When a good friend who lives in HK asked if we would be interested in eating some French food in a traditional HK food court, Mrs. MM and I were understandably flummoxed. We trust this friend, so off to a food court we went one evening.
So the story goes that the Chef(s) of the now defunct M on the Fringe had set up shop in a food court to avoid high rents but still churn out restaurant quality food at much more affordable prices. Our friend was a regular here, and that means you get the best located table covered in red and white tablecloths in the fluorescent bathed, cacophonous and utterly nondescript food court on the second floor of a building with an escalator to take you up there.
We had been eating constantly for the previous two days, so we ordered “lightly”, or so we thought. Up top was some perfectly cooked white asparagus, beautifully prepped and served with slices of prosciutto and a poached egg. It was delicious. We also had a generous serving of foiegras with green salad and a cape gooseberry compote. This was delicious as well, but poorly deveined, or not deveined at all.
While our friend ordered some naan from the Indian stall nearby to nosh on while waiting for our food, we looked around amused at the rapidly filling tables, and discussions over wine, the soft drinks cases under nearby tables, etc. Our main courses arrived and we had a confit de canard that was delicious but not the prettiest to behold.
A loin of lamb with potatoes was our least favorite of all the dishes, but it was still good. Nearby everyone was getting their specialty, suckling pig, served with mustard that we consciously avoided since we see lechons constantly, but in retrospect, we should have ordered one dish of it. Maybe next time.
Desserts included an airy pavlova (non-crispy meringue) with fruit and a passion fruit sauce. Yum.
And a raspberry trifle that I practically finished all by myself. I love raspberries.
Dinner for three with drinks came out to roughly $100 or $33 each. Not exactly food court prices, but probably just the cost of an entree at a mediocre restaurant in a high-rent district in Hong Kong, and here we enjoyed three courses plus drinks. Pretty good value, in my opinion.
If you want to check out the place, here are the details:
ABC Kitchen
Shop 7, Queen Street Cooked Food Market,
Sheung Wan
There is a short walk to the Sheung Wan subway station. Or take a cab from Central.
7 Responses
DL’s current post touches on a similar subject; how young chefs in Paris first starting on their own are opting to locate outside the prestigious single-digit arrondissements. Given the even more prohibitive price of HK real estate, a food court setting seems the only economically justifiable way to continue practicing one’s craft. I enjoy well appointed dining as well as seeing a field usually fraught with froufrou and snobbery democratized in this manner.
Thanks for the review MM! If they’re still around when I visit Hong Kong next year, they’ll definitely be part of my food trip.
Sorry MM , but at first glance and before reading your post your first picture of the asparagus conjures a morbid picture for me, an image of a gloved hand ( minus the thumb) handling some mushy stuff. Good thing it tasted better than it looked.:)
ConnieC, good one, and the power of suggestion works… I didn’t see that at all beforehand, but now that you mentioned it…
Thanks for this tip!
MM, the Indian there is fabulous! It’s actually owned by Nepalese…food is delish!
So funny, MM. I thought they were the legs of the chicken.