New Eats: Claypot menu from Chilli Fagara, Little Bedu opens on Gough Street and more

Did anyone else catch a light, refreshing breeze during your weekly commute this morning? It’s finally autumn, meaning sweater weather, hearty comforts and warm familiar favourites. We’ve got that and some more in this week’s round up of New Eats.

‘Surf and Turf’ specials at Porterhouse

You already know the steak is going to be great at a longtime establishment like Porterhouse. What you don’t know, though, is that the steakhouse has just expanded its menu to include delicious new seafood dishes created by executive chef Angelo Vecchio, including hamachi carpaccio, lobster salad with a celery sorbet (it’s very tasty!) and “Fins Menu”, a feature of restaurant’s premium selection of line-caught fish prepped and served in personalised preferences –– grilled or salt baked. But should you find yourself leaning toward a “turf”-heavy meal, the “Let’s Meat” menu, which spotlights four of the venue’s best cuts –– Australian Angus striploin, Canadian pork chop, beef cheek tagliatelle and New Zealand lamb-rack –– in all-you-can-eat unlimited serves, is one to definitely consider.

Porterhouse, 7/F, California Tower, 30-36 D’Aguilar Street, Central, Hong Kong, +852 2522 6366

Cafe at Hyatt Regency

Now that we’re officially in hot pot weather, we can start putting together lists of the best spots in town. There’s a perfect set up at the Cafe at Hyatt Regency Hong Kong with its latest launch, “Stews from Around the World”, which considerately takes the guesswork out of choosing with a buffet-style serve of the soupy stews and bubbling pots inspired by different locations. Along with Chinese serves –– Chongqing braised fish with chilli and the Hong Kong favourite, clay pot stewed lamb belly –– there will also be the Japanese Sumo Stew (or Chanko Nabe) with veggies, mushroom and pork in soy-based dashi broth; Southeast Asian spreads of Thai Panang Duck curry, Indian cheese stew, Persian curry chicken stew; and a Western take of coq au vin, Marmitako, a traditional Basque fish stew, and pot-au-feu (translating to “Pot on the Fire”) –– a quintessentially French braised beef stew typically shared amongst family meals.

Cafe at Hyatt Regency, L/F, Hyatt Regency Hong Kong, 18 Hanoi Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, +852 3721 7700

Chilli Fagara’s claypot menu

Now that the cool temps officially have us yearning for warmer, heartier dishes, we put the spotlight on Hong Kong’s second cold-weather love: claypot rice. At Chilli Fagara, the crispy, crackly comfort is recreated in a series of traditional claypot recipes with Chinese mushrooms, Mongolian mutton stew, stewed chicken with preserved sausages and braised tofu, seasoned with a fiery kick of the venue’s signature heat. Otherwise, the Tsingtao beer duck, seasoned with Sichaun chillis and braised in a Tsingtao beer reduction and oxtail stewed in 10-year shaoxing wine are tempting options. Or the unconventional mud crab simmered in Sichaun sauce –– try it instead of your usual as a very favourable first claypot of the season.

Chilli Fagara, 7 Old Bailey Street, Central, Hong Kong, +852 2796 6866

New vendors at BaseHall

If you’ve visited BaseHall in recent days, you might notice something different. The Jardine House spot has added three new concepts to its rotating portfolio: MAMMA’s, a hearty celebration of familiar Italian comforts with the Soho spot’s pop-up pasta kitchen including lamb lasagne and pesto orecchiette; Nüte with the brand signature nutritional Icebar Smoothies; and artisanal coffee hand-brewed by Crew, who also expands its caffeinated beverages to bitesize treats created in collaborations with local bakeries and ‘Crew-tails’, a curated list of boozy favourites.

BaseHall, Shop 9A-C, LG/F, 1 Connaught Place, Central, Hong Kong

Ando’s Agustin Balbi takes over at Musubi Hiro this October

Take note of exciting new happenings at the Musubi Hiro kitchen starting this October. Hosting a brand new bi-weekly series which spotlights new guest chefs and their own take on the humble musubi, the rotatation begins with Ando chef Agustin Balbi’s exclusive tuna tartare musubi seasoned with yuzu kosho, lime and togarashi mayonnaise and a special Hokkaido scallops crudo, before switching out on 2 November for Japanese chef Satoru Mukogawa of Sushi Kuu’s shrimp tempura musubi and sweet potato chips. For December, it’ll be chef Alex Fargas of La Paloma with an authentic Spanish serve of crispy squid and paella musubi with Iberico ham croquettes.

If that’s not enough, mark your calendars for the upcoming 2022 guest spots below:

4-11 January: chef Nathan Green of Rex Wine & Grill

8-9 February: chef Vincent Ladislao of Sake Central

9-10 March: chef Joe Chan of Awa Awa

8-9 April: chefs Caleb & Josh Ng of Cut Sando Bar

Musubi Hiro, G/F, 37 Cochrane Street, Central, Hong Kong, +852 5597 6911

Little Bedu debuts in celebrate of Bedu’s third anniversary

In celebration of its third birthday, Bedu launches its new takeaway arm: Little Bedu. Set to satisfy grab-and-go crowds with an approachable menu of fresh salads and rice bowls named after notable cities located in the Middle East, each dish reaches back to the original Bedu’s vibrant and beloved flavours. Jordan is filled with pulled lamb shoulder; Tel Aviv, soft boiled egg and crispy fried fish; and Beirut, put together with spiced chicken and pine nuts.

At the larger Bedu, still at its original location on Gough street, executive chef Corey Riches redesigns the menu, adding eight new dishes that have been inspired by the culinary cultures of desert tribes from North Africa to Lebanon including Hamachi Basturma, Cuttlefish Mujaddara and a three yellow chicken tagine served with dates and almonds, only available via pre-order. Each of the new dishes play a conscious effort to keep up with sustainable sources; as Riches describes, “I want this menu to reflect simple and honest food with bold flavours, featuring more locally-grown ingredients at the forefront.”

Little Bedu, Shop 2, G/F, 49-51a Gough Street, Central, Hong Kong

Bedu, 40 Gough Street, Central, Hong Kong, +852 2320 4450

Header image courtesy of Bedu