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Header images courtesy of Tsukanto
Our regularly updated guide to the newest restaurant openings will cut through the noise and help you find the best places to eat and drink in Hong Kong this month.
Dare we say it, this is probably the hottest opening of the summer—Eggslut is coming to town! Famous for its “breakfast all day, every day” philosophy, the LA-based gourmet fast food chain will bring its fluffy brioches and utterly divine egg sandwiches to Causeway Bay. While the Hong Kong menu is to be revealed, fans familiar with the brand founded by chef Alvin Cailan, which got its start as a food truck, will no doubt be excited about signature items such as the bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich; the gaucho sandwich with seared Wagyu steak and chimichurri, and red onions; and the classic cheeseburger with egg.
Eggslut, Shop 11–19, Fashion Walk, Great George Street, Causeway Bay
Heads up, a new ramen restaurant is heading our way! Mengokoro Kunimoto is a tiny ramen bar in Tokyo’s Katsushika City, recently honoured as the best in the ward, and the shop has set its sights on Hong Kong as its first overseas location. Recipes and preparation methods of the Hong Kong opening will, of course, follow those set by the Tokyo original, and the Hong Kong branch will also import key ingredients from Japan to maintain quality standards. What sets Mengokoro Kunimoto apart is its philosophy of food waste elimination, which is applied to everything from soup bases to noodles as well as seasonings.
Five signature noodle bowls, offered in limited daily quantities, are available for the choosing: shoyu ramen, shio ramen, tsukemen, maze soba, and noukou ramen, which is characterised by its dense, full-bodied soup base and intensely rich flavour.
Mengokoro Kunimoto, G/F, 12 Spring Garden Lane, Wan Chai
Following the recent opening of The Merchants, the second concept to launch at Forty-Five at Landmark is Kaen Teppanyaki, helmed by chef Yoshiyuki Sato. Presenting teppan and binchō-tan grill techniques, the restaurant uses the highest-quality ingredients from Japan and Europe to craft its signatures, which include the Wagyu donburi and Unaju from the executive lunch menu, the teppan-grilled Hokkaido scallops and Homard lobster off the Matsu dinner menu, and the Kumamoto Akaushi Wagyu from the Ta-Ke dinner menu. Post-meal, wander over to the relaxing lounge area and tuck into desserts, coffee, and tea.
Kaen Teppanyaki, Forty-Five, 43/F–45/F, The Landmark, 15 Queen’s Road Central, Central
New to the Kowloon side is Tsukanto, a restaurant specialising in tonkatsu. Opened by Naotaka Ohashi, the chef-owner behind Michelin-starred Tirpse in Tokyo, Tsukanto’s goal is to showcase and elevate the breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet from humble to sophisticated. At the heart of the dish is imported Japanese Kumamoto Rindo pork; its rich flavour and juiciness are enveloped in a layer of panko breadcrumbs, creating the perfect textural contrast between crispy and tender, with an attractive golden appearance. Simple as it all sounds, the careful and laboursome preparation of this dish, served with a side of thinly shaved cabbage drizzled in citrus, is surely worth a try.
Tsukanto, Shop 1002, 1/F, Fire Zone, Elements, 1 Austin Road West, West Kowloon
Ken Lau, the chef behind such fine-dining restaurants as Pano, Palco, and Pleka, is the brains behind Café Joo, a contemporary restaurant that offers modern interpretations of Korean dishes, leveraging Lau’s Western culinary training for a different take on street food. Aside from presenting familiar items like Korean fried chicken, deep-fried Korean-style kimbap, and Cheongyang chilli pepper stuffed with cheese sausage, Café Joo is also a space for Lau to experiment with crossovers, creating Italian- and Korean-inspired combos such as Jeju stir-fried octopus with squid ink sauce and roasted tiger prawn with kimchi cream sauce. Dessert is an equally decadent affair, with Nutella and banana baked croffle with milk ice cream and chocolate and caramel banana parfait on the menu.
Café Joo, Shop 165, Level 1, Phase 1, New Town Plaza, 18 Sha Tin Centre Street, Sha Tin
As traditional dai pai dong food stalls around Hong Kong dwindle in number due to licence restrictions and advanced ageing of owners, a new opening has stepped up to fill the gap for the Instagram age. Soul Guide, proudly inspired by dai pai dong culture, takes the concept into a 5,000-square-foot space and jazzes it up with neon lights, vibrant colours, and other design elements that recall the bustling atmosphere of the cooked food stall.
Sit down for a meal of sautéed squid, typhoon shelter-style stir-fried crab, roasted baby pigeon, deep-fried crispy pork knuckle, steamed eel with garlic and black bean sauce, and more, given a modern twist by the experienced chef behind Soul Guide.
Soul Guide, F/2, Tern Plaza, 5 Cameron Road, Kowloon Tsim Sha Tsui
Joshua and Caleb Ng—of Twins Kitchen—are back at it again with a new concept, Dolos, and this time, they are bringing Sean Yuen, bass player for Hong Kong math rock band Tfvsjs, on board. (Before you dismiss Yuen, who will helm the kitchen at Dolos, know that he is an experienced chef, aside from plucking strings on stage and in the studio.)
Dolos is a cosy restaurant with 20 seats, setting an intimate stage to showcase the twins’ concept of “bringing together food, city, and people,” as per the restaurant announcement, leaning on Hong Kong’s maritime history and its connection to the sea. Yuen approaches the menu with a Japanese-French culinary mindset, serving up dishes like Shima aji with lemongrass, Thai basil, and fish sauce gastrique, M9 Wagyu beef picanha with smoked oysters and bone marrow sauce, and more, as part of the multi-course chef’s menu.
Dolos, G/F, 60 Staunton Street, Central
Is it ever too hot for curry? Not at Curry Kingdom! All sorts of Asian curries are available here for the curry connoisseur, no matter which variety you are in the mood for. Curry Kingdom works with Amocan, a historical Singaporean sauce brand, to craft and curate its menu of curry dishes. Delight in the Thai curry with a fragrant meld of turmeric, basil leaves, lemongrass, galangal, and cumin; the Singaporean curry, made with shrimp paste, curry leaves, kaffir lime leaves, and coconut milk; the Indian curry with turmeric, cumin, curry leaf cloves, green cardamom, and tomatoes; and the non-spicy Japanese curry.
Curry Kingdom, Shop 703A, New Town Plaza Phase 1, 18 Sha Tin Centre Street, Sha Tin
It opened, it closed, and now it’s open again—Staunton’s makes a comeback under new management, but the British gastropub-inspired concept remains the same. Since 1997, this icon on the corner of Staunton Street and Shelley Street has served up homestyle comfort food that hits the spot (and tastes even better with a pint in hand). Come for classics like bangers and mash, sticky toffee pudding, Eton mess, and even sticky adobo wings!
Staunton’s, G/F & 1/F, 10–12 Staunton Street, Soho, Central
If you’re overnighting at the One-Eight-One Hotel in Shek Tong Tsui, nip down to its newly opened restaurant for a contemporary Neo-Chinese meal. The Praya pays homage to local Hong Kong cuisine and the eatery’s location overlooking the Western District Promenade.
Head chef Samuel Ng leans on his family’s culinary traditions to present dressed-up takes on Cantonese dishes, such as master stock beef quintet with grandma’s chilli oil, a flavourful stew of brisket, tendon, tripe, and boneless short rib that is built on a rich, five-month-old stock, and sourdough spring onion pancakes with pickled onion salad and fuyu sour cream. On the drinks side, beverage manager Paul Chan has created tipples that use local traditional ingredients; try the Negroni-like Hot Century Egg with preserved egg brine.
The Praya, 3/F, One-Eight-One Hotel, 181 Connaught Road West, Shek Tong Tsui
Here’s one for the kids! If you’re looking to take the little ones out on a dine and play date, check out this new opening in Quarry Bay, a dining and recreation space brought to you by the founder of Vive Cake Boutique and Vive. Pastel colours meet Nordic minimalism in this multi-functional 5,700-square-foot venue, offering an all-day menu of healthy comfort foods suitable for family members big and small. While the kids run off to the adventure playground, parents can sit back and enjoy the day with a glass of wine in hand.
Jello & Mellow, 9/F, 1001 King’s Road, Quarry Bay
For a different kind of Italian dining experience, head to Up a Notch, where classic comfort dishes are reinvented with an international twist and served in a casual, multi-functional environment that accommodates up to 100 guests. Grab a slice of homestyle pizza or tuck into a bowl of comforting pasta, and when you’re done, go for a slide down a transparent spiral slide or enjoy a larger-than-life LED projection of marine life and aquatic lifeforms!
Up a Notch, G/F, 160 Portland Street, Mong Kok
Born in Hong Kong, raised in Germany, and educated in the US, Jen is an award-winning creative with a background in illustration, communication design, art direction, and content creation. When she’s not getting lost in a good book, you’ll find her doing crosswords, eating dim sum, covering all sides of a “Hamilton” number, and taking naps.
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