All posts filed under: Fine Dining

Fine Dining Redefined in Hong Kong

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When L’Estrange London first approached me for my recommendations on fine dining restaurants in Hong Kong, I blanked. Amber? Caprice? What other fine dining restaurants do I know? I couldn’t possibly bring myself to recommend places I didn’t even personally love, but I honestly have barely visited “fine dining” restaurants in the past 2-3 years. Thankfully, the important detail emerged as they were looking for excellent quality restaurants I feel comfortable in. Shifting dining trends in Hong Kong These thoughts of mine are anecdotal of the major shift in dining trends in Hong Kong, and around the world, towards more laid back spots which are still able to deliver top quality food. This was also exactly why I loved Tapisco so much, during my recent visit to Lisbon. The thing is, I used to fantasise about being taken to Michelin-starred fine dining restaurants at hotels for my birthday. But to suggest this today would have even my closest friends cringe at the thought of having to act so uncomfortably formal. Check out the full article …

Imperial Treasure, Hong Kong: New Go-to Michelin-Quality Chinese Restaurant

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Even though Imperial Treasure was awarded Two Michelin Stars in Shanghai last year, and has been a household brand name in Singapore for many more years, I admittedly had not heard of this restaurant until it opened in One Peking Road in Tsim Sha Tsui recently. When I mentioned I was coming here to a Singaporean friend visiting town, the familiarity of the name had her burst into excitement. Apparently it’s her go-to Chinese restaurant in Singapore. Over there, they have established many different dining concepts: casual dim sum, hot pot, Peking duck and even congee. Presentable, yet still affordable While Imperial Treasure has a range of different concepts in Singapore, the one in Hong Kong is a higher-end Chinese restaurant – the type you would go to for a nice dim sum lunch or proper extended family dinner or even business meals. In fact, its beautiful views over Victoria Harbour means that it’s also appropriate to treat your colleagues or clients from out of town here. As I inspected the regular a la carte menu, I breathed with relief that it was not …

Popsy Modern Kitchen: A Quirky Creative Dining Experience

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The first time I visited Popsy Modern Kitchen was for brunch and I remember…. The food was alright – I ordered lamb chops. But with so many different meals lined up each week, you have to be even better than ‘good’ in Hong Kong. When I finally returned to try out their British themed ‘Mockingbird Experience’ menu (book here) designed in collaboration with Feedme Guru, the meal was a completely different story. Intrigued by the drastic improvement, I then heard that they had overhauled their entire kitchen team only 1-2 months ago! The founder is extremely artsy and while the interior is a little much for someone so un-artsy like me, the dishes were intriguingly creative – and I mean, not only the plating, but also the layering of flavours, textures and ingredients. There’s so much attention placed on the finest of details, to the millimetre of every dish, I just can’t even bring myself to pretend that I’m sophisticated enough to appreciate it all. But it was definitely a very interesting and delicious experience, with more than a …

Cafe Gray Deluxe: Best Afternoon Tea in Hong Kong

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Cafe Gray Deluxe’s afternoon tea set had already made an impression on me the first time I tried it back in April, for their Diane von Furstenberg collaboration. The unforgettable scone maintained its place in my heart over the months. Then, after my mother had a few disappointing experiences at different hotels, and started complaining that none of the afternoon tea sets in Hong Kong are good anymore, I knew exactly where to take her.   Beautiful sea view Perhaps I’m a bit obsessed with Cafe Gray Deluxe because I’ve actually also been here for dinner. But with a sea view like this, it’s hard not to come back when you feel like treating yourself. Admittedly, the view is probably a notch less spectacular than the 103rd floor of ICC (i.e. Ritz Carlton), but still, the environment was top-of-the-list enough. What probably makes the general dining experience here so enjoyable as well is the flawless service. Actually, it was my mom who brought it up and then we spent a good 20 minutes discussing how important service training …

Table: Killer Lobster Bisque and Depurated Seafood

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Seafood restaurants have always been a thing in my family – almost all of us are in love with every single type of seafood. So we used to go regularly to Sing Kee in Sai Kung, our favourite restaurant for a lobster feast. But since its quality of service rapidly deteriorated, I have been itching to find another place for epic seafood meals. Table is not a new restaurant but because it’s tucked into the 8th floor of The Pemberton in Sheung Wan, it has definitely gone unnoticed for longer than it should’ve been. They specialise in depurated seafood. This means they take imported seafood and place them in clean water (in Hong Kong), to get rid of impurities. For the regular seafood-loving person, the magic of depuration is most evident in the oysters. But to say Table only focuses on depurated seafood would be selling it short, because the general execution of food also lives up to very high standards here. Oysters Having been spoilt by fresh-outta-the-farm oysters in Tasmania, I’m rarely impressed by the imported ones in Hong Kong. The depurated oysters …

ON Dining: Fine Dining with the Best Selection of Cheese

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I had my eyes on trying ON Dining ever since it opened and my cheese-loving friend sent me photos of their cheese board. It’s not a new restaurant so that was a while back. I suppose the only thing that was delaying my meal here was knowing that it wouldn’t be a cheap meal – after all it did earn one Michelin Star this year. I won’t ignite the debate on how valuable that is, but after finally paying a visit, it’s definitely a place I’d return to and highly recommend. 29th Floor Ceiling-to-Floor Windows ON Dining is located on On Lan Street in Central and it was surprisingly convenient to get to from the office. You’ll never ‘discover’ this place because the street itself is not often frequented and the restaurant is located all the way up on the 29th floor. I loved the ambience of the restaurant and its bar. The decor was formal enough, but the place overall retained a hint of casual vibes, especially at the bar. The almost ceiling-to-floor windows meant that the …

DvF Afternoon Tea at Cafe Gray Deluxe: A Collaboration Not to Be Missed

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Cafe Gray Deluxe has always been high on my list of favourite restaurants. The food is as delicious as its view over Hong Kong harbour is beautiful – and that combination is rare. Heading into the restaurant with high expectations, their latest Diane von Furstenberg (DvF) “Fortuna” Afternoon Tea set still managed to impress me all over again. Cafe Gray often does collaboration with the most famous luxury brands – they did it with Elie Saab and Diptyque last year. Now I’m feeling extremely gutted for not trying it back then. The latest tea set collaboration is designed in line with DvF’s spring collection and the colours are so inviting and cheerful. It’s an afternoon tea that will promise perfect ambience and all things aesthetic. But more importantly, the set features a good variety of sweets and savouries. The food is among my favourite of tea sets I’ve tried in Hong Kong! Perfect scones and clotted cream Scones and clotted cream are the top most important components of any afternoon tea set (to me) and the …