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megabites
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The weather’s been blowing hot and cold on us for a while now, so some of our traditional winter foods, especially fondue, might not be so appropriate. But dessert fondue is another matter entirely, especially when it tastes this good. Until the end of March, DiVino (G/F 73 Wyndham Street, Central, 2167 8883) is featuring ‘grand cru dark chocolate fondue’ from luxury and exclusive Tuscany-based chocolatiers, Amadei. Three blends are available for sampling: Toscano ($88 per person), is a 63% dark creamy chocolate with a rich nutty flavour, and not at all bitter; Chuao ($125pp), a 70% chocolate with more subtle flavours which unfold as it melts on the tongue – ever-so-slightly bittersweet, it has an almost unexpected sour kick to it; Barra “9” ($145pp) which at 75% has the highest cocoa content – and is our personal favourite – is a blend of cocoa beans from nine different plantations resulting in a gorgeous rich, almost red colour with complex yet satisfying flavours. All fondues are served with strawberries, bananas, pineapples, almond biscotti, marshmallows and breadsticks. And a wine-paring menu lists a sweet wine to complement each fondue. The minimum fondue order is for two people though sets also come for four and six people. |
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Inagiku (Shop 4001-4007, Podium Level 4, IFC Mall, Central, 2805 0600) has opened a new branch just a few steps down from H One at IFC. Like its sister at The Royal Garden, the highlight of Inagiku is its authentic tempura served by a chef who has specialised in the battered dish for over 40 years. Tempura, although now recognised as Japanese, was actually introduced to Japan by the Dutch and Portuguese traders in the 16th century. The name tempura itself may be a corruption of the word ‘temporo’ which means cooking in Portuguese. The dish, especially seafood tempura, is best enjoyed with sea salt to bring out the flavours of the battered meat. Kaiseki is a specialty at the IFC branch – originally a light meal served at traditional Japanese tea ceremonies, kaiseki is now more of a tasting menu akin to a western-style dinner with courses. All ingredients are fresh and seasonal – in fact, that is one of the ‘rules’ of kaiseki dining. We had the pleasure of trying a kaiseki meal, and found the ingredients to be both fresh and flavourful; the tastes were varied and complemented each other well and the presentation was simple but stylish and impressive. |
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Thinking of ‘surf n turf’ head down to Morton’s (4/F Sheraton Hotel, Nathan Road, TST, 2732 2343) for their new menu of Classic Combinations. For instance, a single-cut fillet mignon with béarnaise sauce and steamed fresh asparagus marries a seafood choice of Western Australian lobster tail, or two Alaskan king crab legs. The special menu is $795 and available until the end of March, so indulge while you can. |
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If you are planning on wandering around Tin Hau, make a point to stop by Savoye (Shop A G/F Hon Man Mansion, 9-11 Wing Hing Street, Tin Hau, 2503 3222), a new restaurant serving French cuisine. Owner and manager Terry Chan was an architecture student inspired by the Villa Savoye in Poissy, France to design a restaurant with large windows and high ceilings. The interior of the restaurant has an almost rustic feel, but with its leather chairs and long sofa benches has just the right amount of modern touches. Next door is Villa, their spa: Chan had the idea of opening a combination spa and restaurant when vacationing in Thailand, where a similar venue allowed him to enjoy a relaxing massage followed by a fine meal. |
At Goccia (G/F 73 Wyndham Street, Central, 2167 8181) an authentic pizza oven is now housed on the outdoor terrace and contributes to a new pizza menu. Old favourites like the margherita ($118) and quattro formaggi ($138) sit alongside new tastes diavola ($125) with spicy salami toppings and pescatora ($148) with assorted seafood. Drop by around midday and enjoy the special ‘pizza lunch’ set menu which includes a pizza, salad and soda for $98.
Got a seafood urge you need to satisfy? Check out The Oyster Man (39 Aberdeen Street, Soho, 2815 2208), an oyster bar and seafood grill run by one of HK’s original oyster men and a consultant for Café Deco’s oyster bar, John Stewart. The slippery slurpers not your thing? Not to worry, plenty of seafood and steak are on offer.
Also keep a look out for Le Mer Brasserie, in the LKF Tower on the second floor where the old Illy café was. It’s a European-style fish brasserie opening soon.
After an afternoon of marathon shopping there’s nothing better than to relax with a cup or two of afternoon tea, nibbling on cakes and pastries. The Lobby Lounge, InterContinental (Lobby level, InterContinental Hong Kong, 18 Salisbury Road, TST, 2721 1211) is introducing a new Chinese Afternoon Tea Set just in time for the new year (February 16-25, HK$388 for two persons; February 26 onwards, HK$350 for two persons).‑Included are local favourites like baked barbeque pork pastry, crispy vegetable spring roll and shark’s fin siu mai for savoury lovers while sweet-tooths can be satisfied by Chinese New Year cake, chestnut and sago Swiss roll and mango pudding with almond jelly to name just a few. Tea is from Fook Ming, one of our city’s most famous tea shops and includes green, black and scented options. The afternoon tea set is available from 2:30pm-6:00pm daily.
It’s not often you’ll see Southern-style cooking on a menu, so head on down to Wildfire (Soho, Airport, Mid-levels, Stanley, TST), The Boathouse, Stormies Crabshack, or Café de Paris for a taste of the Deep
South. Dishes featured on the special Southern menu include skillet-fried beef tips with chorizo on yellow cornbread and argula ravioli with scampi. For all the above outlets except Café de Paris, a special three-course set menu created by guest American chef Jay Benedict McCarthy will also be on offer. The dishes incorporate traditional Southern ingredients but are innovative
and delightfully tasty. Included
on the menu is cowboy short-rib with horsey potatoes and Jack Daniel’s pepper sauce. It was a tantalizing mix of smoky flavours, tender but juicy meat with a
kick from the horseradish in the creamy potatoes and the sugar-cured beef tenderloin, which was so tender, it just melted on the tongue.
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