Our first meeting with Jason Atherton had to go way back to 2007 when the talented chef was still working under Gordon Ramsay at Maze in London. During that time, Atherton was one of the rising stars in the business having just guided Maze to their first-ever Michelin star.
Atherton left Maze in 2010 and quickly established his presence in Asia. By working closely with his business partner in Asia, he opened his own restaurants in Singapore and Shanghai in the following year. His latest venture, 22 Ships in Hong Kong, is already his fourth restaurant in the Asia Pacific region.
22 Ships was not the fine dining restaurant you would expect from a serious culinary talent like Jason Atherton. Instead it serves up modern Spanish tapas in a casual and unpretentious setting.
Although it was only the second day since the restaurant launched its soft opening, the place was already packed way before the start of lunch hour. Luckily, we were well prepared enough to arrive early and got ourselves a table at the bar area.
The best part about sitting at the bar was the ability to watch the chefs working behind the scene adding great entertainment values to this already interesting lunch.
Scallop ceviche, yuzu dressing, soy, cucumber and apple, 6/10
Atherton left Maze in 2010 and quickly established his presence in Asia. By working closely with his business partner in Asia, he opened his own restaurants in Singapore and Shanghai in the following year. His latest venture, 22 Ships in Hong Kong, is already his fourth restaurant in the Asia Pacific region.
22 Ships was not the fine dining restaurant you would expect from a serious culinary talent like Jason Atherton. Instead it serves up modern Spanish tapas in a casual and unpretentious setting.
Although it was only the second day since the restaurant launched its soft opening, the place was already packed way before the start of lunch hour. Luckily, we were well prepared enough to arrive early and got ourselves a table at the bar area.
The best part about sitting at the bar was the ability to watch the chefs working behind the scene adding great entertainment values to this already interesting lunch.
Scallop ceviche, yuzu dressing, soy, cucumber and apple, 6/10
Lunch started brilliantly with a nicely executed scallop ceviche. The sweet taste of the scallop carpaccio was further enhanced by a refreshing yuzu dressing, pea purée and soy sauce.
Apart from its delicate taste, we also had high praise for the presentation of the dish. It was nicely decorated with slices of Japanese radish, cucumber and green apple. That was the perfect start we were looking for.
Apart from its delicate taste, we also had high praise for the presentation of the dish. It was nicely decorated with slices of Japanese radish, cucumber and green apple. That was the perfect start we were looking for.
Marinated hamachi, gazpacho dressing and garnish, 6/10
Almost equally impressive was the marinated hamachi. Our server put the finishing touch in by pouring a tomato gazpacho dressing onto the hamachi. Another refreshing dish.
Seared tuna, miso aubergine, sherry dressing, 7/10
Perhaps all good things must come in threes. This was already our third sashimi-style starter in a roll.
The rich flavor and buttery texture of the seared tuna was perfectly complemented by the miso aubergine and a sherry dressing.
Smoked salmon, scrambled eggs and caviar, 7/10
Seared tuna, miso aubergine, sherry dressing, 7/10
Perhaps all good things must come in threes. This was already our third sashimi-style starter in a roll.
The rich flavor and buttery texture of the seared tuna was perfectly complemented by the miso aubergine and a sherry dressing.
Smoked salmon, scrambled eggs and caviar, 7/10
What...another fish dish!? Oh yes. Next up was a smoked salmon served with scrambed eggs and caviar.
Our server recommended that we took a little bit of every ingredient and mix them well before eating.
We followed the instructions carefully and the result was brilliant. Smoked salmon, egg, caviar and pea purée each contributed to a combination of contradicting taste and texture making this simple dish extra savory.
Our server recommended that we took a little bit of every ingredient and mix them well before eating.
We followed the instructions carefully and the result was brilliant. Smoked salmon, egg, caviar and pea purée each contributed to a combination of contradicting taste and texture making this simple dish extra savory.
Squid paella, parsley dressing, 4/10
I liked the chopped squid and parsley dressing but the sauce was too flavorful and overpowering for the paella to handle. This was one of the weaker dish from an otherwise wonderful lunch.
Char grilled Ibérico pork and foie gras burgers, avocado and pickled cucumber, 7/10
House specialty, char grilled Iberico pork and foie gras mini-burgers was one of the can't-miss items here.
The extra juicy and tender ibérico pork with crispy buns, flavorful foie gras and a creamy avocado sauce combined to create an absolutely irresistible mini-burger.
It would have been perfect if the taste of foie gras was made a bit stronger.
House specialty, char grilled Iberico pork and foie gras mini-burgers was one of the can't-miss items here.
The extra juicy and tender ibérico pork with crispy buns, flavorful foie gras and a creamy avocado sauce combined to create an absolutely irresistible mini-burger.
It would have been perfect if the taste of foie gras was made a bit stronger.
Suckling pig, roasted apple with spices, piquillo pepper jus, 6/10
The Spanish style suckling pig did not have the crispy skin one would expect from the Chinese version of suckling pig but the meat itself proved to be as juicy and tender. The addition of apple and piquillo pepper juice helped to balance the greasiness.
"PBJ" peanut ice-cream, blue fruit, salted pea-nut caramel, 5/10
22 Ships' own signature dessert, PBJ, however did not live up to expectation. Although the dish was beautifully presented, the peanut ice-cream looked completely outshadowed by an overpowering blue fruit sorbet.
Goat cheese sorbet, honey comb, sweet walnuts, 7/10
On the other hand, the next dessert, goat cheese sorbet, turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Not cheesy as we originally suspected, this goat cheese flavored sorbet tasted surprisingly refreshing and cleansing. Honey comb and sweer walnuts successfully provided an extra dimension.
22 Ships has been the talk of the town ever since its soft opening. In all honesty, there was not a whole lot of cooking techniques displayed from some of these dishes. They were mostly presentation techniques and mix-and-matching of ingredients. Nevertheless, this was a unique dining experience which was genuinely exciting to be a part of.
Food Rating: 7/10
Price: $$$$
Address: 22 Ship Street, Wanchai, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Wanchai
Tel: +852 2555-0722
Website: www.22ships.hkTel: +852 2555-0722
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