Art lessons: Spring in Hong Kong is dotted with a potpourri of art events, ranging from Art Basel and Art Central to the Asia Contemporary Art Show. And as Foodies who appreciate all things best via our stomachs, we jumped at the chance to “taste art” with Popsy Modern Kitchen’s specially curated Infinite Nuances menu, constructed around Berlin-based artist Elisabeth Sonneck’s vibrant works. The new Popsy Modern Kitchen is an offshoot of the original Popsy Room, with both restaurants using food as a medium to interpret the various artworks exhibited at the venues. We started our art-centric tasting with a DIY Turquoise Ray cocktail, a refreshing blend of guava juice, genever, gin, lemon juice, peach and rose syrup, capped with effervescent egg white. The “DIY” part required some artistic talent, as flavoured coloured sprays were laid out for us to decorate the foamy cocktail to resemble the brilliant canvases by Elisabeth Sonneck. Needless to say, we didn’t quite get into Parsons, but the spray paints did add plenty of fun.
Main exhibit: The 5-course menu commenced with a round of amuse bouche followed by a choice of either pan-seared swordfish with cucumber pasta, or a French onion soup with crabmeat. Seeing how we were still wearing our winter coats, we warmed ourselves with the comforts of the soup, which was deliciously hearty and accented with plenty of sweet crustaceans. Next, arrived a swirl of angel hair pasta dressed in a Parmesan cream sauce, adorned with pan-fried tiger prawns. The prawn was succulent, tender and sweet, and balanced well with the umami brininess of the cheese. We couldn’t decide between the choice of mains, so decided to sneak forkfuls out of the two options. The pork belly with chorizo had an addictively crispy crackling although the meat could have been more tender. The pork was also on the gamier side. The beef cheek, also accompanied by chorizo, was fork tender and sticky from hours of slow-cooking. Both proteins were served alongside polenta cakes and sautéed seasonal vegetables. The polenta worked especially well with the beef, as the dense squares soaked up the hearty juices from the stew. Raspberry layered cake, alongside cherry crumble and homemade vanilla ice cream, provided the finale. We adored the subtle sweetness of the ice cream, but felt that the raspberry layered cake, which resembled mousse, had too much gelatine. Instead of melting in the mouth, the gloopy mass just wobbled like jello.
Verdict: We appreciate the creativity in plating, using lines and symmetry in each dish to resonate with the artist’s works. The 5-course menu, which includes an amuse bouche, is priced at $698. We enjoyed the meal and the stimulating setting but perhaps not as much as we had anticipated.
Popsy Modern Kitchen, 5/F, The Wellington, 198 Wellington Street, Central, 2907 8188
中環威靈頓街198號The Wellington 5樓
