Hong Kong restaurant reviews

Liberty didn’t hire brand consultants to come up with its catchy name, nor did it name itself after New York’s famous guardian. In a quieter moment, perhaps, the owner may reveal that the name was in fact coined to signify a break from the past, a new lease of life, a chance to start again. In this case, it is the liberation from its former business partners at Dakota Prime and Prive. Months after Chef Makato Ono and owner Gerald Li left their old premises, they started a tiny test kitchen that sat just 16, and they called it Liberty Private Works. They didn’t want the media spotlight or random diners to come off the street into their second floor lair, and instead were keen to gauge the thoughts of a select few. They wanted to experiment and formulate a great menu for their next project, which would eventually become Liberty Exchange. There were initial fears that expanding one of the best private kitchens in town would lead to them being called sell-outs. And although the enlarged square footage of Liberty Exchange needed to cater to the masses in this business centre, they do it with as much thought and care as they did in their smaller kitchen. Braving the wall of bankers sitting at long, elevated bar tables, I was welcomed into a masculine dining room tailored from wool and leather. The decor was done up in cream- and grey-coloured tiles, wood-panelled walls, café-style tables, brown leather benches and low lighting, all of which draws in swathes of well-heeled...

Tseng Tau Tsuen is a quiet residential village tucked away in Ma On Shan. There’s not a lot that goes on there, but with the upcoming opening of the mega Go Park Sai Sha, the village is soon to gain a new neighbour that will turn this serene locale into a vibrant hub of activity. This mall complex offers a wide range of sporting facilities, such as a multipurpose stadium that can be used for small concerts, a rock-climbing gym, a golfing range kitted out with Trackman radar technology, pitches and courts for various sports, and even an indoor swimming pool. But let’s be honest, what we’re really interested in, is the range of eateries that’ll be joining the mall.  Currently, Sports Bistro is the only dining venue that’s open for business inside Go Park. Aligning with the mall’s sports-friendly message, this restaurant focuses on nutritionist-recommended dishes, with options like all-day breakfast plates, salads, Asian rice and noodle dishes, and light snacks on the menu. We decided to check out the restaurant on a Sunday afternoon, and even though Go Park was still undergoing trial operations – meaning there was not much there besides sporting facilities – the restaurant was completely packed full of customers.  Luckily, we only waited for a bit before being ushered to our table. The restaurant’s venue was spacious and had large floor-to-ceiling windows, allowing plenty of natural sunlight to flow into the space. The decor is relatively simple, featuring a few...

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Time Out Hong Kong (@timeouthk) Tsuen Wan welcomes Parkside@Nina to its ever-growing collection of dining venues. This wood fossil-themed restaurant is located next to Nina Park, an urban green space that’s home to Asia’s largest wood fossil collection. Customers can find a NOC Coffee Co. cafe bar by Parkside@Nina’s entrance, which leads to the restaurant’s dining area. From the restaurant’s entrance, you can see its elaborately designed dining area which features decor like curved cabinets that display wood fossils, streamlined ceilings, and dried flowers on certain dining tables. Upon stepping into the restaurant’s corridor, you’ll see Parkside@Nina’s high ceilings, which let in natural sunlight and make it feel like you’ve stepped into a cathedral. From the venue’s round tables and sofa booth seats to the retro checkerboard floors and plants as decor, Parkside@Nina definitely gets points for being a photogenic venue. Parkside@Nina offers various Asian and Western-style dishes in their lunch menu, customers can choose their desired appetiser, entree, and dessert or beverage in the restaurant’s three-course lunch sets ($138); or get an additional serving of the soup of the day in their four-course lunch set ($158). During our meal, we began with a portion of tomatoes and mozzarella cheese along with carrot soup, which was light and easygoing. As for our entrees, we ordered the pan-fried Alaskan perch and linguini arrabbiata...

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Time Out Hong Kong (@timeouthk) You’ve got to have a unique concept to stand out in Sheung Wan’s restaurant scene. Hoping to grab the attention of diners is Pasteako, an Italian steakhouse taking over Gustaci’s former venue in PMQ. This restaurant gets its name from mashing up the two dishes it offers: pasta and steak. More specifically, Pasteako specialises in handmade pasta that can be enjoyed free-flow, and 21-day dry-aged steak cuts like American sirloin and ribeye, as well as Australian M5 Wagyu. This restaurant’s dinner set menu includes an appetiser, a steak cut and pasta of choice, and a dessert from $388 and up – which is an absolute steal if you consider Pasteako’s location.  The restaurant’s interior is full of retro Italian flair, with red and white checkerboard floors, leather sofas, and black-and-white framed photos setting the mood. Before being shown to your table, you’ll get to choose a steak knife from a large display cabinet that provides information about eight different knives from countries like Italy, Japan, Germany, Turkey, Persia, and Mongolia. Unless you’re keen on reading about each knife, we think closing your eyes and randomly picking one will suffice. Deciding what to eat here is a no-brainer, as this restaurant only offers concise set menus. Start by selecting your desired pasta shape and sauce, then choose your steak cut from options like striploin and ribeye, or upgrade to premium M5 Wagyu...

Check out our visit to The Opposites down below: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Time Out Hong Kong (@timeouthk) In a city where bar owners strive to create concepts that could fill pages and sound like elevator pitches, The Opposites delivers on its name: a seamless blend of contrasts. The Opposites is the latest venue from Tastings Group, joining their lineup of hotspots like Quinary, VEA, and Room 309. The concept is uncomplicated: aside from being literally ‘opposite’ Quinary on Hollywood Road, this bar is a playground for industry veterans Antonio Lai and Samuel Kwok. The menu serves two interpretations of classic cocktails, with Samuel’s creations offering a more straightforward approach and less garnish, set against Antonio’s playful molecular mixology technique that comes with all the trimmings – smoke bubbles, plasma glassware, citrus caviars, and spiked sorbets. Sitting by the bar feels like watching a friendly cocktail competition. If you caught Antonio on ViuTV’s recent reality show, Master Mixologist, now's your chance to judge him instead and see him behind the stick in real life.  The bar is dimly lit, minimal, and clean-cut, with a serious vibe at first glance. But take a closer look, and you’ll discover its playful side. From the bartenders’ aprons and bar shelves to the upholstered stools, there’s a clever play on opposites, mixing refined and whimsical.  If you have two friends with different tastes in drinks – one who...

For some Hongkongers, the thought of making the long journey into the New Territories can deter them from visiting just for a meal, let alone exploring the area. However, many who live there will tell you that there are plenty of worthy spots to dine at – if you’re willing to sacrifice time to commute.  Adding to New Territories’ roster of restaurants is Dzô Dzô, a Vietnamese eatery under local dining group Taste Gourmet Group, proprietors of venues like Shanghainese and Sichuanese restaurant Azure 80 and Japanese-inspired French venue Tirpse. Meaning ‘cheers’ in Vietnamese, Dzô Dzô is located within New Town Plaza, one of the busiest and largest shopping malls in Sha Tin.  We visited the restaurant on a Monday evening and were surprised to find the restaurant packed with diners, even on a weekday. After a short 10-minute wait, we were taken to our seats. Despite being partially open to the mall, the restaurant is tucked away in a quiet corner, so we could dine without hearing any commotion. Dzô Dzô’s interior featuring a calming colour palette of green and white, with light wooden fixtures and potted plants creating a relaxed ambience for diners. The menu offers a wide selection of Vietnamese dishes ranging from light appetisers to entrees for sharing. Rather than ordering from Dzô Dzô’s a la carte menu, we were recommended by the staff to go for the dinner set for two (starting from $398) – which comes with two appetisers, a vegetable dish, one entree, and two drinks –...

Update June 24, 2024: For summer, House of Culture refreshed its Chaos tasting menu ($658 per person), offering signature dishes that include their classics and some delicious new additions. Whether you're entertaining guests or on a casual date, this is the place to be. Must-tries that will keep you coming back include their new onion tart, a tasty serving of dark lager-braised onions, preserved radish (choi poh), and Chinese olives (laam gok) in a flaky tart, served with onion jus and pepper oil. Another standout dish is the squid bouillabaisse, served with tender baby squid in season until September, swimming in a light broth with dried mandarin peel, olive oil, and gremolata. To conclude your meal on a refreshing note, indulge in their new summer dessert – a satisfying watermelon sorbet served with brown butter, vanilla custard, pickled watermelon rind, and a drizzle of olive oil. Click below to check out their offerings:  View this post on Instagram A post shared by Time Out Hong Kong (@timeouthk) Old review, November 29, 2023: Despite the challenges of Hong Kong’s competitive dining scene, determined chefs continue to open new venues that sate the unwavering appetite of the city’s food lovers. Chefs like Gavin Chin exemplify the drive and courage to embrace the challenge of our city’s  ever-changing culinary landscape. Patrons may know this young chef from the neighbourhood French wine-bar Brut! His new restaurant, House of Culture, which has been...

Since it opened in 2019, Tell Camellia has been a watering hole for locals and tourists. Helmed by renowned bartender Gagan Gurung, the bar specialises in approachable tea-based cocktails, including refreshing tea-infused spirits and gins redistilled with different tea varieties. Be sure to arrive early as patrons fill up the place late at night, and seats are in high demand.  Time Out Awards 2020Readers' Choice 2022Bartender of the Year – Gagan Gurung

Who would have thought that a shop bearing the name ‘electric company’ (路易奇電力公司) would actually be a yakiniku restaurant from Taiwan? Yakiniku Luigi is one of Taiwan’s top 10 Japanese yakiniku restaurants. It was established by Leo Wu Jun-jie, founder of hospitality group Luigi Restaurant Company, known for eateries such as The Other Floor by Luigi and Luigi’s Laundry Company. Currently, the yakiniku restaurant boasts more than 10 branches across Taiwan, each venue renowned for its high quality Japanese A5 wagyu offerings. Luigi’s first overseas branch is located in Wan Chai along Lockhart Road. The restaurant features a minimalist industrial design with a grey and white colour scheme.. With seating for just 28 diners, the venue provides ample space, including an open kitchen where diners can observe Luigi’s skilled staff expertly slicing cuts of meat by hand. We visited Luigi for dinner on a weekday, and there weren’t many guests dining at the restaurant, so we were able to comfortably enjoy our meal on a spacious table. Luigi’s menu is spread across two pages, offering diners a choice of three yakiniku sets, with over 80 percent of the selections featuring premium cuts of A5 Wagyu beef directly imported from Japan. The restaurant’s yakiniku sets consist of 10 to 12 courses priced at $958, $1,278, and $1,758, respectively; and Luigi’s adept staff skillfully grill your dishes right at your table. Customers who prefer to enjoy their items without assistance from the staff...

Japan’s curry specialist Caligari has opened their first overseas location in Hong Kong. This Tokyo-based restaurant boasts accolades such as nabbing first place in 2019 and 2023 at the Kanda Curry Grand Prix, an annual event held in Japan to crown the country’s best curry. Currently, the restaurant ranks as one of Japan’s 100 best curry restaurants on Tabelog, one of the country’s most popular restaurant apps.  Caligari’s Hong Kong outpost is located in a bustling area in Central but the restaurant is tucked away in an inconspicuous corner of the Entertainment Building, creating a comforting environment to enjoy your food. The restaurant has an understated white interior, complemented by accents from dark wooden furniture and fixtures. I visited Caligari at noon on a Saturday and to my surprise, there were only a few customers dining at the restaurant. Differentiating itself from other curry restaurants in Japan, Caligari uses a unique blend of spices like fennel, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, as well as mustard seeds to add depth in their curries. By simmering their curries at high pressure and temperatures for eight to 12 hours, the restaurant achieves distinctly rich flavours. Customers can opt for rice sets served with Caligari’s signature curry – a harmonious blend of chicken and pork cooked down with coconut milk to render subtle flavours – or the premium spices curry – a velvety sauce that contains a dash of coconut milk and the natural essences of...