Kinship (Closed)

Item: Kinship
Rating: 4
Author: eatwai

3.5

77 Reviews

Taste

Decor

Service

Hygiene

Value

11017

Central

$201-400

Western Bar

eatwai

Level4

188

[ Kinship | 中環 ]I came here for their Dining City Restaurant week menu as their usual brunch and a la carte is quite expensive. $198 for a 3-course lunch with some dishes requiring supplementary money. The options are quite limited with 2 choices per section (without extra cost) so we decided to add some extra and try all of the dishes. We booked for lunch but due to traffic reasons, we arrived at 3 pm. Fortunately, they were still able to serve us the lunch menu. —— —— Farm to table (New Terri

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[ Kinship | 中環 ]

I came here for their Dining City Restaurant week menu as their usual brunch and a la carte is quite expensive. $198 for a 3-course lunch with some dishes requiring supplementary money. The options are quite limited with 2 choices per section (without extra cost) so we decided to add some extra and try all of the dishes.

We booked for lunch but due to traffic reasons, we arrived at 3 pm. Fortunately, they were still able to serve us the lunch menu.

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Farm to table

(New Territory’s Local Grown Veg, Shropshire Cheese, Walnuts, Grapes & Apple)

The only vegetarian option available and I love how it is not a second thought. Crafted using local vegetables from New Territories so it’s as fresh as possible. Love the textures too. The vegetables are crunchy and the grapes are juicy and sweet. They also made this fascinating purée out of pickled walnuts and sugar, it’s so sweet and tastes like dates! They also added some Shropshire cheese which is a blue cheese from the UK. Very pungent and creamy, the rancidity of the cheese works great with the freshness of the vegetables. There is also this sweet date syrup that’s tangy and rich. Great with the crisp salad leaves.

Chef Matthew was inspired by the local vegetables in HK and combined it with his favourite cheese.
The only vegetarian option available and I love how it is not a second thought. Crafted using local vegetables from New Territories so it’s as fresh as possible. Love the textures too. The vegetables are crunchy, the walnuts are crunchy and pickled which gave it another layer of flavor and contrasts against the grapes which are juicy and sweet. They also added some Shropshire cheese which is a blue cheese from the UK. Very pungent and creamy, the rancidity of the cheese works great with the freshness of the vegetables. There is also this sweet date syrup that’s tangy and rich. Great with the crisp salad leaves.

Chef Matthew was inspired by the local vegetables in HK and combined it with his favourite cheese.

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Cured Hamachi

(Tomato, Worcestershire Ponzu Sauce, Dried Tomato, Crispy Sourdough)

My favorite starter. Big chunks of hamachi. Refreshing and light with ponzu

First of all, the presentation is beautiful. The taste is even better and the texture is mind-blowing. We already know that raw fish and ponzu is a match made in heaven and this is no exception. The hamachi is definitely fresh as its firm and bouncy but extremely tender in the mouth. The tenderness of the fish works magic with the crispy sourdough crumbs on top which don’t get soggy and the dried tomatoes are like pouches of umami-ness, again making the fish even more savory and fresh.

The portion is also very generous with huge chunks of hamachi. Definitely worth ordering and it doesn’t require a supplement.

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Wagyu Beef Tartare +$38

(Roasted Celeriac, Buttermilk Ranch Dressing, Pickled Shallots & Crispy Potato)

Absolutely loved the crispy potato on top. Perfect match with the tender cubes of beef. Although the buttermilk ranch is very creamy, it is balanced out by the pickled shallots. A great starter and definitely worth the additional money as the portion is quite generous too.

Chef Matthew says the inspiration behind this dish came from his frustration at the one dimanesiona, beef tartare seen in HK. He wanted to add more textures and flavours, thus the crispy potato shreds and sour ranch. This has became a signature for many regulars.

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Seasonal risotto

(Truffled Spinach and Snake Bean Risotto, Whipped Burrata & Egg Yolk Puree)

I thought this would be quite thick and rich but it was not at all! Yes, the texture is extremely smooth and creamy but it tastes very refreshing with the spinach. The burrata also gave it some body and milkiness to it but it wasn’t heavy at all. The egg yolk puree was good on its own but I find it tastes weird with the spinach risotto.

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Local Barramundi

(Seafood Bouillabaisse Sauce, Saffron & Garlic Mash Potato)

Although it may look simple, the flavours are so intense and rich.

First off, the bouillabaisse is the strongest I’ve ever tasted before, the richness reminded me of lobster bisque! Not only that, but it works great with mashed potatoes due to its savouriness. I nearly drank all of it using my fork (yes you read correctly, it was so good I was determined to drink it with a fork). This was made using the leftover fish bones and shells that would normally be discarded. A great way to be more sustainable and reduce food waste.

Secondly, there is also a pile of sautéed fennel next to the potatoes. These were also great with the bouillabaisse as the crunchy fennels easily absorbed all the rich seafood flavours. There’s also a nice dollop of remoulade which is a mayonnaise based sauce similar to tartar but less pungent. The potatoes themselves were very creamy but not heavy due to the garlic. It was so velvety smooth and paired well with both the fennel, bouillabaisse, and fish. The saffron also makes it more appetizing due to the vibrant orange hue.

Onto the fish, The skin is not as crispy as I would have liked but not soggy. The flesh is very flaky and tender and it made for a great vessel for the bouillabaisse to leech on. The only thing I would say is that the fish is quite salty. The flesh is a tad salty and the skin is extremely salty.

The portion is just right. A nice big piece of fish with an appropriate dollop of mash and some fennel.

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Braised Okinawa Pork Belly +$58

(Romesco Sauce, Charred Courgette, Mojo Verde, Crispy Pork Skin & Hazelnut Crumble)

Wow! The presentation of this pork is so beautiful and mouth watering. A huge, thick piece of pork belly in the middle of what looks like an art exhibition.

The taste does the appearance justice. The pork belly is so tender but still firm and meaty. The fat under the skin is not oily or greasy but gelatinous and the bouncy texture contrasts with the tender meat so well, allowing you to get different mouth feels from the same piece of meat. The crispy skin is definitely crispy, another great contrast with the softness.

There are two sauces presented here. A spicy romesco sauce and a herbaceous mojo verde. Both give the pork a different flavour profile. I personally like the freshness of the mojo verde better the rich romesco.

The charred courgette really surprised me. The crunchiness of the squash remains even after cooking it into a tender piece of vegetable. The sauce on top makes it even better and gives it an umph.

The portion is so big and definitely worth the cash supplement.

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Mr. Whippy Mess

(Mr. Whippy Pink Peppercorn Meringue, Strawberry Compote, Raspberry, Mint Oil)

My favourite dessert and almost my favorite dish today (tied with hamachi).

Their classic Kinship Mr. Whippy (inspired by the ice cream trucks in UK, HK equivalent is the red and blue ice cream trucks you see everywhere) is extremely creamy but light. With a strong vanilla taste. It’s like a mix between ice cream and frozen yogurt and the bounciness resembles gelato. The strawberry compote is not overly sweet and gives it a nice fruitiness, similar to the raspberries which give an even fresher and tangier bite. However, the thing that made me eat the whole bowl in less than 3 minutes is the mint oil. So simple yet it works magnificently with the plain __ and gives it an unmatched freshness and easily awakens my palate again after the mains. We were actually served this right after the mains as the kitchen staff will leave at 4 pm but this rush is 100% our fault so no comment there.

The pink peppercorn meringues were not too sweet but couldn’t really taste the peppercorns. Eating it with the ice cream introduces my mouth to 3 different textures: The smooth ice cream , the crisp meringue, then the melted meringue.

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Double Decker +$38

(White Chocolate Cereal Base, Pistachio & Almond Nougat, Peanut Butter, Dark Chocolate Ganache, Pistachio Gelato)

Inspired by chef’s childhood favourite chocolate bar.

The pastry itself is quite hard to eat due to the hard cereal base, hard nougat, and hardened ganache. However, the taste is really good. Reminds me of Reese’s peanut butter cups due to the peanut butter and chocolate combination but the cereal base makes it crunchier. I would say that the pistachio gelato on the side is absolutely delicious, it can be a worthy competitor against Venchi’s gelato. It is creamy, luscious and bouncy with a strong pistachio taste, the bits of nuts on top make it crunchy and give it foundation as well enhances the pistachio flavour.

I preferred the Mr. Whippy Mess to this but if you like chocolate and nuts, this dessert is perfect for you. The slice is also quite large so you are definitely getting your money’s worth.

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推介 🙆🏻‍♀️

💬 Overall, a great experience here. Definitely recommend coming here for restaurant week deals. The foods themselves are innovative where they using commonly seen dishes and change the flavour profile or adding new elements to it. Chef Mathew is also from the UK so he brings along their traditional dishes like Eton Mess and ingredients such s the Shropshire Cheese.

🗓 Revisit? ✅ ⭕️/ ❎