What’s New In The 852: Brunch At The Flying Elk & Madame Fu, Lunch At Aaharn And More

Looking for promos, deals and brand new meals? We’ve done the legwork and rounded up everything to eat this month.

It can be a tricky task keeping up with our ever-changing culinary landscape, but we want to keep you up to date on all the new restaurants, lunch and brunch menus and pop-ups in Hong Kong. Mark your diaries, because this week has some amazing new offers you won’t want to miss. To help you find what you’re looking for, click on the handy sections below to take you straight there:

New Restaurants
Special Menus and Offers
Lunch and Brunch Specials

New Restaurants

Eat Darling Eat

Newly opened in Causeway Bay, Eat Darling Eat is a Modern Chinese Dessert shop, serving iconic local sweet treats such as tong sui, egg tarts, and pineapple buns. Aiming to bring happiness to its diners by allowing them to rediscover their childhood desserts in a design-centric environment, the dessert shop is sure to be a hit for those with a sweet tooth (and who love a bit of nostalgia!). Items on the menu that are set to bring in the crowds include EDE’s homemade Pineapple Buns ($38), filled with pineapple custard; the Sichuan Pepper ($48), that features scoops of ice cream, enhanced by the spicy taste of Sichuan peppercorns and topped with candied bacon; Lava Cake ($78), a decadent Valrhona dark chocolate filled cake; and Matcha Cake ($58), a sweet caramel sponge cake topped with caramelised banana, and finished with scoops of matcha ice cream.

While Eat Darling Eat serves mainly fun and playful desserts, it also offers savoury dishes for lunch and dinner that can be chosen from the a la carte menu and signature lunch menu, alongside an extensive coffee, tea and cocktail menu. What’s more on Saturday, 2 March, the new dessert shop will be celebrating its opening by giving away 100 free pineapple buns to hungry Hong Kongers!

Eat Darling Eat, Shop 17, G/F 11-19 Great George Street, Fashion Walk, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, www.facebook.com/eat.darling

DAI BING

Lovers of Sai Ying Pun gin bar, Ping Pong 129, get excited, as the owners have just opened up little sister, DAI BING. Found in Sheung Wan, the new drinks spot specialises in long drinks, and will also host music events and art exhibitions. Long drinks on offer include Tequila Highballs, Starfruit Spritzers, Gin & Tonics, Pimm’s Cups and more. They’re all served in tall glasses with plenty of ice and mixers, with the purpose to quench, cool and delight – perfect for when the Hong Kong heat sets in. The bar is also home to Hong Kong’s first Artisanal Ice Suite, a specialised series of rooms dedicated to the production of artisanal ice, resulting in crystal-clear, dense artisanal ice that is harder, colder and slower to melt. The food on offer will feature a selection of Portuguese petiscos (snacks), including Cured Meat and Cheeses, Eggplant Chamuças (Portuguese style samosas) and Chicken and Coriander Chamuças.

DAI BING, 52 Bonham Strand West, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong, www.facebook.com/Dai-Bing

Special Menus and Offers

Popinjays

Popinjays (which opened last summer) is The Murray hotel’s rooftop bar and dining destination, and it has just added an afternoon tea offering to its ever-growing menu! Previously only open for dinner and drinks, the tea will be served in the restaurant from Tuesday to Sunday, 2:30pm to 4:30pm, so guests will be able to enjoy the spacious dining room when it is flooded with natural light, and look out onto the stunning city views. As a playful take on the classic afternoon tea, diners can expect to feast on a selection of colourful sweet and savoury creations, including smoked salmon, dill and zucchini muffins; blue lobster, celeriac and apple remoulade tartlets; salted pistachio and cassis tartelettes; and raspberry macaroons with violet mascarpone. The Popinjays Afternoon Tea is priced at $688 for two (inclusive of coffee and tea), but for an additional $300 per person, guests can enjoy a glass of Deutz Blanc de Blanc champagne or Charles-Heidsieck Rosé. The tea set comes complete with warm scones, cream and homemade papaya and mango jam, but for a one-of-a-kind experience, diners can opt to enjoy their scones flambéed tableside in either Cherries Jubilee or Blood Orange Cointreau (for an additional $90 a pair).

Popinjays, The Murray, Hong Kong, 22 Cotton Tree Drive, Central, Hong Kong, www.niccolohotels.com

Elementary

We’ve long been fans of casual Aussie-style eatery, Elementary, and this month it has added a range of fresh and flavourful dishes to its menu. The sharing-style plates are split into five sections on the menu: raw, small, veg, pasta and big (making deciding what to order a breeze)! Along with old favourites such as the Elementary fried cauliflower, fancy poutine and chilli crab pasta, the menu now features new dishes that include beef tartare with wasabi hollandaise, pear, black sesame and lotus root; burrata with roast baby carrots and beetroot pesto; braised short-rib with truffled mash, garlic, green peppercorn jus and gremolata; and a dessert of Nutella chocolate rice pudding.

Elementary, 15-16 School Street, School Street, Tai Hang, Hong Kong, www.elementary.hk

Impossible Foods

Juicier, meatier, and more beefy-tasting than ever before, the Impossible Burger 2.0 has now launched in Hong Kong! Impossible Foods first launched in Hong Kong back in April 2018 and have proved to be hugely popular, with vegans, veggies and meat-eaters, and the new “2.0” version promises to be even better, with a more “meaty chew and versatile texture”. One of the major changes to the new recipe is that the product now contains no wheat protein, so is suitable for those who do not eat wheat or gluten. The plant-based fave will be available to try in locations such as Triple O’s, Classified, Castelo Concepts restaurants and Aussie Grill by Outback now, with more to follow in March!

Impossible Foods, various locations across Hong Kong, www.impossiblefoods.com

Read more: These HK Restaurants Are Putting Plant-Based Meats On The Menu

Lunch and Brunch Specials

Madame Fu

Launching on Saturday, 2 March Madame Fu’s new brunch offering will feature free-flow drinks, a whole host of contemporary Chinese dishes, and even a live DJ and saxophonist. Brunch dishes include the likes of crystal shrimp dumplings; salt and pepper crispy tofu; honey glazed Iberico barbecue pork; and crispy cod with a vinegar and ginger glaze; along with a range of rice, noodle and vegetable sides. The brunch will take place on Saturdays only in the Fu Bar, and will be priced at $550 (includes soft drinks and Madame Fù’s Mocktails), $750 (includes Champagne Bernard Lonclas Blanc de Blancs Brut NV, Tsingtao beer, house red and white wine, Bellini and Aperol Spritz), $900 (includes Champagne Moët & Chandon Brut Impérial NV, Tsingtao, Asahi, house red and white wine, Bellini, Aperol Spritz, Cosmopolitan and Bloody Mary) or $1,200 (includes Champagne Ruinart Blanc de Blancs NV, Kronenbourg 1664 Blacn, Asahi, Tsingtao, Blue Girl, Corona, Domaine du Colombier Berry’s Chablis 2016 white wine, Cape Mentelle Shiraz 2014 red wine, Bellini, Aperol Spritz, Cosmopolitan, Bloody Mary, Espresso Martini and house spirits)

Madame Fu, 3/F, Barrack Block, Tai Kwun, No. 10 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong, www.madamefu.com.hk

Aaharn

Aaharn is the newest Thai restaurant to hit Hong Kong, and can be found in the Armoury Building, in Tai Kwun. Helmed by acclaimed Australian chef, David Thompson, the restaurant serves up refined Thai cuisine, in an elegant setting. Since opening last October, the restaurant did a dinner service only (with a la carte options, along with a set menu for $748 and a vegetarian set for $698), but as of this week, lunch is now being served. Priced at $198 for two-courses or $228 for three, the lunch menu is served from Tuesday to Sunday, and will feature everything from aromatic curries to a refreshing prawn and basil salad, along with new items that will reflect Aaharn’s approach to delivering authentic Thai cuisine adapted for Hong Kong diners. We recently tried out some dishes for ourselves and loved the starter of crab with crunchy rice peanuts and pickled garlic, along with the grilled beef salad with cucumber mint and dried prawns, and the aromatic curry of chicken shallots and cucumber relish, whilst a must-try for vegetarian diners is the massaman curry of green jackfruit and shallots.

Aaharn, 2/F Armoury Building, Tai Kwun Centre, 10 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong, www.aaharn.hk

The Flying Elk

Get a taste of modern Nordic comfort food at The Flying Elk’s brand new brunch! Priced at just $295 per person (for three dishes) or $395 (for five dishes), diners can enjoy a tableside Smörgåsbord buffet, followed by a choice of one of the restaurant’s signature main dishes and dessert. Sharing plates include chicken liver parfait; gravlax; and ox tongue, while main dish options feature favourites such as “TFE” fish & chips; veal schnitzel “Bjorn Frantzén”; and poached cod. Diners can enjoy two-hours of free-flow cocktails, wines and beers for an additional $198 per person, before delving into indulgent desserts such as “After Eight” mint chocolate and the delicious Swedish coffee & Tahiti vanilla crème brûlée. Available Saturdays, 12pm to 3pm and Sundays, 11:30am to 5pm. 

The Flying Elk, 32 Wyndham Street, Central, Hong Kong, www.theflyingelk.com

Artemis & Apollo

Good news for Wan Chai workers and residents, Greek Taverna, Artemis & Apollo will now be serving lunch! Available Monday to Friday, between 12pm and 2:30pm, the menu will be priced at $168 per person and will include a mezze dish, salad, main dish and dessert. To start, diners can choose between tzatziki, hummus, roasted eggplant or fava bean mash (all served with warm pita!), before enjoying a cypriot salad and a choice of either chicken or pork souvlaki. The lunch set is finished off with a labneh cheesecake – just the thing for a mid-week pick-me-up.

Artemis & Apollo, GF 9&11, Moon Street, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, www.artemisandapollo.com

Mercedes me

After moving to a new location in Central last year, Mercedes me has just revamped a selection of its menus and dishes, including its A La Carte Menu, Set Lunch and Weekend Brunch. New additions to a the a la carte menu include 300g USDA rib eye, served with fondant potatoes, roasted onion thyme jus and tarragon béarnaise; alongside 41 degree seared sustainable Baltic salmon, with edamame, sautéed kale and crème fraiche. Priced from $198 per person, new weekday set lunch options include  steak tartare; char grilled beef burger; or pan seared gnocchi; and a yuzu and white chocolate panna Cotta for dessert, while the weekend brunch ($395 per person) has the likes of soufflé skillet pancakes with spiced plantain marmalade, peanut and chia seed granola, and fresh sustainable oysters added to its repertoire.

Mercedes me, Shop 38 & 40, G/F, 48 Queen’s Road Central, Central, Hong Kong, www.mercedes-benz.com