March is an exceptionally thrilling month for chefs and restaurateurs in Hong Kong, with two highly anticipated culinary events taking place: The Michelin Guide Hong Kong & Taiwan 2024 and Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2024. This year’s Michelin Guide which was announced in Macau on March 14 sets the stage for excitement and celebration.
The 2024 Guide not only reveals newly-anointed star restaurants but also recognises those who have excelled in the rating game and those who may have lost their coveted stars. The Michelin Guide is known for its emphasis on food quality, culinary techniques, and consistency, making it a highly respected authority in the culinary world.
Adding to the excitement, next week sees the unveiling of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2024 list, which covers restaurants from across the entire region. These two culinary events valuable recognition and exposure for the city’s dining scene, attracting both local food enthusiasts and international visitors.
Five new one-star restaurants made Michelin’s list this year: Racines, Feuille, Mora, The Legacy House and Cristal Room by Anne-Sophie Pic. While the new entries were not unexpected, what is also worth noting is the Guide’s snub of Wing Restaurant – an excellent modern Chinese place by VEA chef-owner Vicky Cheng – for the second year.
Before you reach for your phone to make reservations, here’s what you can expect from the newly-minted stars.
Cristal Room by Anne-Sophie Pic is the newest, having only opened at FORTYFIVE atop Gloucester Building at Landmark late last year. Pic comes with great credentials, having a total of 10 stars for five restaurants around the world, including three stars for Maison Pic in Valence, France. Cristal Room’s one star will be her 11th.
Cristal Room is also the most expensive among the newcomers, with a six-course degustation lunch menu coming in at $2,380 and an eight-course dinner menu at $2,980. It would be worth it just to see the Baccarat crystals adorning the restaurant, not to mention getting the chance to try some of Pic’s signatures such as her les berlingots ASP and the St Marcellin cheese. The restaurant also has great niche wine pairing.
Racines, meaning “roots” in French, is a restaurant in Hong Kong that showcases the culinary talents of chefs Adrien Castillo and Romain Dupeyre. Drawing inspiration from their hometowns in Toulouse and Nice, they aim to introduce diners to the rich terroir and produce of their native regions. You can indulge in a five-course or six-course degustation menu, priced at $1,488 and $1,588, respectively. Get a counter seat if you can, so you can enjoy the stories from the two friendly chefs.
Feuille is the Hong Kong outpost for French chef David Toutain who has been exciting Parisian diners at his eponymous two-Michelin star restaurant with his creative nature-based cuisine. In Hong Kong feuille follows in the same vein with set menus divided into four main experiences: grains and seeds; leaves, stems and roots; flowers and fruits; and origins. One highlight here is the treatment of their spiny lobster – and the Dill pil pil bread is to die for. A lunch here sets you back $888, and dinner, $1,599.
Mora is the second restaurant in Hong Kong by TATE Dining Room chef-owner Vicky Lau. Heading the kitchen is here is chef Choi Ming-fai who also won the Michelin Guide Young Chef Award this year. Mora is a discreet and modest zen retreat in Upper Lascar Row and presents a menu devoted to soy as the main ingredient. A five-course lunch costs $680 while six courses for dinner comes in at $1,080. The must try is the udon noodle but that will cost you an extra $138.
The Legacy House is the second Rosewood Hong Kong restaurant to gain a star after Chaat, and it hasn’t been for want of trying. Since its opening, the concept has been finetuned several times from its initial Shun De offerings to now being a fully-fledged Cantonese restaurant. The restaurant offers a la carte choices but also tasting menus which start at $1,180 for lunch and $1,680 for dinner. Chef Li Chi-wai is deeply passionate about tangerine peels. If you spot a tangerine peel speciality on the meu go fot it!
Cristal Room by Anne-Sophie Pic, Gloucester Tower, Landmark, Forty-Five, Central. Tel: +852 3501 8580. Open: Mon-Saturday, 6.30pm-10pm. Wed-Sat lunch, 12nn-2pm
Racines, 22 Upper Station Street, Sheung Wan. Tel: +852 5742 6539 (Whatsapp). Open: Thurs-Mon, 6pm-11pm, weekend lunch, 12nn-3pm
Feuille, 5/F, The Wellington, 198 Wellington St, Central. Tel: +852 2881 1848. Open: Mon-Sat, 12nn-3pm, 6pm-11pm
Mora, 40 Upper Lascar Row, Sheung Wan. Tel: +852 9583 8590; Open: Tues-Sat 12nn – 2pm, 6pm-9.30pm last order.
The Legacy House, 5/F Rosewood Hong Kong Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui. Tel: +852 3891 8732. Open: Daily, 12nn-2.30pm, 6pm-10.30pm
Written by
Winnie Chung is an experienced lifestyle journalist who has covered everything from showbiz and Hong Kong films, to food, and all things luxury. After being grounded by the pandemic, she found a renewed appreciation for Hong Kong's vibrant and diverse dining scene.
Most Popular
