In food-obsessed Hong Kong, it can seem like there’s a new restaurant opening every day.
It stands to reason that in such a saturated market, not every new opening will blow you away. Most restaurants in Hong Kong are solidly middle of the road – they’re great for the occasional meal and you might even have a few favourite dishes, but you wouldn’t consider them must-tries.
So it is with Kinship, a new restaurant tucked away in a brand new building on Soho’s Shelley Street. Created by chefs Chris Grare and Arron Rhodes, Kinship is a casual dining concept designed to bring people together over “new world” dishes.
Opened just two weeks ago, the restaurant was packed when we went in for dinner on a Tuesday night. Straight off the bat, we liked the look and feel of the place; interiors combine industrial style with rustic chic with plenty of copper, Edison lamps, exposed vents, and concrete and wood. In this small space – there are 57 seats in total – all of this works to create an intimate, convivial atmosphere that’s perfect for casual dinners.
When it comes to the food, Kinship is a little more hit-or-miss. The restaurant describes its cuisine as “New World,” but a more accurate term would be global. European cuisine is definitely the starting point, but there are influences from everywhere. Plus, the ingredients come from all four corners of the globe – think carrots from Hong Kong’s New Territories and salmon from the Faroe Islands.
Kinship works closely with small family farms and suppliers, and this shows in the quality of the produce. The one dish that really surprised us was a side of brussells sprouts. Fried and seasoned with ponzu, these humble vegetables were cooked to perfection.
Two other dishes that should be on your hit list are the grass-fed Australian beef tartare and the chicken liver mousse. The first gets an creative Indonesian twist with toppings of Bali bean salad, roasted peanut sauce and fresh lime sambal; the second is combined with raisin relish and homemade oat crackers for a great sweet-savoury flavour punch.
We also tried two other signature dishes from the menu, though these left us rather more indifferent. Grandpa’s roasted carrots came with a moreish dill-almond sauce, but carrots are carrots, no matter how you dress them. The giant duck ravioli was literally that and while it had potential, there was probably too much pasta and ginger to make this a winner.
An easy-to-drink but forgettable New Zealand chardonnay was paired with the food, but it doesn’t seem to be on the regular wine list. Was it an oversight? Does Kinship have a secret wine list only available to those in the know? Your guess is as good as ours – either way, you’ll still have plenty of other options from the drinks menu.
Kinship probably won’t become your go-to restaurant, but it’s worth keeping it in mind for a lads’ night out or dinner date.
Check out Alpha Men’s Wining & Dining page for the latest F&B in Asia.