Hong Kong restaurant reviews

Tseng Tau Tsuen is a quiet residential village tucked away in Ma On Shan. There’s not a lot that goes on there, but with the upcoming opening of the mega Go Park Sai Sha, the village is soon to gain a new neighbour that will turn this serene locale into a vibrant hub of activity. This mall complex offers a wide range of sporting facilities, such as a multipurpose stadium that can be used for small concerts, a rock-climbing gym, a golfing range kitted out with Trackman radar technology, pitches and courts for various sports, and even an indoor swimming pool. But let’s be honest, what we’re really interested in, is the range of eateries that’ll be joining the mall.  Currently, Sports Bistro is the only dining venue that’s open for business inside Go Park. Aligning with the mall’s sports-friendly message, this restaurant focuses on nutritionist-recommended dishes, with options like all-day breakfast plates, salads, Asian rice and noodle dishes, and light snacks on the menu. We decided to check out the restaurant on a Sunday afternoon, and even though Go Park was still undergoing trial operations – meaning there was not much there besides sporting facilities – the restaurant was completely packed full of customers.  Luckily, we only waited for a bit before being ushered to our table. The restaurant’s venue was spacious and had large floor-to-ceiling windows, allowing plenty of natural sunlight to flow into the space. The decor is relatively simple, featuring a few...

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Time Out Hong Kong (@timeouthk) Tsuen Wan welcomes Parkside@Nina to its ever-growing collection of dining venues. This wood fossil-themed restaurant is located next to Nina Park, an urban green space that’s home to Asia’s largest wood fossil collection. Customers can find a NOC Coffee Co. cafe bar by Parkside@Nina’s entrance, which leads to the restaurant’s dining area. From the restaurant’s entrance, you can see its elaborately designed dining area which features decor like curved cabinets that display wood fossils, streamlined ceilings, and dried flowers on certain dining tables. Upon stepping into the restaurant’s corridor, you’ll see Parkside@Nina’s high ceilings, which let in natural sunlight and make it feel like you’ve stepped into a cathedral. From the venue’s round tables and sofa booth seats to the retro checkerboard floors and plants as decor, Parkside@Nina definitely gets points for being a photogenic venue. Parkside@Nina offers various Asian and Western-style dishes in their lunch menu, customers can choose their desired appetiser, entree, and dessert or beverage in the restaurant’s three-course lunch sets ($138); or get an additional serving of the soup of the day in their four-course lunch set ($158). During our meal, we began with a portion of tomatoes and mozzarella cheese along with carrot soup, which was light and easygoing. As for our entrees, we ordered the pan-fried Alaskan perch and linguini arrabbiata...

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Time Out Hong Kong (@timeouthk) You’ve got to have a unique concept to stand out in Sheung Wan’s restaurant scene. Hoping to grab the attention of diners is Pasteako, an Italian steakhouse taking over Gustaci’s former venue in PMQ. This restaurant gets its name from mashing up the two dishes it offers: pasta and steak. More specifically, Pasteako specialises in handmade pasta that can be enjoyed free-flow, and 21-day dry-aged steak cuts like American sirloin and ribeye, as well as Australian M5 Wagyu. This restaurant’s dinner set menu includes an appetiser, a steak cut and pasta of choice, and a dessert from $388 and up – which is an absolute steal if you consider Pasteako’s location.  The restaurant’s interior is full of retro Italian flair, with red and white checkerboard floors, leather sofas, and black-and-white framed photos setting the mood. Before being shown to your table, you’ll get to choose a steak knife from a large display cabinet that provides information about eight different knives from countries like Italy, Japan, Germany, Turkey, Persia, and Mongolia. Unless you’re keen on reading about each knife, we think closing your eyes and randomly picking one will suffice. Deciding what to eat here is a no-brainer, as this restaurant only offers concise set menus. Start by selecting your desired pasta shape and sauce, then choose your steak cut from options like striploin and ribeye, or upgrade to premium M5 Wagyu...

For some Hongkongers, the thought of making the long journey into the New Territories can deter them from visiting just for a meal, let alone exploring the area. However, many who live there will tell you that there are plenty of worthy spots to dine at – if you’re willing to sacrifice time to commute.  Adding to New Territories’ roster of restaurants is Dzô Dzô, a Vietnamese eatery under local dining group Taste Gourmet Group, proprietors of venues like Shanghainese and Sichuanese restaurant Azure 80 and Japanese-inspired French venue Tirpse. Meaning ‘cheers’ in Vietnamese, Dzô Dzô is located within New Town Plaza, one of the busiest and largest shopping malls in Sha Tin.  We visited the restaurant on a Monday evening and were surprised to find the restaurant packed with diners, even on a weekday. After a short 10-minute wait, we were taken to our seats. Despite being partially open to the mall, the restaurant is tucked away in a quiet corner, so we could dine without hearing any commotion. Dzô Dzô’s interior featuring a calming colour palette of green and white, with light wooden fixtures and potted plants creating a relaxed ambience for diners. The menu offers a wide selection of Vietnamese dishes ranging from light appetisers to entrees for sharing. Rather than ordering from Dzô Dzô’s a la carte menu, we were recommended by the staff to go for the dinner set for two (starting from $398) – which comes with two appetisers, a vegetable dish, one entree, and two drinks –...

Update June 24, 2024: For summer, House of Culture refreshed its Chaos tasting menu ($658 per person), offering signature dishes that include their classics and some delicious new additions. Whether you're entertaining guests or on a casual date, this is the place to be. Must-tries that will keep you coming back include their new onion tart, a tasty serving of dark lager-braised onions, preserved radish (choi poh), and Chinese olives (laam gok) in a flaky tart, served with onion jus and pepper oil. Another standout dish is the squid bouillabaisse, served with tender baby squid in season until September, swimming in a light broth with dried mandarin peel, olive oil, and gremolata. To conclude your meal on a refreshing note, indulge in their new summer dessert – a satisfying watermelon sorbet served with brown butter, vanilla custard, pickled watermelon rind, and a drizzle of olive oil. Click below to check out their offerings:  View this post on Instagram A post shared by Time Out Hong Kong (@timeouthk) Old review, November 29, 2023: Despite the challenges of Hong Kong’s competitive dining scene, determined chefs continue to open new venues that sate the unwavering appetite of the city’s food lovers. Chefs like Gavin Chin exemplify the drive and courage to embrace the challenge of our city’s  ever-changing culinary landscape. Patrons may know this young chef from the neighbourhood French wine-bar Brut! His new restaurant, House of Culture, which has been...

Who would have thought that a shop bearing the name ‘electric company’ (路易奇電力公司) would actually be a yakiniku restaurant from Taiwan? Yakiniku Luigi is one of Taiwan’s top 10 Japanese yakiniku restaurants. It was established by Leo Wu Jun-jie, founder of hospitality group Luigi Restaurant Company, known for eateries such as The Other Floor by Luigi and Luigi’s Laundry Company. Currently, the yakiniku restaurant boasts more than 10 branches across Taiwan, each venue renowned for its high quality Japanese A5 wagyu offerings. Luigi’s first overseas branch is located in Wan Chai along Lockhart Road. The restaurant features a minimalist industrial design with a grey and white colour scheme.. With seating for just 28 diners, the venue provides ample space, including an open kitchen where diners can observe Luigi’s skilled staff expertly slicing cuts of meat by hand. We visited Luigi for dinner on a weekday, and there weren’t many guests dining at the restaurant, so we were able to comfortably enjoy our meal on a spacious table. Luigi’s menu is spread across two pages, offering diners a choice of three yakiniku sets, with over 80 percent of the selections featuring premium cuts of A5 Wagyu beef directly imported from Japan. The restaurant’s yakiniku sets consist of 10 to 12 courses priced at $958, $1,278, and $1,758, respectively; and Luigi’s adept staff skillfully grill your dishes right at your table. Customers who prefer to enjoy their items without assistance from the staff...

Japan’s curry specialist Caligari has opened their first overseas location in Hong Kong. This Tokyo-based restaurant boasts accolades such as nabbing first place in 2019 and 2023 at the Kanda Curry Grand Prix, an annual event held in Japan to crown the country’s best curry. Currently, the restaurant ranks as one of Japan’s 100 best curry restaurants on Tabelog, one of the country’s most popular restaurant apps.  Caligari’s Hong Kong outpost is located in a bustling area in Central but the restaurant is tucked away in an inconspicuous corner of the Entertainment Building, creating a comforting environment to enjoy your food. The restaurant has an understated white interior, complemented by accents from dark wooden furniture and fixtures. I visited Caligari at noon on a Saturday and to my surprise, there were only a few customers dining at the restaurant. Differentiating itself from other curry restaurants in Japan, Caligari uses a unique blend of spices like fennel, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, as well as mustard seeds to add depth in their curries. By simmering their curries at high pressure and temperatures for eight to 12 hours, the restaurant achieves distinctly rich flavours. Customers can opt for rice sets served with Caligari’s signature curry – a harmonious blend of chicken and pork cooked down with coconut milk to render subtle flavours – or the premium spices curry – a velvety sauce that contains a dash of coconut milk and the natural essences of...

Popular Incheon-based cafe, Sips;;lban, has opened its first location in Hong Kong at Harbour City. Pronounced as sip-sil-bahn, the cafe gets its name from the Korean idiom which literally translates to ‘ten spoons, one rice’. Referring to how ten spoons of rice make up a whole bowl of rice, the idiom alludes to how every bit of effort counts to get something done. The cafe’s venue is decorated with retro-inspired furniture and incorporates beachy elements to create a relaxing atmosphere, making it an ideal spot to kick back and grab a meal with your friends. We visited Sips;;lban at noon on a weekend, which to our surprise wasn’t completely full, and we were able to get a table in a photogenic corner. This Korean cafe is well known for their cakes and bingsu (Korean shaved ice), but their menu also offers a variety of savoury dishes too. We begin with a range of appetisers and entrees, such as the sous-vide chicken thigh salad ($92) which came in a generous portion. The whole chicken thigh was tender and flavourful, and the salad came mixed beforehand in a vinaigrette, making for fuss-free eating. Sips;;lban has four gimbap (rice with various ingredients, wrapped in dried seaweed) variations on their menu, and we opt for the recommended option which was the beef gimbap ($88). Aside from being filled to the brim with eight kinds of ingredients like carrots, pickled radish, as well as beef; we like how delicate these gimbap tasted. For more filling options, be sure to try...

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Time Out Hong Kong (@timeouthk) Dara – meaning ‘auntie’ in Kapampangan (one of the eight major languages of the Philippines) and spoken primarily in the entire province of Pampanga – is a family-run business and is named after the restaurant’s executive chef and founder Imelda Bunoan, also known as Darang Mel (Auntie Mel). The modern Filipino restaurant originally opened in late 2022 within Art Lane in Sai Ying Pun; but has recently moved to a bigger location across the neighbourhood. The restaurant is tucked behind La Paloma and a stone’s throw from Call Me Al, so keep your eyes peeled if you’re trying to find their venue. The new venue buzzes with activity and exudes a lively atmosphere. Dara has kept the same colour scheme, furniture, and decor from its previous location; such as the arch design in their bar display, rattan and wooden fixtures, and hanging light bulbs. Aside from boasting a space that’s four times bigger than their previous venue, the new space features high ceilings, a large bar table that stretches as far as the eye can see, and a soon-to-open karaoke and billiards room that will be fully operational by January. It's an expansive space that's a rare find on this side of town.Since their move to the new location, Dara has expanded their menu to provide more affordable and filling Pinoy classics. Feeling hungry, we start off by tearing into a portion of homemade pandesal – a traditional bread roll – ($58)...

If you’ve ever been on Peel Street, chances are you’ve most likely passed by Chôm Chôm. Like most venues on this dynamic street, you’ll most likely find a crowd of people at Chôm Chôm spilt out onto the pavement as they sip on cocktails and Vietnamese beer. This resto-bar has been an integral part of Soho’s bustling neighbourhood since 2013, but briefly closed its doors during the summer. After their short break, the Vietnamese eatery is back and ready to host diners and drinkers alike. Previous patrons of Chôm Chôm are familiar with the outdoor seating area, where you’ll find drink crates turned into makeshift stools and tables, as well as plastic chairs that would fill up their front entrance. While it isn’t the most glamorous seating arrangement, it added to Chôm Chôm’s character and paid homage to casual streetside eateries that you would see in Vietnam. Following their summer break, the restaurant has renovated its outdoor space to have two large benches built into the front entrance, but we suspect Chôm Chôm will bust out the plastic chairs once again when the time comes. Chôm Chôm doesn’t offer reservations, so be sure to arrive early, as this spot fills up quickly. Despite visiting on a busy Thursday evening, we were able to grab our seats right by the bar, which provided us with a clear view of Chôm Chôm’s kitchen. Chôm Chôm’s atmosphere was lively and full of energy, but the raucousness made it difficult to have a conversation at a normal volume. Nevertheless,...