CAFE GREY DELUXE

Hong Kong

Located in the ultra chic and stylish Upper House Hotel, Café Grey is a Hong Kong landmark for fine dining and some of the city's best panoramic views overlooking Victoria Harbour. With world-renowned formerly New York based Gray Kunz as the patron and head chef, expectations were very high and the hard-to-get reservations were made 2 weeks prior to my arrival in Hong Kong. The interior of the restaurant does nothing but raise the expectations even higher; the beautifully decorated dining room is in line with the modernist and simple theme of the hotel, adorned in dark timber tones that are elegantly lit up with bespoke light fittings that gild the dining room. Tables are arranged in an open yet cozy space, where our table was perfectly located in the centre and seats were in a comfortable and plush sofa/booth style. Everything from the sterling silver candle holder, to the high thread count napkins and fine bone china made us even more excited about our meal ahead, which lasted a solid three hours. 

The menu, presented in a leather bound book, made our mouths water and stomachs rumble. To start, we opted for the crab cakes that come served with a lime and mango salsa, the steak tartare with gaufrettes on a bed of beef carpaccio, and the yellow Hamachi carpaccio tartare. All were delicious and beautifully presented, with special mention to be made to the Hamachi which was just sublime; we had to order another one. For mains  I  requested to try the burger, which is not on their dinner menu, but allegedly the best burger in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia (unfortunately I forgot to take a picture before I  devoured it). Despite people giving me strange looks for having ordered a burger for dinner in such a place, it was definitely worth it. It was perfectly cooked and the beef was a fine mix of Australian beef and wagyu. My friends opted for more socially acceptable items of the dinner menu. The sea bass in a creamy white wine sauce with chives, topped with caviar was a rich and delicious choice, as well as the sea bass stew which came served in a lobster broth with mixed vegetables. To conclude our epic meal we ordered the deconstructed banoffee pie and the panna cotta, which were both prepared to perfection and perfectly capped our perfect dinner. The high quality of the food, the beautiful presentation, the exceptionally attentive staff and incredible vistas across Hong Kong, make Café Grey one of my favourite restaurants and worth every penny spent.

www.cafegrayhk.com

OHISAMA

London, UK

Yet another Japanese fusion restaurant has opened in London. Aside from the continually expanding burger scene, new Japanese restaurants and pop ups seem to be dominating the headlines. Upon getting word that an ex-Nobu chef of 15 years has opened a new restaurant in Marylebone, the table for dinner was immediately booked and my imagination ran loose fantasising about what dishes would be served, as Ohisama still does not have a website. Recommended by a friend as having some of the best sushi in London, I can say that my friend’s statement was right on target. Currently operated as a BYOB establishment, Ohisama can go by unnoticed and even seem unappealing from its shop front, with its uninspired interiors and harsh fluorescent lighting. Suffice it to say the ambience will not draw a crowd through its generic glass doors and onto its small sushi bar by the entrance; which is more tolerable that the seating area in the basement that is quite depressing with a tomb-like feeling.  As harsh as the interiors are, one does not go to Ohisama for the scene but to indulge in the food, where all the heart, soul and energy have been poured. The food is exceptional with only a few disappointments; such as the spicy tuna roll, which was less than mediocre; quite frankly surprisingly awful, especially when compared to the spicy tuna roll of Kurobuta. The fried oysters are also not recommendable with an overbearing taste of salt and oozing dollops of oil. Such disappointments however now seem only but a minor infraction in an otherwise delicious meal. The lobster salad was fresh and crunchy, as was the yellow tail sashimi with jalapeño. Both are identical to those served in Nobu; it doesn’t take a genius to recognize such signature dishes. The wagyu beef tataki with ponzu sauce is also a winner as it’s seared to perfection with a sauce that makes you want to drink it on its own. The highlights of the meal were the delectable razor clams which I still dream of, the incomparably fresh fatty tuna with a sauce that puts any sauce to shame, which was also featured on the house special roll: the Dr. Watson roll; a heavenly maki of essentially yellowtail. The icing on an otherwise pretty perfect meal was the eel maki with foie gras, which as a roll I feel is a testament to the finesse and creativity of some of the food offered at Ohisama. Despite its unattractive exterior, Ohisama ends up winning you over with its fresh and delicious food. London will soon be hearing more and more of this small outpost in Marylebone, as it wins over one Londoner at a time.

KUROBUTA

London, UK

What started as relatively low-key pop up restaurant on Kings Road has quickly become one of London’s most sought-after dining destinations, with tables booked weeks in advance. Kurobuta is a gem of a place, rare in its breed in London’s food jungle, serving fresh quality Japanese fusion food in a cozy and comfortable setting. It’s indeed very fitting to its location; it screams Kensington and Chelsea, in that it is small, charming, charismatic and the people are just beautiful boasting the latest designer fashions as they walk through its small inconspicuous door. Kurobuta came to my attention by coincidence while walking on Kings Road and I stopped to chat to a friend I ran into, otherwise it's very easy to miss as its store front is very low key, which let's face it makes it even more endearing. I immediately booked a table. As I write this post I have been to Kurobuta twice already within a 2-week time period and the culinary highlights include the Tuna Sashimi Pizza that comes served with a truffle ponzu sauce. The flavours of this dish ignite fireworks in my mouth. Next up are the Wagyu beef sliders at £20 for two, which are bite-sized patties of pure delight and quality; the texture of the beef is unparalleled. The Maki Rolls are also phenomenal, their take on the spicy tuna roll is refreshing and equally delicious; on both dining occasions the spicy tuna was ordered twice! The beef fillet tataki and yellow tail sashimi were also excellent and spurred flurries of joy and delight; each bite drew a smile on my face. We also ordered spare ribs and pork hirata buns, neither of which were good. In an otherwise perfect meal, these pulled the impression down. Special mention must be made however to a snack that is so often taken for granted and overlooked in Japanese restaurants: Edamame. The edamame here is unmatched by any that I have had; it's flamed with Sake, lemon, butter and maldon salt. An innovative approach to such a simple dish, this is testament to the finesse and reinvention of many dishes prepared at Kurobuta. With many new restaurants always opening, Kurobuta jumps to being one of our London favourites, and we are just anxiously awaiting our next meal there and very much look forward to their main restaurant opening in summer. An interesting fact: none of the chefs are Japanese.  

   

www.kurobuta-london.com

BUDDAKAN

New York, USA

Buddakan is a staple Asian fusion restaurant in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District. The last time I went I was very last minute with my bookings and only got a late night table. I don’t mind though, as the restaurant almost has a nightclub vibe, and the place probably works best in the evenings. The huge restaurant covers two floors, with high ceilings and a grand communal table in the centre downstairs. Candelabras and gilded books decorate the spaces, with patterned screens in the upstairs dining areas. Buddakan draws a fashionable crowd, and was the site for Carrie and Mr. Big's rehearsal dinner in the Sex and the City film. I showed up in dirty converse and soaked clothes from the rain, so I was very casual compared to the girls in dresses and heels. I arrived straight from a dinner at Ippudo, so I was not very hungry. We only had dim sum, which I might have preferred either way. The main courses at Buddakan are very good, but not too dissimilar from dishes in your average China Town restaurant. Their brilliant small dishes are what really stand out. The steamed truffled edamame dumplings are an absolute must. They have such a creamy and filling texture. One day I want to go there and just order five portions of those. We also tried a range of shellfish and pork dim sum dishes. Another impressive dish was the hirata buns with glazed pork belly. I am quite picky with pork, as sometimes it has a flavour that I really don’t like. Buddakan executed it perfectly though, and I would urge people to try it if you visit. We asked the waiter to recommend one thing, and he suggested the Tuna Tartare Spring Roll. This was actually my least favourite dish, and we didn’t finish it. Buddakan is quite upscale and might seem a bit pretentious, but the prices are not bad considering the standard of the food. I would definitely go back, though I'd try to be more appropriately dressed for the occasion than I was this time.   

75 9th Avenue, New York, NY 10011

YAUATCHA

London, UK

Yauatcha is a Chinese dim sum restaurant in Soho from the owner of Hakkasan. The colourful and elegant display of macaroons and desserts in the window was what drew me to it the first time, but this restaurant has so much more to offer than just pretty sweets. The interior is sleek, and dining downstairs is almost like a nightclub experience. Yauatcha always seems to have a table free, and I often use it as a backup if the queues are too long in other Soho places. It works for any occasion; I’ve celebrated New Years Eve there, but also dropped by for a small meal after coming straight from the workshop with paint all over my clothes. Every time I go I order the Prawn and Beancurd Cheung Fun, which is prawn in deep fried beancurd and an amazing white, squishy, gooey rice noodle wrap. The mushroom version is equally tasty, and both portions are very generous. You can’t go to Yauatcha without ordering one of these two. Other of my regular orders include the Blue Swimmer Crab Shu Mai and the Har Gau. These are light and delectable, but not as satisfying Cheung Fun, as the portions are a lot smaller. Some of their cocktails are quite generic and sweet considering how elaborately and tastily they are described in the menu, but a couple that are worth trying is the Lalu and the Chilli Martini with Aperol and Champagne. The service has never been good, but the last time I went it was disastrous. When we were still on starters, my friend had to grab onto her plate in order to stop the waitress from taking her last Chive dumpling. Even after telling the waitress that she was still eating, she took her chilli dipping sauce. They really rush their customers in order to stay within their 90-minute time limit, even when there is no one waiting for the table. Despite this, I’ve been there more times than I can count, sometimes twice in one day, so I think this means Yauatcha qualifies as one of my favourite restaurants in London. 

www.yauatcha.com

SUSHI HIROBA

A fusion of Japanese and Korean sushi, this Holborn restaurant feels very authentic from the moment you enter. The dark interior furnishings are definitely not current, but enough effort has been put in for you to be transported out of London. The downstairs karaoke also contributes to this genuine Asian vibe. We decided to sit down by the sushi bar, and only sampled dishes from there. The conveyor belt items range from £ 2.20 to £ 5.30, and students receive a 10 % discount. The standard sushi and maki bites of any sushi bar are there, but I also saw a lot of interesting little dishes I haven’t seen before. Some of the most unfamiliar ones I let roll past. Their unusual rendition of the Prawn Nigiri was topped with yellow cheese seemingly identical to that of McDonald’s. I particularly enjoyed the Salmon Avocado Maki with fish roe. The house red wine is not to be recommended, go for one of the Japanese beers instead. Sushi Hiroba is not the place to go if you are looking for healthy, low-calorie sushi. Most of the platters have mayo, sour cream, cheese or some other sauce lathered over it. I didn’t get that light, almost-full feeling that I often get after eating sushi, but that’s not always a bad thing. 

50-54 Kingsway, Holborn, London WC2B 6EP

HAKKASAN

A London institution for Chinese food, Hakkasan continues to tickle my palette with every bite and every visit. My latest visit to Hakkasan was with three of my best friends, and we went to the Hanway place restaurant; the original. The vibe of the restaurant is super trendy, chic and glamorous. The icy blue lit restaurant is contemporary in its presentation yet authentic in its cuisine and Chinese accents of the latticed screens that adorn the interior. To start we ordered the dim sum platter, the crispy duck roll and the sesame prawn toast. All came on time, and the dim sum was cooked perfectly with the scallop dumpling being the best one, whereas the chive dimpling, har gau and shimeji dumplings were all good but not exceptional. The crispy ducks rolls and sesame prawn toasts were also good, but not extraordinary in that they did not ignite any sirens. To follow we ordered the Rib Eye Beef, the Lamb Chops, the duck and a side of asparagus. The rib eye beef was perfectly cooked medium well, and had the refreshing zest of black pepper, and the lamb chops were also a delectable choice and were soft and melted in my mouth. Compared to the other dishes the duck was quite underwhelming, but in its own merit it stands to be quite decent, however I wouldn’t recommend it over the lamb chops or rib eye. The asparagus also stood to be quite good and was smothered in black bean and soy sauce. For drinks we ordered the Chinese Mule; it is highly refreshing and recommended. The cucumber martini is also a delight with a twist of ginger. Despite the steep bill, Hakkasan is highly recommended and is a Mecca for Chinese food and comes as no surprise in being the first Chinese restaurant to be awarded a Michelin star. 

8 Hanway Place, London W1T 1HD

 

XO

XO is an Asian fusion restaurant in North London by the team that owns hot spots such as La Bodega Negra and The Box. I went for an early dinner on a Sunday evening, as they were fully booked in the peak hours of eating. I had heard that everything is 40 % off on Sunday, which holds a probable explanation to its popularity. Their menu is rather short, but the selection is enticing. I sampled a few small dishes, such as the prawn har gau, Rock Shrimp and Jalapeño tempura maki and the Baby Pork Spare Ribs. The spare ribs were very tasty, with a generous serving of black bean sauce. They are possibly the best Chinese spare ribs I’ve ever come across. When the bill arrived, the discount had not been deducted, so we stingily asked the waiter to return with a revised and cheaper bill. So it turns out you only get a discount if you’re willing to degrade yourself slightly. My friend stated that it was the best meal she ever had, but she says that quite often, so I wouldn’t read too much into it. Overall I was pleased, the food and the ambiance was likeable. I will likely return to XO, and maybe try their outdoor street side seating in the summer. 

29 Belsize Lane, London NW3 5AS