We managed to make it to Neighborhood for dinner against all odds a few weeks ago. We came close to calling it off at the last minute because of the deteriorating traffic situation in the city that day but at the end we actually arrived ahead of the planned booking time because most of us were allowed to leave office early.
We were the first group to arrive at the restaurant but it didn't take long for it to fill to its full capacity, front and back and at the bar counter. We pre-ordered a few items in advance (at the request of RR who suggested we ate here this time), and picked the rest of the dishes from the a la carte menu with a combination of new and old dishes, plus some seasonal items.
Chef David also sent us a few special dishes for us to try - which were what we started our dinner with. The small padron peppers were grilled and charred and served with karasumi (mullet roes) cured in-house and sliced thin for the mild accent of sea flavor. The foie gras torchon came in generous size (almost in the size of a can of spam) was well-infused with liquor with rich and fatty taste, and on top was the shaved raw champignon mushrooms with a light earthy taste.
The beef tartare was done in classic style with crumbled burrata, bits of hazelnuts, generous drizzle of olive oil plus some shaved white truffles for the extra aroma. The wedges of fruit tomatoes looked simple but they were probably the sweetest we have tried, with a hint of salted plum juice offering the interesting contrast of savory-sweet taste. The smoked threadfin was one of the blackboard special dishes of the evening - reminded me of the Chiuchow style chilled fish except with a smoky flavor and the meat from the fish head/collar was extra delicate and tasty.
The shirako dish was another one that David comped us with extra white truffles on top. The creamy cod milt was mixed with thin stalks of white asparagus and some cauliflower and baked au gratin with a dash of cream. The white truffles did do wonder to this rich and creamy dish with soft textures. I also liked the simple bowl of mussels served with sauteed girolle mushrooms and mild and creamy curry sauce - we mobbed up the last bit of the dish with the sourdough bread.
My favorite dishes of the evening were the garganelli and the boudin basque. The pasta dish has Piedmont written all over it with the handmade garganelli pasta tossed with a buttery sauce and served with thin strips of sauteed beef tripes and scallops skirt, both with similar texture but complimentary flavors. The signature boudin basque was good as ever, with the dark and rich blood pudding sausage served in a saucer-sized slab and topped with an egg done sunny-side up with bright orange, larger-than-normal yolk - the ingredients just worked together perfectly well.
Chicken was one of the dishes we pre-ordered. The whole bird was baked in a salt dome and presented to us, before it's brought back to the kitchen to finish with sauteed mushrooms, a creamy yellow wine sauce with rice. Chicken has excellent texture - juicy meat and bouncy skin - albeit slightly under-seasoned this time I reckon (something easily fixed by a light pinch of salt on the sauce) , but my favorite part was the rice sitting at the bottom of the pan, perfectly crisped taking in all the good flavors from the meat jus and sauce.
The baked brie with shaved black truffles and chocolate palette dish were something on their regular a la carte menu but we did call ahead to make sure they didn't run out as they do sometimes. Both didn't disappoint.
Went with a few glasses off a couple of bottles. The slightly fermented flavor of the well-aged bottle of white from Loire Valley gave way to a pleasant hint of honey and floral aroma. The Sonoma zinfandel blend (courtesy of J) was surprisingly elegant and rounded, low on tannin but loaded with ripe black fruits and some sweet tobacco at the back - happy to have that any time of the night.
When? November 11 2019
Where? Neighborhood, Man Hing Lane near Hollywood Road/Peel Street junction, Central, Hong Kong
Menu Highlights? Handmade Garganelli, Spicy Scallop Skirt, Beef Tripes and Boudin Basque with Fried Egg
Drinks?
2017 Domaine LePlan-Vermeersch Cotes du Rhone Villages
2009 Chateau Soucherie Anjou Blanc, Loire
2014 Ridge Vineyards "Geyserville" Alexander Valley Zinfandel blend
Web:
http://www.facebook.com/neighborhoodhk/
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