Hutong celebrates bamboo in all its versatility with its new ‘Yong Zhu’ menu

Hutong, Aqua Group’s Northern Chinese restaurant, is as well known among Hong Kong’s gourmands for its often-fiery cuisine, as it is for embracing all things traditionally and authentically Chinese.

This summer, the culinary team at Hutong has decided to explore one truly intrinsic element of Chinese culture – the ostensibly humble bamboo. Though modest in appearance, the bamboo tree is all-important in Chinese tradition, having been used by the Middle Kingdomers for at least the past 7,000 years in almost every form, be it as writing medium, weapons, music instruments or even food. It is to this centuries-old tradition that Hutong pays homage to with its all-new menu called ‘Yong Zhu’, which loosely translates to ‘singing the praise of bamboo’.

We started this epicurean ode to bamboo with Razor clams steeped in Chinese rose wine sauce, a mild and savoury appetiser made aromatically rich by the addition of Chinese rose wine that was a perfect palate opener for the flavour-packed dishes to follow. The other appetiser, Shanghainese coddled egg topped with pan-fried foie gras, was equally delicious with the texture of the foie gras – crispy on the outside, buttery on the inside – complementing the soft, salty egg yolk.

It was, however, the next dish, the Pu erh tea smoked cod fish fillet wrapped in bamboo leaf, that was a showstopper in terms of both presentation and flavours. Enclosed in a layer of aromatic bamboo leaves, the soft, lean cod fillets were consistently permeated by the smoky, toasty flavours of the pu erh tea, a kind of fermented tea produced in the Yunnan province of China. The result was smoky, mildly charred fish packed with flavours; without doubt, a must-order item at Hutong.

It would have been a near-impossible task to prevail over the culinary perfection of the last dish, but surprisingly, Hutong’s chefs even managed to top that with the Steamed tiger prawns with chilli and black garlic topped with shredded crispy bamboo shoot. Marinated in a blend of Shaoxing wine, ginger and Chu Yeh Ching Chiew (a kind of bamboo leaf liquor), the tiger prawn is then wok-tossed with shredded bamboo shoots and homemade black garlic. The garlic, which is aged for nearly a month, gives the dish a beautiful piquant aroma that blends perfectly well with the sweet prawns and the crispy yet tender bamboo shoots.

The next highlight of the menu was Wagyu beef in Sichuan chilli pepper broth with bamboo root and celtuce shoot. Featuring the highly sought-after inner core of Oldhamii bamboo shoots, this dish comes in a long bamboo vessel creating an inevitable ‘ooh’ moment when the broth inside is revealed. Floating in it are Wagyu tenderloins, which have soaked up the spicy flavours of the broth. Both the beef and the broth are unapologetically fiery, hot and pungent, so those who aren’t very spice tolerant should have it with the Egg white fried rice with crab and green asparagus. Mild and nourishing, it provides an ideal counterpoint to the spicy soup.

For dessert, we chose the Oolong tea ice-cream, a refreshingly bittersweet ice-cream, with the toasty flavours of the oolong tea making it perfect for those without a prominent sweet tooth.

All in all, Hutong has done such an astounding job of using the bamboo not just as an emblem of Chinese tradition, but as an actual, versatile ingredient that complements a wide range of food with its adaptable flavours. Our only grouch? That the bamboo menu is only available for a very limited time, till 16 August.

Hutong
28/F, One Peking, Tsim Sha Tsui
3428 8342
www.hutong.com.hk

Text: Suchetana Mukhopadhyay

Review: Contemporary take on Middle Eastern food and drink at Bedu

It takes but a scant stretch of imagination to liken the Central-set Bedu to an oasis for the bustling crowds – officegoers and partygoers alike – that pass it everyday. Now the Middle eastern cuisinary has enhanced its thirst-quenching abilities even more with the launch of five new cocktails just in time for the hot, humid summer months of Hong Kong.

Featuring both spirit-forward and fruit-forward cocktails, as well as some reinvented classics, each of the concoction at Bedu is said to be inspired by the exotic flavours of the Middle East, which is well in sync with the overall theme of the restaurant. Eager to see how well the execution matches the intention, we first tried the Bloody Martini – a heady combination of gin and vodka coupled with tomato water and homemade dill vermouth. Potent and spicy, it’s just the right kind of tipple to kick-start an evening of relaxation.

Fans of the classic margarita may also give the intriguingly named Neyrita a try. Following the recipe of margarita, this cocktail too is made with tequila and cointreau, but veers from the tried and tested path with the addition of homemade lime avocado curd, that gives it a truly refreshing twist.

Bedu’s most Middle East-influenced libation is however the Nomad, a cocktail that blends sweet white rum with a pineapple coffee cordial. An ode to the nomadic Bedouin tribes, it’s the ideal drink for sweltering summer nights.

Moving on to the food menu, the dishes on offer at Bedu has been curated to go hand in hand with the drinks while remaining true to Middle Eastern cuisine. So we start with Homemade Flatbread which pairs well with the Smoky Hummus, with the crispiness of the former complimenting the slight spiciness of the latter.

Among the small plates that we next sampled, the Charred Broccoli was the most nourishing. While broccoli stalks were tender, its sides were carefully charred to heighten its flavours, before being generously topped with crispy kale – overall a super-healthy choice for the vegetarian-minded visitor. The Roasted Green Beans, another small plate, was however a somewhat forgettable dish, redeemed only to an extent by the sweet golden raisins and the spicy harissa sauce.

The true highlight of the menu, however, was the Rack Of Lamb on a bed of garlic labneh and za’atar oil, sprinkled with pomegranate seeds on top. The succulent pieces of meat contrasted perfectly with the crunchy pomegranate seeds, all of which were tied together harmoniously by the garlicky flavours of the labneh.

All in all, though, Bedu’s success lies in the fact that it has afforded an alternative to the spicy, rich street-food variety of Middle Eastern food. It’s safe to say that Bedu has a different vision on Middle Eastern cuisine altogether – one which is lighter, healthier, easy on the palate and most definitely contemporary.

Text: Suchetana Mukhopadhyay

Collagen soup, the beauty broth for body and soul at Bijin Nabe

If you browse through the ingredient list of beauty products, there’s one common item that’s just bound to recur time and again. This magic ingredient is none other than collagen. Glowing skin, shiny tresses, long nails – it’s all down to collagen apparently. Interestingly enough, collagen already exists in our body without ever being supplemented externally. But as we age, our we produce less and less collagen with every passing year. Thus arises the need to supplement our body’s collagen with external intake. Hence the long list of beauty products that all promise to enhance our body’s collagen content.

Now imagine, instead of applying collagen externally and hoping it gets absorbed effectively, what if you could directly digest collagen in form of food? And not just in the powder that you have to mix with a juice to make it more palatable. We’re talking about bone broth – the original, old-school way of partaking collagen.

Hongkongers can now try this authentic mode of having collagen soup, thanks to Japanese ‘farm-to-table’ hotpot brand Bijin Nabe, that has opened at the apm shopping mall in Millennium City 5, Kwun Tong. On their menu is the collagen-rich chicken ‘beauty stock’ that looks like a pudding when it first makes an appearance on the table but soon melts into a rich creamy soup when heated, acting as the broth for the hotpot.

What makes it so special is that this soup is not just super-delicious but also packed to the gunwales with – besides collagen – vitamins and minerals that help reduce inflammation, treat joint pain and boost our digestive and immunity systems.

Bijin Nabe, 3/F, apm Millennium City 5, 418 Kwun Tong Road, Kwun Tong

Rajasthan Rifles hits the bull’s eye with its Anglo-Indian cuisine

There’s one thing to be said about Black Sheep Restaurants – they don’t seem to shy away from experimenting with super-niche cuisines. And the Anglo-Indian cuisine on offer at one of their latest restaurants, Rajasthan Rifles, is as niche as it gets.

While Indian cuisine has taken the world by storm and is readily available in most cities, from Osaka to Oakland, it’s mainly the ‘butter chicken’ variety of mainstream Indian food that is served in most restaurants. But as any true lover of Indian cuisine would know, India’s famous culture of diversity is nowhere more manifest than in its rich and wide-ranging culinary heritage of which Anglo-Indian cuisine is an integral part.

So what is Anglo-Indian cuisine? Simply put, it’s an amalgamation of English fare and Indian food, that came into being during the colonial era when India was still being ruled by the British. One of the first places that these two cuisines met was in the army. In the 1920s, the British Indian Army stationed in the subcontinent started accepting officers of Indian heritage and the mess halls started creating a unique kind of cuisine that would serve both palates.

Rajasthan Rifles, set in The Peak, takes its inspiration not just from this particular cuisine, but also from the mess halls that they originated from. Borrowing heavily from army hall vibes, the restaurant features stark minimalistic decor, complete with such details as rattan chairs and lockers underneath banquette seats that give a knowing nod to colonial times.

Moving on to the menu then, Chef Palash Mitra, of New Punjab Club fame, has been tasked to curate it and, given his long experience as chef at the London-based Anglo-Indian cuisinary Gymkhana, he seems more equipped than most for the job at hand. Eager to test his expertise, we started with the first course, Keema Anda Pau, the Indian equivalent of burger with scrambled eggs and slow-cooked mutton, served here with buttered milk buns and finely chopped onions, chili and lime. A staple snack sold by street vendors in India, here the dish is elevated by the savoriness of the minced meat combined with the mild sweetness of the buns. It’s a simple enough dish, but it made us even more eager to find out how the rest of the dinner would shape up.

The next dish to come tablewards was Chicken Tikka, a dish almost synonymous with Indian cuisine. Perhaps as a flip side to that, any Indian cuisinary worth its salt is sure to offer chicken tikka on its menu, and frankly, we had thought we’ve had all the good, bad and ugly versions possible of this item. But that was before we tasted the rendition at Rajasthan Rifles. Chef Mitra expertly enhances the flavours of the chicken by marinating it in yoghurt, ground chillies and mustard, and then chars it just enough for the exterior to be smoky while the inside is juicy and tender. However, in a bid to be as authentic as possible to the Indian palate, it’s unapologetically spicy and made even more so by the tart coriander chutney.

The other indubitable highlight of the evening was the Salmon Sizzler, featuring seared Bakkafrost salmon served with fries and vegetables. Here again, the fish was charred perfectly on the outside, while the soola spices added a spicy undertone to its tender texture that almost literally melted in our mouth.

Those looking for vegetarian options, meanwhile, may try the Dum Aloo Gunpowder, a special potato dish that would be quite a common item in officers’ canteens of yesteryears. As anyone au fait with Indian cuisine would tell you, any dish with the intriguing-sounding ‘gunpowder’ condiment tends to be on the spicy side, but Rajasthan Rifles’ potato curry is disarmingly mild-flavoured, despite the sprinkling of the potent gunpowder.

For dessert, we tried the Lemon Posset, a velvety lime-flavoured cream served alongside a generous helping of grapefruit, cherries and other fruits, all simply simpatico with the citrus notes of the dessert. By this time, though, it’s hardly a surprise to us, because we had come to expect nothing less from Rajasthan Rifles, which has not only taken a careful aim at representing the ‘East-meets-West’ culinary tradition, but has also hit a perfect bull’s eye.

Text: Suchetana Mukhopadhyay

Food trip to Hanoi, a culinary melting pot of street food and fine dining

For a city that has faced the brunt of a long-drawn war just some decades ago, Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, has done a great job of reinventing itself as a bustling metropolis where the past goes hand in hand with the present. As one explores the winding alleys of the city, strolls around the Hoàn Kiếm Lake or enjoys a water puppet show, Hanoi reveals itself in multiple layers – authentic, quaint and overflowing with joyous life.

But nowhere does it feel as authentic as when one savours the ever-delicious Vietnamese cuisine in Hanoi. In fact, thanks to its sheer variety of cuisine, it is well worth visiting Hanoi for its food alone.

Any food trip to Hanoi should start with pho – traditional Vietnamese beef noodles served during breakfast. While most establishments from street vendors to upscale restaurants have pho listed on their menus, our personal favourite was the rendition served at Pho Thin, a 30-year-old eatery that is located right in the middle of the Old Quarter. Besides being amazingly consistent, the pho here stands out because they use stir-fried beef instead of raw beef unlike other restaurants. Reach there early though, as the pho at Pho Thin tends to get sold out very soon.

For lunch, though, you must try bun cha, another authentic Vietnamese dish that originated right here in Hanoi. Featuring succulent grilled pork in a bowl of aromatic soup with rice vermicelli and veggies on the side, it’s a dish that even ex-US President Barack Obama couldn’t resist when he visited Hanoi. Of course, the eatery he went to – a bustling little joint called Bun Cha Huong Lien – now serves an Obama Combo, consisting of bun cha, nem (Vietnamese spring roll) and beer to locals and gawking tourists alike.

Well-sated, your food trip to Hanoi should next take you to the banks of the Hoan Kiem Lake where hordes of street vendors have set up stalls selling everything from ice cream and smoothies to banh mi. This latter is a Vietnamese version of a French baguette stuffed with pork, coriander leaves, cucumbers, etc. It’s an easy snack to munch on while you explore the area around the lake, which still retains touches of the French colonial era.

The lingering effect of French colonial architecture is, of course, nowhere more apparent than at the nearby Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi Hotel, the oldest hotel in Hanoi (built in 1901) and an institution in itself, having hosted dignitaries such as Charlie Chaplin, W. Somerset Maugham and more recently a meeting between US President Trump and North Korean leader Chairman Kim Jong-un. It is within these hallowed quarters that your food journey should lead you, more specifically to Le Beaulieu, its French cuisinary, and indeed the first-ever French restaurant in Hanoi. Here, you could indulge in an evening of leisurely dining, courtesy of the five-course degustation menu that they have just launched. But be sure to make a reservation first, as Le Beaulieu happens to be as popular with the locals as it is with visitors.

Guests staying at the Metropole Hotel can, however, take a brief detour from their food voyage, with the History Path tour that the hotel organises. The highlight of this tour is indubitably the underground bunkers that have been kept preserved underneath the hotel – a relic from the war era of Vietnam and a reminder of a dark, dismal past.

Those who would rather go in pursuit of something less grim should however head to Ta Hien Beer Street, a place where Hanoi truly comes to life as the night progresses. Filled to the brim with street food and drinks stalls, it’s definitely not an experience for the fainthearted. But if you can manage to wade through the sea of plastic chairs, most of them occupied, and secure yourself a seat, you will be rewarded with a mug of ice-cold locally brewed beer, which is just the thing you need to end your food trip to Hanoi.

Text: Suchetana Mukhopadhyay

Master Chefess Angie Ford serves up flawless fillets at Buenos Aires Polo Club

As canny carnivores the world over know only too well, when it comes to quality and flavour, Argentinian beef could well be a worthy contender for the World’s Most Magnificent Meat Award, should such an accolade ever be up for grabs. Its particular allure lies in its leaner, Pampas-grass-fed meat qualities, which also contains a higher percentage of omega-3 fatty acids than its grain-fed counterpart. In plainspeak, that means you can tuck into your medium-rare steak with relish without worrying that your heart might give way before you have chance to polish it off.

While the beef is rightly renowned the world over, in Hong Kong, the number of Argentinian steakhouses offering such prime cuts is well below the figure for those offering the American or Japanese pretenders to its throne. Thankfully, Black Sheep Restaurants – the Hong Kong-based hospitality group – saw it fit to right this particular wrong with the launch of the Buenos Aires Polo Club a few years back. While the group has already made a number of cuisines quite its own – including Lebanese, Greek and Italian – this was its first foray into celebrating Latin America’s love of sumptuously-served slabs of prime cattle.

In keeping with Argentina’s famously macho culture, the Central-set Buenos Aires Polo Club occupies a decidedly masculine space, complete with well-worn leather banquette seats, sports memorabilia and equestrian-themed artworks filling up almost every surface. While the interior of the restaurant proper has manly accents, its kitchen space is decidedly more feminine, a clear sign that Angie Ford, its Canadian head chef, is intent on making her mark in this relatively chap-dominated field.

Arriving in Hong Kong via Sydney, Chef Ford’s experience of South American cuisine comes from her many years of working under celebrity chef René Rodriguez at Navarra, his award-winning, Ottawa-set South American fine dinery. In particular, she brings with her a mastery of asado, a style of open-fire cooking that is popular throughout Latin America.

Keen to experience her expertise for ourselves, we tucked straight into the first course – Fries Provenzal – disarmingly simple Argentinian chips (in the British sense), doused judiciously with duck fat, with their savoriness enhanced by garlic and parsley. It may not be healthiest of appetisers, but it’s 100-percent finger-licking-good – for once, literally – ensuring all thoughts of temperance recede as soon as its aroma arises.

To follow were Spinach and Provolone Empanadas, lovingly served with salsa criolla dip. While the house-made empanada dough was suitably crunchy, it was the sheer joy to be had from the spinach, cheese, onion and garlic filling that ensured we were wholly enamored. While the empanadas were exquisite in themselves, dipping them in the accompanying salsa sauce occasioned a truly transcendent tanginess even further.

As if conscious of meat-intent sentiment, the Chorizo Sausage was next to make its way tablewards. A decidedly decadent combination of pork, beef and spices, it was an explosion of savoury meaty flavours with our tastes the more than willing ground zero.

All of that, though, was but foodie foreplay prior to the climatic arrival of the evening’s culinary centerpiece – the Ribeye Steak, served medium rare as per the chef’s recommendation. Knowing the perfect fit with her long-honed open-fire grilling skills, Chef Ford makes a point of opting for prime cuts of grass-fed General Pico Black Angus beef, slightly charring their crust, while trusting the tender meat within to win over even the most capricious of diners. Served with a single onion on the side and deputising three contrasting condiments – chimichurri, salsa criolla and Malbec mustard – as its cheerleaders, it’s very much the steak that calls the shots. An engaging bit of attention to detail – and our particular ‘wow’ moment – accompanied the serving when we were granted the opportunity to select an individual steak knife, with the restaurant boasting more than its fair share of ornately-shaped sharp objects from as far afield as Pakistan and Brazil.

While a generous portion of Pampas-fed prime meat occupied much of the space we’d naively reserved for dessert, it was impossible not to be intrigued by the Malvaviscos, with its sundry charcoal and marshmallow sticks in tow. As soon as the charcoal was ignited, the marshmallows were toasted and the first bite was taken, it was clear that the steak would have to make way for at least a medium serving of this astonishing afters. This was down in no small part to the layer of coffee-flavoured ice-cream that lurked unannounced below the toasted marshmallow – surprising, enticing and impossible not to want to experience again. A bit like the Buenos Aires Polo Club itself.

Buenos Aires Polo Club, 7F, LKF Tower, 33 Wyndham Street, Central. 85223218681. www.bapoloclub.com

Text: Suchetana Mukhopadhyay

North Spanish cuisinary The Optimist serves up generous portions in a generous space

The first thing that makes The Optimist stand out is its abundance of space. Set across three sprawling floors in the middle of ever-busy Wan Chai, it’s a remarkable change from the hidey-hole eateries and self-styled speakeasies that are typical of Hong Kong.

This feeling of capriciousness pervades the interiors and even the menu at The Optimist, which boasts Northern Spanish cuisine. On their website, they proudly proclaim that they “grill things”. And if our recent tasting at the restaurant was any indication, they do a darn good job of that. We started with the appetisers in the form of Mushroom Croquettes. Served on a bed of black mushroom sauce, the bite-sized croquettes that were rich and creamy on the inside and just perfectly crunchy on the outside.

The next star of the evening was indubitably the Gambas “Al Ajillo”. A typical Northern Spanish dish, it is rendered even more authentic by the tender king prawns that are imported all the way from Spain. Cooked in extra-virgin olive oil with garlic and chili, the sweetness of the prawns is enhanced even more by the fresh paprika and chives that are sprinkled on top.

Another popular dish from Spain to come tablewards was the Patatas Bravas, but the chef and his team at The Optimist has added a new twist to this classic dish by making layers of the potatoes, with paprika, served with the bravas sauce which has just the right amount of bite to make the dish mildly spicy.

If the Patatas Bravas were all about innovative techniques, the next dish, Enokitake rice, was the very quintessence of comfort food. Served with three kinds of mushroom – white truffle base with Shimeji mushrooms for garnishing and black summer truffle – it was nourishing and creamy, making us reach out for seconds as if by reflex.

But it’s wise to leave some space for the Chateaubriand, the true star of the evening, that features Spanish beef fillet (which we ordered medium rare) with potatoes, spinach and beef jus. Interestingly, the beef fillets were served with baked potato gratin instead of plain potatoes which makes the experience more layered. While the beef is falling-apart-from-the-fork kind of tender, it’s the beef jus, which is reduced overnight, that gives it a unique rich texture, and ties the whole dish together.

Of the desserts, it’s the La Pina that caught our fancy, especially the grilled pineapples that paired quite well with the ice-cream. It was just the right kind of end to a wholly satisfying meal, one that makes The Optimist a perfect venue for a midweek date or a place to catch up with colleagues after office.

Text: Suchetana Mukhopadhyay

The Chinese Library introduces the art of Dao Yi in new summer dishes

The Chinese Library, set in the beautiful cultural hub of Tai Kwun and opened less than a year ago, has already cemented its reputation for offering premier Oriental fare of the finest quality. Now, the new Aqua Group-owned eatery is launching whole selection of new dishes just in time for summer, courtesy of Executive Chef Junno Li’s singularly impressive Dao Yi (loosely translating to the art of slicing) skills.

The Chinese Library - Chilled “Jade flower” in green Sichuan pepper essence — Chilled “Jade flower” in green Sichuan pepper essence

Immediately after being seated in the sumptuous dinery, our tasting experience kicked off with a special demonstration of Chef Li’s Dao Yi skill as he sliced wafer-thin radish dumpling skins and carved up an intricate, interlocking Jade flower chain with just his knife. That same preternatural predilection for ultra-thin knifery was showcased once more when the first appetiser, Chilled “Jade flower” in green Sichuan pepper essence, arrived tableside. The carving of the Jade flower transformed the entire mouthfeel of the dish, adding a delicious crunch to its delicate yet mouth-tingling flavours.

The Chinese Library - Marinated geoduck & Jade flower in sesame oil dressing — Marinated geoduck & Jade flower in sesame oil dressing

Next up was Marinated geoduck & Jade flower in sesame oil dressing, with thin slices of geoduck served sashimi-style atop a bed of cucumber and Jade flower. Clearly a dish created to revive diners from the summer heat, it was, at once, refreshingly crisp and succulently smooth. The final appetiser hoved into view in the form of the Crystal melon dumpling with Kung Fu teapot chicken consomme. While the prawn-filled morsels were delicious in their own right, it was the flavour-packed chicken soup that truly stole the show.

The Chinese Library - Crystal melon dumpling with Kung Fu teapot chicken consomme — Crystal melon dumpling with Kung Fu teapot chicken consomme

Two main courses then arrived tableside, but perhaps the one that truly stood out was the impressive Salt-baked meringue free-range whole chicken arrived tableside. A modern interpretation of the classic Beggar’s Chicken dish, at first glance, it looked just like a meringue. Once the salt crust had been broken, though, what lay inside was a perfectly-baked chicken served with glutinous rice and lotus bulbs, and enhanced further with notes of star anise. All in all, it’s a sure crowd-pleaser for anyone with a love of umami.

The Chinese Library - Salt-baked meringue free-range whole chicken — Salt-baked meringue free-range whole chicken

Check out these all-new dishes at The Chinese Library starting 1 July.

Fromaggio: Craft your own cheeses with this nifty smart home gadget

It seems the hottest trend these days is to create DIY food products within the comforts of your own home. From brewing self-powered espressos to crafting your own home beers, today’s modern urban dweller seems to be shunning mass-market products in favour of that personal touch. Now, the latest product getting that DIY touch is cheese, thanks to an upcoming Fromaggio smart home gadget.

Having completed a successful crowdfunding campaign, the Fromaggio markets itself as the first smart, automatic cheesemaker for home use. The premise is simple. Users select a specific recipe via the companion mobile app, then add the suggested amounts of milk, cultures and rennet to the countertop appliance. The machine then performs the rest of the curing procedure by itself with no additional input necessary.

In what is sure to be an attractive feature for several niche segments of society, the Fromaggio’s versatility is not limited to traditional hard/soft and aged/fresh cheese, but is also capable of making lactose-free, kosher and even vegan cheeses, if its promotional material is to be believed.

So if you’re a fan of fromage – and someone for whom delayed gratification is not a hindrance – the Fromaggio smart cheesemaker could offer a whole new dimension to both your cheese platter and your home cooking. While first shipments only go out in March 2020, you can still pre-order your own unit by visiting this site.