Black truffles are mostly known as a product from France, but this natural gem also grows in other part of the world including Australia. The exact same variety as the "Diamond of Perigord" from France, Australian black truffles are cultivated in Tasmania and Western Australia, in the same manner as their French counterpart.
With a new head chef Renaud Marin aboard, Hugo's at Hyatt Regency in Tsim Sha Tsui showcases a series of Australian black winter truffle delicacies this summer during June and July. Highlights include:
- veal carpaccio with shaved black truffle
- vegetable casserole with pata negra and black truffle
- butter poached fillet of French line-caught sea bass with shaved black truffle
- organic Rhug Estate suckling pig with black truffle
In addition to the black winter truffle menu, Hugo's also offers the experience of tableside fresh shaved truffles for any course from its menu.
If you haven’t been to try Se sa me, the “Japanasian” restaurant at L Place on Queen’s Road Central, then its new Sunday brunch may be a good time to try. A five-course brunch is priced at HK$350 per person or HK$500 including endless flow of sake, sake cocktails, champagne and beer. It runs from 11am to 3pm and includes:
- appetisers such as sweet corn crunch, crispy baby bok choy leaves, tomato and mizuna salad
- a second course of Japanese sushi, sashimi and maki rolls
- hot appetisers including tom yam consommé, beef shabu shabu and fried fish
- main course of one of the following: black pepper lime chicken, seabass with red miso, beef toban, salmon with Vietnamese caramel, lamb with cauliflower
With the white asparagus only in season from April to June, there is no getting away from it in the spring. If you still haven’t had your fill this year, then head on over to The Mistral at the InterContinental Grand Stanford in Tsim Sha Tsui East. There, chef Eugenio Iraci has prepared a menu featuring the seasonal vegetables, with dishes such as:
- poached white asparagus on sweet garlic custard with San Daniele ham and almond crisp
- white asparagus risotto
- steamed halibut with black olive crust, white asparagus and sautéed butter lettuce
- white asparagus and vanilla parfait with Moscato d’Asti sabayon
To be honest, Mong Kok has not been traditionally be viewed as the most desirable of neighbourhoods: however, to celebrate its eighth birthday, Langham Place has launched a whole new I Love Mongkok programme, inspired by the vibrant neighbourhood the hotel is located in. One of the more interesting events going on is the Made in Mongkok afternoon tea, available at Portal this June daily from 3pm to 5pm. The afternoon tea is priced at HK$288 per person and the dishes served are deluxe gourmet versions of typical local street snacks, including:
While the Chinese drink tea with most of their meals, cooking with tea is actually not that common, apart from the odd tea-smoked duck or egg in a Shanghainese restaurant. At Above & Beyond in Tsim Sha Tsui, the Chinese restaurant at Hotel Icon will be serving a tea-inspired menu, with dishes such as:
- braised assorted vegetables with Red Heart Iron Buddha tea sauce
- wok-fried scallops with Dong Ting Bilouchun tea sauce
- wok-fried Australian wagyu beef cubes with Feng Huang Dan Cong tea leaves
If you still prefer drinking tea rather than eating it, there will also be a special tea-pairing menu until the end of May, with pairings such as:
- crispy vegetarian bean curd sheet with barbecued Kagoshima pork, paired with Silver Needle tea
- sautéed king prawn with jasmine Dragon Pearl tea
- shrimp dumpling with inaniwa udon with Red Heart Iron Buddha tea
The tea-pairing dinner is served at dinner and priced at HK$738 per person.
Executive chef Brian Moore at Steik World Meats, a steakhouse at K11 art mall in Tsim Sha Tsui, has whipped up a menu of the most traditional and classic of French dishes for Le French GourMay this year. The set menu is priced at HK$568 (or HK$668 if the prime rib option is taken for the main course) and includes dishes such as:
- a starter of diver scallops with boudin noir; or a charcuterie plate; or pan-seared foie gras
- a soup course of lobster and prawn bisque or French onion soup
- a main course of bouillabaisse, tournedos Rossino, or steak
- a dessert plate with crème brulee, chocolate mousse and crème caramel
Spring is traditionally the time to indulge in squashes and gourds and Toh Lee at the Hotel Nikko in Tsim Sha Tsui is serving a healthy menu of Chinese melons (many such as winter melon are called melons but are really a variety of squash) until the end of May. The menu includes dishes such as steamed bitter melon rolls with minced shrimp topped with bird’s nest and black truffle; and double-boiiled winter melon with diced seafood, fish maw and lotus seeds. The spring menu also includes dishes made with actual fruit, such as:
- shredded duck and chicken tossed with honeydew melon, cantaloupe and jellyfish
- scrambled egg whites with scallop, crab roe, papaya and grapes
The City of Dream's fine dining restaurant The Tasting Room will be serving a special six-course menu (priced at MOP628) to celebrate Le French May. Prepared by chef de cuisine Guillaume Galliot, the menu includes not only his signature contemporary onion soup, but also other dishes including pigeon cooked two ways, served with Arabica coffee jus, spinach cream and baby leeks; cheese from famous affineur Hervé Mons; and baked white chocolate cream cheese with biscotti and fresh berries.
While it may not be the most carbon-emission friendly of things to eat, we must say we are enticed by the sound of the seafood platter being served at Amuse Bouche this spring. Priced at HK$980 per portion, the seafood platter includes:
- Gillardeau no.2 oysters from France
- blue mussels and spiny lobster from Australia
- geoduck from Canada
- botan shrimp from Japan
- local flower crab
To go with this drool-worthy seafood feast, Amuse Bouche is also offering a bottle of 2002 Roederer Cristal at HK$1,800, which can either be enjoyed with the meal or more unusually, taken to go.
Each of the regional specialities of China has unique variations thanks to diverse cooking styles, ingredients and distinctive characteristics in flavour. From now until the end of June, chef Lo of The Chinese Restaurant at Hyatt Regency in Tsim Sha Tsui will introduce some popular dishes from Shanghai, Hangzhou and Sichuan, to add to his well-known authentic Cantonese specialities. The special regional delicacies include:
- Shanghainese-style pressed pork terrine with black vinegar
- stir-fried sea shrimps with preserved salted duck egg
