I've already written about TBLS Kitchen-Studio and Australian Dairy Company, now my unofficial Hong Kong Noms #1 and #2.
Hong Kong Noms #3: Fofo by el Willy
Gastronommy's Notable Dishes (quite different than Fofo's Signature Dishes):
Organic Eggs, Potatoes & Chorizo HKD$98
Balic style Salmon, Sour Cream & Black Truffle Honey HKD$60
Adrian, Geoff, Borja and I went to scope out the new opening of contemporary Spanish restaurant, Fofo. The original Fofo was successfully opened in Shanghai by Chef "Willy" Guillermo Trullas Moreno. Now, fellow chef from Barcelona, Alexander Fargas brings Willy's menu and philosophy to Hong Kong.
While Fofo is not considered fusion cuisine, it is apparent Chef Willy and Chef Fargas have paid special attention to cater to the local crowds in Shanghai and Hong Kong in more than just their menu. Geoff and I were most amused at the chopsticks at each table.
Cantabric Anchovies with toasted tomato bread... and chopsticks!
(anchoas con pan con tomate HKD$55)
At some point, Geoff finds a way to use our sadly neglected chopsticks.
Fofo, meaning "fat" in Spanish, is hopefully not referring to its customers and only to its strange decor of cute chubby things, like its statues of elephants, penguins, and pigs. The tall windows with the gorgeous view of urban Hong Kong is a stark contrast to Fofo's clean almost alpine-like interior. I was half expecting to see a bear rug under my table.
Fofo is dazzingly white and doesn't come across as harsh and sterile. The enormous windows let in a lot of natural light. I found it to be a refreshing getaway from the hustle and bustle of Central, Hong Kong.
Penguins are indeed "fofo" and very adorable, but it was an odd touch for a Spanish restaurant.
Onto the food! Strangely, none of Fofo's signature dishes made it onto my favorite HK Noms list. Instead we have two others!
Gastronommy Favorite Exhibit A:
Organic Eggs, Potatoes & Chorizo
This dish is as simple as it gets, but taste is 10/10, ingredients are 10/10, and comfort factor is 15/10. The organic eggs are shipped from Spain to be slow cooked at a careful 65 degrees until yolk is warm and runny. It's the glorious Fofo version of my American eggs, sausages and hash browns breakfast! I hope Chef Fargas doesn't cringe at my comparison. I truly adore this dish. I would try to squeeze in a quick meal for this dish again, but it's tough to get reservations these days!
Borja has the honors of breaking the egg, to allow all its wonderful gooey yolkiness to coat the layers of crispy potato and spicy chorizo.
Gastronommy Favorite Exhibit B:
Balic style Salmon, Sour Cream & Black Truffle Honey
This dish was a pure melody in my mouth. To be honest, I wasn't expecting much from it when it first arrived at our table. Salmon on a crostini, no big deal. ...oh how wrong I was! The sour cream cuts through salmon and caviar, texture is provided by the toast, and it's all topped off with the lingering sweetness of the black truffle honey. I immediately perked up after this pleasant bite and my palate was excited to see what else was in store at Fofo. Too bad this dish had to be split amongst the four of us.
Other Dishes
Here is a list of some of the other dishes we tried that afternoon at Fofo. I'll leave a short note if it's personally recommended and/or a signature dish at Fofo. I won't be going into lengthy opinions about each, unless someone asks. None stood out as much as the aforementioned dishes, but overall everything was fine though sometimes unmemorable and needed a few tweaks.
Iberian ham 36 mths with toasted tomato bread (Fofo signature dish)
Scallop ceviche, avocado & crispy shallots (Fofo signature dish)
Crispy suckling pig (Fofo signature dish)
Seared foie gras, scallop, beetroot, kumquat & popcorn powder (Fofo signature dish) (Gastronommy recommends)
Fisherman's lobster soup (Fofo signature dish)
Black truffle & pumpkin creamy risotto (Gastronommy recommends only if you love truffles)
Sauteed shrimps with garlic & chili (Fofo signature dish)
Churroz - not yet available on the menu. I hate to admit this publicly, but I must share my surprise. All this time, I thought churroz were Mexican! I blame all the American amusement park's churroz stands that promote themselves as "Mexico's favorite snack!"
Also be sure to check out Fofo's beautiful rooftop. The rooftop is not open to the public yet (waiting for their license), but be sure to look out for it when it's ready.
P.S. While the word "Fofo" sounds adorable to the rest of us, I'd advise that you not go around calling cute chubby people that in Spain. It's not such a nice word to the native speakers.
Fofo (Hong Kong)
20/F M88, 2-8 Wellington Street
Central, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2900 2009
www.fofo.hk