Video
Read full review
2015-02-02
3126 views
The Location: Wan Chai (in Chinese: 灣仔) is a metropolitan area situated on the northern shore of Hong Kong Island. It is one of the busiest commercial areas in Hong Kong with offices of many small and medium-sized companies also featuring many office towers, parks, hotels and an international conference and exhibition centre. I do not want to hide the fact that Wan Chai remains famous for its city’s red light district, but having said that it has way more to offer than shady mama sans and so-cal
The Place: “Ham & Sherry” is one of the world class restaurants by Chef Jason Atherton. Jason Atherton is a Brit and was once part of Gordan Ramsey’s Group before he decided to head his own way and open up his own restaurants. He now owns restaurants in different parts of the world, having started off in London in 2011 where he was awarded a coveted Michelin star within just six months of opening; soon after he opened up several restaurants in Singapore, two in Hong Kong, one in Shanghai while opening up more in London, and is currently looking to launch in Dubai. What I found quite astonishing and somehow weird was to find two restaurants by Jason Atherton on the same tiny street (Ship Street) in Hong Kong with around half a minute walking distance from each other. Having been to both places - 22 Ships and Ham & Sherry - both places offer tapas, yet cannot really be compared in terms of taste, which is a good thing.
“Ham & Sherry” is a fairly small place when looking at it from a global perspective (from a Hong Kong perspective it can be regarded as being pretty spacious). It can seat around 30 people on tables, and around 20 more people at the bar/around the cooking area. The restaurant has the kitchen in the center of attraction with around 6 people working behind there to please its guests. The restaurant itself has been equipped with modern and, at the same time, comfortable furniture. What I found amazing were the urban looking tiles in blue and white around the restaurant – it gave the place a special look. Loved them.
The Food & Beverage: My friend and I decided to take a bite at Jason Atherton’s Ham & Sherry after having tried 22 Ships some time ago. We got there just after the restaurant opened and found ourself being in the “Pica Pica Hour” where we got to nibbles and tipples at lower prices – when you pick three tapas during pica pica hour, your drink of choice (list provided) is free of charge. We took advantage of this great offer and immediately ordered 6 dishes of our choice and got two drinks for free. In total, we went for the following:
1) Cold Cuts --> consisted of a few slices of chorizo and jamon having been presented on a wooden board
2) Pan con tomate --> two slices of roasted bread topped with thin sliced tomatoes spiced up with garlic and olive oil
3) Crispy garlic & chilli prawns --> prawns in a delicious panade of garlic, chilies and seasonal herbs on a bed of aioli salsa
Crispy garlic & chilli prawns
$98
76 views
0 likes
0 comments
Goats curd & jamón croquettes
$60
111 views
0 likes
0 comments
Pork scratchings and spices
$38
96 views
0 likes
0 comments
Pork scratchings and spices
$38
65 views
0 likes
0 comments
Potted egg, morcilla, potato & mushroom
$118
75 views
0 likes
0 comments
Potted egg, morcilla, potato & mushroom
91 views
0 likes
0 comments
D.O. Rueda, Herbis, Frank Massard. 2012
$58
78 views
0 likes
0 comments
Beetroot, red onion, crumbled goats cheese
$72
81 views
0 likes
0 comments
Beetroot, red onion, crumbled goats cheese
$72
76 views
0 likes
0 comments
Morcilla (special order)
$100
95 views
0 likes
0 comments
Morcilla (special order)
$100
90 views
0 likes
0 comments
Manchego cheese
$55
103 views
0 likes
0 comments
The Price: We had 9 tapa dishes which were all visually and technically phenomenal, 4 glasses of sherry, 3 glasses of wine, and paid around 1,000HKD. I’d say that this was a reasonable price for this culinary experience.
The Bottom-Line: We both had a really great time at Ham & Sherry; the food was amazing, there were plenty of different beverages to choose from, the staff was assertive, really friendly and personable, the service was fast though we sometimes had to give them a hint that we wanted more, the interior design was refreshingly interesting, the music they played seemed a little loud at the start, but was perfect as the night went along, the toilet was kind of hard to spot (you’ll see when you get there), the prices were reasonable, and I liked that the staff prepared the food in front of everyone. In comparison to 22 Ships, I had a better time at Ham & Sherry in terms of atmosphere due to the gloomy lighting and music. On the downside I have to say that we chose a lot of dishes that were served with bread, I wish we had gotten different kinds of bread instead of the same type all along. I definitely recommend Ham & Sherry, and will be back! Ta!
Post
