Downstairs Then Upstairs

Margo turned out to be much cozier than I thought as I walked in through the trendy, grand-looking entrance on Ice House Street, especially when the few of us snuggled around one of the few small tables in the dining room. There were actually 2 difference F&B venues under the same roof, Margo which was branded as an "intimate brasserie-style European restaurant", and Kyle & Bain, with the name being a reference to the history of its address Ice House Street, a Martini-centric bar tugged on the mezzanine level upstairs, both of which we were invited to check out. 

Our evening began downstairs at Margo, with a series of dishes Chef Mario Paecke and his team prepared for us. The restaurant was true to its concept with its menu dominated by typical western fare with a particular section dedicated to Happchen, or "small bites" in German, an apparent nod to Chef Mario's roots. I did enjoy the nicely plated octopus terrine and the beef croquette served with Truffle creme. 

I don't normally fancy a salad at a restaurant (or anywhere for that matter), but I thought the one we were served was delicious, with chunks of seasonal apricots and the punchy Belper Knolle cheese shaved on top of kale. The Hokkaido scallops were perfectly seared and served with caviar and Amalfi lemon cream on the side. I thought the thin slices of cauliflowers didn't do much other than for the look but overall the dish was pretty decent. 

The beef tartare was my favorite of the night, served with porcini and white onions on top with a quail egg yolk. Always a crowd pleaser and hard to go wrong with good ingredients in hand. And the Wiener Schnitzel was great too, served with fries, champignon-foie gras duxelle and cucumber salad. We "finished" with a sumptuous cheese platter with honey taken from the comb in-house plus the Tarte Tatin with vanilla ice-cream. 

But that's only half our evening - as we were done eating, we were offered to continue with another flight of martinis served upstairs at Kyle and Bain. Of course, that's something we found it hard to refuse. Way to go on a Monday night. 

When? August 9 2021
Where? Margo, Shop G06, 9 Queen's Road Central, Hong Kong
Menu Highlights? Wiener Schnitzel with Fries, Champignon-Foie Gras Duxelle and Cucumber Salad
Drinks? Plenty of Martini! 
Web: www.margohk.com