posh and quiet, set in front of the Hong Kong Island skyline Perfect for: group dinners when you can’t figure out what cuisine you want to eat |
This review is intended to offer an individual perspective on the dining experience and should not be considered as a definitive judgement of the restaurant’s overall quality or reputation. The views expressed in this review are solely the author’s and do not reflect the opinions of Foodie.
