11 New restaurants to try in Hong Kong this October

Central Market welcomes Chiu Chow-cuisine eatery Gu Liang Cai as the newest addition to its ever-growing collection of dining venues. Inspired by daa laang, late-night dining spots that originated from Chiu Chow during the 1950’s, Gu Liang Cai emulates the down-to-earth atmosphere found at these restaurants and transports diners to these casual eateries through their nostalgic decor, neon-light signs, and large round tables. Along with a team of native chefs from the Chiu Chow region, executive chef Ronald Shao has used Western cooking techniques to put contemporary twists on Chiu Chow’s staple marinated dishes like goose offal platter ($288) and other beloved dishes from the Chinese city such as chilled flower crab ($208), pan-fried oyster pancakes ($168), as well as deep-fried pork belly with olive vegetables and Chiu Chow citrus ($168).

Renowned Japanese chef Terufumi Mihara has opened Teppanyaki Mihara Goten (TMG) in Causeway Bay. Here, diners will get to experience a blend of kappo cuisine and teppanyaki as chef Mihara fires up the teppan and prepares dishes before their eyes. Aside from using Japanese culinary influences in his creations, chef Mihara draws inspiration from various global cuisines like French, Italian, and Chinese to craft a unique take on teppanyaki dishes. Highlights on TMG’s menu to look forward to include grilled king crab crepe, broiled Ezo abalone with Hokkaido sea urchin, grilled rockfish with clam butter, and A4 Miyazaki Wagyu beef roll.

Kai Tak’s all new shopping mall Airside welcomes the first overseas branch of Edomae sushi specialist Uogashi Nihonichi. The standing sushi restaurant houses up to 15 diners at once and provides an authentic dining experience just like Uogashi Nihonichi’s locations across Japan. Customers can enjoy sushi a la carte or order from sets, which comes with side dishes like salad, soup, and chawanmushi. Aside from offering a grilled sushi set ($248), Uogashi Nihonichi allows diners to enjoy their sushi in an 11-course omakase set ($398) or an indulgent 12-course omakase set ($588). Alternatively, the Japanese restaurant also offers donburi rice bowls (from $168 and up) on their menu; as well as alcoholic beverages like Sapporo beers ($68), umeshu ($68), chu-hi cocktails ($48 each), and premium sake.

Mexican restaurant El Taquero is the latest addition to Wan Chai's collection of international restaurants. Here, diners can dig into a wide range of authentic Mexican fare that spans from street food like elotes preparados (corn on the cob smothered in mayonnaise and  dusted with cotija cheese and spices) ($88); hearty mains like chicken enchiladas topped in salsa verde ($168); or tacos stuffed with various filling such as 'al pastor' rotisserie pork (from $276) , and even crispy fried grasshoppers ($46 each). Aside from food, El Taquero also provides diners with a range of drinks influenced by Mexican flavours; guests can knock back classic cocktails like Margaritas and Micheladas ($88 each), as well as the restaurant’s own creations like bell pepper margarita or corn sangrita.

Central is home to Chinese fine-dining vegetarian restaurant Yuan. Aiming to change the perception that vegetarian cuisine equates to bland and unimaginative food, Yuan’s Chinese executive chef Ronald Shao and Head Chef Law Chak-kei focus on providing diners with an allium-free dining experience through their lunch tasting menu ($680 per person) and an all-day 12-course tasting menu ($1280 per person). Diners will be able to marvel at the chef’s culinary skills with dishes like matsutake soup with chrysanthemum tofu, braised winter melon with preserved vegetables, emerald pate, crystal dumpling filled with mixed bean puree and peach gum, and more.

Kyoto Katsugyu has opened their third location in Kai Tak’s new shopping mall, Airside. Unlike their other locations at Causeway Bay and Tsuen Wan, the Kai Tak outlet provides diners with two new varieties of Japanese beef like Satsuma Fukunaga Wagyu from Kagoshima and Tokachi Wagyu from Hokkaido. Customers can enjoy various cuts of beef such as tenderloin, rump cap, short plate, and more in Kyoto Katsugyu’s gyukatsu set meals (from $448), along with unlimited portions of side dishes like rice, cabbage, and miso soup. Additionally, the Japanese restaurant also offers dishes like Fukunaga A5 Wagyu brisket tataki ($138), beef croquette and chuck flap katsu zen ($168), as well as deep-fried ox tongue ($208) which will be limited to only 20 portions per day.

Inspired by Hong Kong’s beloved dai pai dong restaurants, Shop B is a modern Cantonese restaurant situated next to and helmed by the team behind Sai Ying Pun’s Indian-French fusion restaurant Pondi. This restaurant serves generously portioned plates of Cantonese classics that range from appetisers such as crispy large intestine or saliva chicken; sizzling dishes like ‘jer jer’ X.O lettuce or claypot fried oysters with ginger scallion; to irresistible mains such as crispy fermented bean curd pigeon as well as black pepper potato beef. Aside from providing dai pai dong staples like bottled Blue Girl beer, Shop B’s alcoholic drinks also include cocktails which use nostalgic ingredients such as Ribena cordial, preserved salted lemons, and Vitasoy soy milk.

Innovative Korean restaurant Anju Restaurant & Bar is the latest addition to Elements’ roster of dining venues. Anju takes its name from the Korean term used for barbites or food served with alcohol, which aptly describes the cuisine offered here. The restaurant combines Korean ingredients with Western cooking techniques to create contemporary dishes such as
chamchi hoe ($168), a sweet and spicy tuna carpaccio in tomato gochujang; heirloom tomatoes with kimchi and burrata cheese ($168); perilla leaf dumplings stuffed with pork and squid ($92); triple-cooked octopus served with corn cakes ($278), and plenty more. No  dining experience at a Korean restaurant would be complete without alcoholic drinks, and Anju has a wide selection of Korean liquors like soju, beer, makgeolli, and cocktails to pair with their dishes.

After being temporarily closed for renovations during the summer, Peel Street's favourite Hanoi-style eatery Chôm Chôm will be back and better than ever in October. Diners will get to sit on roughly-fashioned seats on the establishment's patio, as they munch on delicious food being cooked up in the kitchen and knock back several beers, making for a truly authentic dining experience. The menu is full of traditional Vietnamese delights with a modern twist, and promises visitors an equally pleasant dining and drinking experience. Stay tuned to Chôm Chôm's Instagram for more details leading up to their reopening. 

Plant-based restaurant Treehouse has opened an all-new location in the heart of Causeway Bay. Unlike other fast food joints, Treehouse provides diners with ethically sourced and unprocessed whole foods that make for a nutritionally balanced meal. Options on Treehouse’s menu include customisable sourdough flatbread wraps (from $68) and salad bowls (from $78), veggie burgers ($98) filled to the brim with sumptuous fillings, as well as an all-new Spruce Pho Soup with anise-clove broth, kelp noodles, and a generous helping of toppings like seasons greens and coriander ($58).

Set to open in Sai Ying Pun during mid-October, Melody: House of Food & Music is a hybrid venue that combines dining, drinking, and music all into one. Consisting of five rooms – the Kitchen, Dining Room, Music Room, Lounge, and Garden Room – this restaurant allows guests to experience various dining atmospheres under one roof. In terms of food, Melody provides diners with a wide array of delicacies to enjoy, from bar snacks like Ibérico pluma skewers or Alsace bacon croquettes; Modern European fare such as herb crusted veal chop with grilled courgettes and antiboise sauce or barbeque T-bone steak with lobster tail. Aside from providing 150 wine labels from Italy and France; Melody and its bar manager, Kaan Gilmour, offer customers with an array of classic cocktails that have modern twists and influences from molecular gastronomy.