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Header image courtesy of Roganic
Once upon a time, mocktails were relegated to the last page of the drinks list. Now, those days are well and truly over, for non-alcoholic beverages have become an integral part of the culinary presentation. Healthier lifestyles are trendy and have pushed this evolution along, but moreover, there’s a want for new flavours and surprising experiences among restaurant-goers.
Embracing this movement headfirst, Hong Kong chefs, sommeliers, and mixologists have been working to create innovative non-alcoholic pairings, combining the acidic, sweet, spicy, and bitter notes of drinks and food. Fruit juices, smoothies, artisanal sodas, teas, and more plant-based beverages are therefore obtaining a place of choice on select establishments’ boards, offering a quality alternative to the usual wine pairings—to our taste buds’ greatest pleasure. Here is a non-exhaustive list of restaurants in Hong Kong where you can experience non-alcoholic pairings.
One of the finest visionaries in her field, it only made sense that Anne-Sophie Pic would curate a zero-proof pairing to accompany the Voyage, Découverte, and Escale menus served at her Hong Kong outpost, Cristal Room. Elegantly named Balade, the pairing is—as will be the case with the majority of the restaurants on this list—adjusted with every season and menu change.
Described as “an ode to all things garden” on the restaurant’s dinner menu, the current selection pairs a Jin Jun Mei black tea from Fujian with beeswax, Voatsiperifery pepper, and aged yuzu peel with Les Berlingots, a pasta appetiser filled with Comté, mushroom consommé, Voatsiperifery pepper, and tonka beans; an Ethiopian coffee beans and fresh mint-leaf infusion with the marinated Aveyron lamb; and apricot and yabao wild tea sour to end with Le Millefeuille Blanc, an apricot-flavoured pastry with Min Jian whipped cream. Each dish on the eight-course dinner menu has its own curated non-alcoholic drink—a feat few establishments in Hong Kong have accomplished.
Cristal Room by Anne-Sophie Pic, 43/F, Forty-Five, Gloucester Tower, Landmark, 15 Queen’s Road Central, Central
Although Roganic embarks on a fresh start and move to a new location in 2024, the restaurant will carry on over its pioneering non-alcoholic pairing, now a signature of the sustainability-driven house (Roganic is one of only four restaurants in Hong Kong to have earned a Michelin Green star). Crafted with in-house infused tea and fruit or vegetable juices, the creations are on rotation.
Previous selections have included apple kombucha and house apple cider, an oat milk with garam masala, and a blend of coconut water, kaffir lime leaf, and lemongrass. Proud of the farm-to-bar philosophy it abides by, and of the seasonality it entails, it is unlikely you’ll ever taste the same drink twice at Roganic and Aulis! However, you can count on each sip being paired with care and attention.
Roganic, UG/F 08, Sino Plaza, 255 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay
Note: Roganic will close on 15 September and reopen by 2024 in a new location.
Strongly infused with Singaporean culinary heritage, the menu at Whey honours tradition—with a twist. Taking the best of old and new, its seasonal menu is paired with either wine or non-alcoholic beverages. The kitchen uses regional and seasonal ingredients, a philosophy also respected in the creation of the zero-proof creations. At the moment, you’ll find blends of mandarin, ume, and ginger flower; rose, mulberry, and laksa leaf; fermented pumpkin and vanilla; green apple, dill, and fennel; and soft rum, oat milk, and spices, all to be had along the ever-changing tasting menu.
Whey, UG/F, The Wellington, 198 Wellington Street, Central
Saicho was established in 2019 with the very idea of pairing teas with food in mind. Co-founder Natalie, a Hongkonger who doesn’t drink alcohol, knew how tea flavours can vary according to origin, seasonality, oxidation, as well as type and terroir—and that tea could inevitably make for pairings to rival the best wines in the world.
Today, Saicho’s sparkling cold-brew teas are now regular guests on Hong Kong fine-dining tables, including at Japanese restaurant Nobu, where it is currently paired with the Saturday brunch menu. To accompany the main courses— a choice of rock shrimp tempura, black cod miso, beef tenderloin with teriyaki sauce, flambé A5 Japanese Wagyu, and grilled lobster with creamy uni sauce—enjoy endless pours of hojicha sparkling tea, one of the brand’s three offerings alongside jasmine and Darjeeling.
Nobu Hong Kong, 2/F, Regent Hong Kong, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
Born and raised in the French countryside, Lily arrived in Hong Kong looking for an adventure. Passionate about books, she spent some time in Parisian publishing houses and is the author of an illustrated book about hair. Life in Hong Kong for her entails looking for seaside places to eat and a lot of hiking.
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