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Pollock in an oyster and gin emulsion from Figaro
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Oh Figaro, Figaro
After opening with an extensive selection of wines earlier this year, French wine bar
Figaro (2 Shin Hing St., Central, 2757-1777) has finally got its kitchen license fixed
and it’s out of the gate with a bang. Helmed by chef Jonathan Irwin, previously
Chef de Cuisine at Wan Chai’s Restaurant Akrame, Figaro’s dishes appear rustic and
simple yet feature innovative twists and interesting flavor combinations that have us
hooked. The best part is that most dishes clock in at under $150, so you can share
several plates over a bottle or two of wine. Start off with a classic French cheese
and charcuterie platter: ours featured a decent selection of cold meats and rillettes,
plus comté and camembert cheeses. The langoustine tartare ($115) is beautifully
presented with a clear cucumber consommé poured over at the table to refresh your
palate. In the pollock and asparagus ($140), the fresh fish is brought to life with salty
pops of salmon and herring roe, edamame and a creamy oyster and gin emulsion.
Save room for the whimsical desserts, from a deconstructed tarte tatin ($85) which
features a cheeky smear of black garlic, to the elegant poached white peach ($85)
with a light lemongrass sorbet that we wish we could take home by the tub.
RESTAURANT REVIEWS
3/3rds ★★★★★
Café. Shop 1, 1/F, Manning House, 38-48 Queen’s Rd. Central, 2562-8805.
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What’s not to love?
This homegrown café started off in
Wong Chuk Hang and has since moved
to Central to cater to lunchtime crowds.
HIT Walking into the bright and
cheery space, you’ll be drawn to the
tempting selection of salads on offer,
many harboring a Mediterranean and/or
Middle Eastern influence. Salads are sold
by the box ($60 for small, $90 for large)
or in a soup and salad combo ($130
large) and you can pile in as many salads
as you want that can fit. We went for a bit
of everything, from the Morrocan carrots
with an exotic Middle Eastern spice
mixture clinging to the skin, to beans
and potato wedges with a zesty pesto
sauce, and sweet roasted beets offset by
crunchy walnuts. The wild rice was also a
winner, dotted with dried cranberries and
almond slices. Our freshly baked pizza of
chorizo and mushroom ($138) boasted
a wafer thin crust that still managed
to have pillowy bubbles around the
edges, making it a lighter alternative
to the more doughy crusts found at
other pizzerias in Central. Toppings
were plentiful, with black olives, roasted
onions, thin slices of chorizo, melty
mozzarella and roasted mushrooms.
MISS We were confused by the
addition of sweet chili sauce on top of
the pizza, which didn’t mesh with the rest
of the savory ingredients. The “Hanoi
beef” soup had a robust beefy flavor, but
the broth was overwhelmingly oily and
we gave up after a few bites.
BOTTOM LINE A solid selection of
pizzas, salads and soups mixed in with
a healthy, homegrown vibe should suit
Central’s busy worker bees just fine.
Open Mon-Sat 11am-9pm. $
Ratings
★ Don’t go ★★ Disappointing ★★★ We’ll be back ★★★★ We’ll be back—with friends ★★★★★ You MUST go
Price Guide
$ Less than $200 $$ $200-$399 $$$ $400-$599 $$$$ $600-$799 $$$$$ $800 and up
20 HK MAGAZINE FRIDAY, JUNE 3, 2016