Hutong

Hutong is on the 28^th floor of an office building, with a spectacular view over Hong Kong Harbour. The décor is unusual, with plenty of dark wood used, no tablecloths and an ornamental bird cage on each table that is hung up in the window as you sit down. Braised prawn in lemongrass and fresh chilli sauce had a fragrant sauce which tasted distinctly of lemongrass, but the prawns themselves were slightly overcooked (13/20). 

Soft shell crab with Szechuan red pepper was prettily presented in a basket of red chillis. The crab itself had excellent batter and plenty of crab taste (sometimes this dish can seem rather watery) came through (15/20). Vegetable and mushroom spring rolls with soy vinegar had crispy, thin batter, and although simple were carefully made and tasty (14/20).

“Crispy yuppies” were not a case of the locals having revenge on investment bankers but was a local fish. This was fried and served whole, served with a vibrant black bean sauce that had a strong chilli punch. The fish was cooked well and the spices came through powerfully (15/20). 

What I enjoyed about the food here were the robust flavours that sang through the dishes that we tried. The bill for lunch was HK$ 570 per person with jasmine tea rather than any alcohol. Service was efficient enough, though not particularly friendly.