Despite the elimination of wine duty, price in restaurants in Hong Kong have very high mark-ups. To help ease the burden on your wallet, AP investigated the options available at numerous wallet-friendly private kitchens in town and compared corkage prices. Below is our recommendation on the best private kitchens, with great food at reasonable prices that charge no or minimal corkage:
Magnolia
Shop 5, G/F,No. 17 Po Yan Street, Sheung Wan | 2530 9880
Specializing in southern style American cooking, Magnolia has built its reputation around serving sumptuous comfort-food. Great food meets free BYOB philosophy to create a top notch food and wine experience. Try their signature Cajun Barbecue Ribs and New Orleans Seafood Gumbo with your favourite Shiraz-Grenache-Mourvedre blend!
Chow Chung Restaurant
Flat B, on Fifth Floor, Kin Tye Lung Building, 27-29 Bonham Strand West, Sheung Wan | 2805 1116
Chow Chung, well-known for being a judge on the popular local TV show “Beautiful Cooking”, has built up a reputation as a talented Cantonese chef in Hong Kong. The restaurant is famous for Chow’s signature dishes such as Steamed Shark’s fin soup in Papaya as well as a range of authentic Cantonese dishes. This private kitchen in Sheung Wan is worth seeking out with its no-fuss attitude. Chow encourages wine lovers, “There’s no such thing called ‘corkage’ at my place!”
Aunt Or Private Kitchen
Block D, 4/F, 27 Jervois Street, Central | 2543 2202
With an authentic Cantonese focus, Aunt Or Private Kitchen’s signature dishes resemble those from a number of traditional Cantonese restaurants. On the menu are Cantonese favourites like roast suckling pig and chicken stew The difference at Aunt Or is the skill with which these classics are executed — controlling heat, using the best in-season ingredients and focusing on subtle flavours and textures. The good news is that there is no corkage at Aunt Or but the bad news is, she is fully booked for February and most of March.
Meet Lobo
Flat 4B, Tak Fat Bldg, 50-52 Russell Street, Causeway Bay | 6438 3363
Meet Lobo serves classic European fare including foie gras, ribeye steak and lamb rack. With the meal, one glass for red wine and one glass for white wine is provided for free with no corkage. However, change in glassware entails an $80 per bottle, which is reasonable price for service.
Sijie Sichuan Dishes
Shop 289, 2/F, Ko Wah Building, 285-291 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai | 2802 2250
A very popular Sichuan restaurant, Sijie Sichuan serves a range of classic Sichuan dishes including spicy fish stew, Sichuanese cold noodles and twice cooked pork. The food is authentic and very good, but even better is their no corkage policy. Bring along your own chilled sparkling wine or a light refreshing red to alleviate the heat!
Xi Yan Culinary Art
3/F, 83 Wanchai Road, Wan Chai | 2575 6966
Founded by Jacky Yu, designer turned celebrity chef, Xi Yan Culinary Art attracts a returning stream of gourmands with its trendy modern Asian menu. Each dish was created by Jacky to express traditional cuisine with a modern twist that will delight the even hard-to-please palates. Corkage is a modest $100 per bottle, not bad for being among the most popular celebrity private kitchens in Hong Kong.