The Digest: When Mario Carbone and Bo.lan Come to Town

This week our food and drink team are trying plenty of new dishes from old favourites and new pop-ups alike

Welcome to The Digest—a weekly bite-sized round-up of delicious highlights and food musings, brought to you by the team behind Hong Kong Tatler Dining. Find out what we've been tasting and rating to help you shape your eating agenda for the weekend ahead. Get more updates and dining inspiration by following us on Facebook and Instagram.

Carbone

Photo courtesy of Wilson Fok

Mario Carbone is in town to celebrate the second anniversary of his eponymous restaurant, and during our lunch earlier this week, he presented a wide range of delicious starters. We are in love with these menu favourites: lobster cocktail, carpaccio Piemontese, shrimp alla scampi, and Courgette blossoms with crabmeat, mint and caper aioli. —Wilson Fok, Dining Editor

Carbone, 9/F, LKF Tower, 33 Wyndham Street, Central, Hong Kong; +852 2593 2593

Épure

Epure afternoon tea-DONE.jpg

Photo courtesy of Venus Wong

As a huge fan of both Épure and afternoon tea, I expected nothing short of marvellous from restaurant's summer tea set. For this limited-time menu, the refined eatery used highly popular ingredients in French cuisine and gave them in a modern twist. For example, the foie gras was embedded between layers of cranberry jam and ginger bread — a refreshing combination for the palate. The pastries were delightful in both appearance and taste, and my favourite was the delightfully complex black sesame baby choux. Spreading caviar on my lemon financier and sipping a tall glass of l’oranger while watching the rainstorm ravage on outside my window is the epitome of an ideal weekend afternoon. —Venus Wong, Digital Writer

Épure, Shop 403, 4/F, Ocean Centre, Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui; +852 3185 8338

Bo.lan at Isono

Bolan at Isono.jpg

Photo courtesy of Charmaine Mok

I'm personally a little surprised by the fact that Bo.lan's residency at Isono hasn't been packed to the rafters. The flavoursome, intelligent Thai cooking from husband-and-wife duo Duangporn Songvisava (Bo) and Dylan Jones (Lan) is now available at PMQ's Isono restaurant until September 11 and it's well worth heading to. Today's offering of stir-fried ocean prawns with bamboo shoots and lotus stems, grilled chicken salad with starfruit, and green fish curry was a piquant reminder of just how vibrant the cuisine is. —Charmaine Mok, Editorial Director of Food & Wine

Isono, 6/F Block B, PMQ, 35 Aberdeen Street, Central; +852 2156 0688

Dynasty

Photo courtesy of Wilson Fok

This is Cantonese cuisine at its best, and its simplest. Deep-fried cashews and shredded taro, a new dish at Dynasty, sees finely julienned taro crisped in hot oil until golden, before being tossed in a honey-vinegar dressing and stacked into a mounting pile with cashews. A great plate of textures and best accompanied with wine or an ice-cold beer. — WF

Dynasty, 3/F, Renaissance Harbour View Hotel, 1 Harbour Road, Wan Chai; +852 2584 6971

Maison Libanaise

Photo courtesy of Venus Wong

Fried chicken is, quite frankly, my raison d’être. So when I had my birthday dinner at Maison Libanaise, not trying its signature za’atar fried chicken was simply out of the question. The tender and juicy baby chicken was coated in a crispy, piping hot exterior. I’m typically not a fan of Greek yogurt, but the use of labneh as the dipping sauce was a stroke of genius. The pita bread — served with a rich trio of baba ganoush, hummus and labneh — was so well executed that I kept munching on it all night, even long after the bread has cooled down. Beyond the colourful for tiles and murals, the restaurant was all good vibes: when a smiling staff member brought out a slice of rose pistachio cake, asking the rest of the team to clap and sing along, I knew exactly why this place has people coming back for more. —VW

Maison Libanaise, 10 Shelley Street, Central; +852 2111 2284

Mott 32

Mercedes Me soy sauce ice cream-DONE.jpg