Background
One Harbour Road is an in-house restaurant of the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, the flagship Hyatt hotel in Asia. On 21 January, the restaurant unveiled a vegetarian set menu, which sees chef Chan Hon Cheong use alternative ingredients like Omnipork, a plant-based pork alternative.
The current menu is set to run until 28 February, but a Hyatt spokeswoman says the restaurant “will continue to offer a vegetarian set menu, but some dishes will change from time to time to refresh guests”.
In the January/February 2019 issue of Business Traveller Asia-Pacific, we wrote about how vegetarian restaurant choices in Asia are getting better and better, so I was keen to sample One Harbour Road’s non-meat offering.
Where is it?
On the 7th and 8th floor of the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong. To get to the hotel from Wan Chai MTR station, you can walk along elevated footpaths towards Immigration Tower, then turn left and make your way through Central Plaza. Once you reach the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, there is a back entrance to the hotel near the exhibition centre’s taxi rank.
What's it like?
The split-level restaurant is designed to resemble an “elegant mansion in Shanghai during the 1930s, with superb Victoria Harbour views, cozy residential decor, glass ceiling and a fountain”, according to the hotel.
“The cozy home ambience is enhanced by rich Santos rosewood timber, while natural stone creates a light airy feel at the lower veranda. The fountain with distinctive glass mosaics, custom-made carpets, wooden furnishings and draperies all add to the final residential touch.”
The restaurant offers stunning views over the harbour and is a popular spot to watch the annual New Year’s Eve firework display.
The food
Here’s a look at the line-up of meat free dishes on the lunch menu I tried…
First up was a platter of braised beancurd sheet rolls, mushrooms and fungi; steamed plant-based pork dumplings and vegetables; deep fried plant-based pork, lotus roots and spring onions; and pickled green cucumbers, dark vinegar and garlic…
Then came the braised pumpkin soup, Japanese fruit tomato, and green peas…
Next was a casserole of fried beancurd, Sichuan peppercorn, and white fungus. My host warned me not to actually eat the peppercorns themselves, unless I wanted to experience the notorious numbing spice of the Sichuan peppercorn. Rather, they are designed to lend their distinct flavour to the other ingredients in the dish, without overwhelming the palate with spice.
This was followed by poached vegetables, gingko nuts and lily bulbs in organic soybean milk. The use of soybean milk to make a soup was an interesting and surprisingly tasty concept. Having this served after the Sichuan peppercorn dish was perfect as the soy milk helps rid the mouth of any remaining spice taste.
Then came the braised beancurd sheet purse filled with bamboo pith, black truffles morel mushrooms and cordycep flower…
Finally, I had the roasted plant-based pork, stone bowl fried beetroot rice, morel mushrooms, yellow fungus and water chestnut…
Verdict
Having recently sat through too many meat-filled Chinese New Year lunches and dinners recently, it was a refreshing change to have a whole CNY-style meal without a trace of meat. The Omnipork is delicious and means you certainly won’t miss meat in this meal. I left the table feeling lighter and less drowsy than I would have done had I gorged on meat.
However, at around US$72 a head (not including the tip) just for lunch, it is expensive, though you’re partly paying for the harbour view and the prestige of dining in the Grand Hyatt.
Fact file
Price: HKD$568 (US$72.37) plus 10% service charge per person
Location: One Harbour Road, 8/F Grand Hyatt Hong Kong
Contact: +852 2584 7722
