Eat Drink Hong Kong

If you’re Australian you might want to skip this paragraph, everyone else repeat after me “Woo-loo-moo-loo” … out loud please. There, now can you say it without smiling? Of course Australians don’t pronounce it like that, it’s more like Wullah-maloo which is still fun, but not as good as the former. For those that don’t already know, Wooloomooloo is a district in Sydney.

It is also an Australian themed restaurant an bar at the top of Lan Kwai Fong and I wandered along there the other evening to see what the menu had to offer.

The bar on the ground floor was very lively with music pumping out into the street. Upstairs, in the restaurant on the first floor, it was not so busy but it was still early. The music from the bar was still audible but not too loud. The dining area is quite spacious and modern with aboriginal art on the walls. One of the walls proudly displays three huge oilskin coats and leather hats. It’s an unusual decoration but it works well.

I settled down and studied the menu. At first I was a little disappointed that there were no ‘roo or crocodile steaks on the menu but my mood softened at the thought of Baby Barramundi in Saffron butter sauce ($220).

But first I needed a starter. The menu offers various options for oyster lovers starting at $138 per half dozen. There were also numerous salads and prawn dishes but I plumped for the Broiled Scallops wrapped in Bacon ($120). It was a good choice. They were deliciously fresh, plump and juicy, and served with a tangy mango salsa. To go with it I ordered a glass of Sauvignon blanc ($65).

Barramundi are one of those types of fish whose life cycle goes from salt water to freshwater. The eggs and larvae develop in the coastal areas of Northern Australia. They then swim up-river to mature before swimming back out to the estuary to spawn. They are also said to be quite difficult to catch.

Mine arrived sealed in a bubble of foil which the waiter opened, releasing a puff of steam and revealing the fish, studded with lemon. To go with it I had ordered spinach and mushrooms and kipfler potatoes with rosemary and sea salt ($45 each). The foil proved to be a little in the way but it was a small price to pay for what was a delicious meal. The barramundi has quite a delicate flavour and the saffron butter complemented it perfectly.

I resisted the obvious Australian dessert, instead I was torn between the apple crumble with ice cream and custard ($65) and the Wooloomooloo lemon lime pie ($60). The waitress suggested the lemon lime pie so I opted for that, and a coffee to finish.

The restaurant had filled up a bit more by now and the bar was still very inviting. I was very tempted to stop for a beer on the way out but alas I had work to finish.