Bar review: Padstow in Sai Kung – where village pub meets casual seafood restaurant

The vibe: formerly Hebe One O One and still with some of the same staff, this open-to-the-elements bar/restaurant has been given a thorough makeover by the same operation that runs Shoreditch in Kennedy Town. The name reflects a new seafood emphasis on a menu that is the same for all three storeys, but as before the ground floor is essentially a Hong Kong village pub, complete with Sunday roasts, fortnightly quiz nights and live sports screenings. The much refurbished roof is a good spot for small gatherings and smokers, and the new nautical blue and white paint job is a considerable aesthetic improvement.

The drinks: it’s not exactly a cocktail bar, although the drinks list includes a few, as well as some mocktails. It’s the sort of place for a Sunday brunch Bloody Mary or Bloody Maria (both, like all the cocktails, HK$88, while mocktails are HK$78), but the spirits behind the bar are well chosen, with a good selection of artisanal gins.

The Sloe Negroni, made with Broker’s gin, Sipsmith Sloe Gin, Martini Rosso vermouth and Campari, and garnished with mint and juniper berries, is a refreshing aperitif, but lacks the bitter complexity that is the essence of the drink’s appeal.

Like the name, the drinks list reflects the British character of the operation, and the Kentish winery Chapel Down Vintage Reserve Brut (HK$548 per bottle) features in the Bubbles section of a reasonably priced wine list. House wines are quaffable, modestly priced, and poured in generous measures, ranging in price from the Chilean Alto Los Romeros Chardonnay 2014, or Merlot 2015 (both HK$58) to Chateau La Gravette Lacombe Medoc 2010 (HK$89).

Beer service is a focal point for this venue, and the emphasis is on local and imported craft beers and ciders. On draught, and exclusive in Hong Kong to Padstow and Shoreditch, is St Mungo lager (HK$58) from Glasgow’s West Brewery, which according to the beer list is brewed in line with German purity laws. Light and refreshing, it will come into its own in the bar when the weather warms up a bit.