The Magistracy "Private" Room

Décor of Magistracy Dining Room definitely appeals to certain type of people – those who read and dreamed all about the Victorian era glamor or binge-watch on Downton Abby, for example. Probably same can be said about their style of dishes but to a lesser extent; after all old-school British cuisine never got a good reputation even to the locals. That mixed impression set the tone of my mood as I set foot into the restaurant – now in its second year of operations - for the first time recently and checked out their latest menu, reinvented by Chef Alyn Williams who just came on board. 

Aulis Pop Up

“Chef Oli in town, special menu, wanna go?” My friend V pinged me about the recent special event at Aulis/Roganic Hong Kong hosted by Chef Oli Marlow coming in from the UK for a short visit. And we were able to snap up the seats on a Saturday evening just before the 10-night-only event was sold out within days.  

Good Old Sunday Roast

Sometimes it's the simplest dishes that made me happy, and this time, it's the good old Sunday roast, appropriately on a Sunday morning. I have enjoyed Chef Cary's traditional British cooking at Gough's on Gough before it closed a few months ago, but we were glad that he brought some of those dishes to his new post at Lobster Bar of Island Shangri-la. 

Long Tasting Menu

Weekend lunch service at Roganic seems to be as bustling as ever with every table occupied, not deterred by the general slowdown in business elsewhere with the virus outbreak and all. It’s been a while since I was last here, so happy to be back to check out a few new dishes on the menu as spring season is approaching and Chef Oli Marlow, their head chef at Roganic London, was in town to bring in some new creations.

Luxury Hotel Crawl

I am going to call this the "luxury hotel crawl" evening of our London trip, when we started off with a drink at the legendary American Bar at The Savoy followed by dinner at the Rosewood. It's my first time visiting and fell in love with the spectacular decor the moment I stepped in to the lobby with the impressive festive season decorations including a few bigger-than-life pieces made entirely of Lego bricks. A perfect example of combining class with fun.

Not the Usual British Bar Fare

The other night I was at Gough’s on Gough to check out the new bar menu that they are introducing, in addition to their regular a la carte menu. The entrance area on the street level was remodeled slightly to fit in a small bar counter with trays of seafood on display, which formed part of this new menu featuring a few seasonal dishes and some simple British bar bites.

Another Sunday; Another Brunch

Our friends at church organized yet another brunch outing after Sunday service recently, this time to Gough’s on Gough on a weekend when our friend F was working in the FOH of the restaurant. I was at the restaurant when Chef Cary Docherty just came on board about 6 months ago and loved my dinner there, and as I keep hearing good things about his cooking and the restaurant’s new menu, I thought it would be great to check out their signature Sunday brunch, featuring some British classics.

Bang For the Buck

We kicked off our long weekend with a lovely lunch at Roganic, the new restaurant in Causeway Bay opened a few months ago but already got so popular that it’s almost impossible to book. We finally managed to score a table on the first day of the Ching Ming Festival holiday weekend so we figured that’s perfect timing for us for a long lunch there.

Best Sunday Roast in Town

We are always on the lookout for a place that serves proper Sunday roast – you will be surprised that such restaurants were few and far between. The latest one we tried was the Mandarin Grill, which offers the Sunday brunch set menu with a number of roast items available.

The Most Exciting Restaurant Opening

There are every reason to be excited about the opening of Aulis at the turn of the year. Chef Simon Rogan is considered one of the greatest British chef of our time, and with a few Michelin-starred restaurants under his belt, has decided to open a couple new restaurants in Hong Kong as his first overseas venture, with Aulis opening in January quickly followed by a more casual eatery Roganic the next month.

Another New Chef on Board

We were at Gough’s on Gough a couple of months ago checking out their Restaurant Week menu just as they were undergoing a change in culinary direction, and late last month, I went back to meet their new Chef Cary Docherty and check out some of the new dishes he introduced at the restaurant as part of that transformation.

A Restaurant Week Night Out

We thought we missed out on the Restaurant Week promotion this summer until we realized a few restaurants were extending their special menu til the end of September. But instead of using this opportunity to try something new like we did before, we opted to go back to somewhere we have tried and like this time around.

Hitting the Milestone

In local restaurant scene, 12 long months mark a significant milestone – you have no idea how many new places didn’t even make halfway through this. So I did commend the team at Gough’s on Gough for marking its first anniversary this month, standing tall in the competitive Soho area with Chef’s Arron Rhode’s unique take on contemporary British cuisine at this cozy, intimate venue. I recently made a return visit to the restaurant as they introduced a new set of dishes in their a la carte menu.

Traditional Sunday Roast

My friends and I am always bemoaning the lack of choice for Sunday roast around town, so I was quite excited when I heard Gough’s on Gough began offering the classic roast menu on Sundays recently, befittingly so for this new Contemporary British restaurant in the heart of Central, headed by the British chef Arron Rhodes.

Fancy Pub Grub

There were definitely other sports bars in town that I felt more like at home either for practical or sentimental reasons, but I must admit as far as food and location go, none of them beat Dicken's Bar in Causeway Bay. Recently I was there on Friday evening to check out some dishes from their new a la carte menu after not being here for God-knows-how-long.

Elegant British Fare on Gough

“What’s a restaurant serving ‘Modern British Cuisine’ like?” That's the question I asked myself when I braved the heavy downpour to walk up to Gough Street last week for a dinner tasting at this new restaurant called Gough’s on Gough specializing in such. Pictures of the restaurant and its food started popping up on my Facebook feed regularly and from what I have seen and heard it’s more than decent, so my expectation was high.

Oh Screw Work, I Want My Pie!

It's not been the best week at work for both of us so we were just happy to be spending some time away from office with a late dinner at MO on Friday evening. Previously we have tried to get a table at The Chinnery, the cozy bar tucked away on the Mezzanine Floor, as walk-ins but they were always full, so this time we made the booking a couple weeks ago.

Fun at the Butchery Workshop

Recently I joined a few others for a Butchery Workshop hosted by Chef Tom Aikens at his restaurant, The Fat Pig by Tom Aikens, in Times Square. Given I have yet tried both of the restaurants he's currently overseeing (Fat Pig and also The Pawn in Wanchai), I am interested in trying his dishes, but I am even more interested in picking up some butchering skills from him, for this is not something I could easily get some hands-on experience with.

Just another gastropub - Bread Street Kitchen

I will say on record that I am normally not big a fan of Dining Concepts restaurants - I personally never had particular memorable experiences in any of their places (with the sole exception of BLT Burger, perhaps) - nor I am those kind of person craving for the so-called celebrity chef restaurants - you know, where someone who made their name as cooking show hosts, lend their endorsement to some dining outlets around the world but have nothing to do with their day-to-day running whatsoever.

I am saying this just so you got the idea of my enthusiasm level about the recent opening of Bread Street Kitchen, a collaboration between Dining Concepts and Gordon Ramsay (yeah, the foul-mouthed TV personality seen in multiple shows who also happened to be a chef/restauranteur)