It’s fair to say that for those set on enjoying a Michelin-starred dining experience, there is really very little need to ever exit Hong Kong. Indeed, Asia’s World City is home to some of the finest local Chinese dim sum plates, as well as host to a vast array of luxury imports from France, Italy, Japan… Essentially, any global cuisine can be found within its precincts. Up until very recently, however, there was one notable omission from the city’s many menu options – fine Punjabi dining.
Given that Hong Kong has long been home to a sizeable number of Indian and Pakistani folk, it’s actually somewhat bewildering to consider that this much-craved cuisine has been absent for so long. Right up to last year in fact, which was when New Punjab Club – the latest offering from the rightly-renowned Black Sheep hospitality group – opened its doors. Already awarded a Michelin star in its first year, more impressively still, it’s the first and (to date) only Pakistani eatery ever to be awarded that particular accolade.
Even from without, the restaurant’s prestigious and historic feel is more than apparent, while the exterior emerald cladding makes it all but impossible to miss. It’s a uniqueness that’s carried through to the interior, where the classic and the contemporary are effortlessly fused, a conceit that gives New Punjab Club a wholly-remarkable and unmistakable ambience.
This feeling is only amplified by the ably-selected images that adorn the neatly-embossed walls, giving guests an intriguing glimpse of contemporary Indian art. All the while, the restaurant’s eminently inviting booths – think cushioned maroon leather banquettes – are the perfect space to spend time with friends and share a plate or two.
The staff, too, plays a considerable part in contributing to the overall feel – all dressed in natty post-colonial khaki green military-esque uniforms and clearly more than ready to serve. Their commander-in-chief is Chef Palash Mitra – originally from small-town India, Mitra relocated to Hong Kong via London (where he perfected his skills in Gymkhana, one of the UK capital’s foremost North Indian eateries).
Eager to experience the prized Punjabi plates that awaited us, we began with the Samosa Chat. This saw traditional samosas being deconstructed and blended with sweet pomegranate seeds, thick yoghurt and crispy noodles. This unique take on a popular Indian street food is meant for sharing, except for the fact that the taste inevitably makes you unwilling to give too much away.
Next up was an assortment of small plates – the Keema Pau, a deliciously buttered milk bun paired with spicy minced mutton, a true treat for even the spicely impaired, accompanied by a healthy helping of Lachha Paratha, a circular layered flat bread, with its saltiness an apt counterpoint to the sweetness of the milk bun.
Next to be rolled out was the Murgh Tikka Angar, a spice-marinated chicken, lovingly garnished with coriander chutney. This is poultry so perfectly spiced that the very memory of its savouriness will have your mouth watering for weeks after you’ve devotedly cleared your plate.
Spurring a loosening of our collective belts, the Tandoori Cobia then hoved into sight. Locally caught, the fish proved eminently amenable to the tandoor oven, brushed lightly with a piquant smokiness and, it seemed, ably seared atop the flickering flames prior to being plated and served. Suffice to say, its moist and rich notes were a true taste bud treat. For his part, Chef Mitra confessed it was a dish he could cook forever and never get bored. Fortuitously, it is probably also one even his most fastidious of patrons would never tire of eating.
A clear passion project, headed by Black Sheep Restaurants’ co-founder Syed Asim Hussain – a proud Pakistani Punjabi – New Punjab Club has found a ready and willing niche just waiting to be filled. For those already jaded by one too many pomme frites, too much tapas, a surfeit of steak anglaise or a soupcon too much of South Korean stir-fry, this excellent new – yet classic – cuisine choice couldn’t have arrived too early. Now, arguably, only the fine fare of South Sudan remains under-represented on the high streets of Hong Kong. And, as this tiny East African nation has only been independent for five minutes or so, let’s grant them a little leeway…
New Punjab Club. 34 Wyndham Street, Central. (852) 2368 1223. www.newpunjabclub.com
Text: Bailey Atkinson