Billed as the beating Latin heart of Hong Kong, Picada regularly pulsates every week with live music, partying and dancing throughout. But, does the food match the festivities?
In the mood for a special kinda dinner this week? Luckily, you just happen to be living in one of the best foodie cities, and you can try mod-Oz cuisine at Hue, mouth-watering dishes at Falafel TLV or late-night Japanese at Fukuro. We had the pleasure of trying out Latin American restaurant Picada in its location atop LKF in Wyndham Street recently, and the soulful dishes made their way into our hearts.
Why we’re mildly obsessed with Picada (NOW CLOSED)
The menu at Picada lends itself well to enjoying the experience with friends. You’ll find a bar and DJ on the terrace, live music in the main area and well proportioned colourful dishes.
With several signatures to try and only two of us, I was cautiously optimistic, but with the appetites of two guys, we managed to pick out our favourite favourites, because everything tasted pretty darn impressive. We adored the scotch avocado – a soft boiled egg that sits within a crumbly lightly fried avocado, as well as the build your own taco experience. A great dish to share with friends, the ingredients tray is brought out and fresh guacamole is prepared in front of you as you pick and choose what to include. Oh such happy memories! A tough task but we’ve narrowed it down, here’s our list of must-orders:
Peruvian Ceviche and Hamachi Tiradito
It was too difficult to separate these two ceviche starters, in fact the combination of them both highlighted even more the outstanding flavour. The Peruvian Ceviche (right) made with fresh imported seabass gave a traditional ceviche sharp sourness, whereas the Hamachi Tiradito (left) was on the other end of the scale. Creamy mash, crispy sweet potato and tender Japanese hamachi, a foodie equation that blew our minds. Both wonderfully vibrant and must-try dishes if you visit Picada.
Grilled Octopus
Few things can beat a quality creamy mash potato, and when you grill fresh octopus and add crunchy sweet potato crisps then you’re onto a winner. Be warned, this is quite a heavy dish, but it’s well worth it to try the combination of octopus with some chew and smooth mash that melts in the mouth.
Chocolate Mousse
You won’t find many Latin restaurants that absolutely nail the classic chocolate mousse like Picada does. Effortlessly soft and rich in flavour, the mousse is accompanied with a flattering side pot of ice cream to give you a rest from the nutella goodness before throwing yourself back in. Those little beads on the plate are described as Jamaican sauce, but I’m convinced they’re just droplets from heaven.
Would we go back?
Yes, yes and yes. Definitely yes. Absolutely yes. I’d happily live there. The menu changes regularly, so you’ll always be treated to a new surprise.
Picada, 2/F, LKF29, 29 Wyndham Street, Central, Hong Kong 中環雲咸街29號東方有色大廈2樓
