Eat Drink Hong Kong

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202, 2/F Toyomall
94 Granville Road
Timshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2311 0901

This is a lively Turkish restaurant towards the Observatory court end of Knutsford Terrace. It’s been there for some time and my last trip to the terrace a few weeks ago reminded me that I still hadn’t been here. I decided to rectify the issue.

I arrive quite early but here were quite a few people there already. They can still find me a table with ease. After eight o’clock it would not have been so easy. The decor is pretty well what you would expect for a middle-eastern restaurant. Red ochre coloured walls and plenty of souk lamps scattered around.

There is a small al fresco area but it didn’t really look inviting so I opted to sit inside. Along the bar the dining area is quite narrow but it opens out at the back and is quite spacious.

The boasts a fairly wide selection of mezz or small dishes which can be served as starters or just snacks with beer. I decided to order two and see how it went.

The first up was deep fried lamb ribs ($70). These were seasoned with salt and paprika and very tender indeed. They went rather well with the Efes Turkish beer ($35) and I soon found myself ordering another bottle. Efes is made with rice which gives it a very clean dry flavour that goes down well even without the lamb.

Hot on it’s heels were sardines on barbecued on swords ($40). They weren’t very big swords of course and the waiter did remove them. I presume the point is that the heat conducts along the length of the metal cooking from the inside as well as out. They were very moist and tasty and erm.. a rather good accompaniment for Turkish beer.

I ordered another bottle and also put in an order for their ‘Hot Pan’ speciality Circassian Chicken ($145).

This would take a while to prepare but that was fine with me. While I waited the lights dimmed and the music grew louder. A lissom young thing in flowing pink silk and golden bangles floated in and performed an approximation of a belly dance. She was way too slight to carry it off effectively but it didn’t seem to matter. She was pretty and graceful and she earned herself a round of applause before floating out again.

As if on cue my chicken arrived just as the lights went up again. This is a dish that comes from the European corner of Turkey in the north-west. The chicken id seasoned with walnut and paprika and in this case was serves with fresh vegetables.

Although I was fairly full I still felt I had enough strength left to push a slice of date tart with walnut ice cream ($55) around the plate. I finished off with a regular coffee and, since it was a pleasant evening, took myself for a stroll along the harbour front.

G/F, Yiu Pont House
12 Knutsford Terrace
Tsim Sha Tsui

It’s not often I go to Knutsford Terrace but this time it was raining so I didn’t get to have as good a snoop around as I would have liked. I arrived at the Observatory Road end had a quick splosh down to the other end and dived into Munch. ‘Modern European Cuisine’ it said outside, and that sounded good to me.

The interior is quite large. There are window seats that overlook the terrace but these were all booked in advance. I’m not sure what to call the decor. Facing me was a wall-sized mirror with the restaurants logo, a rather spaghetti-like M printed in white and forming geometric patterns. From the ceiling hung numerous chandeliers with pink glass trim. It was all quite attractive.

Letting the side down however ware the dull brown table coverings. Sure, it wipes down easily but crisp white table linen would have looked so much better.

There are a few two-course set dinners to choose from with prices in the region of $180-$220 but I had already spotted a couple of dishes I wanted to try in the a la carte menu.

The first of these was Garlic sea scallop with wild mushroom bread pudding ($79) and I’d already ordered it when I saw, under the heading ‘Snacks’, Organic risotto and cheese dollops ($48). Rather than make difficult decisions on the fly I had them both. And a glass of fruity Pino Grigiot ($58) to go with them.

The cheese dollops arrived first. These are little balls of rice in a sea of creamy cheese sauce. There was also something a little fruity about the sauce. Was there a hint of mango there? I couldn’t be sure. The rice balls themselves had a heart of melted cheese.

I’d barely seen them off before the scallops arrived. This dish stole my heart and it was largely due to the the lovely earthy flavour of the mushrooms that were layered generously into the bread pudding.

For the main course I had ordered Rack of lamb with potato gratin and thyme. It was pleasant enough, and quite a generous serving, but I’m afraid the previous dish had already stolen the show.

After a short break I ordered Mango Napoleon Cannelloni ($68) for dessert. It was huge and really ought to be shared but I did my best. Layers of mango cream alternate with layers of flakey pastry which are wrapped in a glutinous rice sheet and served with a scoop of lemon sorbet. I don’t know how but I managed to wolf the lot without even realising it.

Munch was quite busy even on a wet mid-weekday. If you are planning to go on a Friday I’d suggest you make reservations first

1/F, 1 Knutsford Terrace
Tsim Sha Tsui
Tel 2317-7887

10/F 1 Knutsford Terrace
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 3904 2222

8 Observatory Court
Tsim Sha Tsui
Kowloon
Tel 2316 2727

LG/F Kimberley Plaza
45-47 Kimberley Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2721 1663

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

I don’t get myself over to Kowloon side very often. Very slack of me I admit because there is no shortage of excellent places to eat. Fate took me over there the other afternoon, so as soon as I was free I made a beeline for Knutsford Terrace.

I’d been planning to check out all the options along the Terrace and in Observatory Court but then the rain beat me to it. Fortunately I was right outside BB’s Bistro which had been high on the list of possibilities anyway. So I decided to dive inside and save the research for more clement weather.

The good thing about wet weather is that there are fewer people out and about. On previous occasions when I’d thought about dining at BB’s it has always looked very busy. This time I almost had the place to myself.

A friendly waiter showed me to a table by the window and we chatted briefly about the new Premier League football season while another went to fetch the menus and a blackboard with the days oysters options.

I declined the oysters but I did order a glass of very nice Chilean Sauvignon to read the menu with.

The menu is very French and I’m sure I would have been happy with just about anything but one that took my fancy for starters was the Salted Codfish, with Bell Pepper, Asparagus and Mozzarella ($82). It also had mango but that was fine by me, I love mango.

The dish was presented as a neat little tower over which the waiter ground some black pepper. It tasted as good as it looked and I demolished it with gusto.

For the main course I had Loin of black pork with polenta and glazed vegetables ($188). A thick and juicy cut of pork on a polenta base topped with carrots and onions and garlic.

The waiter kept stopping by for a little banter, his way of making sure everything was OK without having to repeat the same question for every course.

For desert he recommended the Rhubarb Confit with Oranges and Candied Fennel ($52). A comparatively new dish to the menu he informed me. And one that I expect to be on the menu for some time to come.

Quite a few more guests had arrived by now and despite the weather the restaurant was doing well. I finished with a coffee and splashed off into the night telling myself that I really must get over this side more often.

This is a Japanese restaurant at the top of Knutsford Steps. It seems to be rather popular with the young local set, a demographic that misses me by a rather large margin I have to confess. But not one that is likely to put me off.

Since I’d just walked the length of Knutsford Terrace and failed to come to any other conclusion I decided that something on a skewer was exactly what I wanted, so I bounded up the short flight of steps and in the door.

Skewer Skewer is the first restaurant you come to, indeed one walks right into it and, with a bit of luck, you’ll be greeted by the charming smile of one of the waitresses. On the the right are romantic tables and little curtained booths. They do look very cosy, but I felt sitting there on my own would be a rather lonely experience so I opted for one of the more conventional tables on the left.

There is, of course, a full Japanese menu with all the regular items such as sushi and noodle dishes but this time I was interested in the grill. For those of you that don’t already know, the Japanese have a fine tradition of grilling things, it’s called robatayaki. Traditionally the grilling (yaki) would be done over a large open hearth (ro) where people would gather for heat and cooking.

These days the cooking is done over a modern grill and there is not much that the dedicated robatayaki chef cannot fit onto his skewer. The menu at Skewer Skewer is fairly conventional. Though I was tempted by the French garlic bread on a skewer ($24) I decided to keep things fairly simple.

For drink I opted for a Hoegaarden. It was called a “large pint” on the menu, on special offer at $52. I knew full well that this was one of those bucket sized glasses but I decided its fruitiness would go quite well with the food.

The first Item out of the kitchen was Roasted Norwegian Salmon Belly ($58). Slightly crisp on the outside, inside the fish was soft and delicious. Seasoning is fairly light in robatayaki, mainly salt with just a dab of melted butter or a brush of teriyaki sauce, so the natural flavours come shining through.

After the salmon came eel ($68) and a generous portion it was too. But I was not so impressed with this, though I would blame the eel rather than the chef. The flesh of the eel is much more dense than salmon so the contrast made the eel seem rather tough and rubbery. The flavour was good and in future I would suggest to the waiter that the eel be delivered first.

Next came sliced duck in roti ($52). This was an interesting departure from the norm. To say it was a bit like Peking duck would have aficionados of the dish howling in dismay. Nevertheless, the duck was there and so was the sauce. This may have been wrapped with vegetables in Indian/Malay style roti and served on a skewer but the connection was there to make.

The last skewer of the evening was a fairly straightorward pork, peppers, tomatoes and onions combination ($68).

At this point the waitress came to collect my empty Hoegaarden glass, “One more?” she smiled, I declined. “But it is special offer, two for one.” she insisted. “But I’ve already had two in that one” I wailed. She agreed to let me have something smaller so I settled on a bottle of Corona.

The desserts were a little on the disappointing side. The only one that took my fancy was the coffee jelly with vanilla ice cream but they had sold out.

I thought about the Japanese ice cream but then I remembered seeing an Italian gelato shop at the bottom of the steps so I paid my bill and made my way down there. A tub with chocolate and raspberry flavour was $28 and was so wonderful I quite forgot to look at the name of the shop but it is right there on the corner at the bottom of Knutsford Steps.

Guest review by Ken Barrett
Knutsford Terrace is packing them in at the Nathan Road end, but if you walk past these restaurants, enticing though they appear and persuasive though the greeters are for you to go inside, you will reach the end of the terrace that is still partially under development. Although there are a number of outlets nudging up against the Observatory Road wall, it’s a lot quieter here.

There is one narrow building that does a Ginza, in that it stacks a number of small restaurants one on top of the other and you read the signboard to see what style you fancy. Then you hop into the tiny glass-sided lift and go up to your required floor, where the lift doors open on the other side and you pop out directly into your restaurant.

The decor of Rosa Spanish Restaurant and Bar is warm, with red-and-white check tablecloths (yes! - but it works), stained glass panels, a bar, and even a tiny floor area for what must be very intimate dancing. The open windows give you a nice view into the street. The place, which is owned by multi-outlet MHI, originally opened a few months back as an American diner but it quickly shifted gear, changed its name and now serves Spanish cuisine.

Tapas, of course, open the menu. You could probably dine very comfortably off the tapas selection. There are about 20 on offer, and the portions are handsome. We went for the sardines ($32), hot, fresh, boneless, and dusted with paprika, and they went perfectly with the bottles of Sol we had chosen. As did the other two tapas dishes, a stew of sirloin cubes and green tomatoes ($38), and some nicely textured sea snails poached in wine with onion and tomatoes ($36).

We also liked the look of the tomato bread listing, in which country-style bread has been rubbed with tomato and then toasted and had a few drops of cold-pressed olive oil scattered over it. There are a number of toppings, such as sardine, jamon serrano, and blood sausage, ranging from $26 to $42. We opted for fresh anchovies with pimento ($26), and crunched our way happily through an explosion of flavours.

There are a number of paellas available. Now, we know this is a dish with a great tradition behind it, Spanish national dish, every mother and every chef has their own recipe and so on, but for some reason and without wishing to appear ungracious we get bored witless at the very idea of a paella.

Admittedly, there were a couple that really caught the eye: chicken and rabbit paella (regular $168, large $298), and seafood paella with king prawns, sea snails and squid ink ($198, $308), but not enough for us to order one. We also passed on the fajita listing, each of the choices being priced at $138, although we were very tempted by the ox tongue.

Instead, we went to the main courses, which are designed for sharing. We ordered a dish of oxtail ($118, $188), cooked in red wine with carrots, leek and whole garlic, and found the rich, meaty cuts to be very satisfying indeed. So much so that by the time the second main course arrived, again as a shared dish, we had almost eaten ourselves to a standstill. This was roasted suckling pig ($138) marinated in honey and red wine vinegar, and the standard serving was so large it almost overflowed the plate.

Rosa has a small number of Spanish wines available, red and white, all reasonably priced, but we stayed with the Sol beer: it actually matched everything very well.

Service was young and enthusiastic. Very enthusiastic. But our server had an attentive audience, and his advice over the dishes was appreciated. This is a friendly place.

Well it’s not actually in a tent, it’s on the first floor of Koon Fook Centre at 9 Knutsford Terrace. It’s also quite easy to miss if you are walking from the Knutsford Steps end of the lane. If you approach from Observatory Road you’ll see a large advert hanging by the entrance just next door to the Whale Pub.

I have fond, though admittedly fuzzy, memories of tent bars in South Korea. The ones that I have been in were out in the provinces. Once they had got over the shock of a foreigner sticking his head round the flap they were all very friendly and welcoming and, despite not knowing what I was eating or drinking - and not understanding anything that was being said to me, I generally had a good old time.

It was in a tent bar that I discovered kimchi and beer was a marriage made in heaven … and that soju should be treated with respect.

Apgujeong may not be a tent but the staff are still very friendly and it does capture a very traditional Korean feel with polished floorboards, heavy wooden tables, and the smell of rush mats mixing pleasantly with the aromas of cooking. I was shown to a table and promptly presented with a plate of kimchi, bean sprouts and tiny fish which had been marinated in honey, soy and sesame. I ordered a Cass beer ($28).

The restaurant has been open for a couple of months now but the waitress informs me that the menu has already changed a lot during that time since they are still learning which dishes work well and which prove to be less popular. A quick glance told me that there was plenty that would probably keep me happy for several visits. Starters that included beef tartar with sweet pear ($128), Sea snails with chillis and spicy beef with squid and vegetables (both $75).

I plumped for traditional Korean pancakes ($68). These are made from green beans, garlic and onion and are served piping hot with a sharp and spicy sauce. They were a perfect addition to the platter of kimchi and fishes. I ordered another beer.

Apgujeong has an interesting range of hot pots and whilst the beef rib with chestnut ($78) and the Ginseng with chicken ($108) were both tempting I knew my limitations, I’d already ordered pan fried yellow fish ($70). This was tender and succulent and once again came with a sweet spicy sauce to dip it in.

It is quite a small restaurant and by now it was almost full but customers were still arriving. My final dish arrived along with another beer. The dish was kimchi with pork fried rice ($85) which is delivered in a stone pot with a raw egg on top. The idea is to mix it all together quickly but don’t eat it too quickly. The rice that is in contact with the pot becomes a little crusty which makes for a wonderful contrast in texture between the crusty and the softer rice on the inside.

Apgujeong is a welcome addition to the Knutsford Terrace strip, whether you want a full meal or just drinks and snacks. Reservations are recommended, particularly at weekends.

A balalaika is a small three stringed folk instrument from eastern Europe. It has a triangular body and a neck about the size of a ukulele. The only one I know of in Hong Kong is played nightly and with much verve at the restaurant of the same name in Knutsford Terrace.

We arrived about 7.45pm on a weekday - we didn’t have a reservation and we were probably lucky to get a table. The restaurant resembles a traditional style hunting lodge complete with wooden beams and Russian themed folk art decorations. There is a dedicated piroshki oven and a walk in deep freeze for keeping the vodka at optimum temperature.

The tables are arranged in a way that makes it easy to accommodate large groups as well as small groups and seating for two. Though intimacy, it has to be admitted, is not one of the restaurants main selling points. The emphasis is strictly on fun.

The music starts at 8pm and by then the place was packed. Waitresses were darting hither and thither. Taking orders, delivering orders and whipping-up support - for each shashlik that was served was ceremonially christened with vodka and flamed to a round of applause from anyone who happened to be sitting nearby.

We were still making our minds up. The menu boasts three different kinds of caviar, for those that really want to spoil themselves. Beluga, Oscetra and Sevruga. Prices start at $280 and rise to a princely $700 for 30 grams of top-of-the-line Iranian beluga.

But if caviar is beyond your budget (and it was certainly beyond ours), you can still order a blini … or two. These are the small pancakes that caviar is traditionally served with, but they can also be served with any number of other things. We ordered a crab meat and mushroom and a smoked salmon at $25 each. We also ordered a mushroom piroshki for good measure.

A piroshki is perhaps best described as a kind of dumpling, though it has a bread-like exterior wrapped around a warm filling. There are a few listed on the menu but the chef bakes them fresh so it is always worth asking the waitress what specials the chef has that day. Our waitress had a smile that could melt the vodka room so I jumped at any excuse to call her over.

For the main course we had ordered a seafood shashlik ($135) and duck stew ($125). Shashlik is essentially a kebab. The seafood option included a large tiger prawn plus generous salmon, sturgeon and cod steaks. They arrive at the table suspended vertically and are flamed as described above and came with rice potatoes and vegetables.

The duck, stewed with apples, prunes, apricots and potatoes, was very tender with a delicious fruity tang. It is served in a pot with a freshly baked brown bread crust.

We decided a little rest was in order before dessert so we took the opportunity to visit the walk-in vodka freezer. The temperature in the freezer is kept so low that visitors are provided with snug fur coats to go inside and admire the roughly 30 different vodkas from all around the world, including arctic fruit flavoured vodkas. They also serve vodka jelly and an oyster shooter.

The most interesting of the desserts are fruit based. We ordered a Russian mixed fruit pudding, which included raspberries and cranberries. It had a very sharp flavour, and while I found it most enjoyable it probably wouldn’t appeal to someone who was expecting something sweet.

Balalaika also has a VIP room which deserves a mention. Whilst the main dining area has rustic feel to it, the VIP room is straight from one of the Tzars’ palaces, with ornate furnishing and a huge chandelier. The VIP room can seat up to 14 people at a minimum charge of $300 each.

Balalaika is open from 5.00pm to midnight on weekdays, and until 1.00am Saturdays and Sundays.

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).

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

9 Knutsford Terrace
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2367 9487

4-5 Knutsford Terrace
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2721 1686

55 Kimberley Road
Tsim Sha Tsui
Kowloon
Tel 2722 0733
Fax 2722 5159

G/F Prosperous Centre
1 Knutsford Terrace
Tsim Sha Tsui
Kowloon
Tel 2722 1555
Fax 2366 8998

G/F Yui Pont House
12 Knutsford Terrace
Tsim Sha Tsui
Kowloon
Tel 2376 2263
Tel 2312 1972

G/F & 1/F Knutsford 6
Knutsford Terrace
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2367 8438

Kimberley Plaza
Knutsford Terrace
Tsim Sha Tsui
Kowloon
Tel 2316 2288

6 Knutsford Steps
2/F Miramar Shopping Centre
132 Nathan Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2730 1300

3/F 8 Observatory Court
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2316 2818

Shop 7, Knutsford Steps
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 3525 1314

9/10 Knutsford Steps
2/F Miramar Shopping Centre
132 Nathan Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 3168 2000
Fax 3168 2020

Basement, 132 Nathan Road
Miramar Shopping Mall
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2375 9339

G/F 15 Knutsford Terrace
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2316 2525

G/F Knutsford 10, Knutsford Terrace
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2312 6663
Fax 2312 6163

G/F 13 Knutsford Terrace
Tsimshatsui
Knutsford
Tel 2316 2212

2-4 Observatory Court
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2619 1926

1/F Koon Fook Centre,
9 Knutsford Terrace
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 3579 2992

Shop A-E Observatory Food Court
Observatory Terrace
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2369 0701

2 Knutsford Terrace
Tsim Sha Tsui
Kowloon
Tel 2312 6668

Mingle Place
8 Observatory Court
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2155 8777

G/F Greenview Court
2-4 Observatory Road
Tsim Sha Tsui
Kowloon
Tel 2311 9676
Fax 2312 1676

2/F 8 Observatory Court
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2316 2525

2-3 Knutsford Terrace
Tsim Sha Tsui
Kowloon
Tel 2367 9487

Shop5, 2/F Knutsford Steps
1 Kimberley Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2317 7308

1 Knutsford Terrace
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2721 0202

1/F Knutsford
10 Knutsford Terrace
Tsim Sha Tsui
Kowloon
Tel 2312 1118

7 Knutsford Terrace
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2316 2116

Knutsford Square Shop L-M, G/G Universal Mansion
52 Hillwood Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2369 4033

2/F Knutsford 10
14 Knutsford Terrace
Tsim Sha Tsui
Kowloon
Tel 2312 6222
Fax 2312 1972

Kimberley Plaza
15 Knutsford Terrace
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2316 2121

7 Knutsford Steps
2/F Miramar Shopping Centre
132 Nathan Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2521 2166
Fax 2868 2692

8 Knutsford Steps
2/F Miramar Shopping Centre
132 Nathan Road
Tel 3167 7388
Fax 3167 7377

3/F Knutsford 10
Knutsford Terrace
Tsim Sha Tsui
Kowloon
Tel 2312 6565
Fax 2312 6163

9 Knutsford Terrace
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2724 1333

3/F 8 Observatory Court
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2316 2818

9-10 Knutsford Steps
2/F Miramar Shopping Centre
132 Nathan Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 3168 2000

2 Knutsford Terrace
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 3690 1598

Kimberley Plaza
Knutsford Terrace
Tsim Sha Tsui
Kowloon
Tel 2316 2381

2/F, 1 Knutsford Terrace
Tsim Sha Tsui
Kowloon
Tel 21919886, 21919880
Fax 2191 9878

Shop 1, 1/F Knutsford Steps
Miramar Plaza
Kimberley Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2377 2666

L/2 Hotel Miramar
118-130 Nathan Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2315 5155