In light of COVID-19, we encourage diners to take precautions when eating out. You can also support your favourite restaurants by getting takeaway and delivery.
RELATED: New Restaurants and Pop-ups: August 2020
14 South Lane
Named after its address in Shek Tong Tsui, 14 South Lane is lovely, laid-back all-day-dining (8am–5pm) spot for grazing and lounging. The menu reads like a dream: sweet potato coconut pancakes, green shakshuka, Mexican
and Middle Eastern grain bowls, roasted organic chicken. Sounds like we’ve found our new healthy local! Read
our review.
14 South Lane, Shek Tong Tsui, 5744 8390
Andō
Andō is the latest opening from JIA Group, with this new restaurant the first solo venture by Argentinian chef Agustin Ferrando Balbi, previously of HAKU (pictured above with Yenn Wong, JIA Group CEO). Andō takes inspiration from the chef’s Spanish ancestry as well as from the country that shaped his craft, Japan. Open for lunch and dinner from Tuesday, 7 July.
1/F, Somptueux Central, 52 Wellington Street, Central, book online
Aria
Opening on Monday, 6 July, Aria is a fancy new Italian restaurant located way up high in Lan Kwai Fong’s California Tower, taking over CÉ LA VI’s former prime spot. It’s open for lunch and dinner (closed on Sundays), serving family-style recipes made modern. The menu features antipasti, soups, pastas and risottos, pizzas, sharing dishes from the grill and a wide selection of desserts (including traditional Sicilian cannoli!). We love the look of Aria’s pasta carbonara (above), prepared authenticallly with guanicale and Pecorino Romano cheese.
24/F, California Tower, 30–32 D’Aguilar Street, LKF, Central, 2804 1116, book online
Beef & Liberty (Sheung Wan)
The burger masters over at Beef & Liberty have a new branch in Sheung Wan – the more, the merrier! In
addition to fab meaty burgers, they offer several delicious meat-free options. We’re partial to The Impossible Green Chilli Cheese, made with a plant-based Impossible patty, raclette cheese, homemade green chilli relish and jalapeños, but all burgers can be made with an Impossible patty upon request (and vegan buns are available too).
252 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan, 2178 0522
Club Rangoon
If you’ve never had the chance to sample the cuisine of Burma, you’re in luck, with Club Rangoon opening up as purportedly the only Burmese restaurant in Hong Kong. The food of Burma concentrates on strong, pungent flavours rather than the spicy and sweeter dishes found in neighbouring India, China and Thailand. The menu will have celebrated delicacies the likes of tea leaf salad – lahpet – made with fermented tea leaves, shredded cabbage and deep-fried beans, as well as mohinga, round rice noodles brought to life with the crunchy pith of the banana tree, ginger and lemongrass. We’re looking forward to a taste of the authentic, cherished home recipes passed down from older generations with a contemporary twist that Club Rangoon promises. Open for dinner from Thursday, 9 July.
LG/F, 33 Aberdeen Street, Central, 2503 3077, book online
The Daily Tot
The Daily Tot is a sleek, subterranean, Cuban-inspired bar with a focus on rum. It’s been designed by Louis Chon Studio, the team behind stunning watering holes Tell Camellia and The Old Man. At the heart of the menu are 12 signature rum cocktails along with a niche selection of rums sourced from Caribbean distilleries.
Shop E, LG/F, Felicity Building, 58 Hollywood Road, Central, 2366 6836
Dim Sum Library (ELEMENTS)
Expanding on the popular Pacific Place location, the folk at Aqua Restaurant Group have opened another Dim Sum Library across the water at ELEMENTS, in a similarly stylish space inspired by the art deco era. Four new xiao long bao varieties – beef brisket, hot and sour, bak kut teh and kombu and bonito – sit alongside newcomers such as pan-fried Sichuan cod bao, charcoal tofu with wild mushrooms and chilled hibiscus and guava pudding. Open daily for lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. Read our review.
Shop 1028B, 1/F, ELEMENTS, 1 Austin Road West, TST, 2810 0898, book online
The Diplomat Café
John Nugent’s speakeasy The Diplomat has now been transformed into The Diplomat Café, focusing on its food menu – a smart move during this “third wave” of COVID-19 in Hong Kong. Guests can still order The Diplomat’s creative cocktails, small-batch wines and vintage liquors – from Wednesday, 15 July, all drinks are available for takeaway in individual wax-sealed bottles – but now it’s the all-day gastropub grub that’s the main draw. This means dishes like a Cubano sandwich made with roasted suckling pig, Nugent’s free-range organic chicken nuggets, truffled mac ‘n’ cheese and the best-selling signature The Diplomat burger. Open Monday–Saturday from 12pm.
LG/F, High Block, H Code, 45 Pottinger Street, Central, 3619 0302, book online
DON DON DONKI (Causeway Bay)
Opening their third shop in Hong Kong on Tuesday, 7 July, this branch of the Japanese discount super store is the first on Hong Kong Island – and on four floors to boot. As well as lifestyle products, DON DON DONKI offers up high-quality fresh fruits, seafood, meat and cooked delicacies (we love the bentos!). This latest shop features a special department with curated items priced at $5 and $10 each, including popular skincare products and sweets, as well as a gift corner with premium products from different regions of Japan. Open 24/7!
1–4/F, Pearl City, 22–36 Paterson Street, Causeway Bay
FWD HOUSE 1881
In addition to intimate sushi bar The Araki by three-Michelin-starred chef Mitsuhiro Araki, which opened late last year, heritage hotel FWD HOUSE 1881 in Tsim Sha Tsui is set to debut three new F&B concepts in its main building on the ground and first floors:
ODEA
Centred around modern French cuisine, ODEA occupies the space of former Café Parlour. A refined restaurant for lunch and dinner, with a sumptuous afternoon tea offering on the historic veranda, ODEA features à-la-carte and tasting menus created by Chef Calvin Choi, who previously was a key element of InterContinental Hong Kong’s F&B concepts. Expect dishes the likes of wild mushroom soup, red prawn carpaccio, seared black cod and grilled A4 Wagyu.
G/F, Main Building, FWD House 1881, 2A Canton Road, TST, 3988 0088
The Queen
The Queen mixes the nostalgia of traditional Chinese dining with contemporary twists courtesy of Chef Ki Pak Chan, formerly of two-Michelin-starred Wing Lei Palace at Wynn Palace in Macau. The menu presents modern dim sum creations and larger Chinese sharing dishes.
G/F, Main Building, FWD House 1881, 2A Canton Road, TST, 3988 0188
The Steak Room
Also helmed by Chef Calvin Choi, who previously worked within the team at Spoon by Alain Ducasse towards achieving its two Michelin stars as well as headlining at Michelin-starred THE STEAK HOUSE at InterContinental Hong, The Steak Room is a fine-dining steakhouse, showcasing premium beef from around the world.
1/F, Main Building, FWD House 1881, 2A Canton Road, TST, 3988 0288
Maru de Sankaku
The team behind Zagin Soba are back with another Osaka-based noodle brand, Maru de Sankaku, serving up rare and coveted amadai (sea bream) ramen in a delicate, clear broth. Limited to 150 bowls a day! Open Monday–Saturday from 12pm.
13 Aberdeen Street, Central, 2346 3889
Monsoon
Another ELEMENTS restaurant set for a July opening is this inventine Southeast Asian eatery by award-winning chef Will Meyrick, an expert on cuisines from this part of the world, having opened several successful restaurants in Bali and Mama San here in the 852. Due to the current travel restrictions, Monsoon is embracing technology, with Chef Meyrick acting as virtual chef from Perth, filming all dish preparations for his experienced Hong Kong team led by Gede Budiana, who has worked with the chef for the past 17 years. You can also watch out for the launch of a series of online cooking demos with the new Monsoon at Home social media experience by Chef Meyrick.
ELEMENTS, 1 Austin Road West, TST, 2511 0100, book online
Moo Moo’s Steak and Fries
Steak frites is the name of the game at Moo Moo’s, where you can dig into a set menu of an eight-ounce USDA Prime rib-eye, salad, bread rolls and unlimited fries for less than $300 a head! Open daily for lunch and dinner.
18/F, 239 Hennessy Road, Wanchai, 6284 3505, book online
MOON YUE
Perched atop CUBUS in Causeway Bay, MOON YUE is a glam modern Chinese restaurant and bar with killer views. The showstopping dish pictured above is the MOON YUE lobster, prepared in two ways – fried with salted egg yolk and stir-fried with milk in traditional Shunde style. Other recommended dishes include crispy-skin fried chicken in two ways (original and stuffed with shrimp), fiery assorted seafood (scallop, abalone, geoduck, squid and grouper set aflame with cognac) and duo of turbot (deep-fried and stir-fried with asparagus and mushroom). Daily set lunch, dinner tasting and à-la-carte menus are available.
28/F, CUBUS, 1 Hoi Ping Road, Causeway Bay, 2562 3123, moonyue.hk@gmail.com
The Pizza Project (Wanchai)
Hot on the heels of its launch just this past January, Pirata Group’s popular pizzeria The Pizza Project is now hitting Star Street in Wanchai. Andrea Viglione and Davide Borin sure know their pizza – read our review – so it’s great we’ll now have another spot to grab one of their delicious handmade pies and some Pici tiramisu. Opening on Tuesday, 7 July, The Pizza Project will be giving away an incredible 500 pizzas to celebrate. Open daily from 11:30am.
5 Star Street, Wanchai, 2577 7227
Soil to Soul
Opening in mid-July, contemporary Korean vegetarian cuisine is the latest of the prolific food offerings springing up at K11 MUSEA in TST. Inspired by Korean temple food, Soil to Soul focuses on wellness and minimalism, featuring familiar Korean ingredients and dishes in a unique temple food presentation. Drink signatures of biodynamic, organic and premium wines, traditional soju and soju-inspired cocktails are also on offer. We’re delighted to have another veg-friendly restaurant joining the ranks.
Shop 704, 7/F, K11 MUSEA, Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Road, TST, 2389 9588, info@soiltosoul.hk
Twenty Fifth Hour
You’ll feel like you’ve added a extra hour to your day at Twenty Fifth Hour, a new speakeasy hidden way up high in Central above the historic Luk Yu Tea House. The bar programme is led by Kenzo Lee, formerly of top hotels W Hong Kong and EAST Hong Kong, with his signature tipple called Wonderland created during a guest bartending shift in Malaysia. This completely clear, tropical cocktail is made with coconut, kiwi, milk-washed rum, pineapple and grapefruit. In addition to the creative cocktail menu, there are cheese and ham platters from The Cheese House – and shisha! Open Monday–Saturday from 6pm. Hint: hit the light switch at the door to unlock the “extra hour”…
13/F, Luk Yu Building, 24–26 Stanley Street, Central, 5546 8540
XUÂN
Soft-opening on Monday, 6 July, XUÂN is former Chôm Chôm chef John Nguyen’s current passion project – a relaxed, modern Vietnamese restaurant focusing on the cuisine of northern Vietnam. This means the chef’s slow-cooked beef and chicken pho dishes are served with Chinese doughnuts and pickled garlic in lieu of fresh herbs. Other dish highlights include braised beef tongue salad, chả giò (fried spring rolls) stuffed with grouper and crabmeat and cơm gà (Hoi An-style chicken rice), a masterpiece of a sharing dish featuring hand-pulled three-yellow chicken, a fried duck egg, Vietnamese chicken meatloaf and rice pumped up with turmeric and garlic. Open daily from 11:30am. Read our review.
18 Lun Fat Street, Wanchai, 2891 1177, info@xuan.com.hk
RELATED: New Restaurants: June 2020
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