Whether it's a free-flow brunch, all-you-can-eat buffet, or sweet happy hour deal, Hong Kongers love to get real bang for their buck. Luckily then, that this month's newest food and drink offerings are all geared towards filling your stomach without completely emptying your wallet. So let's raise a glass to that and get stuck in!
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New Places ...
Los Sotano
"Tequila, it makes me happy" - especially when served in a beer bottle inside a brown paper bag! That's right, Lan Kwai Fong has a new bar on the block and it couldn't get more Mexican if Frida Kahlo was there herself - oh wait, she is (in mural form anyway). Located beneath Cali Mex on D’Aguilar Street,
Los Sotano boasts over 80 Tequilas and Mezcals, a striking red neon sign displaying the words “Tequila makes my clothes come off”, and some pretty epic graffiti by popular Miami artist “Le Creep”.
Aside from the extensive list of cocktails, which include the bitter
La Negra, the sweet
Cinco De Mayo (our favourite), and the spicy
Bad Hombre, the quirky new bar serves up some pretty mean tacos and quesadillas - not to mention kickass
guacamole! All this can be enjoyed alongside a wall of skulls, hanging decanter lights, and royal blue velvet booths. The bar opens until late seven days a week, with a range of deep house and hip-hop music to get you dancing all night. Get ready to fill up your Instagram feed!
Los Sotano Basement, 21 D’Aguilar Street, Lan Kwai Fong, (+852) 2970 3887
Slide on 79
If you love a good happy hour deal, then
slide on over (oh yes we did) to 79 Wyndham Street and sip on two-for-one beers, Prosecco, spirits, and cocktails from 5pm to 9pm every day of the week. Adding a touch of class to the former Rude Bar,
Slide on 79 is a playful, vibrant, and relaxing place to chill and lap up some colourful pop art over a drink or three.
Classic cocktails will set you back a reasonable $98 with wines and Prosecco coming in at around the $90 mark. Sports nuts will be pleased to know they can catch live screenings of all the big rugby, cricket, football, formula one, tennis and golf events throughout the year. And if you love a bit of live music, then swing by on a Wednesday or Thursday night and catch the house band. Alternatively, catch their live DJ on Friday and Saturday nights.
Slide on 79, Upper Basement, Harilela House, 79 Wyndham Street, Central, (+852) 2779 9279
9¾ Cafe
"Wingardium Leviosa!" Calling all Harry Potter fans - a brand new cafe has arrived in Hong Kong, paying homage to the wonderful wizarding world of J. K. Rowling and the “boy who lived”. Tucked away inside a commercial building on Yin Ching Street in Mongkok, the
9¾ Cafe is everything Potterheads could dream of – and thankfully, they don’t have to run into a brick wall to get there! Magical potions are up for grabs, including the famous
Butterbeer ($48),
The Dementor’s Kiss ($138),
Forbidden Forest Aragog Salad ($72), and
The Order of the Phoenix ($118). We have to warn you though, these drinks are
sirius-ly sweet (oh yes we did), so be prepared to snap your Instapics and be on your way after one. We'd avoid the cakes too - they're dry and totally overpriced ($35 a piece). Definitely worth checking out for the props and decor - and of course the novelty factor. Read more
here.
9¾ Cafe, 4/F, Prosper Commercial Building, 9 Yin Chong Street, Mong Kok, (+852) 9432 6555
New Menus ...
Bib N Hops
Korean eatery
Bib N Hops has revamped its menu with the addition of seven new dishes, each using higher-grade ingredients. Thanks to chef Alvin Leung of three-Michelin-starred Bo Innovation, diners can now tuck into dishes like tasty
Pork Mung Bean Pancake topped with Iberco ham ($168),
Foie Gras Terrine ($128), and
Alaskan King Crab bibimbap on a bed of pearl rice, veggies and rumpa gouchujang sauce ($268). The spicy
Long Jiang Chicken Skewers ($188) (pictured right) completely steal the show, packing a real punch in the flavour department, but the most memorable addition to the menu is undoubtedly the
Raw Gaejang Lobster ($238 for a half piece, $468 for a full piece). Fermented for a week in aged Korean soy sauce and coffee, seaweed, and boiled rice, this dish (pictured left) certainly makes an impression in terms of taste and texture, although it might not be everyone's cup of tea.
Bib N Hops, Shop 13, 2/F, J Residence, Ship Street, Wan Chai, (+852) 2882 9128
New Teas & Brunches ...
"Yeh! Shanghai" Afternoon Tea at WOOBAR
Ooh, we do love a spot of afternoon tea in a fancy location, and WOOBAR has whipped up quite the spread. The enthusiastically named
"Yeh! Shanghai" Afternoon Tea features a colourful selection of Insta-snap worthy sweet and savoury bites, taking you on a mini food tour around Shanghai without having to hop on a plane. Goodies include succulent seafood treats such as the
Prawn Cocktail with light spicy sesame soya sauce and sago, a delicious morsel of
Crispy Suckling Pig, fermented bean curd paste and caviar, and of course, the signature
“Xiao long BAO” cake consisting of vanilla-pistachio mousse and raspberry jam on feuilletine (pictured right).
Mouth watering yet? Perhaps the new
"Shanghai Sips" cocktail collection will then. Integrating the Chrysanthemum flower (which in Chinese culture represents the autumn season) into four delicious cocktails which blend tea with Belvedere Vodka, Chinese white wine, gin, or whiskey, these treasures are the perfect addition to your tasty feast. But get in there quick, as all of this is only available until October 31.
Afternoon tea set available on Monday to Friday (2.30pm–5.30pm) $418 for two
“Shanghai Sips” cocktails are each priced at $140
WOOBAR, 6/F, W Hong Kong, 1 Austin Road West, Kowloon, (+852) 3717 2889
French Sunday Brunch at Seasons French Restaurant
What could beat spending a Sunday afternoon feasting on a delicious French-style brunch and sipping on bottomless champagne at a Michelin-starred restaurant? Not much, we think. Recently arriving on Hong Kong's popular brunch scene, the
Seasons French Restaurant offering features all the staples - a buffet of fresh seafood including Maine lobsters from Portland, fresh oysters, prawns and Alaskan crab legs, as well as platters of delicious cold meats and French cheeses, and a dessert station serving up baked lemon tart, macarons, eclairs, and Hong Kong-style egg waffles topped with ice cream and marshmallows.
Of course, no brunch is complete without an egg - and you get to choose from four variations that are served with bacon, hash brown, tomatoes, and Portobello mushrooms. You also get to choose a main course, and we have to say this is a really tough choice, given the selection includes the famous Seasons burger, roasted beef sirloin, chicken, lamb shoulder, and mussels marinated in white white broth. As if that isn't enough to make your mouth water, you also get to enjoy free-flow Veuve Clicquot champagne, or wines and beers, for an additional cost.
Simply exquisite!
Seasons French Restaurant, 308, 3/F Lee Garden Two, 28 Yun Ping Road, Causeway Bay, (+852) 2505 6228
Every Sunday, (12pm-4pm); $498 for adults and $348 for kids (free-flow champagne $190/wines and beers $128)
Jinjuu Weekend Korean Brunch
If you're looking for an effective hangover cure after a big Friday or Saturday night then we're pretty sure we've found it. Korean Restaurant
Jinjuu is whipping up spicy treats at the new weekend semi-buffet brunch which invites you to delve into an all-you-can-eat starter menu of seven dishes, select one of five mains, and tuck into a humongous Ice Cream Platter - all for a bargain $388 per person. We have to say, the real stars of the show here are the starters, with the spicy
Chicken Skewers,
Char-grilled King Prawn, and
Asparagus & Kimchi Spanish Tortillas stealing the show.
Of the three mains we tried, only the
Korean Fried Baby Chicken really stood out in terms of flavour, so your best bet is probably to fill up on as many tasty starters as you can and leave room for the incredible ice cream platter at the end - because the cookies & cream and the mango are amazing! And if you believe in the hair of the dog tactic, then you'll no doubt enjoy delving into the seven cocktails on offer - the
Spicy Kimchi Mary will blow your socks off and the
Pink Coconut Belini (pictured right) is devilishly delicious. Alternatively, you can go all out and enjoy two hours of free-flow Prosecco or Champagne for an additional price (see below).
Available on Saturday (12pm-3pm) and Sunday (12pm-10pm)
Brunch is $388 per person (2 hour free-flow Prosecco $188 / Champagne $248)
Jinjuu, UG/F, 32 D'Aguilar Street, Central, (+852) 3755 4868
New Happy Hour ...
Le Petit Saigon
Le Petit Saigon, home of
the best bahn mi in Hong Kong, has launched a new weekday happy hour deal, offering a half-sized version of the iconic Vietnamese style sandwich with a bottle of chilled
Saigon Special beer for a bargain $58. Created using five different house-made cuts of pork, aromatic Vietnamese chillies, herbs, housemade pickles, and mayonnaise in a light, crisp thin-crusted baguette, the popular street food is truly delicious and perfect if you fancy a quick snack on the run. The refreshing beer is the perfect addition too, given the chillies in the bahn mi give your taste buds a pummeling!
Available on weekdays from
5-7pm for $58 (includes half a bahn mi and a beer)
Le Petit Saigon, G/F 16 Wing Fung Street, Wan Chai, (+852) 2455 2499
Read more! Check out our latest restaurant reviews in our Food & Drink section.
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