Page 107 - Hong_Kong_&_Macau's_Best_Restaurants_English_edition

HONG KONG RESTAURANTS
MODERN EUROPEAN

ALTO ABERDEEN STREET SOCIAL CAFÉ GRAY DELUXE
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31/F, V Point, 18 Tang Lung Street, PMQ, G/F, JPC Building, 35 Aberdeen Street, Central, Hong Kong 49/F, The Upper House, Pacific
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong TEL: +852 2866 0300 Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty,
TEL: +852 2803 7181 www.aberdeenstreetsocial.hk Hong Kong
www.diningconcepts.com TEL: +852 3968 1106
Aberdeen Street Social is probably the most upscale of Yenn Wong www.upperhouse.com
With its canopy of 230 golden and Jason Atherton’s collaborations in the city, with its refined menu of
Melt lightshades, black tables, contemporary British cuisine. The two-floor space in PMQ features a breezy The Upper House remains the
banquettes and booths, green alfresco patio, casual downstairs bar and more formal but still comfortable pinnacle of cool for international
marble and blond timber floors, upstairs dining room. The menu features classic British dishes given a travellers searching for a
Alto, a modern bar and grill sparkling update with top-notch ingredients and full-bodied flavours; crashpad in Hong Kong, and its
in Causeway Bay created by highlights include a lobster cocktail packed with generous pieces of tender flagship restaurant by acclaimed
celebrated British designer meat, a punchy cocktail sauce and an umami-laden lobster jelly, and a chef Gray Kunz a firm fixture
Tom Dixon certainly makes an blackcurrant Eton mess featuring a gorgeously tart sorbet, fresh blueberries, among the fashion, art and
impression. More attention creamy mascarpone, crunchy shards of meringue and a final dash of miso. design set. And food lovers, too,
grabbing is the views of the city’s The wine list is comprehensive, covering old and new world varieties over flock here for a stylishly rendered
skyscrapers and Victoria Harbour a spread of price points. Service is friendly and attentive, with our waiter dining experience, and with
through wraparound floor-to- demonstrating a clear knowledge of both the wine and food menu. Whilst new chef Eric Raty at the helm
ceiling windows. Closely spaced the menu’s playfulness probably resonates more with those who grew up we see a new chapter for the
tables and hard surfaces mean with British cuisine, all diners should find plenty to enjoy in its undoubted genre-bending restaurant that
that noise levels can be high, and technical excellence, impeccably judged flavours and inspired culinary flair. is comfortable incorporating a
the crowd is a mix of fashion- diverse range of ingredients into
industry types, shoppers and the menu. Surprisingly for such
office workers. Steaks feature a modish venue, portions are
prominently on the menu, hefty—a house-cured gravlax
including a whopping 40oz USDA presents itself as a lengthy
Prime tomahawk. The ahi tuna tranche of aromatic fish and
tartare conjures up California with crisp, light brioche that can be
its large batons of raw fish topped shared between two. Go light
with avocado and orange and on the starters and make sure
grapefruit segments. Vegetarians you order the braised shortrib of
and non-beef eaters are also beef with soft grits and a mustard
catered for and portions are large; sauce—the meat is fork tender,
side dishes of grilled asparagus and the horseradish julienne
with black truffle butter and cuts through the richness like
carbonara macaroni and cheese a shovel through fresh snow.
could be starters in themselves With its impressive views over
The wine list is a tour of the Victoria Harbour, Café Gray is a
world’s major wine regions, from beautiful perch both in the day
France and Italy to Australia and and in the evening; breakfast,
the USA. Service is friendly and in particular, is an enjoyable
accommodating, making Alto a time to luxuriate in the tranquil
good option for those in search The futuristic décor is a surroundings while dinner
of a smart venue that won’t break defining feature at Felix presents a buzzier
the bank. atmosphere.

FELIX FISH & MEAT

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28/F, The Peninsula Hong Kong, Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong 1 & 2/F, 32 Wyndham Street, Central, Hong Kong
TEL: +852 2696 6778 TEL: +852 2565 6788
www.peninsula.com/felix www.fishandmeat.hk
If you’re the sort who loves your dining rooms with a view then top-floor Fish & Meat led the pack a few years back when Hong Kong was awash with
restaurant Felix is an obligatory stop. The Philippe Starck-designed space a new wave of industrially furnished dining spaces—and it continues to pull
is divided into several sections, from a wine bar and an American Bar on its weight when it comes to its roster of comfort food and quality cocktails.
its mezzanine floors, to a restaurant and wine lounge below. Head chef Situated on the slope of Wyndham Street, this spacious restaurant is
Yoshiharu Kaji is an import from The Peninsula in Tokyo, and brings to generously decked out in a recognisable melange of concrete, wood and
the table a fusion of modern European culinary training and Japanese white brickwork that screams contemporary metropolitan dining—the
sensibilities. The starters set the meal off on a high note: a tart green apple terrace is often packed with happy hour revellers. Chef Russell Doctrove’s
compote adds a lift to the richness of duck liver mousse and pan-fried duck confident modern European cooking gives rise to cult favourites such as
liver, and a light sake sauce coaxed forth the delicate sweetness of botan duck egg raviolo with fresh ricotta cream, black truffle and burnt sage butter,
shrimp tartar. But it is in the mains such as the A5 wagyu striploin and the or a glorious hunk of 24-hour slow-cooked beef rib glazed with bourbon
monkfish with squid ink dumplings where the chef’s eagerness to impress and paired with charred sweetcorn and crispy shallots. As expected for a
comes through. The wine list is one of Hong Kong’s most coveted: it shows restaurant under the Maximal Concepts umbrella, the drinks programme is
off the Peninsula’s over 750 labels and 12,500 bottles in inventory, and will solid; particularly when it comes to quirky cocktails like the Farm House Jam
keep your thirst satiated whether you’re looking to celebrate with top-shelf (vodka, homemade blueberry thyme jam, prosecco) and the well-curated
champagne or discover uncommon picks from boutique wineries. wine list full of by-the-glass options. Service is genuine and upbeat.

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