Moxie (Closed)

Item: Moxie
Rating: 4
Author: eatwai

35 Reviews

Taste

Decor

Service

Hygiene

Value

5941

Central

$201-400

Western Vegetarian Organic Food Coffee Shop

eatwai

Level4

188

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[ Moxie | 中環 ]

I’ve passed by this restaurant on various occasions whenever I’m at Landmark. I finally decided to stop and try out their Early bird dinner which is $248 +10% for their soup of the day, a main, and an option dessert for $68, both of which were not available on the a la carte menu.

We all know about Shane Osborn and his success in HK through his time on The Final Table. This is another (lesser known) restaurant of his that focuses on plant-based food to promote sustainability for the environment and our bodies.

Whenever someone thinks of plant-based food, they immediately think of bland, boring, basic dishes with tofu and beans. Here, every dish is vibrant and full of colours but the flavours are also the same standard you would expect from any other restaurant. Being plant-focused just means they have to be even more innovative with their dishes and ideas.

Aside from being a meat-free restaurant, they are also dairy-free, which is great for any lactose-intolerant person. But being an avid lover of butter, cheese, and milk, I was afraid the dishes would not appease me. But they managed to reimagine cheese and cream with coconut cream and an assortment of nuts.

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Vichyssoise ( chilled potato leek soup)

I was sceptical when trying this but not only is the presentation beautiful, the taste is phenomenal. The Vichyssoise is a traditional French soup that is basically a cold potato and leek soup. It takes the hearty, and comforting bowl of soup and reimagines it as a refreshing yet creamy soup, perfect for the summer. The head chef Michael Smith added this dish to the menu solely for this reason, as summer approaches (or just being in the extremely hot 40°C weather), this is the soup we are craving for.

Okay, the actual soup is surprisingly flavourful with a savoury, deep taste as if they used a highly concentrated vegetable or even animal broth. But no, they only used filtered water. The consistency is creamy but loose and the addition of arugula oil lightens everything and makes it very herbaceous. The bits of potato are perfectly cooked and its soft, fluffy texture contrasts beautifully with the crunchy and crisp croutons (with a strong herb taste). I actually enjoyed this soup more since it’s cold as it highlights the salt more and makes it more appetising.

I highly recommend trying this as I don’t think you can get it anywhere else in HK.

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Fukuoka Udon

For main, I opted for their udon noodles which are not made in-house but specially made in Fukuoka and then shipped to Moxie. They present in two bowls; one with the noodles and some broth, one with the actual broth and toppings. I recommend adding the noodles one bunch at a time into the broth and toppings like tsukemen as the broth is quite viscous.

The noodles are really soft and chewy and the perfect thickness so you can get a firm bite but won’t hurt your mouth or fill it with noodles and they cling onto the broth very well. The broth is quite interesting as it is thicker than other noodle soups and you can tell they used cornstarch to thicken it and give it a glossy sheen. They make their own dash with fish bones so the taste is very pronounced and deep. Toppings included some tender edamame, chewy but small yuba (tofu skin) pieces, soft tofu that absorbed the broth very well, and some pungent scallions that gave a great contrast with the mild and warm noodles.

Portion-wise, it is very generous and perfectly filling so you will be well satisfied and can eat their desserts.

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Mille Feuille

Instead of staying with the menu, I opted for this mille feuille which the sous chef (also the pastry chef) says is their most ordered dish. I believed him as he was the pastry chef from Belon which was debatably most known for their show-stopping, mouth-watering mille-feuille.

This mille-feuille features Garigette strawberries from France which is the perfect amount of sweetness, a coconut cream, and a chamomile pastry which is made by a local vegan bakery in Prince Edward called Bien Caramélisé. The coconut cream is very delicious and fluffy and tasted phenomenal with the shattering puff pastry made without butter but has so many layers! So cool how these three simple elements are this delicious. This dessert is also vegan which surprised me as I never knew desserts could taste good without butter and cream. The only downside is the portion which I wanted to be bigger as it does not feel heavy or filling at all 🤪

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Lamington

I also tried their Lamington which is available on their tea time menu at $44 per piece and let’s just say this is probably the best piece of cake I’ve had this year.

The pastry chef also told me that this was the same recipe for the birthday cake served at Belon before. Glad to have been able to tried it.

Like the mille-feuille, this dessert only has 3 parts to it and highlights the restaurant’s motto that “less is more”. It starts with a vanilla sponge cake that is incredibly moist due to the secret ingredient (mayonnaise! so not vegan but it is dairy-free) with a layer of thin blueberry jam for some fruitiness. This is then covered in a decadent and rich chocolate ganache and then coated with desiccated coconut for some crunch and extra flavour.

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推介 🙆🏻‍♀️

💬 Overall, a great mindful experience learning about plant-based cuisine. The service could be improved upon but I understand they are short-staffed. The environment is peaceful, relaxing, clean and perfect for any business luncheons or catch-up with friends.

🗓 Revisit? ✅ ⭕️/ ❎