Not so Offal

After tramping around the bustling streets of Kowloon all day soaking up the madness that is Hong Kong, we sought refuge in the oh-so-cool-it-aches Aqua Spirit bar on the 30th floor of One Peking Road. This lofty bar dubs itself ‘Hong Kong’s new venue for the hip set’. Well it certainly was hip, with its luminous coffee tables, plush lounge seating and laid-back vibes, but what really sets this bar apart from surely any other in Hong Kong is its panoramic view of the harbour and city – completely breathtaking. The cocktail list was equally as trendy and their Raspberry Mojitos were delicious, and packed with a punch.

We moved down two floors to the Hutong restaurant for dinner where the über-modern décor gave way to faux-antique Chinese surroundings, yet the harbour-view remained as impressive.

On first glance the menu looked somewhat intimidating, with delicacies such as ‘Pig’s throat with Shredded Scallions and Coriander’, ‘Shark’s Lips marinated with Ginger and Chinese Black Fungi’ and ‘Lamb’s Organ Soup in traditional Beijing Style’ leaping off the page at us. Luckily a friendly waiter took pity on two ashen-faced tourists and came to the rescue.

We ended up ordering a rather tame selection of Imperial Crispy Duck Fillet with Pan Fried Northern Chinese Pancakes, Braised Prawns with a Sour Tangerine Sauce, and some accompanying vegetables and rice. The first mistake was, of course, ordering the Duck – we were still living in memory of the Min Jiang classic, and nothing was going to live up to our expectations – and right enough, Hutong’s Duck was disappointing, and definitely more fatty than crispy.

The prawns were far more successful, as were the vegetables, although again they were served on their own at the end, so there was a limit to how much Pak Choi we could eat in isolation.

The view from Hutong was out of this world and the slightly odd city-skyline light show at 8pm kept us entertained. Unfortunately, however, the evening was marred by a case of bad menu choice – the array of innards and organs sent us into panic-mode and caused us to play it safe, a shame really, as in retrospect there were plenty of other appetizing dishes to try.

Still… I would challenge anyone to find a better city view anywhere in the world to provide a backdrop to their Pig’s Throat and Shark’s Lips…

Aqua Spirit and Hutong, Hong Kong - www.aqua.com.hk