Everyone who knows me long
enough can easily tell that I am an unapologizing Anglophile and a history
enthusiast. The Pawn is a historical heritage site that encapsulates the
splendor of the Old Hong Kong while serving good British food. Naturally I
would not miss it, but for some reason I had not visited the place until I was
invited to taste its new menu... I am glad that the chef of the Pawn allowed us
to try some of the best British dishes.
To begin with, we had an air-dried
duck with poached pear and pistachio. The air-dried duck was cured before
dried, and had its rich and delicate flavour fully retained. It went well with
the sweet pear and the pistachio was a nice touch.
 |
| I particularly liked the salt |
The appetizer was smoked
salmon with lemon puree and Jerusalem artichoke. According to the chef, the
salmon was wet smoked so that the moisture of the fillets would be retained. It
is a really time consuming method. While I loved its smoky taste, the fillet
was a bit overcooked. The lemon puree was refreshing, though. I looked around
and realized that the salmon fillets of my companion did not look the same. It should
be smokey outside with a pink interior. It would be perfect if the quality of
the dishes can be more consistent.
After the pear and salmon, the
British dishes took over. Cock-a-Leekie soup is a Scottish dish that could
trace its origin back to the 15th century. While it is common to add
potatoes to make it thicker, the Pawn’s version had no potatoes but kept the
original ingredients such as chicken stock, chicken breasts, leeks and prune. The broth was strong and full of chicken flavour.
Although some commented that the soup was under-seasoned, I found it alright
and would certainly like to have one before having the heavy main dishes.
Five wooden boards of braised
lamb shoulder on the table, shoulder to shoulder, was indeed an awesome sight.
We kept taking pictures of them as if we were in front of David Beckham.
I am not a great fan of
mutton, but that night I had a large piece of it. It was superbly tender and
the fat between the fleshes melted in a tantalizing way. Its robust flavour allowed it to be served
alone without the sticky red currant sauce. The side dishes, including Yorkshire
pudding and cauliflower cheese, were very British. The pudding was even better
than the one I had at Yorkshire Pudding. As for the cauliflower cheese, I would
like to have a stronger cheese added.
The chef was then kind
enough (or cruel? Given we already had so much good food) to let us try a few
plates of hanger steak with smoked mash potatoes. When I first visited another
restaurant of this group, I was already impressed by its high quality hanger
steak. The one we had that night was splendid, and it was also affordable! The smooth
smoked mash was an apt replacement of fries. I would definitely come back for
it.
I wondered what kind of
traditional desserts (sticky toffee pudding? Banoffee pie?) the chef was going
to serve. Instead of serving the common and popular British desserts, he
offered Eton Mess, a creamy mixture of raspberry and toasted meringue. It is a traditional
dish of Eton College that would be served after the annual
cricket match
against Winchester College. While I was not fortunate
enough to study at that illustrious institution, I was lucky enough to have
tried one here, although I am in no position to judge whether it was
“authentic” or not (I guess only a handful of distinguished/notorious person in
Hong Kong who actually tasted the real one can judge that). Anyway, unlike many
British desserts, it was surprisingly light and refreshing. I particularly liked
the idea of adding aromatic Thai basil to it, giving a twist to the tradition.
It was a fantastic night for an Anglophile like me. What is better than tasting some of the best British dishes inside an authentic historical heritage? The Pawn is a very successful example of reusing historical building in a sustainable way, though I may want to point out that it did not blend very well into the local community. Still, the structure and its ambience blends well with the dishes it served. I will definitely come back and see if I can have my most-wanted British food like fish and chips, scone and perhaps Victoria sponge.
The Pawn
2-3/F, 62 Johnston Road,
Wan Chai
Service:wwwwwww
Environment:wwwwwwwww
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