DINING NEWS
Nibbles
Ovolo goes green In a bold new move, Ovolo Hotels has announced that it is eliminating meat from its restaurants, bars and room service for an entire year. By fully switching over to plant-based menus, the boutique hospitality brand becomes the first hotel group to embrace meat-free meals on such a vast scale. For one year starting from this October, the hotel group has ceased to serve meat across all its dining outlets and focus on creating compelling plant-based dishes instead. The Year of the Veg concept does not extend to conferences and events hosted at Ovolo, which gives organisers more flexibility to customise their catering options. ovolohotels.com
Nyonya thrills Adding to Ship Street’s growing repertoire of dining hot spots, JIA Group’s newest restaurant is a joint collaboration with celebrated Singaporean private kitchen chef and makeup artist duo PasirpanjangBoy. With a name that is as fun and vibrant as its food offerings, Bibi & Baba brings Nyonya cuisine to Hong Kong.
Originating from Chinese immigrants who settled in Southeast Asia in the 15th century, Nyonya cooking fuses Malay and Indonesian cuisines with Chinese influences. Expect dishes with big flavours on full display such as laksa, Penang prawn noodles and spicy-sour Assam fish. bibiandbaba.hk
Drop it like it’s hot Soft opened earlier last month, Smoke & Barrel bills itself as the first authentic American smokehouse and barbecue restaurant in Hong Kong. Using a wood-fired smoker imported from Missouri and traditional slow-cooking techniques, the restaurant impresses its guests with the hallmark flavours of old-school Texas-style barbecue. Brought to you by Chris Grare and Arron Rhodes (the duo behind well-loved neighbourhood restaurant Kinship), the kitchen is led by head chef Christopher Tuthill, an Albuquerque, New Mexico native. Highlights from its menu include an all-American brisket, cider-glazed baby back ribs, salt and pepper chicken and Carolina pulled pork. smokeandbarrelhk.com
Get lucky
Sustainable sipping Industry veterans and the original founders of The Old Man, Agung Prabowo and Roman Ghale, are teaming up again to open the city’s first sustainable bar on Hollywood Road. Moving on from Asia’s Best Bar, Prabowo and Ghale has joined forces with fellow co-founders Laura Prabowo, Katy Ghale and designer Betty Ng from Hong Kong-based architectural firm Collective to set sail on their latest venture, Penicillin, which champions a closed-loop model of production by reimagining and repurposing food and drink ingredients. Following the opening of Penicillin, Prabowo and Ghale are launching a second venture, Dead &, in November. The bar will be a casual dive bar tucked away on Wo On Lane, a literal dead-end in Lan Kwai Fong. penicillinbar.com
A new speakeasy-style Chinese restaurant popup has landed in Exchange Square, Central. The name of the restaurant, 888 Fatfatfat, is a playful nod to Cantonese colloquial fat choi, which means good fortune. The interior of the pop-up is inspired by the ancient Chinese myth of Mount Penglai, a paradise-like island where rice bowls and wine glasses are never empty. To enter the restaurant, look for a lady dressed in white who will lead you to the hidden entrance of the popup. For parties of two or more, 888Fatfatfat offers a special 888 experience, which will set you back for $888 and includes a complimentary Baijiu tasting flight or two cocktails of your choice. The pop-up is open daily until December 5.
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