Lifestyle

Where to Eat: Top Restaurants to Try this April

Published

1w ago

Apr 24, 2024 / 9868 Views

Evan Walker

Here’s our list of top restaurants and dining experiences to book this April.

Hokkien traditions at Ming Pavilion

Ming Pavilion has finally opened at the Island Shangri-La Hong Kong, serving beautiful Hokkien food among beautiful natural surroundings and plenty of natural light on the spa and pool floor of the hotel. The new restaurant is helmed by Head Chef Jack Lam Yeung, who brings a new perspective on Hokkien cuisine and plays into the vibrant offerings of Fujian province through classic dishes like “Buddha Jumps Over the Wall” and Steamed Mud Crab with Glutinous Rice. A wonderful discovery for us, however, is the Xiamen-style “Popiah” dish (pictured above), a traditional local Xiamen dish that’s delicious and fun to eat. If you love Peking duck, then you’ll also love Popiah rolls and its abundant choice of textures and fillings. Hot wraps steamed in a bamboo basket are served with thinly julienned cabbage, carrots and jicama, fatty pork and fresh shrimp, Alaskan crab, pork lard crisps, seafood and peanut candy. Wash down the delicious meal with sips of aromatic tea, curated and prepared table side by tea master and mixologist, Tiffany Chan. – Stephanie Ip

Open for lunch and dinner Mondays to Sundays. Reservations can be made here.

Peninsula Afternoon Tea on the water

If you’re local, you grew up knowing that afternoon tea at the Peninsula lobby was reserved for only the most special occasions. If you’re a Traveller in the city, it’s something to check off your must-do list. But now, the hotel has created an even more exciting experience for Travellers and locals alike with the Peninsula Afternoon Tea on the Harbour, high tea aboard the iconic Star Ferry as it cruises along the Victoria Harbour. The experience was first introduced last year as a one-off, but has now been announced to continue until 30 June 2024 due to popular demand. The new seasonal menu, created by The Lobby’s Chef de Cuisine Anton Ho, includes delicious savoury bites such as Seaweed-Cauliflower Mousse and Abalone Tart with Soya Sauce, alongside four types of classic finger sandwiches. Pastries, created by Pastry Chef Florian Couteau, highlight local flavours such as the Red Bean Curd-flavoured Peanut Brownies and Milk Tea Éclairs. And of course, what high tea experience is complete without scones, clotted cream and jam? Diners can also sit back and relax with free-flow wines and champagnes (at an additional cost), and enjoy the live band as they play all your favourite tunes. – Stephanie Ip

The Peninsula Afternoon Tea on the Harbour, priced at HK$ 820* per person, takes place every Saturday and Sunday from 1:00 pm to 2:45 pm, and 4:00 pm to 5:45 pm. Make your reservations here.

Brunch of Kings at Melody – House of Food & Music

Taking over from Sai Ying Pun’s Potato Head site is Melody, the latest opening on Third Street that managing to pull crowds on Fridays and Saturdays away from central. If you’re not already familiar, then here’s the story: akin to a member’s club, Melody brings together dining and entertaining across different spaces, including a music room, a terrace, a lounge room and a fabulous open-air kitchen. Essentially, pre-dinner drinks, dinner, late-night cocktails and dancing can all be done under one roof. Efficient? Tick. Recently introduced is a three-course weekend brunch menu that verges into more lunch territory with proper hearty European food and not an overpriced avocado toast in sight – phew! Sharing plate-style starters (sausages, tuna tartare, terrine campagnarde and aubergine escabeche) and desserts (sticky toffee pudding and passion fruit pavlova) are pre-ordered, because who wants to make too many decisions on the weekend? Mains include things like roast chicken, ribeye steak and sea bream, and on Sundays, a classic roast with proper trimmings. Saturday hosts live DJ’s spinning vinyl, while Sundays are more chilled with an acoustic band. With free flow packages available too (2.5 hours including champagne, wine, beer, spritzes and spirits), Melody’s brunch manages to strike the balance of being fun without attracting the Hawaiian shirt-wearing, mimosa-guzzling crowd and feeling special without being pretentious or too stuffy. We’ll be back. – Madelaine Clark

The Melody Brunch menu is served from 12noon – 3pm on Saturdays & Sundays.

Sake Pairings and a Chicken Sando at The Aubrey

The Mandarin Oriental never fails to entertain and delight diners with exclusive pop-ups and four-hands dinners at their restaurants. More recently, the storied hotel has partnered with Sake Walk after a five-year hiatus. As a sake enthusiast, I decided to try a sake pairing with a gastronomic menu at Aubrey, and it did not disappoint. For starters, we began with the signature oyster served with Hokkaido Uni and Salmon Roe, accompanied by the fruity and refreshing Shichiken Yama-no-Kasumi Sparkling, which provided a perfect start to the meal. The dish that captured my heart was the Chicken Katsu Sando topped with The Aubrey caviar, paired with Shichiken Onakaya Junmai Daiginjo. Katsu Sandos can sometimes feel very rich and greasy, but the Junmai Daiginjo helped to elevate the sandwich, and cut through the fat while imparting an enticing aroma. For those who enjoy sake and Japanese bites, this is your chance to experience a complete sake dining journey. – Janice Leung

The Aubrey, 5 Connaught Road, Central. Make your reservations here.

Sakura dinner at Honjo

From 19^th to 28^th of April, Honjo will be celebrating Japan’s famed cherry blossom season with a special Sakura Dinner menu. Transporting you to Sapporo, Hokkaido, the extensive menu brings the wonderful flavours of the northern city to Hong Kong, starting with yuzu salmon, edamame and spinach for apPetisers, followed by a Wagyu tataki and scallop and toro tartare. Next up is a refreshing sushi and sashimi course, pairing premium seasonal sashimi with Sakura Futomaki with crab meat, sake, cucumber, tamago, tobiko, inari and negi, before you return to a warm dish of sea bass misoyaki and miso ramen. A Sakura Monaka dessert puts the perfect conclusion to this festive menu. Priced at $880, Honjo’s Sakura Dinner menu is also available with an optional drinks pairing for $480. – Jeff Yeung

Honjo, 1/F, 77-91 Queen’s Rd West, Sheung Wan. See Honjo’s Sakura menu and make your reservations here.

Harmonious and healing flavours at Cuisine Cuisine

Mindful of the daily challenges of modern day living in a vibrant metropolis, Chinese Executive Chef Edwin Tang at Cuisine Cuisine at The Mira demonstrates deep understanding of the common belief that nourishing diet which feeds the Life Force “Qi” is key to a balanced Lifestyle. To celebrate the change of the seasons and the arrival of the Spring Equinox, he is serving up a nourishing menu of perfectly balanced Cantonese specialties incorporating premium ingredients with traditional Chinese medicine properties. Not only satisfying, the dishes also help to replenish vital life force and boost your immunity. Stemming from ‘harmony’ – a concept deeply rooted in the ancient Chinese culture and the heart of the culinary philosophy of the chef – the Healthy and healing new set menu is available from now until 30 April, featuring 6 sumptuous delicacies such as double-boiled chicken soup with fresh Korean ginseng and Schizandra berry as well as delicate dessert of double-boiled aloe vera sweet soup with dried longan and goji berry that can also be ordered a la carte. – Andre Neveling

The Mira Hong Kong, Mira Place, 118 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui. Make your reservations here.