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Header images courtesy of Cristal Room by Anne-Sophie Pic
Our regularly updated guide to the newest restaurant openings will cut through the noise and help you find the best places to eat and drink in Hong Kong this month.
Manav Tuli, formerly of Rosewood Hong Kong’s Chaat, has joined hands with Jia Group to launch Leela and helm the new restaurant as its executive chef. In a chic, warm, mostly monochrome space designed by André Fu Studio, punctuated by soft lines, brass details, intricate wall art, rattan furniture, and hanging lamps, Tuli takes diners on a gastronomic journey through ancient Indian empires while embracing sustainability and locally sourced produce. From the chakundar oxtail gosht, a Punjab speciality, to the chicken baida roti, a famous Mughlai street food, Leela’s dishes are homages to India’s culinary traditions.
Leela, Shop 301–310, Lee Garden Three, 1 Sunning Road, Causeway Bay
As one of the most celebrated chefs in contemporary gastronomy, Anne-Sophie Pic needs little introduction; her restaurants have garnered a total of 10 Michelin stars, making her the most Michelin-decorated female chef in the world. Now, ASP—as she is lovingly nicknamed—has brought her signature brand of world-class French cuisine to Hong Kong with Cristal Room, a collaborative venture with luxury brand Baccarat and Leading Nation Hospitality.
Located at the elevated Forty-Five culinary destination in Landmark with remarkable views over the surrounding cityscape and Victoria Harbour in the background, the Gilles et Boissier-designed Cristal Room completely breaks down the barriers between dining room and kitchen, opening up the space for a truly connected, immersive, and theatrical dining experience where the audience feels as much part of the action as the chefs do.
Baccarat presents its exquisite crystal tableware, chandeliers, and decorative pieces in harmony to the delicate, innovative dishes, such as the signature Les Berlingots ASP with soba-cha pasta and aged Comté in a mushroom consommé infused with coffee and soba-cha, and the flavourful St Marcellin cheese, served in an iced mochi creation with smoked Madagascan vanilla. For something quite different to the usual wine pairings, ask head sommelier Yulia Ezhikova to set you up with a non-alcoholic tasting experience.
Cristal Room by Anne-Sophie Pic, 43/F, Forty-Five, Gloucester Tower, Landmark, 15 Queen’s Road Central, Central
If you have spent hours—in vain—hoping to lock down a reservation at Nikutoieba Matsuda in Osaka or Nara, despair not, for there is hope on the horizon: the renowned Wagyu specialist has quietly opened a discreet location on Gough Street. For its first international outpost, the Wagyu-focused kappō concept, founded by Yasuhiro Matsuda and Shinji Masuda, will remain true to its Japanese siblings and offer a multi-course menu showcasing the best of Yamato beef, presented in an intimate setting of just nine counter seats. (Private rooms with more tables are due to open soon.) Signatures that will be served consistently while other dishes are refreshed on a monthly basis include the Wagyu beef tartare sushi and katsu-sando-style Wagyu fillet cutlet sandwich with homemade tartar sauce.
Nikutoieba Matsuda, 39 Gough Street, Sheung Wan
Jordi Vallés Claverol named his new restaurant after the Roman goddess of love, Juno, presumably one of the many ways he hopes to inspire love for the Mediterranean cuisine he is dishing up. Hopscotching between the culinary delights of Italy, France, and Spain, Juno marries a pastel-hued dining room oozing cosmopolitan sophistication with comfort food matched with exquisite wines and cocktails. Claverol lavishes special attention upon the homemade bread, of which the rosemary focaccia with Ibérico ham is the highlight, while the lobster Acquerello risotto, Juno truffle tagliolini, and baked Côte d’Azur seabass form a holy trinity of mains. Finish things off with the Peach Me Up vodka cocktail.
Juno, G/F, 88 Wing Lok Street, Sheung Wan
From the folks behind beloved neighbourhood hangouts Shady Acres and Honky Tonks Tavern comes Terracotta Lamma, promising to bring the same convivial vibes to one of Hong Kong’s most laid-back outlying islands. General manager Jean-Morne Leibbrandt, chef Richard Solnik, and beverage director Adam Schmidt make up the experienced trio leading the new Studio Amal-designed restaurant and bar to showcase the strength of its charcoal-grilled Mediterranean cuisine, featuring such dishes as grilled octopus with tomato and Fennel broth and roasted potatoes, roasted chicken with smoked labneh, and even olive oil cake and Greek yoghurt panna cotta. On the drinks side, the Blood Orange Spritz and Riptide Daiquiri make for delicious concoctions that dial up the holiday mood.
Terracotta Lamma, G/F, 47 Yung Shue Wan Main Street, Lamma Island
We’re still waiting with bated breath to hear more about Plaisance, slated to soft-open this November, but Mauro Colagreco should be a familiar name to anyone with a passing interest in haute cuisine. Most famously, the Argentine chef is the driving force behind the Michelin-starred Mirazur in Menton, France, and has launched a great number of restaurants around the world, with several more to come in the near future, based on the recent headlines.
For his latest project—and first in Hong Kong—Colagreco has partnered with Lai Sun Dining and envisioned a marine theme for Plaisance’s three distinct experiences, from fine dining and fine drinking to a private members-only space. Héloïse Fischbach, Colagreco’s former protégé at Mirazur, takes the helm as executive chef, giving life to his culinary vision.
Plaisance by Mauro Colagreco, 1 Duddell Street, Central
Born in Hong Kong, raised in Germany, and educated in the U.S., Jen is an award-winning creative with a background in illustration, communication design, art direction, and content creation. When she’s not getting lost in a good book, you’ll find her doing crosswords, eating dim sum, covering all sides of a “Hamilton” number, and taking naps.
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