They say routine is the secret to success, so now that we’ve got dinners back on the calendar, don’t forget your weekend brunches.
It’s only been a day, but no doubt Instagram newsfeeds and WhatsApp groups are already filled with conversations of dinner. Questions of where to go, what to eat and “Are there even any tables left?” What a wonderful reunion with dinner service it has been. I’m confident your evenings are already booked to the brim, so I shan’t complicate things with another list of dinner spots. Instead I’ll introduce you to some brunch happenings across the city for your daytime visits. That is, if you’re not planning to reset and recharge at home before a wild night out on the town with season five of Selling Sunset or the return of reality TV’s favourite family, The Kardashians, now streaming on Disney+.
Where To Brunch This Weekend:
Zoku
With the joining of new Lima-native chef de cuisine Edwin Guzman a couple months back, Zoku, The Hari’s modern Japanese eatery, has been tinkering with small adjustments to its menu. One such change is the adding of weekend brunches, now available every Saturday and Sunday from 12 to 5pm. A showcase of chef Guzman’s refreshed take on traditional Japanese fare which include nods to his experience in Nikkei cuisine, the menu includes premium fresh sashimi; grilled stuffed chicken wings; pork ribs coated in a Nikkei barbecue sauce and a ribeye steak marinated in spicy soy. Add-ons — Uni Yakimechi (a Yamagata fried rice with sea urchin omelette) and lobster udon — are also available. If not for a sorely missed taste of Japan, come for a relaxed afternoon on the open-air terrace.
Zoku, 2/F, The Hari Hong Kong, 330 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, +852 2129 0339
Uma Nota
After a month-long hiatus, Uma Nota has finally reopened. Your lively Brazilian-Japanese boteco marks the return of dinner service (and their five year anniversary!) with the introduction of the “Sampa” brunch, reaching back to the restaurant’s roots. The second part in Uma Nota’s “Journey Through Brazil” brunch series, “Sampa” — also an endearing nickname for the buzzing city of São Paolo — spotlights the region’s authentic flavours through an array of fresh seafood and moreish pork dishes. A considered São Paolo-native for 10 years, head chef Gustavo Vargas recreates the flavours of the multi-cultural city, which often draws in Korean, Japanese and Chinese cooking blended with local ingredients. Look out for the spicy fresh mussels, Marisco Lambe-Lambe, tossed in bell peppers, tomato, garlic and parsley; Frutos de Mar na Manteiga de Miso of grilled tiger prawns, squid and mussels with miso butter, roasted sweetcorn and picked chayote; and the Porco na Cachça, a must-try dish of charcoal-grilled pork chop with Caetanos cachaça sauce and marinated gem lettuce.
Uma Nota, UG/F, 38 Peel Street, Central, Hong Kong, +852 2889 7576
LucAle
Not only has LucAle reopened with a brand new menu of elevated Italian classics, the cosy neighbourhood spot tucked within the slopes of Sai Ying Pun has also freshened up its “Brunch Italiano” menu with fresh homemade pasta, hearty main courses and bright new salads. The most important thing to note here though, is that free-flow is already included on the house. So as throw back a couple glasses of the bubbly, tuck into the comforting menu topped with the likes of bolognese ragù pappardelle; green ravioli with seabass, clams and lobsters; spring lamb chops; and the iconic range of cold cuts with buffalo mozzarella. Then, come back during the week for a taster of their new showstoppers.
LucAle, Shop A, 100 Third Street, Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong, +852 3611 1842
Header image courtesy of Zoku
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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