Feather & Bone (Sai Ying Pun)

The brick-and-mortar incarnation of online deli Three Butchers, Feather & Bone started off as a gourmet grocer that peddled fresh meats and produce from Australia, Europe and America. The brand has since expanded with a sit-down restaurant in Happy Valley, which made a name for itself for its fuss-free food and cosy neighbourhood charm. Building on that success, Feather & Bone has opened a second restaurant, this time in uber cool Sai Ying Pun.

Unlike the dim digs on Wong Nai Chung Road, this new outpost channels modern bistro vibes with full-length windows and reimagined black-and-white floor tiles. There’s also a retail section, which sells wines, fresh and packaged foods, as well as fancy kitchenware. We love the bright and open layout – our only complaint would be the takeaway coffee bar that sits awkwardly in the centre of the dining room.

The food, like the space, is clean and simple with a menu comprising only a few pages on a wooden clipboard. Diners are encouraged to peruse the butcher’s counter, which boasts a fine selection of premium meats that can be cooked à la minute in the restaurant’s open kitchen. Hardcore carnivores should consider the butcher’s choice – an omakase-like selection of meats cooked to your preferred doneness. Everything impresses on the night of our visit, including the succulent, expertly seasoned chicken skewers and the tender lamb loin that’s flavourful without being overly gamey. Seared to a perfect medium-rare, the grain-fed ribeye is also delicious, but it’s the spicy, fat-flecked homemade merguez sausage that really steals the show. At $300, the butcher’s choice is incredible value for money, though if you feel sufficiently flush you can add $200 for either the dry-aged or wagyu beef. Note that this must be ordered by the whole table, allowing less flexibility to try dishes from the menu.

That might not be an entirely bad thing though since these other items are hit-or-miss. The fish cake ($120) we try from the small plates section is rather pedestrian, served with tufts of fennel and a one-note rouille that fails to brighten up the dish. The grano salad ($160) fares much better – a hale and hearty mix of pearl barley, chopped almonds and fork-tender duck confit punctuated with pomegranate seeds for a nice textural contrast. We finish with the all-American apple pie ($88), which is decent if a little lukewarm and boring. Still, we can’t complain too much, given the stellar quality and affordability of the main attraction – the meats. Stick to those and you’ll have a very solid and sating dining experience.