If 2020 was a battle for survival for Hong Kong's F&B industry, 2021 sang a different tune. The aftershocks from the first waves of Covid-19 were still to be felt, for sure, but amidst the backdrop of loosening local social distancing restrictions, pent-up energy, an absence of international travel, and falling commercial rents, the past year saw an unprecedented boom in new restaurant openings, injecting fresh vitality into a sector that was battered by the brunt of social unrest and the subsequent pandemic.
Although 2021 marked the second year that our Best Restaurants awards night did not take place, we're continuing our mission to spotlight promising new restaurants with our most extensive shortlist to date at 25 venues, reflecting the sheer volume of innovation, vigour and ingenuity that has graced Hong Kong's dining scene in these difficult times.
Each venue was nominated by our Tatler Dining panelists, but readers will crown the restaurant most worthy of the title, with the winner to be announced in February. Read more about the nominees below (listed in alphabetical order) and cast your vote using the form before 23:59 on January 31, 2022.
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You can also read all about each nominee below before casting your vote. Voting closes at 23:59 on January 31!
Ami
Ami and Wood Ear is a double billing of a French restaurant and a whisky-centric bar nestled in Alexandra House. Immediately, the restaurant's hushed, all-black wooden surrounds mark it as being cut from the same cloth as its sister restaurants, Épure and Arbor. Helming the kitchen is Épure's veteran executive chef, Nicolas Boutin, along with chef de cuisine Eric Taluy, who have embarked on a culinary style they call "fine bistronomie". A light hybrid of haute cuisine and Parisian bistro dining, Boutin 'combined the idea of doing good food but with more conviviality', resulting in a style of cooking that brings the sophistication of fine dining to the moreish, approachable flavours of a neighbourhood bistro.
Ami and Wood Ear, Shop 302, Alexandra House, 18 Chater Road, Central, Hong Kong; +852 3185 8396, ami-woodear.hk
The Aubrey
Dubbed an "eccentric izakaya", The Aubrey is a paean to Japonisme, a cultural movement that swept Europe in the latter half of the 19th century. Featuring no less than three bars within its premises—the main bar, an oyster and sparkling sake bar, and a cocktail omakase counter—The Aubrey's cocktail programme is run by mixologist Devender Sehgal, whose approach taps into the ephemerality of the seasons that drives the Japanese gastronomic zeitgeist. Combined with its elaborate interiors, and elevated izakaya cuisine that flips established culinary conventions on their head—with dishes like nigiri sushi sprinkled with ants, potato salad topped with Oscietra caviar, and savoury white miso soufflé—The Aubrey is without doubt one of the most notable new openings of late.
The Aubrey, 25/F, Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong, 5 Connaught Road Central, Central, Hong Kong; mandarinoriental.com, +852 2825 4001
Auntie Ayi
Stowed within the Wellwellwell multi-concept dining venue, Auntie Ayi pays homage to the amah, or nursemaids who tended to noble households and their kitchens in southern China. With a focus on southern Chinese comfort food as well as Chinese regional favourites, the restaurant features a plethora of time-honoured dishes that have fallen out of favour over the years due to their labour-intensive cooking processes, and which head chef Michael Wu is looking to bring back into the spotlight. Among Auntie Ayi's many signature dishes, the most impressive is the sesame candy chicken, which takes inspiration from the nostalgic childhood sweet. Designed by Nelson Chow of NC Design and Architecture, the dining room features a futuristic, curvilinear chrome ceiling that echoes a spaceship's interior and the electric visuals of Wong Kar-wai's 2046.
Auntie Ayi, Shop 002, LG1, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty, Hong Kong; +852 28037881, instagram.com/wearewellwellwell
Bacchus
Bacchus, a new wine-forward establishment in Sheung Wan, serves its own brand of modern, Asian-influenced French cuisine with a vast coterie of rare bottles. Named after the Roman god of wine, it's led by Hervé Pennequin, a dedicated wine educator and sommelier who has curated a selection of 800 esoteric labels from around the world, highlighting uncommon grape varietals alongside both familiar and novel expressions from Bordeaux and Burgundy, among others. Heading up the food programme are chef consultant Laurent Varachaud, who has worked with the likes of Michelin-starred chefs Alain Ducasse and Pierre Gagnaire, and executive chef Mickael Messina, formerly of Paris' Hôtel Plaza Athénée. Their take on French cuisine takes ample inspiration from Hong Kong's foodscape while placing the pairing potential of the different dishes front and centre.
Bacchus, 3/F, Hollywood Centre, 233 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong; +852 3750 5200
Bâtard
French fine-dining restaurant Bâtard brings together good wine and simple yet perfected French dishes to Sai Ying Pun. It's headed by chef Aven Lau, who at only 27 years old brings a wealth of experience to the kitchen, having worked under Julien Royer at Odette in Singapore before relocating to Hong Kong where he worked alongside chef Daniel Calvert at Belon and with chef Edward Voon at Le Pan. Serving uncomplicated French dishes that complement the vast wine list, you’ll find both an a la carte menu as well as a chef’s tasting menu. Must orders include the signature roast chicken with warm pilaf rice, roasted quail, as well as the cold angel hair with caviar and kombu.
Bâtard, Shop E1 & E2, G/F, Viking Court, 165-166 Connaught Road West, Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong; +852 2318 1802, batardhk.com
Belon
In its half-decade at the top of Soho, Belon became a sum that was greater than its parts, transcending the original intention of opening a neighbourhood neo-Parisian bistro. Following the departure of chef Daniel Calvert, the restaurant's move to new Joyce Wang-designed confines above Ho Lee Fook, and the arrival of decorated chef Matthew Kirkley, the only thing that seems to have escaped change is Belon's name. In Kirkley, we find a culinary mind who is, rather than a revolutionary, much more a steward of Belon's distinct gastronomic style. In the few months that he has led the kitchen team, Kirkley has improved upon old classics as well as introducing new signatures, winning over new fans near and far.
Belon, 1st Floor, 1-5 Elgin St, Central; belonsoho.com, +852 2152 2872
Censu
Shun Sato's new Sheung Wan restaurant recreates a slice of his upbringing in Japan, yet his cooking is more quietly confident than ever. Having left his post as head chef at stylish late-night izakaya Fukuro in 2019, the Sendai native reemerged last summer with Censu, a rustic yet sophisticated restaurant that serves Sato's unique take on Japanese izakaya dishes. With its understated interiors, considered sake curation and surprising dishes like 'unigiri' and zucchini flower tempura, Censu is a slice of the Japan that we all miss dearly.
Censu, 28-30 Gough Street, Central, Hong Kong; +852 2997 7009
Cultivate
Cultivate is a chef’s table restaurant where diners are invited to have a direct, interactive experience with the culinary team. With just 22 seats, the restaurant serves just one eight-course menu that continues to evolve and pivot based on seasonality and inspiration; roughly a third of the dishes will change every three weeks, designed to keep chef-founder Leonard Cheung and his team on their feet and returning guests continuously fascinated. The menu is also a celebration of seasonal vegetables, rather than paying lip service to fans of caviar, truffles and wagyu—the unofficial holy trinity of modern fine dining, though when they do appear, it's in unconventional formats. Diners have responded enthusiastically since its opening, this time in a space that Cheung can finally call his own.
Cultivate, 29 Elgin Street, Central, Hong Kong; cultivate.hk
Estro
Estro is Italian chef Antimo Maria Merone's first solo restaurant in collaboration with Yenn Wong of JIA Group. Taking its name from the Italian word for 'inspiration', Estro is can be found just one floor below Duddell's in a space designed by André Fu to be reflective of a Neapolitan luxury salotto (drawing room). The launch menu is unapologetically Italian—specifically, an ode to Merone's hometown of Napoli and its storied local flavours. Recalling elements from his childhood, Merone's creations for Estro include a clay-encased pigeon inspired by Pompeii, and a tomato starter that presents the quintessentially Italian fruit four different ways. The pistachio gelato, made by hand, is another highlight of every meal that completes a beautifully holistic dining experience.
Estro, 2/F, 1 Duddell Street, Central, Hong Kong; estro.hk
Fireside
Paying homage to the most primal form of cooking, this addition to Central’s dining scene offers a unique open-fire dining experience with dishes derived from the best possible ingredients and exemplary wood-fired cooking techniques. It's helmed by acclaimed chef Miguel Gallo—formerly of the esteemed Aqua Restaurant Group and Smoke & Barrels—who presents a menu that revolves around the primal appeal of roaring flames in a departure from modern haute cuisine. The establishment is more of chef Gallo’s tribute to old-fashioned wood-fired cooking methods, presenting grilled specialties based on recipes from Spanish, Japanese and Latin American cuisines that are crafted solely through fire and smoke, allowing those natural flavours of ingredients to shine.
Fireside, 5/F, The Steps, H Code, 45 Pottinger Street, Central, Hong Kong; +852 6610 8619, fireside.hk
Giacomo
Helmed by chef Keith Yam, whose career has seen him cook at the likes of Tosca di Angelo and Otto e Mezzo, the 38-seat Giacomo serves seafood-focused haute cuisine from Crowne Plaza Hong Kong in Causeway Bay, including Brittany blue lobster with Sardinian gnocchi, langoustine with matsutake mushroom, and red prawn spaghetti chitarra. To accompany, a curated wine collection of award-winning Italian labels is on offer. With its quietly grand interiors and delicate, highly seasonal cuisine, Giacomo is a rare fine dining destination that doesn't lose out on the intimacy of the best restaurants.
Giacomo, G/F, Crowne Plaza Hong Kong Causeway Bay, 8 Leighton Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Interval Farmacy
Known for a distinctive blend of artisanal coffee, wine and modern international cuisine, Interval has honed in on this dependable formula with a major transformation early last year, when founders Josh and Caleb Ng near-simultaneously opened two sizeable venues in Cyberport and Lohas Park. Since then, Interval Farmacy has added vital energy to the neighbourhood, with the likes of chef Samuel Ng and consultant Wallace Lo steering the food and drink programmes. Offering a culinary, farm-to-table focus and limited pop-up collaborations with the likes of The Chairman, Interval is showcasing a novel grassroots approach to food, wine and coffee that we could all learn a little something from.
Interval Farmacy, Shop 207, Level 2, Arcade, Cyberport, 100 Cyberport Road, Pok Fu Lam, Hong KongInterval, Shop 417, 4/F, The Lohas, 1 Lohas Park Road, Tseung Kwan O, Hong Kong
Kushiro
Tucked away in the basement of The Peninsula, sushi restaurant Kushiro is helmed by a team of six chefs, including ex-The Aubrey chef Yukihito Tomiyama and Nobu veteran Jason Au, who split their expertise between French-inspired Japanese cooking and traditional Edomae sushi. Reflecting this approach, the tasting menus are almost evenly split between the two disciplines. Kushiro also boasts a sake sommelier to handle extensive pairings for each tasting menu.
Kushiro, Shop BW1, BW3 & BW5, B1/F, The Peninsula Hotel, Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong; kushiro.com.hk
Little Bao Central
Following the shuttering of Little Bao's original Soho location in the summer of 2019, Central-bound fans of chef May Chow have been left in limbo—that is, until its famous baby-faced logo returned last November to light up the steps of Shin Hing Street and reinstate its claim to the neighbourhood where it all began. Here, you’ll find classics such as the lamb tartare returning to the menu, alongside new dishes such as the skirt steak beef tataki, the mixed seafood ceviche, and crab bao featuring a panko crab cake patty; alongside a new drinks menu featuring small-batch Hong Kong brewers, distillers and independent vineyards such as Fernet Hunter, EcoSpirits, Proof & Co., Carbon Brews and Sunday’s.
Little Bao Central, 1-3 Shin Hing Street, Central, Hong Kong, little-bao.com
Margo
Bringing 23 years of experience with him, chef Mario Paecke helms modern European bistro Margo which, with its terrazzo-splashed interiors, a Germanic-inspired menu, and in-house speakeasy bar Kyle & Bain, has proved to be one of the most popular tables in town. Signature dishes include Paecke's own take on popular Berlin street food, currywurst, and Königsberger Klopse, a traditional German dish made with veal meatballs, Norwegian langoustine and creamy caper sauce. Complimenting the dishes is a wine list curated by head sommelier Elvis Lo.
Margo, Shop 6, 9 Queen's Road Central, Central, Hong Kong
Masa Hong Kong
Last February, Lai Sun Dining added to its enviable portfolio of restaurants with the debut of Masa Hong Kong. Helmed by chef Masataka "Masa" Fujisawa, whose Sushi Masataka in Wan Chai has attracted a cult following since its 2017 opening, Masa Hong Kong serves a tantalising mix of world-class omakase and service against a quintessentially Hong Kong backdrop. Dry-ageing is the focus of the cuisine here, driven by Fujisawa's belief that the process concentrates flavour and umami, while imbuing a more tender texture to the fish. Some showstoppers include the fatty tuna nigiri, Kyushu squid, and kombu-cured Hokkaido uni.
Masa Hong Kong, 5/F, CCB Tower, 3 Connaught Road Central, Central, Hong Kong; +852 2131 1303, masa-hk.com
Moxie
In line with The Arcane's Collective's driving principles of serving socially and environmentally-aware cuisine, empowering talent and championing creativity, Moxie invites diners to regard their relationship with food in the context of health and the environment, all the while broadening their horizons. As a result, the ingredients here are predominantly sourced from local farms and regional suppliers. Operating by this ethos, chef de cuisine Michael Smith uses his close working relationships with local organic farms to source ingredients at the peak of their prime, with the menu changing week on week.
Moxie, Shop 203, 2/F, Alexandra House, Landmark, 18 Chater Road, Central, Hong Kong; instagram.com/moxie_hk
OBP
Headed by Korean-American beverage director Daniel Eun, this venture by the team behind Mexican restaurants 11 Westside and Westside Taqueria takes inspiration from the iconic alcohol houses (sool-jip) found all over South Korea, with an extensive food menu by former Jinjuu chef Junwoo Choi matched with cocktails designed by Eun, whose well-known CV includes the original PDT in New York City. Snacks and mains make up the food menu, which skitters between traditional kimchi pancake, Korean fried chicken and spicy rice cakes to creations such as corn “ribs” glazed with honey butter and parmesan; sending the message, perhaps, that this is is the place where Seoul food will nurture your soul.
OBP, 3-5 Old Bailey Street, Central (enter via alleyway behind Old Bailey Street), Hong Kong
RadicalChic
Taking over the former Tenku Ryugin space on the 101st floor of the International Commerce Centre (ICC), RadicalChic certainly has the pride of place, with an interior that was designed to resemble a museum art gallery. Styling itself as "refined and radical", the restaurant's ethos is displayed in a signature 10-course degustation menu that changes according to the seasons. With signature dishes like Sicilian “Caponata” with Mazara del Vallo prawn, fried frogs legs, and Ti-ra-mi-sù that reflect the levity of the sky-high setting, RadicalChic is a restaurant that might prove to have more than its share of staying power.
RadicalChic, Shop B1, 101/F, International Commerce Centre, 1 Austin Road West, Tsim Sha Tsui; radicalchichk.com, +852 3618 7880
Rex Wine & Grill
Found in the basement of One Chinachem Central, Rex Wine & Grill imparts an intimate, old-world ambience with white tablecloth service to match chef Nathan Green's craft. Featuring prime cuts like 44 Farms USDA Prime, Stone Axe full-blood Australian Wagyu, and the exclusive Japanese olive-fed Wagyu Kagawa, the menu places particular emphasis on smoking as a technique, incorporating everything from house-smoked meats and fish, to even subtly smoked seasonal vegetables, garnishes and condiments. Adding to the theatricality of the dining experience, some of the steak options are served tableside or as rotating daily specials.
Rex Wine & Grill, B/F, One Chinachem Central, 22 Des Voeux Road Central, Central, Hong Kong; +852 2857 7157
Salisterra
With its offer of fine dining and warm, personalised service within the revitalised environment of a neighbourhood bistro, Salisterra has turned heads for its menu that was remotely designed by acclaimed London chef Jun Tanaka of one-Michelin-starred French-Mediterranean restaurant The Ninth London; as well as the stunning interiors by André Fu, which cloaks the space with earthy and bold colours reflective of the Mediterranean coastline from which the restaurant draws inspiration. Salisterra's sky-high views, open kitchen and spacious main dining room are just the right surrounds to whisk diners away to sunnier climes while remaining in the heart of the city.
Salisterra, 49/F, The Upper House, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty, Hong Kong
The Sixteenth
Spread over 18,000 square feet in a Grade-A office tower, The Sixteenth features four original restaurants from Pirata Group nestled side by side. The first venue you'll encounter is La Favorita, a larger-than-life trattoria enrobed in rich drapery that recalls an episode of The Sopranos. Just outside is Tempo Tempo, an expansive terrace perfect for outdoor brunches or evening drinks; this is connected to Honjokko, an evolution of Honjo that features an expanded sushi bar and omakase experience. Finally, TMK Funk & Rolls is the latest addition to Pirata's 'temakeria' franchise, and inhabits a groovy space lined with vinyls. With over 150 dishes on offer, The Sixteenth adapts destination dining to Hong Kong's unique environment to tantalising effect.
The Sixteenth, 2/F, Oxford House, Taikoo Place, 979 King’s Road, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong; +852 2788 3011
Sushi Mamoru
Sushi Mamoru—which translates as 'to protect' in Japanese—makes its intentions clear from the outset with the appointment of chef Hirofumi Chiba at the helm. A third-generation sushi master with 22 years of experience under his belt, the self-proclaimed "fish geek" specialises in traditional Edomae-style sushi, and at Sushi Mamoru this translates into the 20-dish Takumi evening omakase menu, or the shorter Kiwame omakase lunch menu during the day. With only 12 seats, you can be assured that this sushi temple has been booked solid for months on end from the moment of its opening.
Sushi Mamoru, G/F, 32 Oi Kwan Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
Whey
Dedicated to and inspired by the flavours of chef Barry Quek’s Singaporean upbringing, Whey's tasting menu turns the spotlight on local, seasonal ingredients, combining Quek's modern European culinary training with the flavours of his childhood—the opening coda serves as an introduction to his point of view through dishes inspired by the likes of bak kut teh, laksa, and the divisive durian fruit. Quek’s motivation to support local farms and producers has been a common thread throughout his career, and so the menu is built around sustainable sourcing and minimising food waste. That philosophy continues its trajectory at Whey, in a manner that is unique amalgam of Hong Kong and Singapore's unique foodscapes, not to be found anywhere else.
Whey, UG/F, The Wellington, 198 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong; +852 2693 3198; whey.hk
Wing
Celebrating the intricacies and potential of Chinese cuisine has always been a part of chef Vicky Cheng’s dining DNA—at Wing, the spotlight is placed fully on his personal reinterpretation of Chinese cuisine, the foundations for which were laid down long ago. Using Chinese food culture and origins as a starting point, Wing is Cheng’s chance to step outside of his comfort zone and let the history of the cuisine and experience of chefs before him lead the way.
Wing, 29/F, The Wellington, 198 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong; wingrestaurant.hk
