Hong Kong - Neighborhood

Wagyu Tartare

Buttered Tagliolini

Food photos are a must!

Bone Marrow Risotto

Potato Gnocchi with Iberico Ham and Parmesan

Cheese Selection

Chocolate Palette

Vanilla Ice Cream

Complimentary canelés to end the night

Review: For our first taste of Alba white truffles this year, Big and Small picked Neighborhood, a newly opened joint by Chef David Lai from Bistronomique and On Lot 10. The quaint and modern restaurant is situated next to a little park and quite hard to find at first. Once we were seated, we were presented with a bowl of "white diamonds" nestled on uncooked rice. We were like little kids at the candy store, so excited to pick our own truffle! Their truffles were HKD 26 a gram and weighed on a digital scale at the table. Our truffle was more than enough to go between the three of us. We were given a truffle shaver set to the thinnest setting and we shaved the truffle on everything except the cheese and chocolate dessert! I was recently told that white truffles are in fact very 熱氣 - you can actually get nose bleeds after consuming heavy white truffle meals! But I guess once a year won't do too much damage.

We liked the al-dente Buttered Tagliolini for its subtle flavours that let the white truffle shine. The Wagyu Tartare didn’t have an overly acidic dressing and the raw yolk brought a great texture to the dish. The Homemade Gnocchi with Iberico and Parmesan was light and fluffy but could’ve had more potato taste. The Bone Marrow Risotto had large chunks of delicious fatty marrow throughout and the herbs cut through the fattiness, but the rich flavours sadly overpowered the truffles. For desserts, we liked the intense and creamy dark Chocolate Pallete and we used the last bits of our truffle on Vanilla Ice Cream, so decadent! They also served a great Fourme d'Ambert.

Overall I think the addition of white truffles elevated the food, but without the icing on the cake these dishes would still be delicious. The portions are small but reasonably priced, great for trying many dishes at once. The vibe is perfect for dates and there’s also a full bar. Their menu changes every week, so I'm looking forward to see what they have in store after the truffle season ends.

I recommend: Buttered Tagliolini, Bone Marrow Risotto, Chocolate Palette

Neighborhood
Address: 61-63 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong
Phone: 2617-0891
Hours: Mon-Sat 6pm-1030pm

Hong Kong - RyuGin

Updated February 20th 2015

 Monkfish liver from Hokkaido and Aka clam with spring onion in mustard miso sauce

 Simmered abalone with winter vegetables served with grated radish sauce

 Shiitake mushroom egg custard topped with Matsubagani crab

 Poached Gillardeau oyster and mashed turnip soup in winter style

 Assortment of sashimi

 Charcoal grilled Alfonsino served with crispy scales

 Wagyu ribeye sukiyaki with onsen tamago

  Premium sea urchin on steamed rice with simmered fresh seaweed

 Bottarga grey mullet roe on steamed rice with simmered fresh seaweed (for Bf who can't eat sea urchin)

 RyuGin Specialty -196C pear candy and +99C pear jam

 Deep fried spring roll, sweet red beans, strawberry, shiratama mochi

Date of visit: January 16th 2015

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Watari crab salad under chrysanthemum flowers

Enter the Autumn Forest - Simmered abalone, mushrooms, pine nuts on hot egg custard

Poached Gillardeau oyster wrapped with shabu-shabu Wagyu beef and grated celeriac jelly

Flavor of autumn - Charcoal grilled Matsutake mushroom in Ichibandashi soup

Assortment of sashimi

Slow cooked blue lobster and selection of vegetables with Manganji pepper flavoured sauce

Large eel grilled over Binchotan charcoal

Ikura salmon caviar and Kobashira on steamed rice

Tea before the dessert courses

RyuGin specialty -196C apple candy and +99C apple jam

Kyoho grapes and Nashi calpis jelly with sense of sudachi and shiso flower

Matcha to end the meal

RyuGin Hong Kong is the first overseas branch of RyuGin Japan. It offers only one menu, a kaiseki of ten courses that highlights fresh seasonal ingredients flown in from Japan daily. I enjoyed each delicious and unique dish, but I had a few favourites. One was the Gillardeau oyster wrapped in Wagyu beef (or Boyster, according to Bf). The “Boyster” was presented in its original shell and thoughtfully cut into two bite-sized pieces. The flavour of the sweet and tender beef was more pronounced in the beginning, while the brininess from the creamy oyster came after. The tangy celeriac added brightness, bringing the dish together. It was definitely a well-executed dish. I would’ve never thought beef and oyster could be eaten together, let alone be this delicious!

Another notable dish was the grilled eel. The skin was super crisp while the meat was kept soft and sweet, with a hint of smokiness. The glaze was not too sweet, which I liked. Hands down one of the best eel dishes I have ever had. I also loved the molecular gastronomy dessert, which was a candy “apple” filled with powdered liquid nitrogen apple ice cream and topped with piping hot apple jam. Hot, cold, crunchy and fluffy all at the same time!

A lot of fine-dining restaurants serve expensive ingredients, slap a hefty price tag on them, and leave it at that. At RyuGin, you are paying for the skill and technique, heart and soul the chef pours into executing each dish. He condenses and amplifies the flavours of the ingredients without overpowering your palate. The chef is able to create a symphony of flavours and textures that work so well together. This is the epitome of Japanese kaiseki.

Aside from the food, you get a stunning view of the harbour from 101/F while enjoying impeccable service. The dark decor and wooden panels that separate each table create an intimate dining experience. The staff was attentive and very knowledgeable about each dish, from the source of ingredients to cooking techniques. Portioning and timing were perfect. The dishes arrived at an appropriate speed and I didn't feel rushed or that they took too long. After the dessert courses I was perfectly satiated.

Note that the menu changes every few months, so some items pictured above may not be available. My visit was on October 3.

RyuGin
Address: 101/F, International Commerce Centre, 1 Austin Road West, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Phone: 2302-0222
Hours: Mon-Sat 6pm-930pm, Sun 12pm-3pm, 6pm-930pm

Hong Kong - Street Meat

It’s hard to miss the Prince Street station sign on Wyndham Street. Street Meat's entrance and look of its menu is modelled after the New York City subway, and it aims to bring a fresh New York vibe to the Hong Kong food scene. I’ve been wanting to try their interpretation of famous street food from NYC but was put off by their long lines and no reservations policy. Thankfully, JC knew the owner (as usual), so we were able to get seated at 8pm sharp, no waiting.

The restaurant is set up like a diner counter, where you sit on high stools and watch the chefs prepare your food. I love that. Push through the double kitchen doors and you will find the bar area. It’s neon-lit with an outdoor smoking area. I think it’s genius. You can get your drink on at the bar, go back out to get a Ramen Burger, drink some more, and eat more. You don’t even have to leave the place. There’s also a #selfie ready, Instagram’d out mirror in the bathroom complete with hashtags. Laubaby, this was made for you.

Their menu is a subway map. Each dish is a speciality “street meat” from an area of New York, like Canal Street, Upper West side or K-town. JC and I were greedy and ordered five dishes between the two of us. I tried two cocktails but their names allude me. They were great though. I remember one was a whiskey sour.

32nd Street K-Town Ramen Burger: A mixture of Wagyu beef bulgogi and kimchi sandwiched between two fried ramen buns. I haven’t tried the real one before so I can’t make a comparison, but I thought this was delicious. The ramen buns were crispy and contrasted nicely with the tender and flavourful bulgogi. The kimchi added a refreshing tangy kick.

Midtown Halal Chicken Bowl: The soft and juicy sous vide chicken sat on basmati rice, topped with “secret” white sauce (with Greek yogurt), red sauce (hot sauce) and iceburg lettuce. The flavour of the marinated chicken was spot on, and I liked their version of white sauce. But now all I can think of is the chicken rice from the Halal Guys. To be fair, I think Hong Kong has some great kebab places, like 27 Kebab House across from Marouche, but Street Meat’s version will do for now until my next NYC trip.

Upper West Atomic Wings: These were standard wings (says confit on the menu) served with spicy sauce, charred scallion sour cream, and celery sticks (oh who are we kidding!). They were delicious though, quite juicy and had a nice crispy crust.

Flushing Lamb Wrap: The lamb was marinated in Xinjiang Spices, cooked sous vide and paired with grilled leeks and carrots. The lamb’s robust flavour was enhanced by the spices, which went well with the sweet vegetables. The thin crispy Chinese pancake “wrap” was a bit too greasy for my liking though.

Brooklyn Ribbon Fries: They ran out of ribbon fries as you can tell, so they gave us waffle fries instead. Nonetheless, the fries were cooked perfectly in delicious beef fat and seasoned with sea salt. It came with a side of garlic aioli.

Verdict: Street Meat is open until 2 am. Given its convenient location just in LKF, it’s definitely a great spot to binge on greasy food after a night out. Goodbye hangover! However they run out of items quick, so you may not get what you want if you stumble in at 1 am. I’ll be back to try the Chelsea Market Lobster Roll and Upper East Macaron Sandwich, which were both sold out during my visit. 

I recommend: 32nd Street K-Town Ramen Burger, Mid Town Halal Chicken Bowl

Street Meat
Address: 50 Wyndham Street, Central, Hong Kong
Website: http://www.facebook.com/streetmeat.hk
Hours: Mon-Sat 6pm-2am