As the city welcomes back evening dining and relaxes social distancing measures, it's time to dig out the glad rags (finally!) for a night on the town. Here's where to head.
The Aubrey
Enjoy 'seasonal cocktails' at The Main Bar at The Aubrey.
Hospitality group Maximal Concepts and Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong have released launch details of their much-anticipated new dining space The Aubrey.
Described as an ‘eccentric Japanese izakaya’, The Aubrey takes over from French fine dining favourite, Pierre, on the hotel’s 25th floor.
The space has been designed by Maximal Concepts and Silverfox Studios and is inspired by ‘Japonism’, a nineteenth century European movement influenced by Japanese art.
The restaurant is slated to open on February 17 featuring three bars, a drawing room and a curio lounge.
Dishes will draw on high quality Japanese ingredients and traditional cooking techniques under the eagle eye of chef Yukihito Tomiyama, who moves to The Aubrey from one Michelin-starred Shinji by Kanaseka in Macau.
‘Elevated’ bento boxes are promised for lunchtime dining, with hand-crafted wooden boxes containing items from the restaurant’s tempura and robata menus.
Chef Tomiyama and team will specialise in traditional Edomae sushi-making techniques and the robata, or ‘fireside cooking’, menu covers surf and turf ingredients grilled over binchotan charcoal.
Devender Sehgal, formerly of Otto e Mezzo Bombana, will be shaking up a storm at the restaurant’s three bars. The Main Bar will specialise in highball and Chuhai cocktails, with a rotating signature menu of three seasonal cocktails based on a single Japanese ingredient.
The four-person Omakase Cocktail Bar will offer spirits and flavours from across Japan and The Champagne and Sake Bar will be serving up oysters and champagne and playing with sparkling sakes.
“The Aubrey represents a significant moment of renewal for Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong,” said hotel general manager Pierre Barthes. “We have completely reimagined our 25th floor to celebrate the city’s reputation as a cultural crossroads and an iconic travel experience. This vibrant, beautiful and multi-faceted space celebrates the very best of Japanese drinking and dining in a city which embraces other cultures like few others.”
The Aubrey, 25th Floor, Mandarin Oriental, 5 Connaught Road, Central, Hong Kong, open for lunch 12-2.30pm and for dinner 6-10pm daily from February 17, bookings online.
Lucciola
Tuck-in at Wan Chai's Lucciola.
Lucciola Restaurant & Bar at The Hari Hong Kong opened this winter under chef Francesco Gava.
Channelling an Italian vibe, the menu features classic dishes using quality regional produce.
Described as chic and convivial, Lucciola offers easy dining in an old-world glamour setting. Tara Bernerd & Partners managed the design, with a glamorous green marble bar and fresh green and white tiles. Freestanding tables stand in the middle of the restaurant and there's a wrap-around cognac leather banquette in one corner.
Antipasti dishes run from Piedmontese veal tenderloin to plump Pugliese burrata and amberjack carpaccio.
A wide selection of pastas encompasses traditional family favourites as well as dishes with a modern twist.
Feast on spaghetti tossed with Sicilian anchovies, garlic, parsley and Tomino cheese, tagliatelle ribbons with Piedmontese oven-roasted frog legs, or heartier dishes such as veal shank braised for 24 hours in red wine and whole Mediterranean sea bream baked in a sea salt crust with a squeeze of Amalfi lemon.
No traditional Italian worth its salt is complete without the obligatory tiramisu; the hallmark of Lucciola’s Il Tiramisu Tradizionale is an intensely yellow mascarpone enriched with Italian egg yolks.
Or satisfy sweet cravings with the Torta Caprese Bianca, a divine confection of chocolate, almonds, eggs, butter, lemons and limoncello liqueur.
Lucciola, 1/F, The Hari Hong Kong, 330 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, open Monday to Sunday, both walk-ins and reservations are welcome.
Zoku
The origami slatted wood ceiling completes a sleek look at Zoku.
Also to be found at The Hari Hong Kong, Zoku Restaurant & Terrace serves up a fresh take on Japanese cuisine.
Zoku means ‘clan’ and the space aspires to becoming a regular meeting spot for city-siders.
The menu runs from sushi and tempura to kushiyaki, as well as heartier mains.
The restaurant’s stylish interior boasts an asymmetrical origami ceiling carved in slatted wood as a nod to its Japanese influence and a three-storey high ‘green wall’ to lend an ‘urban oasis’ dynamic.
As well as the dining room, the space also boasts an al fresco terrace bar, a top spot for enjoying a Japanese-influenced cocktail or two shaken up by bar manager Sabrina Cantini Budden.
The menu has been created by chef de cuisine, Phillip Pak, who previously worked alongside renowned Japanese chef Nobu Matsushisa.
Tickle your tastebuds with Wagyu dumplings bursting with mounds of minced beef and paired with soy vinegar and garlic oil. For a burst of seafood, the crispy spring rolls are stuffed with a shrimp and scallop mousse and the yellowtail sashimi slices are dressed with yuzu soy sauce and serrano pepper.
The kushiyaki offerings include Wagyu and salmon grilled over binchotan (Japanese white charcoal) and glazed with tare, shiso or spicy miso sauces. And there's plenty of hand rolled sushi.
For mains, tuck into Miyazaki Wagyu steaks - the A5 striploin is grilled over binchotan and served with foie gras; or Chilean sea bass basted in yuzu herb butter and served with oyster cream.
Light desserts include mochi cake with coconut sorbet as well as tofu cheesecake with matcha ice cream and cinnamon crumble.
Zoku, 2/F, The Hari Hong Kong, 330 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, open Monday to Sunday, both walk-ins and reservations are welcome.