Dining below

Last night, we went to try a relatively newcomer to the dining scene around the Gough Road area called Basement Restaurant. The entrance was along the sloping sidewalk connecting the two parallel roads, and wasn't too difficult to find. The restaurant interior was reminiscent of an old European pub cellar, with curved wooden ceiling, muted dark walls and and warm rustic ambiance that makes you feel cozy and at home. This being the new venture of the owners of Homeless furniture design store upstairs, the tableware and accessories were all on the hip and eclectic side of things.

The menu featured the usual modern fusion fare, with a healthy doze of organic ingredients and seafood. We ordered several starters to share - scallops tartar (which was served in small pastry shells and topped with caviar), crab caesar salad (that was a bit dry but very flavorful) and sweet potato fries (which were not as good as the ones served at Barracks, Singapore). My fresh oyster chowder was very tasty, with chunks from fresh oyster meat and scallions, but a tad too much cream. I ordered the linguine with sea urchin and cod roe marinated cherry tomatoes, and that turned out to be a refreshing surprise. The uni was very fresh and the seasoning was slightly bland, which allowed the taste of the uni to shine through. This was my favorite dish. Overall, the prices were very reasonable at HK$900 for two persons.

Basement Restaurant is at B/F, 29 Gough Street (below Homeless), Central, Hong Kong.
Tel: +852 2854 0010