What's on: The latest foodie happenings to catch in the city

Modern Korean restaurant Hansik Goo offers a brand new executive lunch menu (from $588 and up) available from Wednesday to Sunday. Chef Seunghun Park incorporates traditional Korean flavours with modern culinary techniques to create dishes such as abalone wrapped dumplings in a rich beef broth. For mains, diners will be presented with a bansang set of their desired entree options like grilled gochujang seasonal fish, braised short ribs, or grilled 1++ No.9 Hanwoo beef. Each of these sets comes with seaweed soup, rice, and a selection of banchan. As for desserts, the Korean restaurant offers options like black sesame mousse with makgeolli ice cream, or doenjang crème brûlée with soy-sauce glazed pecans and gochujang powder. 

Bedu's head chef, Ali Ahmadpour, has spiced up the restaurant's menu for summer with new treats inspired by his Persian roots. Guests can enjoy a selection of sharing plates designed for mingling with friends. Standout picks from the fresh lineup feature the maitake mushroom ($105), a nod to chef Ali's mum's flavourful mushroom stew. It arrives nestled in crisp lettuce, showcasing pan-fried maitake mushroom jazzed up with turmeric, sumac, chilli, onion, sundried tomato, and a splash of white wine. For the mains, the must-tries include the generous portion of roasted chicken ($185), perfect for a romantic dinner for two. Enjoy tender and juicy deboned chicken marinated in chermoula chilli and Lari sauce, presented on a bed of carrot hummus.

Twenty Fifth Hour (25:00) collaborates with Hong Kong award-winning Two Moons Distillery for a seasonal cocktail menu this summer. Entitled 'Talking To The Moons,' the menu represents a poetic collaboration between the award-winning distillery and the bar, led by Kenzo Lee. It offers four specially crafted drinks inspired by the passage of time and the ebb and flow of emotions experienced in a romance. Available now until August, drinks include 'Talking To The Moons' ($158), a dessert-like cocktail featuring lychee sorbet topped with Champagne, symbolizing the enduring connection between lovers separated by distance under the lonesome moon in the night sky.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Time Out Hong Kong (@timeouthk)

In celebration of their sixth anniversary, Shake Shack is teaming up with Sheung Wan’s hottest bar (and Bar of the Year winner at the Time Out Bar Awards 2024), Bar Leone, to create a time-limited carbonara milkshake ($79)! The commemorative treat starts with a malted vanilla frozen custard base, which is then combined with a sweet egg yolk sauce and a smoky oaked Bourbon for a light kick. Finally, it’s topped off with black pepper and sea salt, along with crispy applewood-smoked bacon bits for a finishing touch. This collaborative beverage is Shake Shack’s first-ever boozy milkshake, but there will also be a non-alcoholic version available ($64). Be the first to try it on June 5 at Shake Shack’s IFC location – the first 50 customers who purchase the carbonara shake will receive a limited-edition Bar Leone and Shake Shack tote bag valued at $189. Alternatively, visit any of Shake Shack’s locations in Hong Kong and Macau from June 6 to July 16 to try the exclusive treat.

Infuse your Friday nights with soulful house and disco vibes at the newly launched The Aubrey After Dark at Mandarin Oriental. Starting May 24 from 10pm, the Japanese izakaya The Aubrey transforms into 'The Aubrey After Dark,' offering upscale nightlife events with innovative beats inspired by the underground scenes of London, New York, and Paris. Celebrating Mandarin Oriental’s 60th anniversary, The Aubrey After Dark brings back the glitz of 60s Hong Kong nightlife. The venue, formerly known as the Harbour Room, was once a nightlife hotspot hosting international icons like Les Dawson, Barry Humphries, Bob Monkhouse, Eartha Kitt, Dave Allen, and Max Bygraves. Entry is priced at $150 and includes a welcome drink. Book your slots at this link. 

Grand Hyatt Hong Kong’s fine dining Italian restaurant Grissini welcomes summer with a new lunch menu created by chef Valerio Giuseppe Mandile, who infuses his culinary creations with flavours from his Neapolitan heritage. Diners can expect to enjoy seasonal dishes such as marinated shrimp with fennel in orange dressing, beef tartare topped with Oscietra caviar and chicken consommé jelly, homemade squid ink trenette in sea urchin sauce, as well as grilled Wagyu top blade with cardoncelli mushroom.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Time Out Hong Kong (@timeouthk)

Beloved bakery Cookie DPT has teamed up with French patisserie Le Dessert to create a giant croissant set. Available from May 24 to June 16, the exclusive set comes with a huge flaky croissant that measures over 30 cm, a trio of dipping sauces in flavours like chocolate, salted caramel, and strawberry jam, along with your choice between a larger-than-life latte or hot chocolate. Each set costs $428 and customers can pre-order online prior to visiting Cookie DPT in Central. Only a limited number of sets will be sold per day – so get them before they’re sold out!

Central’s popular dive bar The Pontiac has launched its new sci-fi-inspired cocktail menu, presented as a vibrant comic book. Using three different forms of artificial intelligence to generate the story, visuals, and panelling, The Pontiac’s comic book menu guides customers through their new offerings in three chapters based on their strength. Highlights include the bar’s take on a classic espresso martini, Time Traveler ($108), made with croissant-infused vodka for a silky, buttery flavour. Those looking for an unexpected twist can opt for the Bee Sting ($98), a savoury pizza-flavoured concoction made with pepperoni-washed gin, hot honey, tomatoes, and lemon.

Sushi Zinc is a newly opened eight-seater omakase joint in Shau Kei Wan that serves contemporary Japanese with a touch of Italian influence. Chef Zinc Leung also uses locally caught seafood as much as possible, which means that apart from being able to sample marine flavours up and down Japan – from Oita and Hokkaido, to the islands of Kagoshima and Shikinejima – diners will also get to taste produce like grouper from the Po Toi Island absolutely holding their own next to the imported seafood. A mantis shrimp from the Ninepin Islands, delicately cooked so its roe was still runny, was the best handling of this shelled critter we’ve had to date. 

Other highlights include kelp-poached Nagasaki Karen oyster with a white corn smoked cream foam and guanciale pieces; a Shima ebi shrimp tart filled with roe, tomato, and misanshou; and semi-dried mehikari grilled and served with a dab of homemade chilli paste.