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2019-12-19
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Summary: Impressive modern grill house that both surprises and satisfies, for a surprisingly reasonable price. Evolutionary, rather than revolutionary, dishes that maintain the essence of their ingredients while adding new twists. The seating is unnecessarily cramped, but the service is great, so you’ll feel more comfortable than you might physically be. Absolutely worth your time, but they are busy so book early. Try the whipped mackerel, beef brisket and caramel slice!For my extremely belated
For my extremely belated birthday, thought we’d try Mr Brown, not expecting it to be as fancy as it was. For some reason, I thought it’d be something along the lines of Feather and Bone, but it’s more similar to Cornerstone or Kinship; a mid-upper tier, modern, pan-western eatery.
First impressions weren’t ideal; had to wait 15 min for our table to be ready, but they were packed all night (every table including the tiny bar tables), so I kinda forgive them. It’s a dimly lit, long, narrow restaurant with large emphasis on the open kitchen where the grill is.
I think it got progressively dimmer as the night went on, which you can probably tell from my pictures, but it’s a nice vibe regardless. The only issue I had was that our booth for 4 people (3 in the booth with an extra chair on the end) was way too small… no one could stretch their legs out without hitting the others. By the end we were all dying to get up and walk around. The booths are probably best for 3 people, and larger groups should probably stick to the longer bench-type tables.Here’s the menu:
As you can see, it’s a small, focused menu, with most of the cooked dishes grilled in some way. Our server that night was Linda who was terrific. Knowledgeable about all the food, and ever-present with water and wine, no small feat given how busy the place was. She also held us back from indulging our worst tendencies and trying all the meats; we had just four in the end and were stuffed.
Here’s what we had:
Iberico Pork Neck Muffins
This is two orders worth and are absolutely worth a try. The pork is thinly sliced and a little crispy like Porchetta, and is nicely balanced with the muffin, cabbage and mustard, the latter providing a wonderful zing.Whipped smoked mackerel
My favorite dish of the night. Smoked mackerel blended with bread (!) into a paste, served with ikura and rye bread. Fantastic consistency and depth of flavour, with the smokiness bringing a roundness to the fishy, oily mackerel. The rye bread was freshly toasted (they gave us an extra one to sop the extra dip up), and the ikura is just icing on top. Wonderful dish.Empanadas
Ate them so quickly we forgot to take pictures… at just 1 for $50, it’s worth trying, but nothing special compared to the rest of the food. I did like the choice of Jack cheese which gives it a bit more bite than the usual milder choices of cheese.
Smoked Chicken Liver Pate
A lot of restaurants I’ve tried recently offer this, and I think this was is the best version between here, Birdie and Kinship. The pate is rich and smooth while not being gamey, and I like how they went with a lighter accompaniment than the cookie at kinship or baguette at Birdie with these polenta crisps. The quince is also wonderful as a sweet offset, and the whole combination is just well thought through.Smoked Prawns
Good but nothing special. Nicely grilled so that the prawns were just between creamy and chewy, and the salsa was freshly acidic, but nothing popped out. The ocean-y flavour of the prawns themselves didn’t come through strongly enough I feel. You can skip this.Pork Ribs
Reminded us a lot of Chinese black vinegar spare ribs, slightly sour but savory. Unusual, but a nice change from normal bbq sauce. These might have had the perfect rib texture; fall-off-the-bone-soft and moist, while the outside remained crunchy to the bite. Excellent.12 hrs smoked beef brisket
Their specialty and a must-try. Thinly sliced, the first taste is just yum brisket, but all that smokey flavor rushes in as you chew. It's not overdone either; you can still taste its natural beefiness even as the smokiness builds. Simply amazing and they get it right with the bbq sauce, which is extremely light, and still somewhat unnecessary. Delicious as is, and you can taste how much work was put in to drive this really unique flavor.Wagyu picanha
I love flank steak and these were fantastic. Served medium rare with chimichurri, these were bursting with flavor and chimichurri is always great with everything. As it was relatively fatty for a flank steak, it wasn't tough or overly chewy. Leaf Salad
The one really meh dish of the day. I get the purpose of it, to be a cooling side to offset all the heavy stuff, but it's just too basic. It's essentially iceberg lettuce (why is this still being sold!) tossed in a mild yogurt dressing with some sliced cucumbers. Nothing of note at all, and crazy at 70$. Grilled Cabbage with Parmesan and Sesame
In the category of heavy dishes disguised as vegetables - a grilled half-head of cabbage coated in a thick sauce of parmesan and sesame. It's as good as it sounds, but don't expect this to be healthy. Love how the nutty burnt parts of the cabbage combine with the umami-bomb dressing.Caramel Slice
Finally, we got this for dessert - simply one of the best desserts i've had in recent memory. A caramel semi-freddo which could be a dessert on its own, (a bit sweet, a bit creamy, with lots of savory caramel), but when you add the rich toasted meringue and crunchy rye/hazelnut sprinkles, it's a next-level combination. If you like dessert, this is a must-have.Overall, this is a fantastic restaurant. Their tight menu allows them to maintain quality throughout their offerings, and the quality of each dish attests to the skill and imagination of the chefs who run it. I loved how each dish was familiar but elevated; it's not easy to lift something like beef-brisket beyond its already delicious origins, but Mr Brown does it with style. For four of us with a 350$ bottle of wine , we paid less than HKD 2k, which is a great price for this quality of food and service. If you haven't tried Mr Brown yet, i strongly recommend you do.
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