[Hong Kong] Moonshine & The Po'Boys

Rating: ❤❤❤❤1/2

"Basin Street is the street

Where the folks they all meet

Down in New Orleans

Land of dreams"

When I think of the South in the US, I think of jazz (listening to Basin Street Blues by Louis Armstrong as I'm writing this!) and Southern comfort food like fried chicken and sweet pies. Unfortunately I've never been to the South but you can still get your Southern grub on in HK at Moonshine & The Po'Boys! Think whisky and bourbon cocktails with alligator nuggets, fried chicken and pork ribs in a casual and rustic setting that will transport you to the South complete with live jazz music on Wednesdays! The owners apparently flew to New Orleans to pick up authentic props like alligator heads and voodoo dolls so take a look around when you do pay a visit. The restaurant has 2 floors with the ground floor being the casual dining and bar area while the upstairs is more of an intimate dining space with smaller tables. Only the downstairs is open at the moment as they are still in soft opening mode but I liked the casual vibe on the ground floor anyways which is great for a night out with friends!

The cocktails here are designed by renowned mixologist Antonio Lai from Quinary so you may find similar look and feel in the drinks here. Since the restaurant focuses on whisky and bourbon, most of the cocktails contain elements of that as well and I found the cocktails to be quite strong here as I did with the drinks at Quinary. I tried a few drinks here like the Watermelon Smash and Blush which I recommend because it was pretty sweet and easy to drink.

I have to admit that I've never eaten alligator meat before so I was intrigued to say the least to try the Swamp Gator Nuggets ($90) with ranch, BBQ and peach chili puree sauce! It actually just tasted like chicken (everything does!) and I enjoyed munching on these crunchy nuggets with the sweet BBQ sauce the most. 

I totally miss crab pot in the states where you can eat a bucket of seafood on the table so I was ecstatic to dive into this Bayou Bucket with clams, mussels, Tiger prawns and Alaskan king crab legs which was messy to eat but totally freaking awesome! The seafood was so full of flavor from being cooked in beer and a secret homemade Cajun spice blend, it had a great balance in spiciness and I especially loved dipping the meaty king crab legs in the Cajun garlic butter sauce! It comes in 2 sizes which costs $600 / $1200 and serves 4 to 6 people.

The Dirty Rice Jambalaya ($50) with BBQ prawn gumbo was also delicious as it had a deliciously spicy kick to it.

Hands off my ribs! These Iberico Pork Ribs with homemade BBQ sauce were finger-licking delicious as the tender meat peeled off the bone easily but even better were the Truffle Duck Fat Fries with Parmesan cheese which smelled amazingly appetizing and so addictive to eat!

The Cajun Fried Spring Chicken (half $100/ whole $180) was fried in its entirety to lock in the meat juices but while the meat was succulent, I found the crispy batter to be too hard for my taste. It could have used more seasoning as well but it did come with a cranberry apple sauce on the side which was quite tasty actually. 

The Galician 21 Days Aged Tomahawk ($550) was an impressive-looking beast but I found it a bit lean and overcooked. I loved the fluffy mashed potatoes though with melted cheese and gravy on top.

This next cocktail was perfect as we moved on to desserts! The Peanut Butter & Popcorn Milkshake with Makers Mark, caramel sauce, vanilla ice cream and popcorn looked like a sweet tooth's dream come true but again the cocktail tasted quite strong in bourbon and I wonder if I can ask for a virgin version of it...

Lastly, desserts to round up our meal with the classic American Crumble ($80) with raspberry, granola and salted bourbon caramel and Ebony & Ivory ($80) with chocolate brownie, cherries, bacon bits and peanut butter sauce! Both were equally good but if I really had to choose, I'd go for the chocolate brownie.

Verdict - definitely going back for the seafood bucket and pork ribs!

*By Invitation

Moonshine & The Po'Boys

4 Sun Street, Wan Chai

Tel: 2776 2668
http://www.moonshinepoboys.hk/

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