Sourdough, brioche, soda: 11 best bread baskets in Hong Kong restaurants, from Caprice to Grissini t
Whatever the reason, if the thought of crackly crust and warm, soft bread makes you salivate, then read on for our round-up of our favourite bread baskets in town.
Roganic
When the bread itself is listed as a course, you know it is something special. Roganic’s light and airy soda bread is such a hit that it’s also available at Simon Rogan’s retail bakery The Baker and the Bottleman. If a bread could shine just as bright as any course served on a plate, this would be it.
UG/F 08, Sino Plaza, 255 Gloucester Rd, Causeway Bay
Whey
Southeast Asians ferment pangium fruit (also called buah keluak) into a complex-tasting condiment, and chef Barry Quek has infused its nutty, treacle-like aroma into a fluffy brioche. Served with an emulsion made from the same fruit, the sweetness adds a new dimension to the bread. Quek knows he has made something special – the brioche is served as a separate course on the tasting menu.UG/F, The Wellington, 198 Wellington St, Central
Écriture
While the sourdough is outstanding at Écriture, it’s the brioche feuilletée – a flaky pastry that is layered with butter like a croissant – that makes the bread basket here so memorable. What’s more, the bread stays on the table and is refilled on request, making this the ultimate carb heaven for those who just cannot get enough.26/F, H Queen’s, 80 Queen’s Road Central, Central
Grissini
If the name of the restaurant isn’t enough to clue you in, the wafting smells of fresh grissini, or Italian breadsticks, from the vintage ovens at its entrance will let you know the bread is second to none in Hong Kong. The crackling of the bread, served hot to the touch, before you dip it in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, will have any bread fiend in raptures.
2nd Floor, Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, 1 Harbour Road, Wan Chai
Castellana
The sourdough at Castellana is the epitome of its category in town. The bread is served so hot you can barely touch it to rip the crunchy dough apart, and will have any bread fan feeling on cloud nine when the aromatic butter melts on the chewy, soft crumb. This restaurant is moving to Duddell Street in Central on Hong Kong Island soon, so make sure to confirm the address when you’re booking.
10/F, Cubus, 1 Hoi Ping Road, Causeway Bay
Tate
Like everything else at Tate, the cubed brioche is aesthetically pleasing as well as being absolutely delicious, but it’s the fermented tofu butter that takes the cake – or bread in this case. The umami of the butter is so moreish that the cubes of brioche are almost not enough to appreciate it. The bread is such a hit that you can buy it separately at Date by Tate, the merchandising arm of the restaurant.
210 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan, Central
Ta Vie
The palm-sized, house-made sourdough is cute as a button at two-Michelin-starred Ta Vie. It is served searing hot and comes with a smooth-as-silk ricotta cheese or butter. This one is for the fans of crusty loaves.
2/F, The Pottinger Hong Kong, 74 Queen’s Road Central, Central
Arbor
Another day, another brioche – right? Wrong! Eric Raty, chef and owner of Arbor, takes his bread very seriously. His miso-nori brioche is a harmony of umami flavours and is served with Asian-inspired butter. This changes according to what strikes the chef’s fancy, but previous flavours have included home-made kombu seaweed, mentaiko (fish roe) and koji (a type of mould) chilli, and caramelised miso with Parmesan cheese.25/F, H Queen’s: 80 Queen’s Road Central, Central
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Caprice
Maybe it’s because they have one of the best cheese rooms in town but the bread at Caprice is not only great, it has variety in spades. Baguettes, brioche, flaky brioche and rye breads are served with both salted and unsalted butter. The selection is one of the best in town – and we strongly recommend you ask for more when you pick the cheese for dessert.6/F, Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, 8 Finance Street, Central
Ando
Ando’s bread course will start your evening with a bang. The accompanying condiments and garnishes make eating bread something of a party. Served as its own course, a sourdough, a brioche and a rye bread by Bakehouse are accompanied with olive oil by top-notch Spanish producer El Poaig alongside salt, sesame seeds, three types of butter and, quite possibly, a partridge in a pear tree.
1/F, Somptueux Central, 52 Wellington Street, Central
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Whisk
Whisk’s new chef William Lau has promised to shake things up by applying French techniques to Asian ingredients. His sourdough bread has a texture that’s more like a brioche, but it’s the lemongrass-and-lime butter that is the star of the show. Careful – the citrus bouquet can fool you into eating loads more bread than you intend to.
5/F, The Mira Hong Kong, Mira Place, 118-130 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
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