Bungalow (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

As a diehard fan of modern French cuisine, I was very upbeat with the opening of Bungalow who took over the space formerly occupied by Socialito on Wyndham Street. I have every reason to be excited. Bungalow has the backing of Privé Group who is also behind culinary gem, NUR and they have brought in young head chef Steve Chou with an impressive pedigree. Chef Chou hails from two of New York City’s renowned one Michelin-starred restaurants, Public and The Modern and is known for his bold and unconventional approach. That's enough incentive for us to pay a quick visit.



Branding itself as a supper club, Bungalow works as a tastefully intimate French restaurant at dinner but turns into a glittering nightclub late at night.



Chef Chou's menu is a haven for anyone seeking a casual French fare - 10 nicely prepared appetizers to go with another dozen exciting entrées that cover a wide variety of choices.

The first appetizer to catch my eyes was the hamachi ($188), a dish that was perhaps drawing inspiration from Jean Georges' famous tuna ribbons. It was a pretty refreshing start although I thought the supporting cast of garlic horseradish pureé, fennel and shiso could have done a little better job (5/10).



My favorite dish of the night was the duck ravioli ($188) which was stuffed with duck confit, duck breast and foie gras and finished with a flavorful truffle foam, oyster mushrooms and artichoke chips atop (7/10).



The ravioli was pretty nice one with very soft filling.



Roasted Hokkaido scallops with baby asparagus, corn and tomato confit ($268) was next and look at the size of those Hokkaido scallops!

The XXL sized Hokkaido scallops were beautiful to watch and absolutely mouthwatering to taste. I thought the corn sauce was a fairly good complement to the sweetness of the scallops but better seasoning was needed here (perhaps some salt would do the trick) (6.5/10).



Chicken roulade ($248) was probably the most disappointing dish of the evening. The roulade, made of brined dark meat chicken, was actually not bad but the pool of Spätzle and mustard jus underneath was way too flavorful and overpowering (4/10).



The emptiness of the dining room took something away from this otherwise comforting dining experience (It's weird having all eyes on us!). The most encouraging part of all was the fact it didn't cost us an arm and a leg (about $400 per head) which was a bit rare in Hong Kong these days.


Food Rating: 5.5/10
Price: $$$
Address: Shop 2, G/F, The Centrium, 60 Wyndham Street, Central, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Central
Tel: +852 2623-7868
Website: www.bungalow.hk