2 new fine dining restaurants in Hong Kong we just can’t stop talking about
The new eateries – 37 Steakhouse & Bar with its elevated steak experience, and the authentic regional Italian cuisine of Castellana – are making even veteran foodies salivate
There is no such thing as a slow summer when it comes to new restaurant openings – we tried two new restaurants, one opened this week and the other, last month, and we cannot say enough about them.
1. 37 Steakhouse & Bar
What: 37 Steakhouse & Bar on The Peak, is the third branch after the flagship in Tokyo’s Roppongi district, then Shanghai and now in Hong Kong. The restaurant offers an elevated steak experience, with the choicest cuts of beef, precise service, and a captivating wine and sake list, and the same spectacular views as the brand’s outlets in Tokyo and Shanghai.
Interior: The 7,000-square foot (650-square-metre) restaurant has spectacular views of Hong Kong through large windows that open up on to a patio. It seats 115 guests who can enjoy the birds eye views of the city or a large and busy open kitchen on the other side. There is a private dining room and semi-private dining too. We loved the quirky art-sculpture of a red bulls head on the bar, by Brazilian artist Mozart Guerra who has used rope as a medium to create fantastic life-size animal sculptures, including this one. Japanese designer Yasumichi Morita has done the interior, and uses oak, brass and cowhide, which has created a warm and inviting ambience.
On the menu: An array of steaks including the signature Hiyama Kuroge Wagyu – known for its fine grain and marbling. They also have USDA prime black Angus, Belgium prime beef and Korean Hanwoo 1 ++ beef, all cooked in a Spanish Josper Grill. Besides beef, there is roasted French spring chicken, lamb chop, Chilean sea bass, whole lobster and a multitude of vegetable sides. The starters feature oysters, steak tartare, a seafood platter and Italian red prawn carpaccio.
Must-try dishes: Fresh oysters three ways, one with champagne jelly, dashi jelly and caviar, but the favourite was the one with garlic and tamarind sauce. Since the coffin bay oysters are large and creamy, the tamarind cut through the richness and the garlic balanced it perfectly. The Japanese scallop carpaccio with lemon salsa and harissa was another light refreshing starter.
