Cool autumn breezes are good for growing edible mushrooms. And restaurants love working with fungi - even using it in dessert.
Starting with a bang is The Chinese Library's 10-course Treasures of the Earth (HK$988).
Highlights include thinly sliced winter melon with red shrimp and a tropical vinaigrette, fresh matsutake mushroom, steamed scallop, and fish maw in chicken broth.
Other standout dishes are deep-fried stuffed Alaskan king crab meat with snow swallow, filled with morels, crab meat, and Yunnan ham, and bamboo fungus roll in Chinese lychee mushroom soup, which includes bamboo fungus stuffed with shrimp and vegetables in a flavorful broth.
Saving the best for last, dessert is an unusual porcini, almond, and hazelnut dacquoise with mushroom ice cream.
At Man Ho Chinese Restaurant, executive Chinese chef Jayson Tang has created a selection of dishes using over 10 varieties of Yunnan mushrooms, available until September 27.
Key picks are braised catfish maw with morel and duck (HK$388), braised pork knuckle with sarcodon aspratus mushrooms (HK$288), crispy deep-fried dough sticks with porcini mushrooms (HK$88) and wagyu beef rolls with marinated porcini (HK$168). A luxurious option is sauteed minced goose with ganbajun mushroom (HK$2,088).
The menu also features sauteed lobster with termite mushrooms (HK$428) and a grilled platter of Yunnan wild mushrooms (HK$388).
To try the delicious fungi in Western culinary style, head to Pici, which has come up with three mushroom pastas, available until September 30.
The funghi ripieni (HK$88) features baked button mushrooms stuffed with melted smoked scamorza cheese and fresh spinach for the Italian fanatics.
Pappardelle salsiccia e porcini (HK$140) combines handmade pasta with meaty porcini mushrooms, Italian sausage, and creamy goat cheese.
Meanwhile, the ravioli sottobosco (HK$180) filled with rich gorgonzola and creamy ricotta, topped with a luxurious morel mushroom cream sauce and saffron-infused cheese, is yet another delectable bite.
Next month, Momo Cafe and Levelthirty Lounge and Bar at Courtyard will prove that mushrooms can be enjoyed in many ways.
At MoMo Cafe's Mushroom and Cocoa Delights Buffet (from HK$368, you can enjoy mushroom-based salads such as spicy king oyster mushroom salad and roasted portobello salad. Meat lovers can savor braised beef ribs with truffle sauce, roasted chicken fillet with porcini cream, and roasted Australian grain-fed beef striploin.
For an afternoon of luxury, visit Levelthirty Lounge and Bar with the Truffle and Chocolate Dreams afternoon tea (HK$468 for two).
Tea starts with a smoked salmon truffle cream cheese roll, followed by deep-fried mushroom fritters with truffle mayo and a truffle egg salad and cheese sandwich. For a delightful mix of flavors, try the gourmet truffle pate and the mushroom and crabmeat vol au vent.
Sweet options include chocolate and red wine jelly, gianduja and orange chocolate tart, and a unique tiramisu. Don't miss the blueberry cheesecake and scones with chocolate butter cream and fig jam.
Both afternoon tea and buffet are available until January 1.
Cucina's Game and Mushroom Menu also features two earthy dishes from Italian chef Andrea Delzanno's hometown of Piedmont, available until November 5.
The first is a dish from a traditional Sunday meal in the Italian town: braised vension with Barolo wine, soft polenta, button mushroom, smoked ham, and pickled vegetables (HK$438).
Another classic Piemontese dish is risotto with porcini mushroom, roasted quail breast and black truffle (HK$368).
