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2019-05-23
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Summary: Simultaneously comfortable and exciting, Brut lives up to its name. Asian fusion that doesn’t skimp on taste or experimentation, with intense and memorable flavours. A shouldn’t-miss SYP gem (if you don’t mind sharing tables!)You would never come across this place if you didn’t live in SYP. Not that it’s particularly hard to find, but it’s off the main road and I doubt gets a lot of random foot traffic. That’s a shame because it’s one of my favorite new restaurants. One thing to note:
You would never come across this place if you didn’t live in SYP. Not that it’s particularly hard to find, but it’s off the main road and I doubt gets a lot of random foot traffic. That’s a shame because it’s one of my favorite new restaurants.
One thing to note: you’ll be sitting at either 1) one long bar table, or 2) the bar counter, so don’t expect much privacy or romance. It does wonders for the energy of the restaurant though, and it certainly works with the vibe they’re going for.
Here’s the menu:
Asian-inspired, it’s varied in its execution, using French/Middle Eastern/Asian techniques. We were there for a Wine pairing dinner with Unico Zelo (super-value Australian wine that’s delicious for casual drinking – get it at Wine and Things in HK), but all the food we had is on Brut’s normal menu anyway. Here’s what we had:
Asparagus with Lemon cream and Salmon Roe
It doesn’t look like much, but they’ve somehow crammed each drop with immense amounts of flavour. The lemon cream is salty, sour and filled with umami from the salmon roe. You’d think it was bland from the picture, but it really packs a punch. That said, asparagus dominates the dish, and no sauce can take away from that.
Drunken Chicken
This was a great dish – believe it was sous vide’d because it’s perfectly cooked, and while it’s much milder than the traditional Chinese flavour, that aroma comes through beautifully in combination with the additional fried ginger and lightly pickled vegetables. This is a standout dish.
Maryland Crab Cakes
Not sure how Maryland these are (I’ve never tried a crabcake in the US with this little flour), but they are packed with crab, and the fried garlic and chili on top gives the dish some real bite. They had paired this with a clean, bright, slightly fruity white wine (Fiano), and I recommend you try that too. Delicious.
Applewood Smoked Onsen Egg topped with Pork Belly and Fried Yuba
This was a special on the chalkboard and is a tiny dish (cost HKD 60), but man, if you have a chance to try this, you should do it. The egg and pork belly are individually smoked and incredibly savory, with depth for miles, but if you combine them? Wow. The yuba is fried in strands and fill the edges of the dish, and apart from bringing some crunchy texture, they have enough of their own tofu character to deepen each bite of the egg and pork. Just a brilliantly conceived and executed dish that’s even better than you’d expect from its (admittedly) already delicious ingredients.
Miso Eggplant with Goat Cheese
The goat cheese gets a bit lost in this dish for me, as the miso sauce is a bit overpowering and generously ladled on. Still delicious, but not a necessity to try.
Broccoli with Black Garlic Coconut Cream sauce
Not sure if I liked this dish – Broccoli was steamed/boiled and some of the florets were a bit overdone. Wonder if grilling this would have worked better for texture? The sauce was also a bit odd – the coconut-cream-and-garlic combo was a bit thick for me, but the black garlic flavour definitely pops. We still finished the whole thing 😊, but not sure if I’d order it again.
Crispy Lamb Rib with Blackberry Relish
Bottom line: if you have ever thought lamb tasted too gamey for you, do not order this. If you do however, enjoy the taste of very strong lamb, this dish is awesome. The outside of the lamb rib was massively crunchy, and when you bite in, it’s a perfectly seasoned, intensely rich lamb rib (bone very-much-in). The semi-sweet relish goes well to balance it, but the lamb taste is just so particular, I didn’t want to mask it. Definitely hit or miss, and a bold decision in a city where I feel many people don’t like strong lamb flavours. We loved it though
Char-Siew with Fried Leeks and Green Beans
Basically, the fattiest part of the pork belly in a subtle char siew sauce, which I didn't feel penetrated enough of the pork. Also just too fatty for us, but if you like pork belly, this might work for you. The fried leeks were excellent though, and I really like how they try to provide a mix of textures in each dish.
Chocolate mousse with sour plum (ume) and cookie crumble (daily dessert)
So unusual you keep taking bites to figure out if you like it, and before you know it, it’s gone. The sourness of the ume is so unusual with the salty dark chocolate mousse that I’m still not sure if it was great or just interesting. Anyway, recommend you try it, because I know for a fact that the cookie/mousse combo is delicious.
Overall, I really liked Brut. It’s not cheap certainly, but every dish was something special, and made me wonder what those flavours were, and more importantly, why I hadn’t tried them before. A la carte, I think you can cobble a meal together for less 400 p.p., and the chefs tasting menu seems a good deal at HKD 380. It’s an exciting addition to the SYP food scene, and as long as you don’t mind communal seating, well worth making a trip over to try.
張貼
