Where do we book when we want to spoil ourselves with an expertly curated, multi-course tasting menu but don’t have a lot of cash to splash?
With many fine-dining tasting menus in Hong Kong regularly clocking in at upwards of HKD2K a head, it can be tricky unearthing top-notch yet affordable options. But, dear readers, you’re in luck – we’ve taken the guesswork out with our list of the top tasting menus in Hong Kong that won’t break the bank, with each featured restaurant offering a tasting menu priced at under HKD1,200 per diner.
The best affordable tasting menus in Hong Kong
WHISK
Though chef William Lau – the winner of our Foodie Forks 2024 Rising Star Award – has recently departed creative French-Japanese restaurant WHISK at The Mira, the hotel’s experienced culinary director, Sheldon Fonseca, is continuing the focus on seasonality and sustainability at good-value prices. WHISK’s midweek menus are particularly wallet friendly. First up, Wednesday Wagyu & Wine (HKD1,188 for 2) is a four-course beef-focused affair, with dishes such as Polmard beef tartare with chicken-skin waffle and Wagyu oxtail ravioli paired with a bottle of red wine.
For sake connoisseurs, the Oma-Sake Dinner (HKD1,188 for 2), available on Tuesdays and Thursdays, is the way to go, offering another sensational four-course fusion menu, this time matched with a bottle of sake. You read that right – each of these menus has a price tag of just HKD594 per diner! Even better, if you book via the Mira eShop, the service charge will be waived.
WHISK, 5/F, The Mira Hong Kong, Mira Place, 118–130 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, 2315 5999, WhatsApp 6273 3588, book here
Roganic
Celebrating five years in Hong Kong, we think Roganic, British chef Simon Rogan’s Michelin-starred import, is the city’s best sustainable fine-dining restaurant, yet again bagging a Michelin Green Star this year for its commitment to using locally sourced ingredients. The farm-to-table eatery has recently made the move to an inviting new space at Lee Garden One in Causeway Bay. Head chef Adam Catterall and team have also introduced a fun and flexible new set menu for sharing, adding to Roganic’s continued appeal. Stay tuned for price details on this fine-dining steal!
Roganic, Shop 402–403, 4/F, Lee Garden One, 33 Hysan Avenue, Causeway Bay, 2817 8383, book here
Leela
Our favourite Indian chef Manav Tuli departed CHAAT at the Rosewood to open Leela in partnership with JIA Group last autumn, charming diners with his inventive tributes to the rich and diverse culinary traditions of India. The restaurant’s six-course tasting menu (HKD988 pp) is the ideal way to sample the breadth of the chef’s finesse at a very reasonable price point, especially considering the quality of the local vegetables, seafood, and meat showcased. Currently wowing on the tasting menu are the Lucknowi tokri chaat (a deep-fried potato basket filled with lentil dumplings, chickpeas, and chutneys), baked Chettinadu duck samosa, coconut sea bass, tandoori lamb chop, smoked butter chicken with bone marrow and beef cheek biryani, and chocolate-chilli chaat.
Leela, Shop 301–310, 3/F, Lee Garden Three, 1 Sunning Road, Causeway Bay, 2882 5316, WhatsApp 9379 8780, book here
Zoku Restaurant & The Terrace
The Hari hotel’s snazzy Japanese restaurant Zoku offers a wide range of enticing menus, from brunch and lunch, to happy hour, to a sake and sando menu, but it’s the eatery’s beautifully presented Discovering Zoku six-course tasting menu (HKD888 pp) that stands out. It kicks off with a selection of otoshi (similar to one-bite amuse-bouche) the likes of Wagyu with crispy rice and quail egg, followed by a cold kaishi dish. Sushi is up next (we’re partial to the crab roll), with a warm otsumami dish like wasabi prawn tempura ensuing. Then it’s time to select a main course and dessert (the kohitsuji kaki, or chargrilled lamb chop with black garlic sauce, and matcha cake are both winners). Zoku also deserves a shout-out for its uber-polished service, which makes all the difference when enjoying a leisurely tasting menu.
Zoku Restaurant & The Terrace, 2/F, The Hari Hong Kong, 330 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, 2129 0338, book here
Above & Beyond
Michelin-recommended Above & Beyond, located on the top floor of Hotel ICON, has been standing sky-high (literally) in Hong Kong’s Cantonese fine-dining sphere for over a decade. For a blowout Chinese meal with a modest price tag, executive chef Chi Ki Wong has put his heart and soul into a series of tasting menus, and several are priced at under HKD1,000 per diner. We usually opt for the Peking duck set (HKD828 pp), where the gleaming, lacquered bird plays a starring role. Delicate dishes such as braised crabmeat soup and stir-fried shrimp with fresh fig and yam accompany the richly flavoured duck in all its crisp-skinned, juicy glory.
Above & Beyond, 28/F, Hotel ICON, 17 Science Museum Road, Tsim Sha Tsui East, 3400 1318, book here
Clarence
At Olivier Elzer’s contemporary French restaurant Clarence, new head chef Christophe Schmitt takes a lighter, Asian-inspired approach to Gallic cuisine, offering a fresh perspective. The four-course set dinner menu (HKD698 pp) allows diners to customise their own menu, selecting two hot starters, two cold starters, a main, and a dessert or cheese course from a variety of choices. You can’t go wrong with the classic beef tartare and skate wing with spiced brown butter. The eatery’s relaxed, convivial ambience is another reason we head back to Clarence again and again.
Clarence, 25/F, H Code, 45 Pottinger Street, Central, 3568 1397, book here
Auor
Singaporean chef Edward Voon is giving double-daters another reason to visit his fine-dining East-meets-meets restaurant Auor, presenting a buy-three-get-one-free promotion on his signature seasonal tasting menu (HKD980 for 4 courses; HKD1,180 for 6 courses), The Six Rounds. This innovative menu celebrates nature and the chef’s own life-defining moments and memories, ranging from the Sicilian red shrimp with Sichuan sorbet, ikura, celtuce, and wild rice dish of the “Awakening” course to the Asian pear tang yuan with Chinese almond and D24 durian ice cream of the final “Memory” course.
Auor, 4/F, China Underwriters Centre, 88 Gloucester Road (enter via O’Brien Road), Wan Chai, 2866 4888, WhatsApp 6629 3889, book here
