Friday, November 18, 2016

Bib n Hops (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

I was just watching the first episode of "Soul Refined" the other night where one of my favorite local chef Alvin Leung talked about making this trip to Seoul to research for his new Korean restaurant in town. What I didn't realize was that this new Korean concept by the demon chef was already gearing up for prime time.

Taking over the space vacated by 3 Michelin starred Bo Innovation who moved next door to where Madam Sixty Ate used to be, Bib n Hops quietly opened its doors about 2 weeks ago. This is a new project that sees the demon chef put a contemporary spin on the finest street food Korea has to offer.



Bib n Hops' kitchen is helmed by Korean head chef, Yong Soo Do, previously the senior sous chef from Jinjuu. I have actually read an article about him in the magazine where they said he really really looks like Hong Kong actor and comedian Johnson Lee (李思捷). And yes, I can really see the resemblance when I met him for the first time this afternoon.



I had about half an hour reserved for this lunch so without even touching the a la carte menu, I went straight to the set lunch menu.

First up was a pretty nice salad with a sesame dressing. 



The leaves were really crisp and there's a good mix of flavors in there (sweet, bitter etc.).



Next up was my main dish, pork belly jumulleok ($108) with gochujang marinated Canadian pork belly and steamed vegetables. The set came with a steaming hot bowl of plain rice.



The pork belly was lightly marinated with sesame oil, salt, garlic and of course, gochujang (Korean chili paste) and then grilled to perfection.



The seasoning was perfectly done with a nice balance of sweet and spicy flavors. And I loooove that bouncy texture of the pork belly. Succulent!



I really like how they put a modern twist on some of these Korean dishes; for example, the raw beef with pear sorbet. That looked so good in the photo. I will most definitely come back for that later this month.

Food Rating: 5.5/10
Price: $$$
Address: Shop 13, 2/F J Residence, 18 Ship Street, Wanchai, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Wanchai
Tel: +852 2882-9128
Website: www.bibnhops.hk


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