The panic may be over but the pandemic has subtly changed the way we dine - possibly for good. You can see this in the way weekend brunches are moving away from the ubiquitous buffets to sit-down set meals instead. Not having to provide so much food, which may go to waste anyway, also means the brunches are more affordable.
Majo's weekend Spanish brunch, conjured up by new executive chef Salvador Benedicto offers a selection of sharing tapas, a choice of one main course and dessert for a pocket-friendly HK$390.
Table service also makes for a relaxed meal as you don't have to keep popping up to serve yourself. When we ate at the restaurant on Staunton Street a few weeks ago, we ordered the two-hour free-flow package (HK$230) and sipped sangria while having a lazy meal.
Tapas make the perfect starters. Hubby loved the assortment of Iberico cold cuts and bruschetta while I gorged on the seared Hokkaido scallops in garlic and parsley oil and slow-cooked Galician octopus.
The tapas themselves would have filled us up but, of course, we couldn't miss the mains. My meatlover hubby ordered the 250g beef cab striploin served with piquillo peppers confit and homemade fries.
I rashly went for the arroz de bogavante. One serving of whole Boston lobster and rice picada cooked with nuts, tomatoes, parsley and garlic is meant for two so they kindly allowed me to take away the leftovers. "Hardly anyone finishes everything anyway," said Benedicto.
We were so full at the end so Benedicto recommended Los Helados, an assortment of homemade ice cream and sorbets.
A similarly decadent exeperience awaits at Bifteck in Wan Chai. The Fete du Bifteck Printemps brunch (HK$598) is a seasonal take on its popular weekend menu. Be prepared to dine for at least two hours as the meal comprises salad, a soup, two appetizers, a main, two sides and a dessert. Two hours of unlimited sparkling wine and sparkling rose can be poured for an additional HK$208.
As indicated by its name, beef is the highlight - from the appetizers of melt-in-the-mouth dry-aged 25-days Belgian beef tartare and oxtail and foie gras groquette to mains of slow-cooked USDA SRF wagyu chunk flap tail and USDA Brandt Beef prime hanging tender.
Looking for a blowout? Upgrade to the dry-aged 45-days USDA prime OP rib (HK$598) or signature snow-aged wagyu (HK$498).
When we were there, the dry-aged 25-days Australian Hampshire Down lamb T-bone was off the menu but the juicy braised lamb chops made a good substitute.
Across the harbor, Hue Dining has pulled out all stops for its new weekend champagne brunch featuring Gosset champagne (HK$480).
Not only do you get to dine amidst a revolving collection of works by famous artists (Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin were among those featured when we dined there), there will also be live jazz performances.
You start with sharing appetizers, then move on to one main and one dessert. Free-flow options (HK$380) include Gosset Extra Brut champagne, 10 red and white wine choices and Bloody Marys.
The assortment of sharing starters were impressive - especially the seaweed cracker sprinkled with smoked paprika but what got us flagging the waiter fora top-up was the homemade bread with house-smoked butter with black sea salt.
A must-try main dish is the Limestone Coast wagyu flank steak with confit garlic, maitake mushroom and heirloom carrots in madeira sauce.
I went for the lava Basque cheese tart topped with pear jelly, citrus sponge and hazelnut praline candy, which I though my chocoholic hubby would choose too but he surprised me by ordering the nut and seed granola with sago pudding. After practically licking the ramekin, he declared it a triumph and even refused bites of my cheese tart.
