Australian Glory
Perth-born Shane Osborn is one of the most respected Australian chefs in the world. Earlier in his career, he made a name for himself as the first Australian chef to ever lead his kitchen to achieve or maintain 2 Michelin stars. But quality comes at a price these days and few chefs are better placed to deliver value for money than Shane Osborn. Now though, he’s master of his own universe in this cool and unfussy third-floor venue.
Arcane is decorated with art pieces sourced by international curators and they have a nice set of bar tables at the entrance in case anyone wants a glass of wine before their meal. Despite its prime central location, the environment is quiet and the surroundings calm. You can find a terrace garden with a sort of Garden of Eden quality adding to the whole scene. It’s where they grow their own herbs, fruit and vegetables that feature in Osborn’s light and contemporary seasonal menu.
Located at 18 On Lan Street, Central, Hong Kong, this 2,000 sq.ft. restaurant has its own 1,200 bottle wine cellar featuring labels from around the world, with a focus on Burgundy. The wine list comprises a dynamic selection from some of the world’s finest winemakers.
The menu has a nice array of modern European dishes. Pepper-seared tuna with warm crushed potatoes, marinated shallots, black olives and watercress is a great choice for a starter. Beautifully plated on top of a bed of lightly mashed potatoes and watercress dressing, the superior fish is expertly seared so the taste isn’t at all compromised by the slight chargrilled flavour or the pepper. Moving on, sautéed potato gnocchi with black truffle, cep purée, roasted leek, morel ragout and parmesan were successful across the table as a main course. The rich and savoury flavours from all the different ingredients were very tempting. Or you can choose short rib of Wagyu beef with spiced greens compote, roasted alliums and burnt onion jus. Endives and garlic added to the burnt onion jus and rounded out another exemplary plate that will satisfy your taste buds. As for dessert, you can try bittersweet Manjari chocolate tart with Guinness ice cream and shaved macadamia nuts. Definitely hard to resist!
The 2-course set lunch is currently priced at HKD270, while adding a dessert will set you back another HKD80. The frequently changing a la carte menu Osborn has created has six starters, six main courses and five desserts, alongside a set menu for business lunches, and makes use of some of the finest imported ingredients from Japan, the UK, France and Australia.
