Eat Drink Hong Kong

5/F The Mira HK
118 Nathan Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2368 1111

43-45 Wyndham Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2537 8010

4/F Hyatt Regency
18 Chak Cheung Street
Shatin
Tel 3723 1961

2/F 21-25 Luard Road
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2501 7339

G/F California Tower
30-32 D’Aguilar Street
Lan Kwai Fong
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2521 1345

2/F Katherine House
53-55 Chatham Road South
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2827 7701

L G/F East Town Building
64 Jaffe Road
Wanchai
Hong Kong

Hullet House Main Building
2a Canton Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 3988 0101

The Minden
7 Minden Avenue
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2739 7777

7 Hillwood Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2736 0778

41-49 Aberdeen Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 9604 7777

21 Elgin Street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2540 6630

33 Lockhart Road
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2520 5303

27/F Continental Diamond Plaza
523-527 Hennessy Road
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2838 7033

4/F Ho Lee Commercial Building
38-44 D’Aguilar Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2104 7200

G/F 33 Jervois Street
Sheung Wan
Hong Kong
Tel 3583 1200

21/F Circle Plaza
499 Hennessy Road
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2893 6120

36 Staunton Street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2104 9697

5/F The Broadway
54-62 Lockhart Road
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2110 1535

G/F 43-55 Wyndham Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2537 8010

36 Forbes Street
Kennedy Town
Hong Kong
Tel 2819 6900

8/F California Tower
32 D’Aguilar Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2868 6062

16 Gough Street
Noho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2851 8515

25/F Mandarin Oriental
5 Connaught Road
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2825 4002

3-5/F The Plaza
21 D’Aguilar Street
Lan Kwai Fong
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2522 0044

29&30/F QRE Plaza
202 Queen’s Road East
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2907 0888

B/F 41 Staunton Street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 3481 9996

10/F 1 Knutsford Terrace
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 3904 2222

37/F Times Tower
393 Jaffe Road
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 3741 1313

3/F Ho Lee Commercial Building
38-44 D’Aguilar Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2869 6006

62-64b Peel Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 3521 1291

1 St Francis Yard
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2861 3318

G/F 40 Staunton Street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2522 8322
Fax 2522 8322

4/F The Plaza
21 D’Aguilar Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 9222 5812

27/F Bartlock Centre
3 Yiu Wa Street
Causeway Bay
Tel 2893 2080

Lobby Level
Royal Park Hotel
8 Pak Hok Ting Street
Shatin
New Territories
Tel 2694 3869

Lobby, Gateway Hotel
Harbour City
Tsim Sha Tsui
Kowloon
Tel 2113-7935

72 Lockhart Road
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2528 0868

G/F 40 Staunton Street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong

28/F Hotel Jen
508 Queen’s Road West
Western
Hong Kong
Tel 2974 1234

1/F Hotel Jen, 508 Queen’s Road West
Western
Hong Kong
Tel 2974 1234

G/F 35 D’Aguilar Street
Lan Kwai Fong
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2868 3448

3/F Toy House
100 Canton Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 3171 8311

1/F Grand Progress Building
15-16 Lan Kwai Fong
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2810 0528

18/F Sheraton Hong Kong
20 Nathan Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2369 1111

G/F 26 Hollywood Road
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2869 9958

26/F QRE Plaza
202 Queen’s Road East
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2575 8980

G/F 33-35 Chatham Road South
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon (entrance Hart Ave)
Tel 3428 5133

B/F Yuen Yick Building
27-29 Wellington Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2523 6282

54 D’Aguilar Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2980 3638

Rosedale on the Park
8 Shelter Street
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2127 8838

8/F The Peninsula
Salisbury Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2315 3355

G/F Lobby, Hotel Miramar
118-123 Nathan Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2315 5888

Basement, California Tower
32 D’Aguilar Street
Lan Kwai Fong
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2868 6062

7/F Harbour Plaza Metropolis
7 Metropolis Drive
Hung Hom
Kowloon
Tel 3160 6888

255 Queen’s Road Central
Sheung Wan
Hong Kong
Tel 2815 1558

Central Ferry Pier 7
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2167 8153

1-5 Elgin Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2559 2777

G6, Tsim Sha Tsui Centre
66 Mody Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2722 7101

W Hongkong
1 Austin Road West
Kowloon Station
Kowloon
Tel 3717 2848

Shop 3089-3097 Podium 3
IFC Mall
8 Finance Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2805 0723

L G/F Au’s Building
17-19 Hollywood Road
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2537 1000

7/F JW Marriott
Pacific Place
Admiralty
Hong Kong
Tel 2841 3858

G & B/F 16 Arbuthnot Road
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2868 0626

2/F The Luxe Manor
39 Kimberley Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 3763 8778

G/F 20 Elgin Street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2868 1250

2-8 Sugar Street
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2196 2196

1/F Supreme House
2a Hart Avenue
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 3523 1578

3/F On Hing Building
1-9 On Hing Terrace
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2973 0918

39a Gough Street
Sheung Wan
Hong Kong
Tel 2581 3669

57-59 Wyndham Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2868 0613

Nathan Hotel
378 Nathan Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2388 5141

1/F Sompteux Central
52-54 Welington Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2167 8985

1/F Walden Hotel
353 Hennessy Road
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 3678 3978

There is a group of four delightful old shophouses on Johnston Road just opposite the Southorn Playground. I must admit I thought there were due to meet the wreckers ball along with Wedding Card Street so I was pleasantly surprised, when I passed by a couple of months ago, to see that they were being renovated.

I didn’t give them much more thought until I passed by again the other evening. Renovations were obviously complete and there were lights and people moving about on the first floor. I had no idea what was there. I knew what I thought should be in a building like that and something in the way those people were moving made me think of waiters.

The ground floor shops were still vacant and there was nothing outside to give the game away so I located the narrow staircase and up I went. To my left at the top was an old foosball table and beyond that was an impressively stocked bar.

The floor is divided into sections and joined by arches. Modern light fittings are augmented by solo bulbs dangling from wires. Furnishing is simple but comfortable and there is a balcony that overlooks Johnston Road. It is a very pleasing atmosphere.

The building itself dates back to 1888 and was formerly occupied by the Woo Cheong Pawn Shop.

The staff made me feel very welcome and found me a table on the balcony. They are not fully operational yet. So far only the bar on the first floor is functional. By mid-April a restaurant occupying the second floor and the rooftop will be open.

But the bar menu does include a selection of pub grub items and a good range of beers. On draught there is Spitfire and Master Brew from England’s Shepherd Neame Brewery, Marsden’s Pedigree and Budejovicky Budvar from the Czech Republic as well as some more familiar names. There are also bottled beers from UK, US, Australia and Belgium.

I ordered myself a pint of Marsden’s ($60) and a plate of sausage and mash with peas and onion gravy ($88). The sausages were thick and tasty with herbs, the potato was smooth and creamy. I wolfed it all down in no time and then leaned back in my chair to enjoy the beer.

The new occupants have done a good job. They have preserved the buildings dignity whilst putting it to a new use. There are old-style pubs all over Asia, many of them are very nice indeed. But no matter how talented an interior designer is, they can never create the the atmosphere of a building that really is old.

Watch this space, I shall be back when the restaurant opens.

You need to be slim to fit into Slims, the bar is long and thin. It’s owned by the same people as the Hong Kong Brewhouse so you get that familiar crunch of peanut shells as you walk in.

Less familiar, but even more welcome was the sound of a laid back urban blues easing itself into the room. This is the kind of music I can sit and drink beer to all night.

Adorning the wall that wasn’t taken up by the bar and kitchen were black and white portraits of old bluesmen whose names happened to include Slim; there was Memphis Slim, Sunnyland Slim, Slim Harpo and many others. My companion patiently read the menu while I admired them all.

Slim’s is on the little side road next to Pacific Place 3 so it is an excellent location for recuperating after the rigors of shopping. We’d actually been buying cool gadgets which isn’t really shopping in my book. Nevertheless we welcomed the idea of a refreshing ale and a bite to eat.

The pub has an interesting selection of bottled beers from England including several from the Fullers brewery. I opted for a bottle of Fullers Organic Honeydew Ale. Largely because I have some very fond, if somewhat hazy memories, of Fullers ales from when I lived in London long ago. And the idea of organic beer appealed to me.

My companion, who is not a big alcohol drinker, settled for a ginger beer.

The menu is pretty much what you’d expect to find in a pub, but it’s done reasonably well. There are burgers, fish and chips etc. We decided to share a plate of nachos ($75) for starters.

The Honeydew Ale was really rather pleasant. A little on the sweet side so I don’t think I’d make a night of it but quite refreshing, good for a swift one on the way home.

For mains we ordered we ordered the Lamb and Leek sausage ($88) which is served with sauerkraut, potato salad and an interesting minty/mustardy sauce. The sausages were really nice, imported from Wales, according to the menu.

We also ordered the Chili and Pepper Chicken Pizza ($98) The pizza is actually quite good but next time I would ask them to hold off the Thai style spicy-sweet sauce. I have nothing against the sauce in itself, it just didn’t belong on that pizza. I felt that, if required, it could have been included in a small dish on the side so each individual could decide how much or little to add.

For dessert I decided to forego the Slim’s Cheesecake and instead turned to the beer menu again. The waitress intervened to inform me of a new beer that had just arrived from Oxfordshire Ales, and wasn’t on the menu. And I’m glad she did. The beer was called Pride of Oxford and was really quite wonderful. I don’t know if this beer is available in the companies other outlets, if not it is worth a trip to Wanchai on it’s own merit.

That and the excellent music that was playing while we were there make this a hole in the wall well worth knowing about.

I’m not sure if there are any pelicans in England, if there are there can’t be many. Nevertheless, the Pickled Pelican is an English style pub.

Two of them in fact. The one we went to was on Wyndham Street. It does a fairly decent job of looking English, the bar area is certainly inviting and appears to be quite popular despite being very new. The only thing lacking is a yard of ale glass hanging invitingly from the ceiling above the bar.

The dining area, with it’s comfy, leather upholstered, chairs and sofas struck me as being a little more club like. Maybe not the best for eating at but great for lolling back on, watching the sport on TV and enjoying a fine English ale.

And the Pickled Pelican does indeed have some fine English ales. Some of the country’s most popular traditional brews are represented. Amongst others there are Abbot’s Green King from Suffolk, Ruddles County from Rutland and Old Speckled hen from Oxfordshire.

Cider is represented by Henry Weston’s Vintage Reserve from Hereford and there are Tetley’s, Guinness and Strongbow Cider on draught.

In addition to the beers there is also an impressive range of malt whiskies. Thirty-three in all – detailed on their own special menu to suit all palates and pockets.

I ordered an Abbot’s, my companion – in this case my 19-year old son – a pint of Strongbow cider and we turned our attention to the menu.

The food is typical pub fare, bangers and mash with onion sauce, fish and chips and shepherds pie are all there. And there is also an all day breakfast.

My son wasn’t interested in a starter but discovered that he liked my paprika dusted whitebait ($68) so much that he ate almost half of it. Luckily it was a fairly generous serving so I didn’t mind though I nearly used it as an excuse to order some deep fried camembert ($68).

For main course my son ordered smoked salmon on Welsh rarebit ($142). “Do you know what Welsh Rarebit is?” I asked. It certainly looked a nice piece of salmon but try as I might I couldn’t see the Welsh rarebit. “It’s cheese mashed potato”, I was informed. “Is it good?” I asked. I received a hearty nod of approval so I decided that was the most important thing.

I ordered the fish and chips with tartar sauce ($105) and was delighted to find that a little cruet of vinegar was provided without me having to ask.

There are only two desserts on the menu – Lemon Meringue Pie and Rhubarb Crumble (both $55). I had the rhubarb. It’s one of those dishes that will always be measured against how mum used to make it. And, of course, it will never be as good as that. But it was still very good. Served with with vanilla sauce and garnished with a strawberry.

My son despatched the Lemon meringue pie with the same enthusiasm with which he polished off his main course so I concluded all was well.

As Soho spreads further and further, Peel street is coming along quite nicely. Apart from a few older Chinese establishments, there is trendy Joyce is Not Here, comfortable Caravan Serai, and down a few steps from the street is a cool dark cavern with African tribal art and flags adorning every bit of wall space, alongside some more modern paintings which I get the impression are for sale (I may be wrong). This is Makumba.

I’d wanted to try their African food for a while – when they first opened it was advance order only, and this being Hong Kong, who takes time to think about eating till its actually time to eat? They must have caved in to demand, and now there is a small menu that I persuaded a couple of friends to try.

At 6.30 on a Thursday, we were the only customers, and actually the staff, though very welcoming, seemed a little surprised to see us. Nobody else turned up before we left at almost 8pm.

The low-key African music was relaxing and before long we were settled in and ready to try from the selection of beers, which includes Nzingha from Cameroon at $45 or $35 in happy hour. Of course we had to try it. There are a few cocktails on the drinks menu too, so I ordered Ti punch (house special – $60 or $40 HH), which turned out to be a lot of white rum with a little lime – very nice, but if I gurgled down more than one I may have started wobbling.

None of us were particularly hungry, but we wanted to try a variety, so first off we ordered the Gnamagnama Platter to share. This consists of Acras – spicy shrimp dough, Aloco – fried plantain dipped in chili (who could resist fried sweet bananas!?), and African rolls – basically very good pork spring rolls. The chili dipping sauce was so incredibly spicy, that none of us dared to take a second dip! Luckily the Ti Punch came in handy to numb our tongues and throats. For small eaters, this platter may well be enough to satisfy two people at $120.

We only ordered the one main course to share. This was the weekly special, Meguep Geo, which is chunks of fried chicken in wild pepper. It arrived on a large platter with fragrant rice, stewed kidney beans and green vegetables, oh, and some more of those yummy fried plantains.

Overall the meal was very pleasant, though as I left, I felt just slightly disappointed because I’d been expecting something more exotic-tasting. Perhaps the current troubles with finding an experienced African chef had something to do with it?

As I was sitting in the place opposite on Friday night (after 10.30), there seemed to be so many people at Makumba that they were spilling out onto the street – all dressed up too. It seems this must be a good place to party.

The old brass diving helmet behind the bar looks rather like an innocent piece of decor. It fits in rather well with the rowing boat that hangs from the ceiling, the giant carved toucan, the pottted palms and the old hurricane lamps. I was mid-way through my second innocent-looking drink.

That’s the thing about cocktails, they do look so innocent. They don’t taste innocent though, and the ones in Bahama Mama’s (at $54 each – $32 in happy hour) aren’t called innocent things. I’d already had Sex on Mama’s Beach (vodka, peach schnapps, cranberry and orange Juice) and was soaking up a Carribean Sunset (Myers rum, Triple Sec, Grenadine, lime and pineapple Juice). It was then that the old diving helmet caught my attention. ‘I wonder what it’s like to wear one of those,’ I thought.

My companion read my thoughts and promptly swung into action; “Look at the menu” she said, “They have a good range of pub grub; chicken wings, nachos, pizza, onion rings.”

She also tried to tell me about the foosball tournaments they hold every month, that happy hour is from 5-9pm and again from midnight to close, that you could get six shots of tequila or vodka for a hundred dollars (I must admit that one did catch my attention). She informed me that Newsweek International had rated it as “One of the world’s best bars”

But it was no good, I was dreaming of sunken treasure and the music of steel drums … but most of all I wanted to try that old diving helmet on.

Bahama Mama’s is at 4-5 Knutsford Terrace, Tsim Sha Tsui and is open from 5pm – 3am (Mon – Thu) 5pm – 4 am (Fri & Sat), 6pm – 2am (Sun).

LG/F LKF Tower
33 Wyndham Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2121 8969

Bulldogs Bar and Grill, Lan Kwai Fong’s newest watering hole bills itself a British/Autralian pub and is the only traditional style tavern in Lan Kwai Fong. On the menu is classic pub grub in the form of burgers and pastas, plus a range of finger foods that includes tortilla chips, chicken strips and potato skins. You can also order a ‘Dog Platter’ which is a selection of all the finger foods. We were there so soon after the doors opened that the full menu hadn’t been implemented yet so expect more to come in the very near future

The burgers, a huge beef patty with a choice of toppings, are served with salad and chips (though some people call them French fries). The pastas are similarly generous. I tested the portions out on my son, a growing lad with the kind of appetite that only teenagers are capable of. He wolfed more than his fair share of potato skins, a Bulldog Burger – topped with mushrooms and a slice of jack cheese – and chips before announcing he was full.

There are two bars. The main bar and dining area stretches right the way through the building from the entrance on Lan Kwai Fong. Beyond this is the Birdwatchers Bar, a balcony bar that overlooks D’Aguilar Street, named no doubt for the dedicated ornithologists who like to keep an eye on who is swanning up and down the road. There are several TV screens in the bar areas, so expect Saturday nights in the footy season to be boisterous affairs. The dining area is located between the Birdwatchers Bar and a big red telephone box, away from the TVs.

The range of draught beers includes their own signature beer, Bulldog Brew, plus Fosters, Newcastle Brown Ale, Beamish, Strongbow Cider and Boddingtons. Of the bottled variety there are ten to choose from, including San Miguel imported from the Philippines, Corona, Asahi and Molsen plus all the usual suspects.

Chek Chue is the Cantonese name for Stanley, it means red pillar and, according to one story, it was named thus after the dead stump of a cotton tree that was in the area. In another story it means Place of Thieves, or Chak Chu in the Hakka dialect, who named it thus because the waters were infested with pirates. When the British took over and built a fort there it was called Stanley after Lord Edward Geoffrey Smith Stanley who was Secretary of State for War and the Colonies at the time.

These days it is best known for its market and the string of pubs and restaurants that line the beach front. At the end of this line is the Stanley Plaza to the right and Murray House to the left. Murray House was originally built in Central in 1840 but dismantled in 1982 and reassembled in Stanley in 1998.

After being home to the British army, the Japanese army and the Rating and Valuation department it now houses two restaurants and two pubs. The pubs, King Ludwigs Beer Hall and Widlfire are on the top floor.

It was King Ludwig that commisioned the famous Bavarian castle Neuschwanstein which can be seen in Disneylands, jig-saw puzzles, and on biscuit tin lids the world over. Given those indignities he would probably breathe a sigh of relief to learn that a beer hall in his honour is housed in a 150 year old British colonial building in southern China.

And he would certainly have been impressed by the range of imported German beers on offer there – four draught, King Luwigs Bavarian, Veltins, a wheat beer called Masel’s Weiss and Lowenbrau plus six bottled. They also have about a dozen flavours of Schnapps to choose from. We watched the moon rise over Stanley Bay with a litre of Bavarian and the aroma of roasting Raclette cheese.

King Ludwigs has a full menu of German-style dishes which includes a gallery of sausages with no less than eight varieties and for those that can’t make their mind up the menu includes an option to enjoy a taste of all of them. If you’re not in the mood for sausages the Roast Pork Knuckle is also a very popular dish.

King Ludwigs Beerhall opens at midday on weeks days, 11.00am on weekends and closes at midnight weekdays, 01.00am Fridays and Saturdays.

Perched at the very top of Lan Kwai Fong opposte Va Bene, and bathed in blue and pink light, is a little corner of South Beach, Miami. An art deco-fied Chinese shophouse.

Marlin opened for business mid-February. It’s a small bar but both sides are open, so on busy evenings the clientele will be able to spill out onto the street. Potted palms make a brave attemt to disguise the ugly road sign which is a minor blemish on an otherwise impressive exterior. Indeed I could be just as happy standing outside as sitting inside.

As well as all the usual beers and spirits (they are Rum specialists!), Marlin offers a drink they call a daiqui’tini which, without getting into detailed recipes, can be either tropical fruits blended with rum or berries with vodka.

They also serve a range of snacks, tortilla chips seeming to be the most popular. Happy hour runs from 5-8pm.

20/F Century Square
1-13 D’Aguilar Street
LanKwaiFong
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2810 8168

LG/F 11 Lyndhurst Terrace
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2815 0022
Fax 2815 9333

2121
UG/F 21 D’Aguilar Street,
Central,
Hong Kong
Tel: 2804 6669

4-5 Knutsford Terrace
Tsim Sha Tsui
Kowloon
Tel 2368 2121

G/F The Greenville
2 Glenealy
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2525 8805

G/F, 23 Luard Rd
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2529 1811

G/F Shop F, 27-39 D’Aguilar Street
Lan Kwai Fong
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2521 8714
Fax 2537 8290

103&206 Exchange Square 2
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2521 9011
Fax 2521 9022

90 Stanley Main Street
Stanley
Hong Kong
Tel 2813 4313

Basement, 27-29 Wellington Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2869 9990
Fax 2869 9997

27/F Bartlock Centre
3 Yiu Wah Street
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2893 2080

Basement, 48 Hennessy Road
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2866 1031

G/F 33 Wong Nai Chung Road
Happy Valley
Hong Kong
Tel 2572 2266
Fax 2572 6677

A&B G/F 2 Austin Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 9155 5048

9 Knutsford Terrace
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2367 9487

4-5 Knutsford Terrace
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2721 1686

G/F On Hing Building
1 On Hing Terrace
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2286 0333
Fax 2286 0318