#legendeats: The best dishes we ate in July

Whether you’re looking for a quick bite during lunch hour or a formal dinner with family and friends, we’ve got you covered in our monthly #legendeats round-up of Hong Kong’s tastiest dishes.

Dim Sum Library

We dropped by the new Dim Sum Library in Elements to try out their signature dim sum dishes, as well as their new xiaolongbao flavours – the umami-packed Kombu & Bonito, the Sichuan-inspired Hot & Sour, the nostalgic Beef Brisket and the soul-reviving Bak Kut Teh with a peppery note. Each of the special flavours is served one week at a time at their new location in Elements until 20 September, which means die-hard fans of these decadent soup dumplings will have the perfect excuse to go four times to sample all the flavours.

Dim Sum Library Elements, Shop 1028B, 1/F, Elements, 1 Austin Rd W, Tsim Sha Tsui, +852 2810 0898, dimsumlibrary.com.hk

Kura

Credit: Kura

We were spoilt for choice at Kura with its whopping 13 lunch sets, each featuring jet-fresh seafood flown-in daily from fish markets in Tokyo, Kyushu and Hokkaido. We opted for the Japanese sea urchin rice with American lobster, which came with a salad, Japanese steamed egg, miso soup and dessert.

Besides a sumptuous lunch, we also feasted our eyes on artworks scattered on the walls of the restaurant, which included paintings by the likes of Japanese contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama and Takashi Murakami. For those who are extra hungry, there are also three omakase menus available for dinner (and one for lunch).

Kura, 1/F, 482 Jaffe Road, Causeway Bay, +852 9856 0118, facebook.com/kura.hongkong

Kyoto Joe

Credit: Kyoto Joe

Another Japanese restaurant we visited was Kyoto Joe, which is known for its eclectic array of fresh sushi, sashimi and rolls, as well as perfectly cooked dishes from its robatayaki grill and full kitchen. We sampled their eight-course Izakaya menu, which included chicken shiso salad, sous vide abalone, sashimi mori, seabass roll, sea eel tempura, a selection of robatayaki grills, onsen egg and beef himi udon, and crème brulee to finish.

Kyoto Joe, 23/F California Tower 30-36 D’Aguilar St Lan Kwai Fong, Central +852 2804 6800, kyotojoe.com

Miss Lee

Credit: Miss Lee

For the vegetarians and vegans out there, we partook in a meatless Monday at modern Chinese vegetarian restaurant, Miss Lee. Trying their newly launched eight-course menu inspired by the Chinese mythological ‘Eight Immortals,’ each dish was surprisingly tasty for being purely plant-based. Bonus points for being healthy, too.

Miss Lee, G/F, The Wellington, 198 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong, +852 2881 1811, misslee.hk

Mamma Always Said

Looking for comfort food that reminds you of Mom’s cooking? Mamma Always Said is an all-day diner that serves up family-style fusion dishes in a homey atmosphere. On the lunch menu are grilled sandwiches, salads, burgers and pasta dishes, while the more expansive dinner menu includes bar bites, small plates for sharing, as well as larger mains such as seared hanger steak with salsa verde, grilled octopus with romesco sauce and spicy black pepper eggplant. To end your meal, chef Corey curates a selection of daily desserts on rotation, including the lemon meringue tart and passionfruit cheesecake with coconut jelly.

Mama Always Said, 42 Peel Street, Central, Hong Kong, +852 2386 2216, mammashk.com

Ozone at The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong

Ozone at The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong has joined forces with Moët & Chandon and Hennessy V.S.O.P to present Luminous Jungle Night Brunch, every Saturday night from 11 July onwards. Though the themed extravaganza has been currently held off due to COVID-19, expect it to return with diverse cuisines of South America, from Brazil and Argentina to Peru and the Amazon rainforest – all available for all you can eat at just HK$488. With three optional beverage packages to choose from, guests can also enjoy free-flow drinks for an additional cost, priced from HK$148 to HK$1,288.

Ozone at The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong , 118/F, International Commerce Centre, 1 Austin Road West, Kowloon, +852 2263 2270, ritzcarlton.com

CHAAT

Credit: CHAAT

We went into CHAAT with really high expectations, and the latest restaurant at Rosewood exceeded them all. Standout dishes included the baked lamb samosa, bone marrow kulcha, old Delhi butter chicken, and lam dum biryani (pictured above). CHAAT is currently offering three types of menus: a vegetarian tasting menu for HK$588, chef’s tasting menu for HK$688, and a premium tasting menu for HK$788. Reservations recommended.

Chaat, 5/F Rosewood Hong Kong, Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, chaat.hk

La Rambla

Credit: La Rambla

Over at La Rambla by Catalunya at IFC, executive chef Ferran Tadeo cooked up a bevvy of delights which included black truffle coca, scampi and pluma Iberica bomba rice (pictured above), seared tuna bao and more. A curated experience of highlights from the a la carte menu, choose from one of the two Taste of Barcelona tasting menus available during dinner. The first option, “Tradition” (HK$680+10% per person) features six must-try classic signatures dishes, while the second menu, “Festival” (HK$1,080+10% per person)includes 10 courses of seafood and seasonal ingredient-focused dishes. 

La Rambla, 3071-73 Level 3, IFC mall, 8 Finance Street, Central, +852 2661 1161, larambla.hk

Elephant Grounds

Credit: Elephant Grounds

Now, we know this column is called #legendeats, but bear with us. Elephant Grounds has recently launched their own version of CBD coffee. For those who don’t know, CBD is not illegal – it’s actually a natural therapeutic compound pulled from the hemp plant. The CBD that’s used is provided by Life CBD Asia and dissolves in liquid, compared to the other oils.

When we tried the CBD coffee, we opted for the 20mg and did in fact, feel a bit more relaxed and calm. Costing an additional HK$25 for 20mg of CBD and HK$15 for 10mg of CBD, the CBD coffee is currently available at Elephant Grounds’ Star Street and Caine Road locations, and will launch at their Fashion Walk location in the coming weeks.

Elephant Grounds, 8 Wing Fung Street, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, +852 2778 2700, elephantgrounds.com

HABITŪ

Credit: HABITŪ

HABITŪ has a line of new rose-themed desserts and handcrafted beverages – and we’re happy to report that they’re totally worth it. The tiramisu was one of our faves: layered with rose honey-soaked ladyfingers, strawberry rose compote, and beautifully topped with fresh strawberries, chia seeds and rose petals, this was a refreshing take on the classic Italian dessert.

For drinks, the Sultry Rosa Espresso Shakerato is a fruity iced espresso shaken with rose honey that’s a perfect afternoon pick-me-up. With six new drinks and three new deserts, Habitu’s new Rosemantic Menu is available until 11 October 2020, at locations including Hysan Place, Olympian City, Cityplaza, Elements Mall and Mira Place.

See all Habitu locations

Words by: Austin Miao and Elky Siu

See also: #legendeats: The best dishes we tried in June

In this Story: #culture / #dining