Hong Kong has a new tenderloin temple with the opening of Carver at the Crowne Plaza Causeway Bay.
For most of us, there are few pleasures more satisfying than a truly great steak. Sure, it’s not something that most of us can indulge in every day, which means that when we do we should be looking for quality over quantity, and that’s where Causeway Bay’s newest eatery comes in.
Crowne Plaza Hong Kong Causeway Bay has introduced a new contemporary steakhouse, Carver, which dishes up the finest beef cuts sourced from all over the world, including the United States, Australia and Japan.
The first thing you’ll notice upon arriving is a 13-foot-high showpiece, the restaurant’s bespoke marble-lined temperature-controlled cabinet, where slabs of the good stuff are dry-aging. This showcase leads to an oasis of spacious, refined and convivial dining where the same dry-aged cuts are paired with jet-fresh seafood, sommelier-led wine pairings (we suggest the Trapiche Malbec from Argentina) and sophisticated cocktails.
Carver’s a la carte menu, available in the evenings, encompasses all the expected accoutrement, including salads, sauces and sides, all of which play second fiddle to the star listings of charcoal-grilled USDA Prime, Wagyu and in-house dry-aged beef. These cuts benefit from grilling at exceptionally high temperatures on the charcoal, while smoke from the dripping fat induces an exquisite woody aroma.
Coffee-infused U.S. dry-aged beef headlines a parade of decadent steaks that includes the 20-day House Dry-Aged U.S. Striploin aged in butter and premium Arabica grounds from Brazilian brand Lavazza that imparts a tenderness and rich, redolent coffee flavour.
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Alternatively, wrap your mouth around the ultimate indulgence for beef connoisseurs, a 1kg 45-day House Dry-Aged Porterhouse, a U.S.-sourced hunk that serves 2-3 likely lads, and which will remind you of your Grandmother’s rare roast beef with subtle flavours from the aging process reminicent of warm buttered popcorn. Quality is ensured by stringent monitoring of not only the correct tenderloin-to-sirloin ratio (that’s 60:40 in case you were wondering) but also the dry-aging requirement of 45 days in the cabinet at a temperature from 4-8°C and 70% humidity. The Bone-in Rib Eye is another carnivorous feast that’s better suited for you and a wingman to share.
Harvested from the top blade in the beef chuck, the flat iron cut has carved a path through the steakhouses of America and now at Carver, you can try USDA Prime Steak – Flat Iron Gold, the gold label of which guarantees a well-marbled cut with an intramuscular fat percentage of 16-24%. Also look out for the Bavette M9 from Australia, a classic bistro cut that’s highly marbled and endowed with rich beefy flavours; as well as the Australian Tomahawk M4, a hunk of beef prepared for 2-3 diners.
You’ll be able to pair your beef with a sauce selection that runs the gamut from pure beef jus and Black Pepper with Cognac, to Black Truffle Jus and the luscious French classic Béarnaise.
Of course, Carver is also home to other meat choices, from the Kurobuta Bone-in Pork Chop, sourced from Japan’s purebred Berkshire hogs; and the Victorian Rack of Lamb “A La Provence”, roasted with a mustard herb crust; to free-range chicken baked in a Dutch oven (not that one) with lemon, thyme and garlic. There’s also Alaskan king crab leg and Boston Lobster for seafood lovers.
You can also complement your mains with great starters like the beef steak tartare with Avruga caviar; a warm mushroom salad with endive and yuzu dressing; and the Carver Caesar Salad with Speck ham, while sides include hand-cut fries; onion and pancetta mac and cheese; and fried onion rings – you know, the classics.
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If you can’t make it for dinner, the new restaurant also does a great set lunch, complete with salad bar, soup, dessert, and a grilled U.S. striploin, chargrilled to perfection.
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