ABC Kitchen

Every once in a while, you come across an establishment with a unique view on the eating experience.  A place where the combination of food, setting, and service is unique and special in some way.  It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it make me sit up and take note.  ABC Kitchen is such a place.

The proprietors have carved out a niche in the “phenomenal food, crusty setting” zone of the restaurant space.  Trained at M at the Fringe, they’ve decided to serve superlative food out of the Queen Street Cooked Food Centre.  Upon entering the second-floor dining area, you’ll see seven-odd food stalls; the one with checked red tablecloths is the one you’re looking for. Some of them will have bottles of wine on them, a rare sight in an HK food centre.

Here’s what we ordered:

• Soft shell crab with aioli – superb.  Perfectly fried, and the aioli was a nice counterpoint to the rich, meaty crab
• Roast suckling pig – everyone was ordering this dish; we saw five or six orders go out while we were eating.  The skin crackles, the fat melts in your mouth, and the meat is tender.  A wonderful dish.
• Tuna steak – very good.  We asked for the steak to be rare, and it came out slightly overdone, but it was a well-executed dish, crusted with various crunchy bits to give it some texture.

We started with a basket of fresh, warm bread – a mixture of soft baguette pieces and chunky cubes of focaccia.  You will want to eat all of it; resist the temptation, as the upcoming food is worth it.

The pig is a very savory dish, and I advise ordering it as your last item.  I made the mistake of eating the suckling pig before the tuna, which it clearly overpowers.  Reverse the order and you will have a better experience.  In an ideal world, our server would have suggested the right order, but our world, sadly, is not ideal – though really, one shouldn’t quibble.

Wine is available by the glass and bottle.

Three plates and two glasses of serviceable red totaled around 400 HKD.  Booking in advance is advised – they appear to be busy.

Food: A-
Service: C
Setting: C+
Value: B

ABC Kitchen
Queen Street Cooked Food Centre
1 Queen St
Sheung Wan
+852 9278 8227
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