[Hong Kong] Rhoda - New Restaurant That Lives Up to Hype!

Rating: ❤❤❤❤1/2

22 Ships' former executive chef Nathan Green has just opened a new restaurant in Sai Ying Pun in collaboration with Yenn Wong - the mastermind behind 208, Chachawan, Duddell's, Fish School and Meen & Rice. Named after the chef's grandmother who's also a great cook, Rhoda is a family-style restaurant with a focus on ingredients cooked on wood fire and charcoal. The decor of the restaurant is anything but grandmotherly though as the industrial chic interior had been designed by Joyce Wang (the designer behind the stylish Mott 32) with metallic trimmings and bare concrete walls - there's even a small lounge area with designs that's been inspired by barber shops and tattoo parlors!

I came here with a girlfriend on a Thursday night and we got seated at the counter which are arguably the best seats in the house with an unobstructed view to all the action in the kitchen! Besides the grill dishes, the counter is also where desserts are made and Chef Nathan Green was there to look over everything coming out of his kitchen.

We got to observe all of the ingredients that were being grilled from meat to seafood to vegetables right in front of us and it was honestly tempting to try them all! The menu was divided by appetizers, cold dishes, grill items, and dishes meant to be shared so there was something for everyone - you can order as much or as little as you want. Since there were only 2 of us, we couldn't get the bigger dishes so we ended up ordering a bunch of appetizers and grill items which turned out to be more than enough for us. 

First up was the complimentary Beer Bread made with Suntory dark ale and served with seaweed butter. The bread was fluffy soft and light but I wasn't sure that the seaweed butter worked for me - I think I would prefer normal salted butter more. If one portion of bread isn't enough for you, you can order from the menu for only $28. 

The Lotus Root Chips ($38) was really addictive to eat as the chips were super thin and crispy, but it was the chicken liver cream that stood out to me with its rich and enticing flavors.

One of the famous signature dishes here is the 12-hour slow cooked Hawke's Bay lamb shoulder that needs to be pre-ordered in advance and meant to be shared between 4-6 people, so we opted for the Pulled Hawke's Bay Lamb Shoulder Burger ($118) instead which uses the same lamb so we could get a taste of it. I polished it off in seconds as the lamb was flavorful and soft while I loved the sauerkraut which balanced the meat perfectly.

The Chicken Wings ($118) came fresh off the grill with a smoky charcoal aroma and glazed with Xeres vinegar - a gourmet wine vinegar made from Sherry. As a result, the chicken wings had a deliciously sweet flavor with nicely crisp skin.

I had heard good things about the Slow Cooked Octopus ($138) with fennel, oregano and preserved lemon, and it didn't disappoint with tender textures and refreshing flavors. 

We were already full at this point so we moved onto desserts with this colorful Summer Berries ($98) with cherry granita and lemon creme fraiche. It was very refreshing, not heavy at all, and the perfect ending to our wonderful meal.

Verdict - the tab came out to only ~$500 total for the 2 of us which was more than reasonable for the quality and amount of food that we had considering that I had paid more than double at similar new restaurants with less satisfying experiences. Rhoda is a restaurant that I am definitely going back to and I'm getting a larger group next time so I can try the whole chicken, snapper baked in kombu and 12-hour slow cooked lamb shoulder!

Rhoda

345 Des Voeux Road West, Sai Ying Pun

Tel: +852 2177 5050
http://www.rhoda.hk/

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