New restaurant review: Circa 1913 at the Fringe Club in Central, Hong Kong
Japanese-inspired dishes at the Fringe Club's newest restaurant
Happy to have reviewed Circa 1913 for Lifestyle Asia's 10 New Hong Kong Restaurants to try this July.
Circa 1913
Those who miss M at the Fringe may want to visit the restaurant that has taken over its old premises. Named after the founding year of the Fringe Club, the newly opened Circa 1913 serves Japanese-inspired dishes led by Chef de Cuisine Anderson Tam, formerly of L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon and Zuma Hong Kong. The space, which seats 40, is quietly elegant, painted a dusty teal and decorated with delicate ink drawings by local artist Raymond Pang with baroque gold accents. It’s the first restaurant for owner Alan Ng, a food-obsessed local event producer who wanted to create an intimate hideaway for friends (old and new) in the heart of Lan Kwai Fong.
From a recent visit our favourite dish was the Hokkaido Uni Risotto ($388), inspired by a dish chef Tam created while working at Robuchon. More affordable, this version contains a surprising amount of uni, has a perfectly sticky texture, and comes in a fair portion size. Other highlights include the Botan Shrimp ($238), plump and fresh prawns accented with a citrus and passion fruit salsa, and the Kumamoto Wagyu Sirloin A5 Steak ($788 for 200 grams), flavourful well-marbled fingers served with homemade pumpkin and asparagus puree. Don’t miss the drinks by Dorothy Lam, winner of the 2015 MixLDN Hong Kong and Macau mixology competition. We recommend the Drunken Geisha ($108), a sake-based, shiso-enhanced bellini-type cocktail with a beautiful swipe of paint along the rim meant to resemble a geisha’s painted lips.
Circa 1913, 1/F, South Block, Fringe Club, 2 Lower Albert Road, Central, Hong Kong, +852 3643 0288
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