Editor’s Picks: Where to eat in Hong Kong this November

Known for her creative cuisine, including a seasonal lunch that spotlights a single ingredient, chef-owner Vicky Lau has launched another limited edition menu: 'Ode to Forest' which is centred on our favourite forest funghi, the mushroom. The unique six-course tasting menu ($1,080 per person) uses fourteen different mushroom varieties from forests across Europe and Asia, including the local king oyster and Swanson mushrooms as well as shiitake and matsutake from Japan, and more. Highlights on the menu include the Ode to Ganba Fungus, a seaweed risotto with mussels and wild Chinese ganba fungus from Yunnan; Ode to Shiitake, with Japanese shiitake mushroom Jane Eyre and pan-fried abalone with lobster oyster sauce; and Ode to Local Mushroom Farm, using locally grown mushrooms with local yellow chicken roulade, to name just a few. Oh, and you mustn’t miss the course of magic mushroom mignardises at the end! The menu also has wine pairing options at $580 for three glasses and $880 for six glasses.

Welcoming the cooler climes of a Hong Kong winter with warm and hearty seasonal dishes, Roji is introducing a series of specials that will be on rotation daily and displayed on the slate wall. Highlights include the crispy chicken skin ($68) which are best dipped in their miso mayo; bouncy udon ($95) in ginger-garlic and mentaiko dressing with oba leaf, garlic chips and fresh shiso; and a menchi-katsu sando ($125) with a breaded pork and beef patty sandwiched with mustard mayo and tonkatsu sauce. The slate wall is frequently refreshed with new dishes as well as seasonal cocktails and sake highlights.

This season, contemporary Australian bistro Cornerstone is rolling out a series of new dishes (prices range from $108 to $278) on their a la carte menu along with an early-weekday four-course set dinner (available Monday to Wednesday for $488 per person, with optional wine pairing for an additional $288). New dish highlights include the likes of a colourful and earthy beetroot and carrot salad atop white bean hummus, crunchy endive, celery, walnut and filo, and buttery mushroom risotto ($208) with girolles and morels, finished with a genius blob of lemon mascarpone that brightens up the whole dish. Meanwhile, on the weekday dinner menu, the main course will rotate and include dishes such as the fork-tender braised Wagyu beef cheek with mustard mash, among others.

Under the new direction of Australian-born and raised executive chef Wilson Leung, Hue is introducing new menus and creative dishes for a revamped take on modern Australian cuisine. New dishes include Jerusalem artichokes with cashew cream, Chinese celery mayonnaise and truffle; sticky lamb ribs with cumin, salsa verde and compressed cider apples; and slow-cooked rolled chicken breast paired with grilled leeks, cauliflower and toasted hazelnuts, which are all made with natural flavours and seasonality in mind. Best to save some room for the new desserts – think bergamot tart with toasted Swiss meringue and passion fruit, crème brûlée with poached rhubarb and Valencia orange, and rose hibiscus panna cotta in strawberry soup – as well as the tableside cocktail and artisanal cheese trolley. Go for the two-course ($650 per person), three-course ($750 per person) or five-course tasting ($850 per person) menu for a bit of everything. If you’re in the neighbourhood to catch a bit of ballet or theatre, you can also get 15 percent off your entire bill when you present your Hong Kong Cultural Centre ticket (available 5.30pm-7.30pm) on the day.

Coastal Italian restaurant Osteria Marzia is now offering a full pescatarian menu full of fresh produce and flavours for all you seafood lovers. Our favourites include seasonal dishes such as Seppia, which slices cuttlefish like flat noodles and mixes in a crunchy mix of pistachio and Sicilian breadcrumb with Sorrento lemon, and the creamy tiger prawn and stracciatella ravioli with Swiss chard in a warm crab broth. Other signature dishes, like the Chitarra with Boston lobster and cherry tomato and Frutti di Mare, or market shellfish, with tomato, basil and grilled bread, go down a treat. It may be winter in Hong Kong, but it sure does feel like an Italian summer by the sea when you dine here.

If modern European cuisine inspired by the region’s autumn harvest is what you’re after, Margo has introduced new menus for lunch and dinner for the season. Head to the stylish restaurant for dishes such as Fukuoka snow crab cocktail ($148) which takes on the 90s most popular prawn cocktail and serves it with green asparagus, seaweed brioche, and cocktail sauce cream; roasted celeriac with boudin noir (blood sausage) and Ercolini pear ($228), a nod to the traditional German countryside dish of Himmel und Erde (heaven and earth); Hokkaido scallops with pumpkin ($258); and a modern rendition of the German-Austrian wiener schnitzel (additional $100 on the set lunch menu) made with sirloin steak instead. Margo has also launched a Chef’s Counter experience ($1,200 per person; advanced bookings are required), which allows two diners at a time to enjoy front-row seats watching chef de cuisine Mario Paecke work his magic in the kitchen. The menu will change seasonally and have the option of adding cheese selections.

Changing things up in time for the holiday season, Cultivate is introducing The Festive American Table dining experience ($1,488 per person) which will run until the end of the year. Designed for guests to enjoy the same dinner, served at the same time and pace, the dinner is meant to encourage more interactions and connections between those dining at Cultivate. Dishes are driven by the seasons but could include a watermelon radish taco, green pea caviar, whole roasted duck, baked salmon, and more. The experience is split into two sessions: the first will seat a group of eight at 6.30pm and the second will seat another group of eight at 7.30pm. The dinner itself will be presented as a communal tasting menu at the open kitchen counter, with safe distancing between parties, whereby large plates made for sharing are served to guests in the same session. However, for it to all work as intended, guests cannot be late – obviously – so don’t be! Arrive early and you will be rewarded with free-flow Champagne and other beverages, along with snacks. If you have very specific dietary requirements or allergies, you must make it known five days before your dinner.