Alice Jenkins

Fugazi is one of the latest additions to K Town’s ever-growing restaurant scene. Based loosely around an izakaya concept but serving anything from Korean fried chicken to Malaysian laksa, we’re curious to see what’s on offer. As the ‘sticks’, which are Japanese-style skewers, are the order of the day here, we go for a selection of them plus a bowl of ramen. We expect four types of skewers to be more than enough but boy-oh-boy are we wrong. They are teeny tiny and only one is served per order. Thinking it must be a question of quality over quantity, though, we tuck in. But it isn't. The Xinjiang lamb fillet ($26) is underseasoned and overcooked. The kurobuta pork belly ($25), despite sporting a tasty marinade, seems to consist mostly of fat. And it’s not the tasty kind either. The all-too-over-chewy sea snail ($60) is, well, all-too-over-chewy. At least the juicy Portobello mushroom ($20) is flavoursome enough. Still hungry, we tuck into the kurobuta ramen ($68), which we hope will be the meal’s saving grace. Nope. This is also substandard. The ‘soft-boiled’ egg topping arrives hard-boiled, the broth is greasy, more like a Sunday roast gravy, and the anaemic-looking kurobuta pork is, once again, unpleasantly fatty. We love the modified izakaya concept at Fugazi, but there’s some fierce restaurant competition in Kennedy Town and being likeable is simply not good enough.  Dinner for two: $400  

Antico is a family-run supplier business that has been providing luxury foods to some of Hong Kong’s most exclusive establishments for more than a decade. The decision to open a tasting lounge, complete with chef and kitchen, to allow clients to sample the goods clearly struck the owners with the idea to become a restaurant as well, since they already have everything in place. The menu features à la carte options as well as several tasting menus. Feeling indulgent, we opt for the six-course set dinner ($600 for one, $980 for two). Up first is a selection of gourmet crostini. The best is an unusual combination of chorizo, melted Parmesan and mango. Next to arrive is the carpaccio, the least pleasant of all the dishes on the night. While we’re happy with the generous shavings of black truffle, the dish is somehow bland. The caviar blini which follows puts the meal on the right track again. Perfectly light and topped with quality caviar and sour cream, there’re no complaints here. The truffle risotto, again generously piled with black truffle shavings, is the best dish of the night. Rich, creamy and oozing with that earthy truffle flavour, this dish is perfection. The lobster brioche arrives next. Another winner, the sauce is just light enough to bring out the sweet flavours of the shellfish. Last but certainly not least, the zesty sake ice cream proves a refreshing end to the feast and finishing with a dash of alcohol is never a bad thing. Overall, we’re impressed. The majority

Butcher’s Club is one of the authorities on meat in Hong Kong. More specifically, dry-aged Australian beef straight off its farm in New South Wales. With a slew of successful ventures, from the deli in Wong Chuk Hang to the amazing burger joint in Wan Chai, it was only a matter of time before they expanded into steak frites territory as well. It’s a stunningly simple formula: steak and chips. How could any carnivore resist? As expected, the menu is simple, with a choice of wedge salad with either blue cheese or mustard dressing and then the pièce de résistance: steak frites ($550). There is also a not-so-secret ‘secret’ menu that’s accessible by simply scanning the QR code onto your phone. On the night we attend, it includes the classic surf and turf ($750) combo of steak and lobster tail, as well as a ‘surf and surf’ – a fish-only option. ($750). While we take in the menu and the trendy industrial interior, the red lamp shades inspired by the Hong Kong wet markets render the lighting so low we can hardly read the menus. Luckily, the chef comes out to show us the daily steak offerings. Now, we don’t know if it’s the lulling low lights or that we’re not very good listeners, but we sort of glaze over some of the chef’s info about the meat and just pick the classic 40-day dry-aged 12oz rib-eye and surf and turf. As we wait for our food to arrive we are served a basket of seriously good bread with whipped beef fat instead of the usual butter. Now we don't usually go on about the