Featuring: House 1881, Fini’s, Stable Steak House…

ONE of Hong Kong’s iconic landmarks, Hullett House, has had a much needed facelift and has now unveiled itself as House 1881 with an eager new assortment of dining options to lure punters who wish to dine in stately surrounds. The flagship is Fortune Villa which delivers high-end and fabulous dim sum in a dignified, white linen tablecloth setting – the sort you’d bring prospective in-laws to.
The gastronomy team is led by chef KK Ngai, who was previously the Chinese executive chef at Hyatt Regency Hong Kong, Sha Tin and Marco Polo Wuhan, and decided to take the menu back to a simpler time in Chinese cuisine with his dishes made with high quality, locally sourced ingredients.
Culinary gems include pan-fried turnip cake, baked abalone puff with diced chicken, Iberico pork fillet with honey sauce and drunken foie gras cooked in Chinese wine.
Make sure you save room for the painstakingly made desserts such as sweetened almond cream with egg white and yin-yang sesame rolls – the in-laws will definitely be impressed. Fortune Villa, G/F, House 1881 Main Building, 2A Canton Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong; phone +852 3988 0107.
Mention Stone Nullah Tavern to anyone who hasn’t been on some self-induced clean eating exercise and they’ll theatrically go on about its mac ’n’ cheese and infamous Happy Hour where drinks kick off at $HK1. Well, it’s gone, but like a phoenix rising from the ashes, it has transformed into Fini’s, sporting a new look and a new menu which appears to have been plucked from a smattering of pizzerias around New York and New Jersey.

There’s still the comforting homemade pastas and the unbeatable mac ’n’ cheese, but the experience is enhanced by the addition of New York-style pies, fancy Italian cocktails and an excellent and affordable wine list available by the carafe. Despite being in bang in the heart of Wan Chai, Fini’s manages to pull off authentic 1950s Italian, with a proper open-flame copper dome oven and a plethora of jaunty neon signs which transport you away from the noisy markets and flashy interior design shops of its neighbourhood. And for those wanting to know, the Happy Hour is back, too, every weekday 5-7pm. Fini’s, 69 Stone Nullah Lane, Wan Chai, Hong Kong; phone +852 2387 6338.
We’re back to House 1881 and having a nose around the old stable block because in its place is Stable Steak House, itself a revamp from the Stables Grill. A nice touch is that they’ve kept the original wooden stable doors which open out onto the terrace for those brave enough to sit outside in a Hong Kong summer (cooling breezes in the form of fans will be provided, however). Steak lovers need only apply as this is principally what it offers – prime cuts from around the world, with its “udderly wonderful” marbled A5 Japanese wagyu beef as a highlight. Seasonings are taken seriously, too, with a choice of 40 different salts.
Before (and perhaps after) dinner, repair to the Stable Bar which hosts among others, the largest gin collection this side of Hong Kong as well as a full list of classic cocktails – the Espresso Martini certainly takes some beating. Stable Steak House, G/F, House 1881, 1881 Heritage, 2A Canton Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong; phone +852 3988 0288.