eating
island hopping
The Kung goes to K-Town Annie Wong visits the new Kennedy Town branches of two favourite Sai Kung restaurants.
Hebe One O One’s sister restaurant, the “urban eatery and battlecruiser” (boozer) Shoreditch.
“We had been looking for a new location for many years. There were many considerations such as rent and easy-going landlords,” Wrayton says. “We looked in many areas, such as Tin Hau, Sai Wan Ho and SoHo, but we wanted a great location with big windows and open space and that’s what we found in Kennedy Town.” Shoreditch Right in the heart of Kennedy Town, Shoreditch is a new gastropub opened by Hebe One O One owner, Scott Wrayton. It’s a totally different concept to Hebe One O One. With its paint-splattered bowler-hat logo and rhyming slang slogan, the “urban eatery and battlecruiser” (boozer) aims to bring a taste of London’s trendy East End to Hong Kong’s most happening neighbourhood. Designed by Stickman, the industrial-chic interior is relaxed and contemporary: whitepainted brick walls daubed with stencils, black iron-framed glass walls, and Edison lightbulbs dangling overhead. A long dining table for large groups runs down the middle of the restaurant, surrounded by smaller tables for more intimate dining.
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We give each dish a bit of British identity Shoreditch has little overlap with its Sai Kung sister restaurant other than a few wines. “Kennedy Town has a much denser catchment of Hong Kong’s population. The cuisine had to be more specific, allowing us to concentrate on the quality of each dish,” Wrayton says. “People have to travel to Hebe One O One and so we have a much more open and varied menu, serving international cuisine.” Specialising in modern British cuisine, the menu at Shoreditch took months to perfect, sourcing the best and freshest ingredients from all over the world for classics such as fish
and chips, braised beef cheek and apple and blackberry crumble. Rather than get hung up on sourcing entirely British ingredients, Wrayton says, “we just want to give each dish a bit of British identity”. So there are mussels sourced from the US, but cooked in cider British-style. Shoreditch prides itself on its Sunday roast ($358), a three-course feast of cream of field mushroom soup, roast leg of lamb and sticky date pudding. And look for the special set lunch menu. The bar has a comprehensive list of wines, champagne and beers, including St Mungo from Glasgow, which is exclusive to Shoreditch in Hong Kong. 18 Catchick Street, Kennedy Town, 2242 3777, www.shoreditch.hk.