Hot off the heels of its recent Spanish foray, Hong Kong restaurant Statement launches its second pop-up with London’s aqua kyoto.
It seems like a lifetime since the days of global travel, when we would venture to parts both known and unexplored, often with an appetite to delve into the local food scene and to visit the destination’s top tables. Fortunately, the latest pop up at modern British restaurant Statement does half that task for us, delivering the innovative Japanese flavours of Regent Street’s aqua kyoto (you know it’s contemporary when they don’t use capitals in their name) to the heart of Tai Kwun.
Now, there’s no shortage of good sushi spots in Hong Kong (after all, we’re a lot closer to the Land of the Rising Sun than England) but aqua kyoto does add an intriguing flair that just might shake you out of your 2021 funk. To create the pop up sans jet travel, Hong Kong’s Head of Japanese Chef Iwahashi worked meticulously with London’s Head Chef Ken Miyake via hours of video calls to bring to life aqua kyoto’s eclectic style of cooking, which stems from Chef Miyake’s unusual Japanese and Spanish upbringing.
Look out for the restaurant’s creative sushi maki, which combine authentic Japanese ingredients with European flavours to create extraordinary and complex dishes – think salmon, beetroot and sea buckthorn berry maki, which incorporates the vibrant yellow berries of a timeless superfood found in Northern Europe and the Himalayas, and is topped with truffle mayo; and salmon and smoked daikon maki, a delicate medley of fresh salmon, earthy daikon and creamy tobiko mayonnaise topped with vivacious beetroot caviar.
READ: A Grain Whisky That Takes Centerstage
Other dishes to look out for include cured red snapper wrapped with cucumber, chives and watermelon radish and topped with freshly shaved black truffle; Wagyu beef gyoza dumplings paired with a spicy miso sauce made from kimchi, tomato and nashi pears; miso-cured sea trout with roasted kombu and hijiki powder; and pork belly slow-cooked in white miso broth and served with tender grilled eel, braised daikon and carrots.
If you’re visiting on the weekend (from May 1) the Kanpai Brunch includes yakitori skewers, tempura, Japanese sandos and much more and is priced at HK$488++ pp with free-flow options for an additional HK$100.
Not a bad alternative to brunch on Regent Street.
For more Wining & Dining inspiration click here.
LIKE WHAT YOU SEE? FOLLOW ALPHA MEN ASIA ON FACEBOOK, OR INSTAGRAM AND SUBSCRIBE TO OUR HONG KONG-CENTRIC NEWSLETTER HERE