Asia Tatling Dining

When it comes to sheer indulgence, Hong Kong seems to have it all, with its abundance of exotic cars and some of the world’s most expensive real estate. Dining in the city is no different, with restaurants attempting to out-do each other by coming up with new dishes that are more and more extravagant. We’ve dug through the menus of the city’s finest restaurants and this week, put your money where your mouth is as we present Hong Kong’s top 5 most extravagant dishes.

Cuisine Cuisine’s Porridge with Imperial Bird's Nest and Minced Partridge – HK$880

From its origins as a way to stretch rice supplies during famines, the humble dish of porridge has come a long way. While many of the city’s dining establishments offer opulent variations of the staple dish with ingredients like abalone and crab, the fine dining Chinese restaurant Cuisine Cuisine at IFC takes it a step further with their imperial bird's nest and minced partridge porridge. Rather than using rice grains, the porridge itself is actually made entirely of finely cut patridge and bird’s nest. These two ingredients are cooked together in a partridge broth until they are semi-melted, giving them a fine texture and an appearance almost identical to that of a traditional Chinese rice porridge. According to the restaurant’s chef Lee Yuk Lam, the extremely fine texture is the hallmark of the dish and a product of the lengthy and meticulous cooking process.

Shop 3101 Podium Level 3, IFC Mall, Central. Tel: +852 2393 3933.

L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon’s Scampi Ravioli with Foie Gras Sauce – HK$480

Quite possibly the city’s most decadent ravioli dish, celebrity French chef Joel Robuchon’s L’Atelier at the Landmark’s scampi ravioli with foie gras sauce is an intricate combination of the finest ingredients from around the world, including air-flown scampi from New Zealand, black truffles from Australia and foie gras from France.  Speaking to the restaurant’s executive chef Olivier Elzer, he remarked that menus at all the L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon worldwide differ but this dish is available at each location and is part of the restaurant group’s “unifying spirit”. He goes on to add that what defines this dish is its exquisite “balance of taste and texture” and for him, there’s a certain “wow factor” to it. On the outside, the dish looks just like three slightly oversized ravioli but in each one, there is a whole scampi with a healthy topping of black truffles. Each ravioli is then set in a small pool of foie gras butter, which adds another dimension to the palate and completes the dish. 

Shop 401, 4/F The Landmark, 15 Queen’s Road Central, Central. Tel: +852 2166 9000.

Amber’s Sea Urchin In Langoustine Jell-O with Cauliflower, Caviar and Crispy Seaweed Waffle – HK$440

A dish that could have only come from the imagination of a chef like Amber’s Richard Ekkebus, the Landmark Mandarin’s French restaurant’s sea urchin in lobster jell-o with cauliflower, caviar and crispy “seaweed” waffle is a sublime creation that looks out of this world. The fresh Hokkaido sea urchin is surrounded by a jell-o made of langoustines, and topped with Kaluga caviar and gold leaf, all set atop a base of light cauliflower mousse. Complementing this decadent combination is a side that is equally unique, a crispy “waffle” made of seaweed and spinach. According to chef Ekkebus, the restaurant is committed to using the finest and freshest ingredients sourced from all parts of the world and unique dishes like this stem from Amber’s emphasis “on beautiful, creative presentations employing varying food textures and colours”.

7/F, The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, 15 Queen's Road Central, Central. Tel: +852 2132 0066.

Inakaya’s Wagyu Shabu Shabu Udon Noodles – HK$1,680

No list of extravagant dishes would be complete without a Japanese entry and Inakaya’s wagyu shabu shabu udon noodles definitely does not disappoint. While most udon dishes are simply plonked down in front of you, Inakaya’s offering is served to diners as an experience.  The process starts in the kitchen where an entire pot of soup base, made with bonito, mushrooms, scallions and carrots is prepared. The pot is then brought to diners along with A4 wagyu and inaniwa udon. Guests can then add in the ingredients as they please, ensuring that the fine wagyu beef and udon is cooked to their own tastes and not overdone. What makes this dish truly special is how the udon noodles do not take second place to the soup and wagyu beef. In the words of the restaurant’s executive washoku chef Yeung Chi Bun, “[The udon] is more satisfying and delicious because the strands are all absorbed with the beef and soup flavours."

Shop A, 101/F ICC, 1 Austin Road West, West Kowloon. Tel: +852 2972 2666.

Grand Hyatt Steakhouse’s Wagyu Fillet Mignon – HK$950

Despite the intense marketing that wagyu has been subject to, there’s no denying that beef from wagyu breeds is among the finest in the world. In the pursuit of serving “the best of the best”, The Grand Hyatt Steakhouse’s wagyu fillet mignon cut from the centre of the tenderloin and is one of the highest grades in terms of Japanese A5 beef. According to the restaurant’s chef David Campbell, this means that “it is heavily marbled and juicy with an almost buttery flavour”. Elaborating more on the beef, the chef explained that the cattle comes from Kumamoto in Southern Kyushu prefecture and that the red wagyu breed from this area are the only cattle raised on pasture in the country. Furthermore, due to the intense marbling, this cut of beef is also renowned for their higher level of monounsaturated fats, which is deemed as being healthier.

Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, 1 Harbour Road, Wan Chai. Tel: +852 2584 7722.