Here comes the sun! And your weekly update of the city’s latest New Eats.
Hooray! It’s a short, four-day working week; three, if you were clever enough to book this Monday off as well. Take advantage of the sunny, 20-degree weather and head outdoors for a picnic. Or a hike up to Hong Kong’s highest peaks, then settle down for a picnic. Just do something in the sun! Or you could be head outdoors for an alfresco lunch. Might this week’s New Eats do the trick? There’s some limited-time pop-up menus you really don’t want to miss. Trust me.
Chef John Nguyen’s “Voyage à Hue”
Delicious things feeling familiar at Le Garçon Saigon? The Vietnamese grillhouse has just welcomed the arrival of chef John Nguyen, whom many will have known previously from Xuân or, even earlier on, Chôm Chôm. As an exciting new re-introduction of the Vietnamese-American chef’s modern flavours, the breezy Wan Chai venue is serving “Voyage à Hue”, a menu of three dishes dedicated to the buzzing city of Hue just a little north of Saigon, in the heart of Vietnam.
Chef John’s selection stars the signature dish of the region, Bun Bo Hue, or Hue Beef Noodle Soup, with the classic smatterings of Vietnamese ham, pig knuckle, brisket and beef tongue, elevated in his edition with the addition of dry aged beef fat. Another is chef John’s personal favourite, Banh Nam — banana-leaf steamed minced duck dumplings with salted duck egg yolk — and finally, wood-fired grilled oysters topped with beurre blanc, trout roe and shiso oil, for an inkling of chef John’s previous training in French cuisine.
Voyage à Hue is available from 4 to 10 April from 12 to 6pm. Reservations can be made here.
Le Garçon Saigon, G/F, 12 Wing Fung Street, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, +852 2455 2499
New dishes for lunch at Little Bao
Weekday lunch hours are looking just a little more interesting with the introduction of new serving sets at Little Bao. The Flying Solo and Happy 2gether, designed for parties of one or two, both come with an optional menu with dishes at your choosing. The former features a starter, main and ice cream bao for dessert, and the latter, a duo selection of bites, savoury baos and sweet ice cream baos, along with a side of the signature Brussels sprouts and truffle fries.
Little Bao has also added some new serves to the menu, including The Chicken Royale, a whole Three Yellow Chicken that’s been brined, then sous vide and served over mashed potatoes with shiitake soy jus and chopped scallions. And the other, a 48-hour chicken rice bowl, featuring a Three Yellow Chicken thigh, marinated in a secret brine for 24 hours. Brushed in a tangy teriyaki glaze after air-dried for another 24 hours, the sweet and sticky chicken is enjoyed with spoonfuls of Japanese koshihikari rice and mini Caesar salad and pork belly bao on the side.
Little Bao, various locations including G/F, 1-3 Shin Hing Street, Central, Hong Kong
Chef Teya Mikhael’s “Manoushe Libanaise” pop up
Welcoming another talent into the Black Sheep Restaurants fold is Lebanese canteen Maison Libanaise with chef Teya Mikhael. Beirut-native chef Teya arrives to the city following a previous post at Beirut’s famous The Lebanese Bakery, known for its traditional take on traditional Lebanese bakes with global outposts at London, Bahrain, Riyadh and Cairo. An expert in Lebanese flavours with over six years in experience in Mediterranean cuisine, chef Teya brings her inspiring take on the cuisine — and culture — to the Shelley Street destination in SoHo.
Experience a taster of chef Teya’s cooking at her first takeaway pop-up, Manoushe Libanaise. A spotlight of her personal favourite street food, Manoushe — a traditional flatbread once enjoyed as breakfast but has since evolved as an easy, grab-and-go snack — the crispy-chewy serve is prepared in four varying iterations: Za’atar Manoushe, with a simple trio of cucumber, tomato and mint; Labneh Manoushe featuring homemade labneh; Mozzarella and Chilli Manoushe, topped with Lebanese chilli paste, homemade pickles and mozzarella; and lastly, Lahm Bi Ajeen Manoushe, sprinkled over with a handful of minced beef, onions, chilli paste with tomato and bell peppers.
Manoushe Libanaise is available only via takeaway or delivery from 4 to 14 April. Order here.
Maison Libanaise, The Salon, 1/F, 10 Shelley Street, SoHo, Central, Hong Kong, +852 2111 2284
Osteria Marzia new seasonal Italian serves
The sun-drenched venue of Osteria Marzia at Wan Chai’s The Fleming is almost the spitting image of the sunny Italian coast it references, down to the refreshing new menu of light flavours and sea-fresh catch by Italian-native chef Luca Marinelli. Along the newly introduced six-course pescatarian tasting menu, the restaurant adds new seasonal specials that continues a starring showcase of fresh seafood, including Tartare de Cappesante, of scallops, asparagus, chives, wild fennel, chervil and Sorrento lemon; an octopus-focused Polpo with zucchini cream; Dentice, a red snapper dish with snow peas, asparagus and Ratte potato; and finally, a Campania-style pasta, Paccheri, served with smoked butter, Cantabrian anchovies and sweet garlic.
And if you manage to find yourself kicking back in the cosy booths past 2pm, the restaurant’s menu transforms into a sweet Tris di Dolci afternoon tea that serves an array of southern Italy desserts with sparkling cocktails — Bellinis, to be exact. In case you need inspiration, there’s the classic cannolis and freshly churned gelato, along with Sfogliatella Riccia, a flaky pastry filled with sweet, citrus flavoured ricotta; Baba Al Rum, a boozy rum-soaked yeast cake with limoncello Chantilly; and Pastiera Napoletana, a Neapolitan-style short crust tart with ricotta and orange blossom.
Osteria Marzia, G/F, The Fleming, 41 Fleming Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, +852 3607 2253
ThinkWine continues its Restaurant Takeover series
ThinkWine, Central’s stylish wine bar, has been fairly busy as of late. As host to their exciting weekly restaurant takeover series, they have invited over the city’s hotspots — more recently, 11 Westside, AWA AWA and Censu — for a collaborative snack menu that pairs with the wine bar’s expanding collection of 600 bottles. Continuing on its success, ThinkWine now introduces a brand new line-up extending to July, showcasing the same agenda of six exclusive small bites to be enjoyed with the curated wine selection. It features the likes of Middle Eastern fare from Bedu and Francis, elevated comfort food from Interval, along signature favourites from Cantonese-French bistro Roots Eatery, casual Korean gastropub OBP, creative Indian restaurant Pondi and seafood-centric destination Percy’s.
- 16 April – Bedu
- 30 April – Roots Eatery
- 11 May – OBP
- 25 May – Francis
- 8 June – Interval
- TBC (June) – Pondi
- TBC (July) – Percy’s
For more information, follow ThinkWine on Instagram here.
ThinkWine, 2/F, LL Tower, 2-4 Shelley Street, Central, Hong Kong, +852 2886 3121
This week at home:
- Brut has joined sister retail concept Crushed Wines in the creation of Wings n’ Things, a takeaway set dedicated to none other than the chicken wing. In this particular case, it’s a sizzling Sichuan crusted wing, finished with sake sauce and soy caviar. An order will also include tasty sides of Brussel sprouts and coriander salad, mac and cheese, roasted broccoli, along with a full bottle of small batch wine from Crushed Wines’ extensive roster. Order via +852 9662 2817. Brut, Shop C, G/F, Tung Cheung Building, 1-11 Second Street, Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong, +852 3460 5863
Hero image courtesy of Osteria Marzia
Lorria Sahmet
Editor
After two years writing in luxury retail, Lorria now covers food and drink happenings in Hong Kong. When not taste-testing for the best fries in the city (shoestring, always!), find her at home obsessing over tableware and attempting a fruit garden on her tiny bay window. She is happiest by the ocean with a giant fishbowl-glass of Aperol Spritz.
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