Having recently celebrated its first anniversary, Sai Ying Pun restaurant Rhoda - helmed by Chef Nate Green - is offering a seven-course truffle menu that we recently headed over to try
If you’ve been busy de-stressing at yoga, hiking some of Hong Kong’s famous trails or shopping through the markets in Mong Kok, chances are you are in need of a good meal. Luckily, Chef Nate Green from Sai Ying Pun restaurant Rhoda has you covered with his new menu that is jam-packed full of truffles and other delicious ethically-sourced food items.
Truffles, truffles and more truffles…
You’ve got to love our mates down in Western Australia for producing some of the tastiest black truffles in the world. And we love the team at Waves Pacific even more for bringing them direct to the chefs of Hong Kong.
What’s on the menu at Rhoda?
At Rhoda, Chef Nate Green has put together a seven-course set menu that harnesses the alluring flavour of the truffles, pairing them with some surprising yet delightful combinations.
I’m one of those pesceterians who doesn’t imbibe land-dwelling animals, so the team at Rhoda happily substituted the two dishes that I couldn’t eat. To start with, Chef Nate had prepared raw Hokkaido scallop with smoked cod’s roe and Sturia caviar – a stunningly rich dish which left the luxurious flavour of the Sturia caviar lingering on the palate.
The chopped Irish Black Angus beef with parmesan and pickled walnuts was quickly devoured by my dining companions, while I got to enjoy the walnuts with fresh mozzarella and figs – just yes, everything yes. This was followed by Italian asparagus with Agria potato puree – half butter/half potato I’m assured – with lashings of black truffle on top. Simple, comfort food that I could happily eat again and again; this dish was one of my favourites.
The fish course featured sea bass with a ragout of peas, fèves and bacon – mine sans swine. The peas really spoke on this dish and I loved the way that they paired with the sea bass. The meaties followed this with Irish Black Angus tenderloin with cauliflower, yeast and young broccoli, and I think a few were a bit jealous of my substitution for homemade pasta – taste the love!- butter and copious amounts of truffle. It’s true, this simple dish probably stole the show for me as it really allowed the truffle to be the star, and that’s excellent news, as the dish is also available on the a la carte menu.
Chef Nate treated us to a cheese course before dessert, serving up 30-month Comté with crushed hazelnuts and honeycomb. We folded this up to make little heavenly cheese sandwiches and loved the fact they included our namesake in the dish.
And a meal at Rhoda is not complete without trying some cheesecake, so the team served a vanilla variety with cherries and ridiculous amounts of grated truffle that we give huge fistbumps to.
Why do I need to try this food?
At $1498 per person, this menu needs to be tried. Chef Nate has selected the best ethically sourced seafood and meats and the flavour combinations are just delicious. Don’t forget to say hi to the new restaurant manager Enrique, he joins the lovely team at Rhoda to deliver stellar service and expert advice when it comes to wine pairing etc. And did we mention those truffles?
Rhoda, 345 Des Voeux Road West, Shek Tong Tsui, Hong Kong, p. 2177 5050, 西環西營盤德輔道西345號維港峰地下 The truffle menu is $1498 per person, with wine flights starting from $348. The menu is available until 10 August.
Want more tried and tested restaurant recommendations in Hong Kong? Why not eat your way through our Hot 50 Tables section, follow our weekly food news or indulge in these delectable desserts.