Taste Test:

An ode to San Sebástian

A slice of San Sebastián in TST!

Anyone who loves to holiday on Spain’s glorious coastline will know of Amelia. It’s a much-loved oneMichelin-starred restaurant in the sophisticated, starspangled holiday destination of San Sebastián. So, when Chef Paulo Airaudo announced he would be bringing Amelia to Hong Kong, it created quite a stir.

At the end of 2019, in the midst of the city’s ongoing turmoil, Amelia was opened in Harbour City in Tsim Sha Tsui. She sits right on the waterfront, with a small terrace for alfresco dining – and perfect for a spring tipple. Drinks aside, what is exciting for us all in Hong Kong is that this iteration of Amelia has a more relaxed vibe and accessible price-point than her fine-dining San Sebastián mother.

Amelia offers modern European food, but the menu nicely honours our Hong Kong foodie preferences. It’s packed with the type of seafood options we’ve come to love here – razor clams, oysters, scallops and whole fish, to name but a few. It also has a happy hour, another Hong Kong favourite!

This is a solid option for dinner with a group of friends. It’s best to order a selection of the small plates and then some larger dishes to share for mains, which is what we did on our visit.

The pick of our starters was some beautifully crusty homemade bread with a generous serving of bone marrow (HK$148). Also good were the razor clams in chorizo vinaigrette (HK$188), while the charcoal-grilled octopus a la Gallega (HK$178) was tender and tasty.

In fact, any menu item that’s charcoal-grilled is a good choice here. Amelia boasts a real charcoal grill – a rarity in Hong Kong; there’s only one other establishment with a genuine charcoal grill on Kowloon-side, so it’s quite the coup.

My choice of main, the Australian wagyu short rib with black garlic cumin and carrots (HK$368) was a highlight of the night – not too fatty but super-tasty. Another recommendation is the daily-catch fish – also charcoal-grilled – in caviar sauce (HK$798).

Why you’ll love it:

This is an affordable experience from a Michelin-starred chef, and an easy, impressive dinner venue for entertaining guests. It’s only a few minutes’ walk from the Star Ferry, and the night view on the terrace, or by the windows inside, is very pretty – “iconic Hong Kong”. Finally, if you’ve been to Chef Paulo’s San Sebastián venue, you’ll be happy to know a few of the menu favourites there are also offered in Hong Kong.

This restaurant is perfect for:

An evening out with visitors or catching up with a group of friends. Amelia also has a semiprivate space that would be nice for birthday or baby shower celebrations.

Harbour City, Shop OT G63, Ground Floor, Ocean Terminal, 3-27 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

3705 1983 | facebook.com/ameliahongkong