We’re here to help you keep up with HK’s ever-evolving food & drink scene. As well as bringing you the most exciting new restaurant and bar openings, we’re also uncovering tempting new brunches and afternoon teas, intriguing special menus, quirky new cocktails, and unique pop-ups. So get ready to mix it up a little with our guide to the latest bar and restaurant happenings around town this March 2020. Click here if you want to jump straight to the drinks section (no judgement).
What’s New: Restaurants
LucAle
Tucked in a discreet and charming alleyway, the cosy bar and restaurant offers familial comfort alongside high quality Italian cuisine. Created by four native gourmands, you can expect all your Italian favourites with ingredients imported directly from Italy’s artisanal producers. The menu is a creation of two of Italian fine-dining’s most well-known chefs, Alessandro Angelini, who most recently led the kitchen at Shangri-la’s Angelini, and Luca De Berardinis of Conrad. Whether you’re interested in popping by LucAle for relaxed drinks alongside premium Italian salumi or for a heartier meal of pasta, prime cuts of Italian meat or seafood, there’s something for everyone here. While everything on the menu sounds delicious, we’re most excited for their homemade pastas, including the Cappelletti Di Bolognese Bianca (HK$158), filled with white bolognese sauce and premium Parmigiano Reggiano DOP 24 months and topped with a Parmigiano Reggiano DOP 18 months crumble.
Price point: $$-$$$
Shop A, 100 Third Street, Sai Ying Pun
Cali Mex – Uno Mas Brunch
Every Sunday you can now head on over to Cali-Mex (Sai Ying Pun) for their Uno Mas Brunch; a weekly semi-buffet brunch featuring old classics and new favorites. You can expect live acoustic music, free-flow starters and cocktails, a choice of main dishes, and dessert. Starters include nibbles like chips with salsa and guacamole, mini breakfast burritos (with chorizo or bacon), and wings, where mains include classics like the Big Mexican Breakfast or a Breakfast Burger or the newly introduced Chilaquiles – a hearty dish bursting with flavor consisting of lightly fried corn tortillas smothered in a savory warm red sauce, topped with cheeses, herbs, avocado, a sunny-side up egg and served with a side of refried beans.
Price point: from $268 for food and an additional $98 for drinks (2-hours free flow).
48 High Street, Sai Ying Pun
VEDA X Sydney’s Alibi Bar & Kitchen (four night pop-up)
Ovolo Hotels is presenting a four night, four-course plant-based fine dining pop-up collaboration with their well-known vegetarian restaurant VEDA and Sydney’s Alibi Bar & Kitchen. From Wednesday March 11th – Saturday March 14th, Dishes by US chef, restaurateur and plant-based food pioneer Matthew Kenney, who broke the mould by focusing on vegetarian cooking over 15 years ago, will pop up alongside signature dishes from Hetty McKinnon’s VEDA menu. In addition to this, McKinnon has created three bespoke dishes only available for the duration of the pop up. The creative plant-based menu will feature two dishes in every course, from both VEDA and Alibi and is sure to make for an extraordinary dining experience. Each handcrafted course will focus on a key ingredient, including kimchi, kelp noodles, cauliflower, and coconuts.
Price point: HK$500 per person. Wine pairing is an additional HK$250. Tickets can be purchased here: Ticketflap
Ovolo Central, 2 Arbuthnot Road, Central
Ask for Alonzo – new Tai Hang location
This is the second location for Ask for Alonzo; a modern trattoria in Hong Kong serving dishes inspired by the Mediterranean provinces of Italy. After the success of their Quarry Bay location, Ask for Alonzo has recently opened up in the quaint neighbourhood of Tai Hang. Adding yet another relaxed, home-y restaurant to the scene, Ask for Alonzo has a concise menu with a home cooked feel. You can expect all the classic Italian dishes like meatballs, handmade burrata, spaghetti carbonara, classic lasagna bolognese, veal milanese, and much more. Their wine list is also very reasonably priced, with glasses starting at just HK$58, but we recommend starting the evening with an aperol spritz or negroni.
Price point: $$-$$$
11 Lin Fa Kung Street West, Tai HangÂ
New Opening: Rubia
The team behind Pica Pica have just opened their latest restaurant, Rubia, which showcases premium hand-reared Northern Spanish beef and seasonally inspired tapas. The upstairs dining room offers guests a more elevated dining experience where they can tuck into a selection of Rubia’s prized cuts of steak. If you’re looking for something a little more casual, stick to the main floor where you can soak up all the buzz of Hollywood Road while enjoying tapas (which start at only HK$30) and drinks from their bar menu.
Price point: $$$+
UG/F and 1/F, C Wisdom Centre, 35-37 Hollywood Road, Central
HOT ‘N’ MEEN
From the folks behind Chilli Fagara, Hong Kong’s Sichuan mainstay, comes HOT ‘N’ MEEN – a delivery-only noodle concept. Available exclusively via Deliveroo, HOT ‘N’ MEEN will serve up ten different bowls of noodles to satisfy all. If you enjoy a spicy dish, opt for the Noodles with Pork and Vegetable Dumplings in House-Made Sichuan Chilli Sauce (HK$78) or Mouthwatering Chicken Noodles in Chilli Sauce (HK$78). For those who want something a bit more mild, try the Soup Noodles with Stir Fried Lamb and Chinese Leek and Ginger (HK$78) or the aromatic Braised Five-Spice Sliced Beef Soup Noodles (HK$78).
Price point: $
Available on Deliveroo
The Pizza Project – open for lunch and brunch
We’re always on the lookout for great weekday lunches and new brunches popping up in Central, so we’re excited that one of our favourite new pizza joints in town has just launched a lunch and brunch menu. The Pizza Project’s lunch menu runs Monday to Friday from 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm, while their brunch is available weekends and public holidays from 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm. Both menus offer diners incredible value, starting at only HK$98 for a 2-course lunch menu and HK$158 for a 3-course brunch featuring one of their delicious pizzas (our favourite was the pesto with cherry tomatoes, burrata, fior di latte, and buffalo mozzarella).
Price point: $-$$
26 Peel Street, Central Â
ThinkWine – pop-up events
Led by celebrated French sommeliers Romain Loriot and Jean-Benoit Issele, ThinkWine has introduced a brand-new experience of wine and food pairings to the heart of Hong Kong. ThinkWine has launched a series of one-night-only pop-ups by Hong Kong’s most acclaimed restaurants, where chefs will showcase signature and takeover-exclusive snacks to pair with ThinkWine’s selection of wines. On March 19th, the takeover will feature HAKU by Agustin Balbi with a menu that compromises four signature dishes and two off-menu specials. These dishes will be paired with carefully chosen pours from Loriot and Issele. Stay tuned on ThinkWine’s social media channels for upcoming pop-ups in the coming months.
Price point: $$-$$$
2/F, LL Tower, 2 Shelley Street, Central
La Rambla by Catalunya – New Sunday BrunchÂ
This March, La Rambla by Catalunya introduces a new Sunday brunch that brings a slice of Spain’s mercados gastronómicos gourmet food markets to the heart of Hong Kong. With a focus on fresher flavours and enhanced comfort for our guests, La Rambla’s new brunch format will serve all dishes that were previously available as a buffet – including tapas, salads, cold appetisers and charcuterie – directly to the table. Have your pick from charcuterie, classic tapas, customized meat and seafood, paella, and dessert (hello, churros!).
Price point: Starting at HK$550 per person + free-flow packages starting at HK$380
3071-73 level 3, ifc mall, Central
With Spring fast approaching, LPM’s Head Chef Maurizio Pace has combined his top nutrient-packed specials with four dishes that are new to Hong Kong and designed to offer guests the ultimate Spring clean menu. Some of these guilt-free dishes include the Taboulé De Quinoa (HK$128), made with the superfood gluten-free grain, Salade De Choufleur (HK$128), a French-inspired cauliflower salad with Fourme D’ambert cheese, and the Salade De Choux et Pommes Fraîches (HK$118) is LPM’s take on a raw French slaw. Guests who dine at LPM at lunch during the week in March will receive a complimentary Wellness Boost drink.
Price point: these new dishes are priced between HK$98 to HK$458
Shop 1, H Queen’s, 23-29, 1/F Stanley St, Central
What’s New: Bars
Café Gray Bar – New Spring Cocktails
Café Gray Bar has just launched five new cocktails that each mimic the colors of spring. These vibrant cocktails are made with fresh fruits and leafy herbs with a range of sweet and sour combinations including bergamot, green plum, grapefruit, pineapple and hawthorn. For those looking for a light and refreshing drink, try the Retox made with Ocho Blanco Tequila, pineapple, lemon, Dom Benedictine, Chambord, rose, and Hawthorn. If you’re looking for something a little more punchy, opt for the Green Margarita made with Ocho Tequila, green plum, lime, agave syrup, honey and grapefruit.
Level 49, The Upper House Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty
New Opening: The Diplomat
The first speakeasy concept by award-winning mixologist John Nugent, The Diplomat is an 18-seat speakeasy that just opened in H Code. Stocking a range of small batch produced wines and vintage liquors, The Diplomat’s cocktail menu draws from the experience of influential state leaders, ambassadors, and historical figures. Cocktails are reasonably priced (around HK$100) and all have a unique story behind them. If you get a bit peckish while kicking back some cocktails, fret not. The Diplomat has a bar menu with highlights including a Suckling Pig Cubano, Black Truffle Mac & Cheese, and Pommes Frites with Espelette Pepper.
LG/F, High Block, H Code, 45 Pottinger Street, Central
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