Throwback to a few months ago, when I was in Hong Kong for a self curated eating fest to visit family and hang out with friends. Common Room had been on my list of places to try for a while now, so one evening S. and I decided to get all dressed up in heels (LKF is just a stone’s throw away from the restaurant, I guess) and head out to dinner. Click through to see what we ate…
Common Room is part bar, part restaurant. Definitely the type of place you want to find in the heart of Central! The menu is curiously arranged into four sections: Land, Heaven, Earth and Sea. Dishes from the Sea are fairly obvious, while Land dishes cover all the meats, desserts are found under Heaven (typical…) and everything else can be found under Earth. Everything is to be shared, so dig in!
We started with two Earth dishes: Flatbread with caramelized onions, wild mushrooms, goat cheese and truffle (HK$68) and Fresh Burrata & Cherry Tomatoes – served with spicy rocket and balsamic reduction (HK$98). I’m a sucker for burrata (which was super fresh, as it should be) but I don’t really like tomatoes or salad, which are the usual accompaniments to the cheese. I guess you win some, and you lose some.
Both S. and I were impressed with the Flatbread – it was kind of like a really thin pizza, with just enough of each topping. I guess the truffle must’ve come in the form of oil? This is definitely a great starter to have something to nibble on while you peruse the rest of the menu.
POUTINE!
Whoops, did I say that too loud? I’ve wanted to have poutine for ages, so when we saw Pulled Pork Poutine – with melted cheddar cheese and BBQ sauce (HK$98) on the menu, we simply couldn’t resist. Beware – the portion is HUGE. And bloody amazing. This is probably as indulgent as it gets in my books and it was worth every bite. Sure, you kind of feel sick after eating it all, but that’s also worth it.
From the Earth section of the menu we ordered Sirloin Steak Bites – with Foie Gras foam and chimichurri sauce (HK$128) as a token red meat. What a great idea to have mini steaks to share, instead of trying to awkwardly cut up one large piece between the two of us. The presentation kind of reminded me of canapés as well. We found the meat a bit chewy and a bit too undercooked, but the sauce was lovely.
After all of that (I blame the poutine) we were way too stuffed for dessert…a shame really, with things like Bailey’s & Coffee Cheesecake on the menu. There’s always next time! I would definitely recommend this spot, even if you’re just going for a drink after work. It also seems great for groups (there were two tables of birthdays next to us) and going in a big group means you can try more of the food as well.
Common Room
8-12 Wo On Lane
Central, Hong Kong
http://www.common-room.hk/
