Dining news: Louise unveils summer dishes, The Aubrey launches new cocktails, Man Ho spotlights Yunnan’s prized mushrooms, and more
Hong Kong’s kitchens are crackling with intent this week, as chefs swap safe bets for dishes that demand a little more attention. Some are chasing the fleeting pleasures of the season, plating ingredients at their brief, brilliant peak. Others are digging into personal histories, pulling flavours from memory and place to create something that feels both rooted and new.
There’s also chef collaborations, the quiet satisfaction of a classic reimagined, and a culinary title bringing fresh attention to a rising name. If you’re hungry for more than just dinner, this is the week to book a table and let someone else do the talking. Keep reading to find out more.
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A Taste of Summer
The Morisseau mussels are served with seaweed butter, Amalfi lemon and nduja
Finish the meal with Niigata riz au lait with Madagascar vanilla and salted caramel
Louise has plenty to talk about this summer, from a new head pastry chef to seasonal menus upstairs and a refreshed bistro offering at La Terrace. Newly arrived pastry chef Eve Minialai makes her mark with desserts such as ananas rôti with tepache sorbet and green cardamom, and a Niigata riz au lait with Madagascar vanilla and salted caramel.
Meanwhile, executive chef Loïc Portalier’s six new summer dishes include pineapple tomato with silky tomato water and shoyu–basil dressing, girolles mushroom agnolotti with sage-brown butter, and Morisseau mussels in seaweed butter with Amalfi lemon and nduja. Diners can opt for the six-course tasting menu or the seven-course prestige menu.
Downstairs, La Terrace adds new all-day plates such as potato and Baerii caviar millefeuille, Mediterranean grilled octopus and La Truffade de Louise. A four-course set lunch is now offered on Thursdays and Fridays, featuring the signature sago arancini, mains such as half roasted yellow chicken or Australian grilled ribeye, and desserts including crêpes Suzette or île flottante.
The Art of Shibumi cocktail menu by bar manager Stefano Bussi
The Aubrey at Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong has launched The Art of Shibumi, a new cocktail menu from bar manager Stefano Bussi. Inspired by the Japanese concept of shibumi, effortless beauty and depth beneath simplicity, the menu is split into four style-led sections: elegant, refined, imperfect and balanced.
Highlights range from the Hanakotoba, a low-ABV martini with Daiyame Imo shochu, sakura and jasmine, to the Shizen Sour with whisky, brandy, pistachio, caramel and miso, and the Flawed Martini, a crystal-clear but umami-rich mix of wagyu oil, peanut butter and oyster leaf.
Sustainability runs through the menu, with upcycled ingredients like leftover soy sauce and tomato vine appearing in inventive serves. Three highballs echo the menu’s philosophy, including the Utsukushi with cacao husk, dark rum and Kokuto shochu, and the bold Nihonjin with Japanese whisky, matcha, tomato and sesame.
Moo-Lah by Born & Bred’s Hanwoo tenderloin sandwich
The Hanwoo brisket rice casserole at Moo-Lah
Moo-Lah by Born & Bred has undergone a full revamp under the direct management of the Seoul-based Born & Bred team, bringing over four decades of Hanwoo beef expertise to its new all-day menu and set dinners. Working exclusively with premium 1++ grade Hanwoo from heifers aged 24 to 36 months, the kitchen turns out dishes such as the Born & Bred chateaubriand (150g) and grilled sirloin galbi, alongside comfort-driven options like the Hanwoo tenderloin cutlet sandwich and Hong Kong-style slow-cooked Hanwoo brisket egg noodles. Two new set dinners for two offer a curated tour of the menu: A Taste of Seoul with brisket rice casserole, ribeye bulgogi and chadol guri noodles, and A Taste of Hong Kong, which swaps in the local-style brisket noodles. Drinks range from premium teas and sparkling infusions to craft beer, soju and wine.
Moo-LahAddress: G/F 66 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong
See also: Raising the steaks with Hanwoo, Korea’s native beef and national treasure
Forest to Feast
Chefs Ricky Cheung, Jayson Tang and Chan Siu Kei spotlight Yunnan’s prized fungi in a special menu
Hong Kong’s mushroom season has arrived at Man Ho Chinese Restaurant, where the kitchen has enlisted three specialists to give Yunnan’s prized fungi the spotlight it deserves. From August 11 to September 21, executive Chinese chef Jayson Tang joins master chef Chan Siu Kei, an early pioneer in introducing Yunnan mushrooms to Hong Kong, and guest chef Ricky Cheung, known for folding them into refined Western plates over a 40-year career.
The six-hands menu ranges from salt-grilled matsutake and chilled chanterelles with Yunnan ham and egg to braised abalone stuffed with yellow fungus and catathelasma mushrooms in matsutake chicken stock. Other highlights include mushroom consommé with six distinct soups, deep-fried duck filled with sarcodon aspratus mushrooms, salted egg yolk and lotus seeds, and pan-fried threadfin with chanterelles and cashew. The line-up is available à la carte or as a six-course tasting menu with wine pairing.
Enjoy a dim sum platter with a variety of dumplings at Yat Tung Heen
Steamed shrimp dumpling in soup with whole abalone, crab meat and mushroom
Yat Tung Heen has introduced two new dim sum lunch menus, available with a buy-three-get-one-free offer from Monday to Thursday. Set menu A opens with a dim sum platter of Shanghai dumpling, steamed pork dumpling with scallop and shrimp, and steamed shrimp dumpling with conpoy and vegetables, followed by appetisers such as chilled pork knuckle with garlic sauce and honey-glazed barbecued pork. Mains include wok-fried garoupa fillets with preserved bean curd paste and deep-fried shrimp balls with salted egg yolk, with Yang Chow fried rice and dessert to finish.
Meanwhile, set menu B offers a seafood-led dim sum platter, appetisers including shredded chicken in mala sauce, and a standout course of steamed shrimp dumpling in soup with whole abalone, crab meat and mushroom. The menu continues with tiger prawns served two ways, braised seasonal vegetables with conpoy, e-fu noodles with sea cucumber and fish maw, and chilled mango glutinous rolls with steamed red date pudding. Both sets include tea, condiments, and a complimentary drink.
Chef Lai Chun-wai of Sick! Burger has been crowned champion of HSBC’s ‘Red Hot Chef’
Chef Lai Chun-wai of Hong Kong’s burger joint Sick! Burger has been crowned champion of HSBC’s Red Hot Chef cooking competition, beating seven other finalists with a dish that channelled the spirit of a small fishing village. His winning creation paired fish broth risotto with dried scallops and fish maw alongside crispy whitebait cuttlefish balls, a streamlined two-part concept honed after coaching from Korean chef Ahn Sung-jae.
Judges Tam Kwok Fung and Vicky Cheng praised the dish for its originality and vivid storytelling, noting it was the only entry to represent Hong Kong without leaning on classic recipes. Lai takes home the title, plus a HK$1 million promotional package for his restaurant.
For the uninitiated, Sick! Burger is known for its craft approach to burgers, blending premium ingredients with creative twists, and will be offering diners a taste of Lai’s competition dishes as part of an exclusive menu until August 31 for HSBC Credit Card holders.
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