New Launches
Mengokoro Kunimoto
Founded in 2011, the well-loved Mengokoro Kunimoto is a small family-owned ramen spot in Tokyo; it even earned the title of the best ramen bar in the Katsushika City region earlier this April. Now Mengokoro Kunimoto has journeyed across the East China Sea to open its first ever branch store in Hong Kong. With the help of a local Hong Kong factory to craft their signature noodle variations fresh every day, Mengokoro Kunimoto recreates five signature ramen recipes for its new branch, ensuring an experience that lives up to their original Tokyo location. Dig into hearty bowls of tsukemen, shoyu (soya sauce) ramen, shio (salt sauce) ramen, a rich, full-bodied noukou ramen, or a maze soba drizzled with garlic oil, soya sauce and topped with an assortment of ten ingredients.
G/F, 12 Spring Garden Lane, Wan Chai
Falcone
Embark on a gastronomic journey through the city of Naples at Falcone. Putting the spotlight on the vibrant neo-Neapolitan cuisine, Black Sheep Restaurants’ newest pizzeria boasts a colourful menu of hearty pastas and Pavesi brick oven-baked pizzas. Standouts include the Alici Fung pizza, a savoury creation bursting with the umami flavours of anchovies and mushrooms, rigatoni alla Genovese cooked to al dente perfection, and the Pacchianella, a pizza-like antipasti bread that’s been fried and then baked in its own oil — buonissimo!
Shop 1082, IFC Mall, 8 Finance Street, Central; @falconehk
Bottle Of Bread
Maxim’s Group has cooked up a sustainable formula for their new locally crafted upcycled beer! They’ve teamed up with local start-up Breer to help foster a more circular economy and reduce food waste. Surplus bread, bread crusts and coffee grounds are collected from Maxim’s facilities, and then combined with Citra hops to brew Bottle of Bread. This refreshing Pale Ale is available at designated restaurants in two flavours — the Original BOB and a Coffee BOB with bitter hints of dark chocolate.
Available at designated Maxim’s Group outlets and ztore.com
New Menus
“Sea, Land and Sky” Series Kicks Off at Pano
In celebration of the milestone anniversaries of Pano, Palco, and Pleka, culinary mastermind and executive chef Ken Lau has curated a series of 10-course tasting menus themed around the sea, land and sky. Kicking off the series this June is a gastronomic journey to the sea at Pano, with applewood smoked sea urchin and salmon roe royale, stir-fried spicy spaghetti, slow-cooked Boston lobster with a complex blue cheese, calamansi, pommery mustard sauce, and fantastic views of the Victoria Harbour to boot. To bring balance to the meal, the grand finale is dark chocolate paired with exotic fruit.
Shop 1, 1/F, Art Park, West Kowloon Cultural District, 24-26 Museum Drive, Tsim Sha Tsui; @pano.westkowloon
Jiangsu Club launches Summertime Specialties and Weekend Brunch
Treat yourself to a delectable dim sum feast with Jiangsu Club’s new “SPLASH” weekend brunch. The menu includes new summertime creations such as mini wontons in a chicken broth and fresh coconut soup, smoked salmon with tomato purée sesame pocket, and deep-fried shrimp, seaweed and cheese rolls, as well as dim sum classics like pan-fried turnip cake and xiao long bao. Those looking to elevate their brunch experience can opt for 90 minutes of free-flowing champagne at an additional cost.
In addition to the “SPLASH” brunch, Jiangsu Club has also unveiled a range of seasonal dishes to try this summer. Tuck into a hearty helping of braised fish maw with chinese cabbage, egg dumplings, sea cucumber and vermicelli noodles, share a refreshing plate of spicy abalone salad, and round off the meal with some soybean pudding— a summer favourite.
2/F, Alliance Building, 130 – 136 Connaught Road, Sheung Wan; @jiangsu.club
Dinner at Rêveri
In keeping with their fusion focus, Chef John Law introduces a 10-course dinner experience at Rêveri featuring an incredible range of all-new dishes. Highlights include a refreshing opener of Japanese mackerel ceviche with pickled radish, grapefruit, ikura and cilantro sauce; an indulgent soy-marinated fatty tune and spicy ikura rice; and a Japanese strawberry and milk yoghurt roll for dessert.
G/F, 20-24 Mercer Street, Sheung Wan; reverihk.com
New Cocktails at DarkSide
Jazz and cocktail bar DarkSide looks to innovations of the past for their new Classics from the ‘90’s” menu. Turning to the lesser known class of cocktails that were born out of the era, DarkSide brings a little cocktail history lesson with drinks like the orange marmalade-infused Breakfast Martini, a signature of bartending great Salvatore Calabrese, the Añejo Highball, which sees a blend of Matusalem 15-year-old rum, curaçao, London Essence ginger beer, lime and angostura bitters, and the Long Island Iced Tea, which despite its name includes not a single drop of actual tea.
Level Two, Rosewood Hong Kong, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
Terroirs by LQV celebrates La Paulée
To usher in the summer season, French wine bar Terroirs by LQV is hosting their first ever ‘La Paulée’, a Burgundian wine event that celebrates the end of the grape harvest. For one night only, guests will be treated to an elaborate feast of artisanal cold cuts, cheeses, a variety of delectable starters and homemade desserts paired with an exclusive selection of Burgundy wines. In keeping with tradition, LQV encourages diners to bring along a bottle of their favourite Burgundy to share and spark conversations with fellow wine enthusiasts.
Tickets are priced at HK$788 per person, to reserve contact [email protected]
From June 15, 2023 6.30pm onwards at 3/F, 1 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central; terroirsbylqv.com
Shake Shack Pistachio Shake
Look forward to brighter days with the global launch of Shake Shack’s all new Pistachio Shake! Available for a limited time only, this summertime delight takes after the sweet and sticky baklava with a base of Shake Shack’s signature vanilla frozen custard hand-spun with Italian pistachios and a dose of Australian honey. The creamy concoction is complete with a pile of whipped cream, flaky filo pastry crisps and crushed pistachios.
Available across all Shake Shack Hong Kong locations; shakeshack.com.hk
Plantation Tea Bar launches cocktail menu
Teakha’s Plantation Tea Bar introduces cocktails into the mix! Crafted in collaboration with mixologist Antonio Lai of the multi-award winning Quinary, Plantation’s all-new menu is an invitation to discover the myriad possibilities of tea through a range of six tea cocktails. All made with Plantation’s premium teas, the drinks include a puerh slow-cooked rum blended with tangerine peel syrup and hawthorn cordial, as well as a refreshing Jasmine Phoenix Pearls cold brew combined with sake and apple syrup. For those looking to skip the alcohol, most drinks can be made as mocktails upon request.
18 Po Tuck Street, Sai Wan; @plantation_hk
Collaborations And Pop-ups
Moxie x Mother Pearl Afternoon Tea
Indulge in a feast of vegan delights at Moxie’ seasonal afternoon tea with homegrown bubble tea brand, Mother Pearl! Chef Michael Smith’s savoury creations include Japanese tomato with eggplant fondue and buckwheat falafel with jalapeno yoghurt and pickled cucumbers, while the sweet selection features a strawberry, basil and chamomile mille-feuille, and matcha pavlova with boba and passionfruit. For the collaboration, Mother Pearl has whipped up three specialty drinks. Inspired by the Hong Kong’s iconic beverage, the Yuen Yeung 2.0 is a blend of coffee, tea, molasses and tea jelly, while the Very Choco-latte comes with boba and the Matcha-cha with red bean features matcha boba balls. In line with Moxie’s recent move to go dairy free, everything in this afternoon tea is completely free of dairy products.
Available until the end of July at Shop 203, 2/F Alexandra House, LANDMARK, Central
SOMM x CENSU East Meets West Dinner
For the second instalment of SOMM’s ‘East Meets West’ dinner series, Chef Richard Ekkebus joins forces with CENSU’s Chef Shun Sato and sake master Elliot Faber. The curated menu features a balance of seasonal Western delights like the Boston lobster confit with cabbage, roasted apricot and a brown butter sauce, and Japanese signatures from CENSU such as the yuzu-dresses oyster and beef tartare with sansho pepper dressing, each paired with exquisite sakes chosen by Faber. To complete the lavish meal is a slice of SOMM’s raspberry and strawberry swissroll served with sorbet and bourbon vanilla mascarpone chantilly.
Available for reservation in two sessions on June 27 & 28 at 7/F, The Landmark Mandarin Oriental The Landmark, 15 Queen’s Road Central
Editor
Alyanna Raissa J. PayosCredit
Lead image: Courtesy of Falcone
