Jimmy's Kitchen (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

The legendary Jimmy's Kitchen got a new lease of life two months ago with their new home at Pedder Building. Taking over the space that used to be the flagship store of Abercrombie & Fitch, the revitalized institution is now conveniently situated next to the Central MTR station.

I am taking the afternoon off work so I got all the time in the world to check out this latest iteration of the city's iconic century-old establishment.

Once I showed up at the reception desk, I was asked if I would be interested in sitting at one of these counter tables. Well, not today. I would be much happier parking at a quiet corner facing the bar.

I spent some time looking at their revamped food menu and not surprisingly, I was able to find most of their signature dishes from the old days. That included beetroot and vegetable Borscht, chicken a la king, chicken Supreme 'Kiev' and the crowd favorite baked Alaska.

Roasted beetroot, mango vinegar, parsley cream – I was looking forward to kicking off the meal with their cured salmon as my starter but it was all sold out at 1:30pm.

Not that I would get panicked or anything cuz I am such a sucker for beets. This would serve me just fine. I've got some roasted beets served on a bed of minty parsley cream, and topped nicely with mango vinegar and red pepper. There was a really nice mix of sweetness and acidity. I didn't think it would work but the minty notes did harmonize with the sweet and earthy beetroot.

Seared scallops, sand carrot, curry remoulade, Iberico – I decided to get myself some seared scallops as my main dish.

Again, they had an impressive mix of flavors and textures, starting with the crunch from the sand carrots, bitterness from the watercress and then a mild kick from the curry, all on top of the sweetness of the scallops. A beautifully designed and well-executed dish. 

Earl grey tea, vanilla mascarpone, cocoa powder – This tasted a bit like a tiramisu but they traded the coffee and liquor with earl grey tea. Really not my cup of tea to be honest. I was expecting something else. Something not in the form of a cake.

Between the casual and fine dining options, it was always tough to find middle ground in Central but I thought the newly revamped Jimmy's Kitchen slides in there perfectly. This was an unexpectedly nice meal (except the dessert part) with some really palatable dishes. I am sure I will be back in the very near future.

Food Rating: 6.6/10

Price: $$$

Address: M/F, Pedder Building, 12 Pedder Street, Central, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Central

Tel: +852 2526-5293

Website: https://linktr.ee/jimmyskitchenhk

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 3:00pm, 6:00pm - 11:00pm daily