Like it or not, I recommend Hong Kong, which I love

I often see a lot of Hong Kong content with "thrilling titles" on social networks, especially on Xiaohongshu, which is generally that Hong Kong is expensive and not delicious, that I was backstabbed by restaurants in Hong Kong, and that I am disappointed that I will never go to Hong Kong to run a bar again...... Etcetera. I don't want to contradict anyone, if you really don't like it, there's no need to suffer, and if it's for traffic, I don't have anything to say.

However, I personally still like to go to Hong Kong very much, and I would like to share with you some of my favorite places in Hong Kong. First of all, I want to say that it is really unnecessary to go to Hong Kong for cheapness, and it is even more disappointing to blindly chase online celebrity stores to check in, the charm of Hong Kong lies in its diversity and colorfulness, and it is the right way to open Hong Kong by refusing to follow the crowd, finding a destination that suits you and outlining your own exclusive Hong Kong consumption map.

Murasaki Purple Beauty

There are quite a lot of high-end Japanese restaurants in Hong Kong, each with its own fans, whenever someone says that so-and-so is very good, some people will jump out and say which one is better, I don't want to participate in these "party disputes", here, I just want to recommend a restaurant that is very worthy of help for lovers of exquisite Japanese cuisine and wine, especially champagne: Murasaki Shimi.

Not only is the food produced at a high level, the champagne list is so rich that it is confusing and the prices are reasonable, but more importantly, the chef and sommelier are extremely professional and cooperative.

My way to open Zimei is to book a seat in advance and ask the sommelier to choose the champagne to match the night menu according to your budget, and experience the extraordinary strength of this super hard-to-book restaurant in terms of food and wine pairing. At the beginning of the meal, the waiter served a bowl of "Taiwan's 30-year-old black gold old vegetable preserved soft-shelled turtle skirt porridge" for everyone to warm up the stomach.

Purple Beauty's dishes use the rhythm of sushi and sake, so that everyone can better enjoy the wonderful pleasure of food and wine complementing each other. The experienced male chef began to hold the sushi for everyone in front of the plate, first the "48-hour alfonsino with kelp pickles", the freshness and firmness of the fish are good, and then the "spring sea bream", which is a relic made of two kinds of rice and three kinds of vinegar, has a charming taste and melodious rice aroma, and I like it very much.

The sweetness of the Pine Leaf Crab and the richness of the puffer fish are clear, and the two champagnes with bright acidity and fruity flavor have their own merits. The "Hokkaido Prawns" and "Fresh Hokkaido Shellfish" sushi that followed were all as fresh and sweet as they could be.

The "Iberian Ham Soup Simmered Shark Fin Fried Spring Rolls" is ideal for the fresh broth to be fully simmered into the shark fin without excess water overflowing, so that the fried spring rolls are rarely kept dry, and the saltiness of the Iberian ham is just the right amount to further enhance the freshness, and the three-level taste is very pleasing.

In the spring season after the warm winter, the two silver-skinned white-bodied fish, "Needlefish" and "Mackerel", have delicate flesh and oil, restrained by fresh and sweet taste, which is the state of my great love, and I really want to shout encore. The sommelier adds freshly opened champagne, and the aromatic and heroic "pigeon leg tempura with smoked pigeon breast" wafts in, bringing a new round of taste buds. Then, who can refuse the consistent pink color, delicate meat, rich oil, and extremely sweet and beautiful Zhongtuoluo?

The fatty aroma of tuna lingers in your mouth, and the fatty and non-greasy "Anglerfish Liver" and the sweet and sweet "Tozawa Purple Sea Urchin" bring waves of pleasure to the taste buds. Then come to a bowl of fresh and sweet "fresh sea cucumber honey bean kettle rice", and you will be happy to circle in circles. Before you know it, during the 9-course sushi 6-course food and main dishes, you will enjoy 11 wonderful champagnes, which are as smooth as the exquisite performance of the Philharmonic Orchestra, and enjoy the harmony and beauty.

Neighborhood

Friends often ask, how to evaluate the famous restaurant Neighborhood in Central, Hong Kong? There is as much buzz about TA in the city as there is a lot of complaining about TA. I must say that from the first time I ate it, to the foil again and again after that, I personally like TA, Chef David is like the "Huang Laoxi" in the chef world, talented and unique, and the biggest feature of his products is that the flavor is three-dimensional, the taste is public, full of emotion, and desire.

I can also understand that I don't appreciate Neighborhood's products, and in my opinion, it's not because it's bad, but because everyone wants something different. Some of you are thinking that you are paying a lot of money for the traditional Michelin service, the fancy and avant-garde meals, or the romantic atmosphere that will make your partner fall in love, but I'm sorry that you have chosen the wrong restaurant.

At the dining table in the Neighborhood, there is no neatness and meticulousness, no balance and warmth, not to mention that the shape is greater than the real thing, and there are only "foodies special" that are not ingenious, and Chef David's principle is "come if you like, don't like to leave", which I deeply agree. There are thousands of restaurants in the city, you can choose what you like to eat, and you can't scold and scold this one because it doesn't meet your aesthetic expectations, and bombard the Asia's top 50 list.

To tell the truth, it is more appropriate to go to Neighborhood and find 3-4 friends with similar tastes who love to eat and drink, because the dishes tend to be shared, and 4-5 people can eat happily and without pressure. It's just that most of the time I am "I don't have to send each other alone", after the beginning of the year, I ordered a meal for one person in Neighborhood, and asked Chef David in advance to ask him to arrange the dishes according to one person, and what to eat, with my understanding of him, there will definitely be surprises, and at the same time, it will be a challenge for my appetite.

Chef David happily agreed, and the many dishes that were carefully prepared for me that day were not pretentious at all, but each one was the ultimate pampering for the taste buds. First of all, there is a shrimp, which is a genuine shrimp, and the only decoration is their freshness and fragrance. Then a fish is fried, and it is placed in a metal plate like this, accompanied by a small can of homemade creamy caviar, and you don't have to think about how to take pictures to look good, just eat it while it's hot.

In a cast iron pan, a full pot of fluorescent squid is cooked, and at least ten servings of squid pasta priced at Da Domenico can be served, and the tenderness and freshness are perfect.

When the crab toast was served, I asked David, who was cursing in front of the board, "How should this be eaten?" He replied, "I don't know." "The problem is that it's delicious. This may be the reason why this small restaurant may not be favored by Michelin, but it has always been a regular customer of 50 BEST.

Many people think that Neighborhood is only good at chicken and seafood, and the overall oil is more seasoning, here I must recommend the new dish unlocked this time beef salad, Chef David found a very brilliant Korean beef, low fat content and rich meat, rare at the same time delicate taste, with strawberry, black truffle and other rich ingredients, diverse and harmonious, a try unforgettable.

Mandarin Grill + Bar

Nowadays, when I open the Hong Kong travel guide on social networks, I am not sharing street food to explore the restaurant or those Internet celebrity stores to check in, but I rarely see the restaurant recommendations with real texture and taste, I think that for domestic diners, going to Hong Kong to enjoy a classic Western food with excellent taste in a luxury hotel is a very recommended choice.

It cannot be said that there is no good Western food in China, but the price of similar quality is only high and not low, and it is difficult to get such a level of production for the same amount of money, that is to say, it is almost impossible to achieve the same quality and service experience at the same price.

In the previous tweets, I spent a lot of time introducing the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, which has witnessed the changes and legends of Hong Kong for more than half a century, The Chinnery, which condenses the unique style of the British gentlemen's club, and the traditional Cantonese Wenhua Restaurant, which is always hard to find in the market.

I love a lunch at the Mandarin Steakhouse, where the sleek contemporary design blends seamlessly with the club's legendary history, the abundant light fills the space, the unrivalled views of Statue Square and Chater Garden, the precious murals by artist Gerard D'A Henderson, and the modern and sophisticated adaptation of classic dishes on the table, making people feel incredibly comfortable and relaxed with elegance.

Every time I come to Wenhua Steakhouse for a meal, I must order "a can" of their caviar. Although it is no longer a new way to use caviar jars as a container for dishes, and to present caviar with suitable ingredients, Mandarin Steakhouse has not only maintained a high level of sophistication and deliciousness, but also constantly changed and innovated.

The restaurant has a good and healthy set menu for lunch, but I personally recommend the chef's menu or a la carte from the main menu. In addition to retaining a variety of classic dishes, the menu also includes many creative dishes that are popular with regulars. To this end, the restaurant spares no effort to source the world's finest ingredients, and that's because the kitchen team believes that the umami of the ingredients themselves plays an integral role in the dishes.

Many of the restaurant's "best ingredients in the world" are locally sourced, used as the main ingredients, and presented with classic Western cooking techniques. For example, when I see dishes on the menu that have Hong Kong hand-caught fresh squid, they usually only appear in seafood restaurants or trendy bistro taverns.

While chatting with friends while looking through the menu, his eyes swept over one of the dishes and was firmly locked by it, "I must try this dish", it is a chicken dish, the key is to live in Hong Kong, stocked for 100 days of plain chicken, fresh enough and energetic, this black truffle roast chicken, chicken thighs and chicken breasts with skin, the taste is firm and not firewood, the skin and fragrant meat are refreshing and chicken-flavored, with a rich aroma and full of sauce, the strength is not lost to the so-called "four famous chickens on Hong Kong Island".

The Aubrey

In addition to the wonderful restaurants mentioned above, the charming and unique "Japanese izakaya" The Aubrey on the 25th floor of Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong is also my most frequent destination. It only opened in 2021, and it is the young and delicate flower of this legendary hotel that carries countless historical events.

If you think The Aubrey is a traditional Japanese bar, you are wrong, it has three different bar spaces, combining the sophistication of a Japanese bar, the relaxed freehand of an izakaya, the extraordinary creativity of the modern cocktail team, and the diversity and inclusiveness of the international city café, which is not defined as its biggest feature, and it is also unique among the 50 best bars in Asia.

In addition to the daily productions and the After Dark retro dance music party every weekend, there are also a variety of events held non-stop. In February this year, the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month of "Chinese Valentine's Day" and the 2.14 Valentine's Day of "Western Valentine's Day" came one after another, and in order to "Celebrate the Month of Love", The Aubrey and Baccarat, a French temple crystal brand that originated from 1764, held a joint event.

Stefano Bussi, the overall champion of the 2024 World Class World Bartending Competition in Hong Kong and Macau, and a newcomer to The Aubrey at Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong, has carefully designed three special cocktails presented in baccarat crystal glasses for the Aubrey x Baccarat collaboration. Celebrate the season of love, where refined flavours blend with classic elegance and the elegance and artistry of The Aubrey x Baccarat with your loved ones.

After less than two weeks, I went to Hong Kong again because I booked Murasaki Zimei, this day happened to be World Bartender Day, and as soon as I opened IG, I saw that The Aubrey who was close to current affairs and would play had a guest event, and the bartenders who came to the guest seats were two of my good friends, Ethan of Changsha CMYK and Jiawei of Singapore White Shades, Chong!

Ethan and Jiawei, who have strong experience and strength and are still working hard to improve, are on the same stage, bringing six wonderful bartenders, it must be said that the drinkers are blessed, Hong Kong's guests have a high sense of touch, at 6 p.m. on Monday, the guest just started, The Aubrey has been fully filled, the production has a good atmosphere, at this level, Hong Kong, which has a higher degree of internationalization of the industry, is still much ahead of China.

GOKAN

Shingo GOKAN is a world-class champion bartender with a reputation in the international bartending world, who has not only had a profound positive impact on the industry, but is also one of the most proficient bartenders in Asia, following Shanghai, Tokyo, Okinawa and New York, he has partnered with strong local investors to open a new bar GOKAN in Hong Kong.

GOKAN Bar opened its doors during the Asia's 50 Best Bars Awards in July last year, becoming one of the most popular bars during the event, and allowing colleagues from all over Asia and around the world to experience the ingenuity and design of his new store for the first time. This also shows the confidence and ambition of the bar that bears its name.

In addition to Shingo San's name, GOKAN also translates to "five senses" in Japanese, and the concept of the bar is based on the five senses, from the decoration to the wine list, from the visual to the flavor, the "five senses" elements are fully poured into the elements, and one of the major characteristics of the bar is its extreme pursuit of detail. Shingo emphasizes that Japanese bar culture is known for its long history and exquisite technology.

The space of the bar is designed with great attention to detail, including the choice of glassware and the use of ice. These details not only enhance the quality of the wine, but also add to the richness of the overall experience. The bar team led by Morris presented a first-class standard under the guidance of Shingo San, watermelon coffee, banana bubbles, tom yum soup, ...... Fun and playful, subverting your perception of Japanese style.

In the post-mask era of Hong Kong's bar trend, customers come early and leave early, so bars in Central open before 6 p.m., serving more formal food in addition to drinks, and Shingo, a market insightful company, has teamed up with renowned chefs from Tokyo and Hong Kong early on to create innovative Michelin-caliber dishes with a twist on Japanese cuisine.

Smoked tuna tartar is a must-order dish every time I go, as well as a variety of boiled and fried dishes, so you can experience what it means to be a two-Michelin-starred appetizer here, and of course, the price is also a two-Michelin star. Morris from Taiwan recommended to me the eye-catching fruit ice, and poured it with Okinawa's unique brown sugar liqueur, which is super handsome to eat at the bar.

The Opposites

If I want to count the Hong Kong bars I have visited the most this year, it would probably be The Opposites, which is the same new store that opened before and after the Asia's 50 Best Bars Awards last July, GOKAN has the strength of Shingo GOKAN, the "light of Asia", and The Opposites is not far behind, its founder is the industry's recognized "Hong Kong bar godfather" Antonio Lai and his big apprentice Samuel Kwok, who has been with him for many years.

Antonio Lai has won many of the world's top bartending competitions, is also the soul pioneer of the creative "molecular cocktail", the pioneer of the concept of "multi-sensory bartending" in Hong Kong, and countless bartenders have thrived under his cultivation and protection, one of which is Samuel Kwok. Antonio and Samuel are like Wong Fei Hung and Liang Kuan in the bartending world, with great trust and cooperation.

The Opposites, which the two co-manage, is located near Quinary, a famous store in Hong Kong that has laid the starting point for hegemony and created countless classic legends. The new menu was a very interesting idea, with eight classic cocktails selected and adapted by Samuel and Antonio in the styles of "Balanced, Classic, Adventurous" and "Theatrical, Experimental, Dynamic" respectively, which means that each classic can be drunk in two completely different versions.

I went to the wine list several times in a row, and many of the wines were impressed, including one time I ordered "Bombay Mary" and "Miss Gazpacho" from Bloody Mary at the same time.

Inspired by the peanut butter and jam found in America's favorite sandwiches, Antonio's PB&J is a classic variation of my favorite cocktail, Boulevardier, a classic twist on Antonio's multi-sensory cocktail, with outstanding flavor and creative and visual interactions, becoming a new classic of this era.

If I were to find my favourites on the wine list, I would vote for Samuel's adaptation of Sazerac's "Old World Charm", with the malt distilled spirits trio as the main axis, the dry deviants, the French aperitifs adding layers of flavour, the soul-giving ouzo, the seemingly unbounded colourful coconut water in subtle harmony with other ingredients, and the seaweed as the finishing touch, all in perfect balance, striking a delicate balance that is astonishingly delicate.