Trying to find a restaurant in Hong Kong? Here is a list of a few of the city’s hippest eateries. On this special month, let’s celebrate with family and friends.
Cucina
From 26 April to 25 July, Cucina’s Chef de Cuisine Andrea Delzanno showcases the best culinary traditions of his native Italy with a new four-course signature set menu. Masterfully crafted by Chef Andrea, the menu features four elaborate and authentic dishes that will take guests on a gastronomic voyage from the south to the north of Italy. Guests will kick off the Italian feast with the light and refreshing appetiser of Octopus Carpaccio, Orange Fennel Salad, Tomatoes, Lemon Oil Dressing. The dish shines a spotlight on famed fresh produce from Sicily, including oranges and tomatoes. Chef Andrea also uses octopus caught from the Mediterranean Sea and enhances its delicate flavour with bright citrus notes from the accompanying ingredients, such as the orange, fennel and lemon oil dressing.
DarkSide
DarkSide at Rosewood Hong Kong, the sophisticated jazz and cocktail parlour that is currently ranked no.13 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars and one of SCMP Top 100 Tables Top Bars of Hong Kong, introduces a new cocktail menu inspired by the lesser-known yet equally enchanting libations of the 1990’s. Under the expert guidance of Director of Bars Simone Rossi and Assistant Bar Manager, KT Lam, starting from 22 May, DarkSide revives eight modern classics that defined the decade, reintroducing nineties nostalgia with high-quality ingredients and award-winning flair. Sip and savour DarkSide’s heady and timeless cocktail creations, while losing yourself to the sultry rhythms of a live music performance that begins every evening from 8pm.
Kicho
Kicho, the celebrated omakase-style yakitori kappo specialist from Tokyo that has become a firm favourite with gourmands since opening in Manning House, Central, caps a stunning first year in Hong Kong by presenting a limited-time offer until 30 June 2023 on its exquisite new 14-course summer dinner menu and the option of free-flow sake pairing from a premium range selected by the in-house sommelier. The joyous celebration also welcomes the launch of inaugural lunch sets, allowing diners to savour its famed Kuro Satsuma chicken in the afternoon. Securing Hong Kong exclusivity for this flavoursome superior breed of Japanese chicken was a coup for the restaurant, sealing its extraordinary success. Distinguished by their blackish-red faces and plentiful natural inosinic acid, the Kuro Satsuma chicken comes from the group’s sustainable partner farms in Kagoshima and yield high-fat meat with an intense umami taste. The yakitori kappo specialist, which first drew lovers of chicken to branches in Ebisu and Ginza, was brought to Hong Kong last summer by farm-to-table Japanese dining group AP Place Hong Kong Co. Limited. Its authentic comb-to-claw dining ritual – ‘yakitori’ highlights the signature charcoal-grilled chicken skewers and ‘kappo’ means to cut and to cook – has been given contemporary flair by an exceptional omakase-style presentation. Diners are invited to sit at the serene bar counter and connect with the chefs to enjoy a parade of ever-changing chicken delicacies paired with seasonal ingredients.
AGORA
AGORA, the contemporary Spanish fine dining restaurant by JIA Group nestled within the heritage building of Tai Kwun, showcases Executive Chef and Founder Antonio Oviedo’s boundary-pushing cuisine through seasonal tasting menus. To mark its first anniversary since opening its doors in May 2022 last year, Chef Antonio is proud to present a special collaboration with an old friend, Chef Mateu Villaret of MASIA Tokyo on Wednesday, 7th June for one night only. The 10-course AGORA x MASIA collaboration menu, priced at HK$1,980 plus 10% service charge per guest, will feature contemporary iterations of classical Catalan dishes by both chefs. “Agora is celebrating its first birthday, and I could not be prouder of our journey from 12 months ago. It has been amazing to have opened such a personal and unique restaurant as Agora, where we try to represent Spain and its wide heritage culture through food. I want to thank Agora’s team, our colleagues at JIA Group, partners, producers, artisans, and suppliers, who inspired and helped us in this ever-evolving concept where we create unique experiences every day,” says Antonio Oviedo, chef-founder of Agora. “For this important occasion, I hope to invite our guests to join us for a night with my beloved friend and chef, Mateu Villaret, with whom I share a similar food philosophy as well as good memories of delivering Spanish fare in Asia for the last 10 years.”
ROSEWOOD HONG KONG
Led by Italian native chef Fabio Nompleggio, Asaya Kitchen at Rosewood Hong Kong champions wholesome Mediterranean cuisine that highlights seasonal ingredients sourced from local farmers, fisheries and food artisans. After the successful launch of Bluefin Tuna menu last winter, chef Fabio has created a new epicurean weekend lunch menu centred on the in season, Mediterranean Dorada fish in the series, available only on weekends only until end of August. Asaya Kitchen sources Dorada fish, also known as Gilt Headed Bream, from a sustainable fishery in Spain. As part of the family Sparidae, the Bream is a medium-small fish with silver skin and white flesh that imparts a rich, meaty flavour when grilled, baked, or braised. The fish is delivered fresh from Spain within 48 to 72 hours, ensuring the highest possible quality along with the most advanced transport and traceability systems in place.
Ensue Shenzhen
Ensue, located in the sky-high top floor of Futian Shangri La overlooking the city of Shenzhen, is the first restaurant in China by world-renowned chef Christopher Kostow, led by Head Chef Miles Pundsack-Poe celebrates once again being included in the list of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants at no.31– the only restaurant in Shenzhen to be included in the prestigious list. Ensue’s Head Sommelier Della Tang also made history as the first hospitality professional in Asia to receive the Beronia Asia’s Best Sommelier Award. Ensue has also launched an all-new Spring Tasting Menu (RMB1,888), featuring twelve courses of creative and consciously crafted dishes that map a journey through China’s diverse regions.
MORA
Founded by chef-proprietor Vicky Lau, MORA is an intimate, 28-seater modern French Chinese restaurant nestled in the historic street of Upper Lascar Row in Sheung Wan. Just 12 months after opening its doors, MORA is proud to receive the MICHELIN Green Star Award by MICHELIN Guide Hong Kong Macau 2023 on top of La Liste 2022’s Best Global New Restaurant Opening award, a prestigious recognition of its efforts in sustainable gastronomy. “MORA is not only a celebration of innovative cuisine, but of sustainability in culture. By integrating sustainability into our cultural expressions, we celebrate our shared humanity and responsibility to the planet. Our choice to be located on Upper Lascar Row, an iconic street that has over 100 years of history in our city, is a symbol of how we hope to introduce new ideas and practices while paying respect to our origins and community,” says MORA’s chef and founder, Vicky Lau. To celebrate its MICHELIN Green Star, MORA has unveiled its latest innovations in soy using house-made soy and tofu ingredients for its new CHARACTERS OF SOY tasting menu, led by newly appointed Hong Kong-born head chef, Choi Ming Fai. Every soy-based dish is served with consciously selected ingredients in a bid to minimise food wastage, and to reduce carbon footprint as much as possible.
Conrad Hong Kong
With the summer slowly approaching, Conrad Hong Kong collaborates with prestigious Korean skincare label and Ampoule Expert AMOREPACIFIC to launch a new afternoon tea concept named AbsoluTea™ Summer Afternoon Tea. AMOREPACIFIC delivers timeless beauty by capturing AbsoluTea™, the ingredient obtained from green tea created exclusively for skin. This extraordinary antioxidant is harvested only from the first sprouted green tea leaves handpicked within the 15 days before Grain Rain in early Spring, when the flavour, scent and revitalizing energy are at their highest. With the AbsoluTea™, it provides the next level anti-aging solution by resynchronizing skin’s natural rhythms for everlasting beauty. Taking this as an inspiration, Executive Chef of Conrad Hong Kong Manki Lee and his culinary team have devised various Korean delicacies with kimchi, yuzu and other selected ingredients. The gustatory experience completes with two soothing special drinks featuring AbsoluTea™, yuzu and green tea, offering guests a moment of peace in an elegant setting. The afternoon tea experience unfolds with bonsai-like dark sesame mousse served in a glass container. The two pieces of marbled sesame mousse is characterised by its deep, roasted sesame flavour, inspired by Jeju Island, the origin of the brand. Adjacent to them are sticks of bamboo that convey a sense of longevity and resonate with the revitalizing power of AbsoluTea™ and the Vintage Single Extract Essence. Bamboo is also the key ingredients of the Moisture Plumping Collection, being named as “divine water”, precious King Bamboo Sap provides instant hydration to skin. As final touches, green tea and chocolate sponges add vibrancy to the ensemble.
CHAAT
Known for its bold and elevated renditions of India’s street food culture, one MICHELIN-starred CHAAT in Rosewood Hong Kong announces its first international collaboration with one MICHELIN-starred and MICHELIN Green Star recipient HAOMA from Bangkok on Tuesday 9 and Wednesday 10 May 2023. The exclusive menu will be available for dinner only on 9 – 10 May, priced at HK$1,980 +10% for dinner (8-courses). Chef Manav Tuli of CHAAT and guest chef Deepanker “DK” Khosla, owner and executive chef of HAOMA Bangkok, have joined forces for a unique culinary crossover that fuses their award-winning takes on modern Indian cuisine. HAOMA, known for its innovative and sustainable approach to neo-Indian fine dining, is the first urban farm-to-table restaurant in Thailand. HAOMA’s menu takes guests on an exploration of Chef DK’s roots, from the land to the sea and through the immense Indian territory, all done with Thai produce, most of which are grown on HAOMA’s in-house aquaponics farm. Named the World’s 50 Best’s inaugural ‘Champions of Change’ winner in 2021, Chef DK is renowned for his charitable efforts and powerful positive impact in the industry. HAOMA received its first MICHELIN-star and MICHELIN Green star in November 2022, the only restaurant from Bangkok to have received such an award that focuses on sustainability.
Andō x Ode
On 25th May (Thursday) for one day only, Chef Agustin Balbi of one MICHELIN-starred Andō (Spanish x Japanese Cuisine) will join hands with Chef Yusuke Namai of one MICHELIN-starred Restaurant Ode Tokyo (#20, Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023) for their very first culinary crossover in Hong Kong. The exclusive Andō x Ode experience will be available for lunch, priced at HK$1,588+10% per guest, and dinner, priced at HK$2,888+10% per guest. Both restaurants will showcase their enduring signature creations, from Ode’s famous “Dragon Ball” amuse-bouche inspired by the Japanese manga series to Andō’s beloved seasonal reinterpretation of arroz caldoso.
The Atrium Chinese Restaurant
The Atrium Chinese Restaurant at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre welcomes warmer months with a medley of exciting new menus created by Executive Sous Chef Kon Chu-kwong, showcasing the best ingredients of the season and the authentic taste of Chinese cuisine. The Taste of Spices menu, with a collection of eight a-la-carte spicy dishes and dim sums; a lavish Abalone Superior Set Menu and two limited-time convivial Mother’s Day set menus are sure to excite.
Basehall
BaseHall 02 celebrates Hong Kong’s annual French arts and gastronomy festival – Le French May – with a special three-day pop-up by L’Avenue, a renowned contemporary Parisian-style bistro from Shenzhen headed by former Sous-Chef of Belon, Arran McCredie. Occurring over three evenings from Thursday 25th until Saturday 27th May and on their first ever pop-up in Hong Kong since their restaurant opening, L’Avenue will offer an exclusive 7-course tasting menu priced at HK$1,288 + 10% service charge per guest, with an optional add-on wine pairing curated by La Cabane, the French wine institution that has stood at the forefront of Hong Kong’s natural wine movement since 2010. Executive chef Arran McCredie has prepared a 7-course tasting menu that showcases L’Avenue’s progressive French bistro cuisine. Highlights of the experience include pressed foie gras topped with diced port jelly and toasted raisin bread; aged duck breast cooked on the bone with mulberry purée and sauce au poivre; and a dessert of tarte piémontaise, a sweet pastry tart case filled with hazelnut diplomat, chocolate ganache, and Frangelico jelly, topped with a hazelnut and cocoa nib tuille. Subject to availability, guests may also choose to order a special off-menu dish that is available in limited portions per day: ris de veau pan-fried veal sweetbread served with wilted wild garlic and glazed summer vegetables.
