The eat street of Wan Chai

A street or a square developed to represent the neighborhood food culture seems to be a growing trend in Hong Kong.

Recently, I spent a day in Wan Chai's Lee Tung Avenue. Hop across the road from Southorn Playground and take a stroll along the delightful walkway towards Hopewell Centre. There are comfortable park benches strewn along the way. Grab an ice cream, a cooling drink, a cocktail, coffee or snack from the outlets on either side of the lane and settle down in one of these if you'd like to soak in the ambience.

The first stop on your right is Le Pain Quotidien (French for daily bread). The eatery serves a variety of bread-based snacks in a comfortably relaxed atmosphere. The food is simple, unpretentious and wholesome. The internationally acclaimed Passion by Gerard Dubois, serving cakes, pastries, gourmet breads and salads, is next in line.

Hong Kong's first Nipo-Brasileiro restaurant and whisky bar - DJAPA - is not just a place for drinking and dining. The colorful artworks by renowned artists from around the world hanging on its walls are just as appetizing as all the carnivore dishes: striploin, tenderloin and ribeye steaks!

Up on the first floor of The Avenue, Ophelia has a fairy-tale ambience. The dcor references the arrogant peacock, plus there is intricate metal work and handmade plush velvet on the furniture. The cocktails are inspired by their "cabinet of curiosities" where aromatics - different blends of Asian herbs, spices and fruits - are on display. A performance, ranging from the burlesque to those with a touch of exotica, is held in the evenings.

Signature cocktails include Uncaged, based on tequila, Paparazzi, with spiced rum, and Sapphire Pursuit with Aviation Gin, besides violet liqueur. For nibbles, you could choose from a cheese platter, a mezze platter and a sumptuous meat platter of cured ham, prosciutto cotto, salame, salame Milano, baguette, melon, ricotta cheese and sundried tomato. And there's a chef's selection of desserts too!

Across the road from The Avenue, on the third floor of the Hopewell Centre, there's a real treat in store for lovers of Japanese cuisine at The Yuu Wan Chai. Chef Manuko O, who is in charge of the kitchens here as well as at the two sister restaurants of the King Parrot group, managing a team of 33 chefs, said: "Each chef specializes in a particular type of Japanese cooking, such as sushi, yakitori or sashimi."

Manuko O has spent 20 years cooking and creating Japanese dishes in Hong Kong. She still cooks every day at one of the three restaurants, and also finds a time to discuss the finer points of what they create in the kitchen with her team. "I am still trying to expand my knowledge and trying out new ingredients, combining it all to create new dishes," she says.

I particularly liked yakitori which blends both ancient and modern flavors of Japan, besides the different types of assorted sashimi, sushi, egg dishes, salad and cooked seafood.

Manuko O says: "The most popular dishes are the Edo-style six-layer omelette, Toyo sushi and roll."

"We usually run out of eggs towards the end of the evening," she adds.

On my most recent visit there I tasted a fabulous starter - stewed abalone salad. The abalone was steamed for just 10 minutes with sake and white turnip (exceeding the time limit will make the abalone chewy like rubber!) and then tossed together with fried whitebait, spinach, chrysanthemum flowers, romaine lettuce and mizuma greens in a dressing of sesame oil, vinegar, salt and sugar, and topped with thinly-sliced dried seaweed. It was outstanding!

The dessert - fresh mango tofu - was nothing like anything I had eaten before. Besides their own brand of premium sake, plus umeshu plum wine and shochu spirit seem to be the popular choices on the drinks list.

(HK Edition 09/01/2017 page9)