Hong Kong's cool and dry autumn is more like summer in the Mediterranean. So if you're inspired to up your weekend brunch game with a healthy diet of plant-based foods and good fats, here are two in Central to consider.
Starters, made for sharing, include smoky confit piquillo peppers and juicy dry-aged meatballs. Among the main course choices are fresh tagliatelle with clams, its zesty sauce complementing the briny shellfish, and homemade gnocchi enveloped in a creamy sauce.
A few streets away, and offering cuisine from the opposite shores is Francis West in Peel Street. The sister restaurant to Wan Chai's Francis serves cuisine from North Africa's Maghreb region - a blend of Mediterranean and African flavors.
For a sharing style experience, order The Big Brunch starter with a selection of mezze to go with your main dish (extra HK$150). The range of mezze includes stonebaked frena or Moroccan flatbread, hummus, matbucha or a Moroccan mezze of slow-cooked tomatoes, bell peppers and aromatic garlic, and the signature cigars filled with spiced beef.
There are seven mains to choose from, all made for sharing. Among them are seafood couscous (HK$240) with prawn, clam, calamari, preserved lemon and tomato, shakshuka (HK$140) a traditional Israeli breakfast with two baked eggs, tomato and harissa, Mughrabi chicken parm (HK$180), and a twist on the usual steak and eggs (HK$220), featuring lamb rump, fried eggs and harissa potato.Dessert is a choice of Knafeh (HK$100), or layers of syrup-soaked spun pastry and mozzarella, or Kumquat (HK$100), made with saffron, orange custard and almond.
