Featuring: Lucciola, The Hari, Passepartout Brunch & Coffee…
AS we start the new year somewhat dispiritedly in Hong Kong, with restaurants closed after 6.00pm unless for takeaway purposes only, there are some resolute souls who have still decided to go ahead and open new places with the optimistic, long term view that this can’t last forever (can it?).
So for those able to have an extended lunch break while working from home or the office, or who fancy taking up some of their annual leave to really make an afternoon of it with a cocktail or 12, here are some of the newest restaurants in Hong Kong who have bravely opened their doors this month.
New in from the team behind achingly cool Mexican joint, 11 Westside, is OBP – a Korean “sool-jip”, or alcohol house, where cocktails and the ubiquitous ‘sharing plates’ are pretty much what happens. Hidden in an alleyway behind Old Bailey Street, OBP fills the void left by Soho favourite Jinjuu and is a welcome addition for Hongkonkers who have a permanent hankering for Korean food. In the kitchen, Chef Junwoo Choi offers inventive yet traditionally inspired dishes, including the likes of Spicy Braised Pork Rib, Kimchi Pancake and Boneless Fried Chicken. Behind the bar you’ll find Beverage Director, Daniel Eun, mixing up a range of cocktails of which the Dokdo (Sour Apple) Gimlet, featuring Korean sake – is wonderfully refreshing after a meat-laden lunch. OBP, 3-5 Old Bailey Street, Central, Hong Kong.
New luxury hotel, The Hari, quietly opened its doors at the end of last year offering two new high end restaurants to try if anyone is of a mind to try a weekend staycation (as we won’t be going anywhere for the foreseeable).
First up is charming Italian hotspot Lucciola, helmed by chef Francesco Gava. Hearty classics feature on the menu with highlights including the 24-hour braised Piedmontese veal shank, whole sea bream baked in a sea salt crust and the creamy La Burrata Pugliese. When it comes to pasta, the Spaghetti – a Gava family favourite that has been perfected over generations – is not to be missed. As for dessert, it’s already been put out there that Lucciola’s tiramisu is up there as one of the best in Hong Kong. Lucciola Restaurant & Bar, 1/F, The Hari Hong Kong, 330 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong; phone +852 2129 0333 or visit lucciola@thehari.com, www.thehari.com.
Brunch your way around the world this month, courtesy of new Causeway Bay addition Passepartout Brunch & Coffee. Describing itself as a ‘creative international brunch restaurant’, the menu spans the globe, offering quite an eclectic array of fusion dishes, each named after the cities they represent. Highlights include the signature Calcutta (a Butter Chicken Waffle which brings together the flavours of West Bengal) with an American classic, the Apple Crumble Pound Cake and, of course, the Hong Kong (a luncheon meat and rice Scotch egg). Passepartout Brunch & Coffee, Shop 2, G/F, 447-449, Lockhart Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong; phone +852 2882 0828.