Hong Kong’s cooling temperatures beckon the start of hotpot season, and with the topic of a plant-based diet burning hot on our radars, we decided to test out the new Omnipork vegetarian “pork” balls at Megan’s Kitchen. Known for its fresh, high-quality ingredients and innovative soup bases, Megan’s Kitchen walks the fine line between traditional and unconventional hotpot. It’s well known for its signature tom yum kung cappuccino soup base as well as its colourful selection of dumplings and meatballs.
However, on this particular visit, we decided to focus on veggies and fish, forgoing our usual orgy of beef, chicken and pork.
Related: Where else to find Omnipork in HK?
We started off with an order of crisp and light yet incredibly buttery fried Bombay duck ($58), which, despite its name, is actually a type of soft-boned fish. The entire fish fillet melted in the mouth, along with the incredibly soft fish bones. Topped with fried garlic, this was a sinfully good dish.
New to the restaurant this season is the bouillabaisse soup base ($368), which is traditionally found only on French menus. The curious use of this seafood stew as a hotpot soup was a first for us, and Megan’s Kitchen’s version was stocked full of shrimp, fish, mussels and clams. It made us feel like we didn’t need any other ingredients for dipping. The soup had a rich, creamy texture thanks to six hours of slow simmering with a bevy of herbs, with oregano the most pronounced. We just wanted to sip the rich broth instead of using it for dipping! To balance, we selected the lighter coriander and preserved duck egg soup base ($98).
The cuttlefish balls stuffed with scallop and pesto ($118) and green-skinned pork dumplings with asparagus and olive ($118) were delicious combinations of Western and Asian flavours.
Fresh bean curd sheets ($68) are a hotpot must for us.
Finally, the black truffle Omnipork vegetarian “pork” balls ($108) are made with a combination of black truffle paste, fried king oyster mushroom and onion. We could definitely smell the truffle as we took a bite, although the porous texture reminded us more of fried bean curd than real pork. These were delicious nevertheless – and better for the planet.
Verdict
Megan’s Kitchen continues to be our choice for dependable hotpot, and the new, healthier vegetarian options keep the restaurant in line with the shift towards a plant-based diet. Kudos!
5/F, Lucky Centre, 165–171 Wanchai Road, Wanchai, 2866 8305, click here to book now
This write-up is based on a complimentary media tasting provided in exchange for an honest review and no monetary compensation. The opinions expressed here represent the author’s.
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