Fine dining
THE PAWN 62 Johnston Road, Wan Chai thepawn.com.hk
Once a British gastropub, The Pawn in Wan Chai was revamped two years ago under English chef Tom Aikens. Inhabiting two floors of a colonial-era building – formerly Woo Cheong Pawn Shop – it now combines a bar and high-end restaurant. Ask to see the roof garden, where some of the ingredients are grown. The Pawn just about hangs onto its British comfort-food origins with staples such as sticky toffee pudding and a gourmet beef burger – but the fact that the burger can be ordered with lobster (and boasts three kinds of onions) tells you something about its new direction. On a hot day, book a balcony table and enjoy the dings of the trams below.
MANDARIN GRILL + BAR Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, 5 Connaught Road, Central mandarinoriental.com
The word “institution” gets overused but the Mandarin Grill + Bar – enjoying its sixth year with a Michelin star under executive chef Robin Zavou – deserves the appellation in spades. It doesn’t boast sweeping harbour views, however, its low-slung site overlooking Statue Square near the HSBC building has its own charm, particularly given the Terence Conran-designed interior with a ceiling that looks as if it’s been moulded out of seashells. The Grill + Bar is where you go to splash out. Whether it’s for a sober business meeting or to mark the end of an all-nighter, breakfasts are as resplendent as dinner. You pay top dollar here but get the finest ingredients, such as Welsh Rhug Estate organic lamb and nine kinds of French, Irish, American and Canadian oysters. Amber, which is located in The Landmark Mandarin Oriental hotel next door, has two Michelin stars and gets higher rankings in the world’s best restaurant write-ups but, for me, there’s nothing quite like the Grill.
22 SHIPS 22 Ship Street, Wan Chai 22ships.hk
22 Ships by chef Jason Atherton (of Michelinstarred Pollen Street Social in London) is a high-end tapas place on one of Wan Chai’s quieter streets. It’s deliberately busy: it holds 35 and that’s pretty tight. There are no reservations except for weekday lunch and your entire group has to be there before you can take your table. It has counter seating exposed to the street at the front. A long wait is no fun but the food is terrific, with reasonable portion sizes for a tapas bar. Highlights include chargrilled Ibérico pork, foie gras burgers, scallop ceviche, salt cod brandade and goat’s cheese ice-cream.
8½ OTTO E MEZZO BOMBANA Shop 202, Landmark Alexandra, 18 Chater Road, Central ottoemezzobombana.com
Back in the day, the finest Italian restaurant in Hong Kong was Toscana at the old RitzCarlton. After the building was demolished, executive chef Umberto Bombana headed to 8½ Otto e Mezzo, the only Italian restaurant outside Italy to have received three Michelin stars. Not surprisingly, he has hung a portrait of himself on the back wall. You don’t come here for views but for wonderful food. Specialties include Tajima short rib, cavatelli shellfish ragù, lobster salad and, when in season, white truffle soup – along with the best Italian wine list in town. It’s expensive, for sure, but not eye-wateringly so given the pedigree.
KOKO 77 Wyndham Street, Central kokohk.com
Hong Kong abounds with good Japanese food, like that at Wagyu Kaiseki Den and Ippoh Tempura, but Koko is a newer offering. Wyndham Street runs off the end of SoHo’s Hollywood Road and the restaurant – backed by Japanese footballer Hidetoshi Nakata and Kee private members’ club – occupies an open terrace overlooking Central Police Station. Koko belongs to the contemporary school of izakaya cuisine. Signature dishes include red mullet escabeche (a garlic-and-pepper-laced starter that doesn’t so much melt in the mouth as explode) and rib eye with pea shoots and shiso miso sauce. Western desserts follow and, naturally, there’s a wide range of wonderfully lethal sakés as well as saké cocktails, such as the must-try Ume Sour.