Arcane (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

The brand new 18 On Lan Street is slated to open some time this winter as one of the hottest openings in Central (along with the new California Tower of course). At least that's what I've heard but from what I've seen here today, it's not nearly ready for its grand opening.



The only thing that looks operational right now seems to be the lobby.



We took the elevator up to the third floor looking for Chef Shane Osborn's latest venture - Arcane. They have a nice set of bar tables at the entrance in case anyone wants a glass of wine before meal.



Perth-born Shane Osborn is one of the most respected Australian chefs in the world. Earlier in his career, he made a name for himself as the first Australian chef to ever lead his kitchen to achieve or maintain 2 Michelin stars. After working extensively in Europe (mainly UK), he came to Asia in 2012 to join Alan Yau’s St Betty as their head chef and Arcane is his first solo effort in Hong Kong since he left St Betty in mid 2014.



Chef Osborn was seen directing his team of four in the open kitchen behind the counter when we stepped into the dining area. 

We like what we've seen so far from the menu with a nice array of modern European dishes. The 2-course lunch set is currently priced at $270 while adding a dessert will set you back another $80. Not bad for a restaurant of this caliber in the heart of Central. And the good news kept coming - for a limited time during the soft opening, everything is 50% off the original price! 



We went with the 3-course set and our first starter was a soft poached Taiyouran egg with bacon fondue, shaved broccoli and toasted almonds. The rich and savory flavors from all the different ingredients were very tempting (6/10).



I liked the second starter slightly better - an open raviolo of iceberg lettuce and spanner crab simmered in a langoustine sauce. The wonderfully intense langoustine bisque provided us with quite a treat (6.5/10).



Interestingly enough, this was not your typical ravioli. The ravioli was really "wide open" with the lettuce and crab meat hiding just underneath. 


 
Steamed pink snapper with salsa verde and quinoa was next. Red snapper is quite a popular choice in modern European cuisine but pink snapper.....it's been a while since I last had pink snapper. I thought the texture was very nice but it was a little fishy (5/10).



The breast of label rouge chicken was a much better choice as main course. The chicken breast was tender and full of flavor and it was nicely complemented by a salad of spinach, bacon, tomato and pine nuts (6.5/10).




I have a bit of mixed feelings on our desserts. The passion fruit mousse with chocolate sorbet and walnuts was decent but unspectacular (4.5/10).



Our second dessert was a slice of comté cheese served with pear and celery. What it lacks in presentation, it makes up for in taste. The rich flavors delicately linger on our palates but yet not too overpowering (6.5/10).

(Although I must say, I have never been totally convinced with cheese being served with celery.)




Food Rating: 6/10
Price: $$$$
Address: 3/F, 18 On Lan Street, Central, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Central
Tel: +852 2728-0178
Website: http://arcane.hk/