In December 2024, fine-dining Chinese restaurant Chinesology announced the launch of its new halal-friendly menus, the first premium establishment to cater to Muslim locals and tourists.
Chef Saito Chau and his team have dedicated a whole space in the kitchen, safe for dealing with halal ingredients and products, to build and serve the new menus to those ascribing to the religious diet.
Open for three years, Chinesology successfully manages to hide its ifc shell and transport guests beyond the mall. Its grand entrance and undulating corridor leading to the dining room are reminiscent of a hutong building found in Beijing, secret and luxurious.
The halal-friendly tasting menu (HKD1,388 pp) is one of strong value, boasting eight courses packed into one lunch or dinner. One can also savour the shorter six-course halal-friendly tasting menu for just HKD880.
The menu begins with the deep-fried homemade tofu wrapped in seaweed, topped off with a sweet mango relish. The shell of the creamy tofu is protected by a crispy seaweed paste, making for a quality palate pleaser that teases chef Saito’s pure skills.
After a few minutes’ wait between courses and a trio dim sum platter landing on the table, which further primed us for bolder flavours, the soup course arrived with the matsuke soup, cordyceps militaris, winter melon.
If you’re a fan of mushrooms, great – this soup is for you – but those who are not fungal-inclined might not like it as much. The texture is stringy from the julienned mushroom and gooey from the chicken soup base, emphasising its texture on the palate rather than its taste. This is a nice dish, but not memorable.
Where memories are made is with the powerful and artistic deep-fried beef with 20-year-old tangerine peel.
The ornate protein dish is served on a pillow-shaped china dish with a sliced piece of the beef brisket. The beef is deep-fried to pair a crunchy texture with the tender beef and topped with a salty-spicy “typhoon shelter” crumble. The texture and flavour combinations earn this dish top marks for a bold, salty hit with great beefy consistency.
Another highlight of the menu comes with the smoked free-range chicken with osmanthus. The chicken itself is sourced from a New Territories farm, with Chinesology beating the competition to serve this halal chicken first at a Hong Kong restaurant.
With the flowery aromatics pronounced, the soft, buttery texture of the chicken is an excellent feature for the main attraction of the menu. Whilst I would prefer the inclusion of more salt, this dish is balanced and not overwhelming.
In classic Chinese dining fashion, the fried rice dish is served last to prevent stuffing oneself in a multi-course meal. The beetroot and mushroom fried rice is a non-offensive dish that borders on the nutty and sweet sides with the aforementioned ingredients. A spattering of pine nuts helps to drive the former flavour profile.
We ended the meal with dessert, the homemade longan and snow swallow panna cotta, which, just like the tofu starter, carries a delicately soft texture, perfect for cleansing your system before the meal is complete. The longan imparts a honey-like rose-petal flavour, adjusted to end on a high note without overpowering the palate.
Our verdict of Chineseology
Hong Kong’s halal dining scene continues to grow in quantity and quality, with Chinesology fitting in right at the top with its halal-friendly menu allowing for a savouring of the fancier side of Chinese cuisine. The menu evinces the strengths of chef Saito’s cooking to serve a menu that shuns pork and alcohol, key ingredients in that cuisine.
Chinesology, Shop 3101, 3/F, ifc mall, 8 Finance Street, Central, 6809 2299, book here
| Order this: eight-course halal-friendly menu Menu: Chinesology halal-friendly menus Price for two: around HKD2,800 | Atmosphere: refined but not posh, with lovely views of the harbour Perfect for: halal diners seeking a premium Chinese dining experience |
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.
