TOWN by Bryan Nagao

Fine-dining has always been a hobby of mine and I use the word hobby because when I am free and looking to explore somewhere new, I tend to dine in new venues. This is exactly what I have done during my trip to Hong Kong this month.

I never fine-dined before in my hometown, well, my family’s hometown and having limited time in the city, I thought I’d try my hobby out there. I downloaded an app called Chope, which is similar to OpenTable. I was pleased to find that ‘Michelin Starred Restaurants’ was listed as a type of cuisine, I had chosen to book myself a table at TOWN by Bryan Nagao.

TOWN was designed with the concept that food should have no borders, I didn’t do much research on the restaurant, but I learnt that Bryan Nagao was a celebrity chef that creates his dishes with flavours from the Japanese, Italian, and French whilst adding a modern twist to the dishes. Located at Causeway Bay at Cubus House, it was a nice convenient location after shopping, or pre-dinner drinks. It was quite private with approximately 20 seaters making it ideal for a intimate gathering with friends, or some time out for yourself.

I wanted to order the white truffle dishes, however, when I arrived, I had learnt that they did not have anymore, which was a disappointment however, the front of house staff kept me company during my meal.

What I ordered:

• Tempura Shrimps with Candied Walnuts, and Spicy Aioli
• Tagliolini with Uni, Pata Negra, and Lardo di Colonnata
• Slow Cooked Peach with Cherry Meringue, Raspberry Mousse, Dacquoise with Peach Sorbet
• Lychee Mocktail

Having the luxury of eating a lot of tempura dishes, it was never a dish I would choose for myself, however, as it was a ‘special’, I thought I would trust the very knowledable team who assured me that I would find different. They were correct.

The tempura shrimps were not at all oily, in fact it was very crispy, there was the perfect amount of flour which meant I wasn’t having a mouthful of flour and very little shrimp, the candied walnuts and spicy aioli made the taste of the dish very rich but not sickly, in fact, it had increased my appetite to finish the whole dish to myself. I loved the slight spicy taste to go with the tempura.

The Taglioli dish was something I was looking forward to because there would be white truffles, but to my disappointment, they had ran out. It wasn’t a major issue because things like this happens, the team offered black truffles instead – which wasn’t perfect, but it was the best that they could offer which was understanding. This dish was quite an ‘East meets West’ dish due to the Tagliolo is Italian and Uni is more of a Japanese-style ingredient. Uni has always been an ingredient that I never enjoyed due to its taste and texture, but it was partially melted into the pasta, along with the lardo di colonnata.

In short? The Uni that paired with cured ham and a translucent piece of lard which formed a sweet meaty taste.

The last course which was also the course that I most look forward to is the Slow Cooked Peach with Cherry Meringue, Raspberry Mousse, Dacquoise with Peach Sorbet. As peach wasn’t my go-to fruit, I had ordered it because it was a special and I must say, I was again not disappointed. It came as a which chocolate sphere which was made with the colours that reminded me of a green apple (for some reason) but it was definitely a work of art if you ask me. It melts in front of your eyes once the team pours over warm melted chocolate over it. What I find most adorablt was the chocolate stalk – I actually asked the team if the stalk was edible because it was too sweet and realistic. As the globe disappears it reveals its ‘treasures’ inside which were the raspberry moose along with a refreshing peach sorbet inside.

What I’d go back for:

What made the venue interesting is that it was a hidden gem within the busy Causeway Bay area. Bryan wasn’t shy at using ingredients that wasn’t meant to be used together and creating mouth-watering dishes even the pickiest of diners (like myself) would order.

I will definitely be returning for the white truffle dishes, because I do love my white truffles, but it was the used of them in dishes.

Also, TOWN has been awarded ‘The Plate Michelin’ which is one of the restaurants to look out for in the dining scene. I am definitely looking forward to my next trip back at TOWN. a

Cubus, 10/F, Hoi Ping Rd, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

 £ 70 – £80 (or $710 – $810 HKD)

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