Drawing Group Concepts (the group that brought you Ammo, Le Salon and Hainan Shaoye) has a new addition to the family – Made in HK, located in Kwun Tong’s apm mall. This new kid on the block aims to bring you straight back to Hong Kong-style Western cuisine, mixing in Chinese and Western cooking styles and techniques with premium quality ingredients to bring you a fresh play on cha chaan teng food.
What definitely stands out about Made in HK is its beautiful interior, the perfect blend of modernity and nostalgia. I absolutely fell in love with the place – its lofty ceilings, contrasting black and white colours and wonderfully open space is bound to put you at ease after a hectic week at work (or a frantic shopping spree amongst apm’s crowds!).
Having rushed over on the MTR, the first thing that greeted me was an icy cool pineapple punch drink. The marriage of the sweetness and tartness of pineapple mixed in with crushed ice was just the thing to cool me off from Hong Kong’s summer humidity! Rach, suffering from a cough, stuck with a preserved mandarin and honey drink with lemon. It’s just the thing my grandma forces me to drink whenever the weather gets dry, so if you’re beginning to get a tickle in your throat, try this yummy concoction to soothe it.
To start, we had the grilled prawn and mixed fruit salad. This certainly looked the part with all the bright summery fruit colours but at $68, I just didn’t feel that it was worth the value, especially as the dish would have been relatively easy to whip up at home.
The garlic prawns with toast, which came sitting atop a pool of garlic oil, were better. The prawns were succulent and tasty, but the best bit was mopping up all those garlic chips and garlic oil onto my slice of toast (oh-so-healthy, right?!).
Our first main was the baked rice with tonkatsu and tomato sauce. I’ve never been a fan of this type of rice, but seeing as it was a signature here, not trying it would be a sin. The tomato sauce was creamy and cheesy but still light, whilst the tonkatsu (translation: deep fried pork cutlet) was cooked perfectly – breaded with just the right amount of panko breadcrumbs, and crispy without any hint of grease.
Another signature that we were dying to try was the beef rib wellington. When it arrived, it smelled heavenly (and by heavenly, I mean buttery!) but sadly, the beef inside was quite tough and chewy, giving me little reason to order it again.
Thankfully, desserts fared better than the mains here at Made in HK. We opted for the red bean with ice cream – an old-time classic for all of you who spent your childhood here in the 852. The layers of milk, red bean, vanilla ice cream and lots of crushed ice is a combination that just can’t be beaten! Our final dessert was the 70ºC Belgian chocolate mousse – it was amazingly light and bittersweet (just the way I like it!), whilst a pleasant hint of banana provided a delicious surprise with every bite.
Having only been open for around a month, there are definitely some kinks that Made In HK still needs to iron out. On the day we visited, service was rather slow, with some diners who ordered after us being served before us (one of Rach’s pet hates!) so be sure to come with a little bit of patience while waiting for your food to arrive. If in doubt, bring your girlfriends to keep you occupied!
Made In HK has a variety of different sets available – lunch, dinner, afternoon tea… you name it, they’ve got it! Starting in August, they’ll also be open from 8am onwards for some HK-style breakfast sets, giving you a great place to sip on your cup of joe and read the morning paper before heading out for your day.
So for those of you who live or work around Kwun Tong or find occasion to hit the malls there on the weekend, don’t forget to stop by Made in HK. With prices for mains ranging from $80-200, it may not be the most affordable option in Kwun Tong but the gorgeous space and lovely presentation sets it apart from apm’s other eateries and will definitely draw in any Sassy lady for a midday break after a shopping session!
Made in HK Restaurant Shop 13, 1/F, apm Millennium City 5, 418 Kwun Tong Road Kwun Tong
2156 2000 www.facebook.com/madeinhkrestaurant