Gordon Ramsay’s Bread Street Kitchen has opened it’s doors in Hong Kong’s LKF Hotel.  For the last month it has been in its soft opening stages and just a couple of days ago, they had their opening launch.

This morning I saw a snippet from CNBC’s interview with Gordon Ramsay in Hong Kong, and I found it amusing that he took a shot at Jamie Oliver for not attending his own opening of Jamie’s Italian in HK.

“Two British chefs, Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay, rubbing shoulders together in Hong Kong. At least I’m here, I came to my opening, right? If you’re going to open a restaurant in Hong Kong at least turn up,” he said on CNBC’s interview.

Partnering with Dining Concepts, Ramsay has brought London’s Bread Street Kitchen to Hong Kong serving a British European menu in a relaxed and charming environment.

I was lucky enough to secure a table for dinner through its online reservation website for last weekend.  Upon arrival, the first thing I noticed was how busy they were for a Sunday evening.  After we were seated we were immediately served a basket of bread, though we were tempted to gobble down the warm, crusty and soft bread smothering it with butter sprinkled with salt, we resisted.

Based on the recommendation from our server, we decided on the Tamarind Spiced Chicken Wings and Honey Glazed Short Ribs as starters to share.  The crispy skin chicken wings were sticky perfection, the sweetness with the tamarind spice was balanced with the runny sour cream (or was it yogurt?).  Wet naps came with this dish because they were literally finger-licking good.

Tamarind Spiced Chicken Wings, Spring Onions, Coriander ($128) 

The Honey Glazed Short Ribs with Pomelo were just as good, if not better than the wings.   The braised short ribs had a crispy crust and fell apart when you cut into them.  The dominance of the vinegar in the sauce helped cut right through the fat of the short ribs.  The pomelo lightened the dish, while the pomegranate seeds brought a slight sweetness and tartness.  Every element of this dish served a purpose and balance to the dish.

I also love the generous usage of cilantro and spring onions in both the starters for the burst of freshness.

Honey Glazed Beef Short Ribs, Pomelo, Scallions, Sesame Seeds ($178) 

Instead of going for the popular Traditional Sheppard’s Pie or the Slow Roasted Pork Belly I opted for a lighter main that night ~ Roasted Ocean Trout.  Grilled to perfection with a crispy skin it was served over a bed of fresh autumn veggies of bok choy and carrots and drenched with a creamy chorizo and leek sauce.  I enjoyed every bite of this dish.

 Roasted Ocean Trout, Autumn Vegetables, Chorizo Cream ($198)

Bread Street Kitchen is not fine dining, so you wouldn’t find Gordon Ramsay’s world-famous Beef Wellington on the menu.  Hubby was in the mood for some steak so he went for the 12oz Rib Eye.  In contrast to the refined plating of my Ocean Trout, the Rib Eye presentation was very rustic.  With a well-seared crust, spot on seasoning, cooked to medium-rare, this steak was again perfection.  Hubby loved his steak, his only complaint was the peppercorn sauce being a bit to heavy for his liking.

We also ordered Hand Cut Chips and Mixed Green Vegetables ($48) as sides to share.  Midway through our meal, we reminded our server that the sides haven’t arrived.  He went back to check and promptly came back to let us know that he had forgotten to put in our sides.  He was very apologetic and asked if we still wanted them, and if we did they would be prepared immediately.  The honest mistake was actually a blessing in disguise for us, because we were full already and I REALLY wanted to have some dessert that night.  So we cancelled the chips and just stayed with the healthy green veggies.  The veggies arrived at our table within 5 minutes as promised.

Though the Green Veggies were just a side, I thought they were worth mentioning (sorry, I forgot to take a photo).  The fresh garlicky and crisp medley of peas, brocoli, kale leaves, garlic chives sprinkled with cheese was yum!

 Grilled Rib-eye steak 12oz ($338)

I knew what I wanted to order for dessert before I arrived at the restaurant…Chocolate Fondant.  Our server was so apologetic about forgetting our side dishes (which really wasn’t a big deal for us), he told us our dessert was on the house…now, who can refuse free food?!?

The Chocolate Fondant was everything I was hoping for, oozing and gooey chocolate lava flowing from the cake when you cut into it.  The mint flavored ice cream balanced the sweetness of this dessert.

Chocolate Fondant and Mint Chip Ice cream ($98)

The decor of this restaurant is said to be quite similar to its London’s counterpart, with black and white square tiles, orange leather booth seating, dim lighting and vibrant music  ~ all contributing to the relaxing ambiance.   Light fixtures were obviously the theme with various shapes and sizes of lights hanging from the ceiling and desk lamps placed behind the booths.

Along one side of the restaurant is the bar and open kitchen where you can see all the action going on.  If you watch Hell’s Kitchen, you could totally picture Gordon Ramsay standing behind the pass and screaming for his Beef Wellington’s.  But, there was none of that at Bread Street Kitchen – from where I was sitting, I only saw a smooth and efficient kitchen.

The front of house was operating impressively as well, considering they were still in their soft opening stages.  They had 15+ people working front of house the night we were there.  I guess they were keen on making sure things ran smoothly.  Our server’s were all very attentive and there wasn’t much of a wait for the food.

I idolize Gordon Ramsay, so needless to say I had high expectations of his restaurant and I got to say I was impressed with Bread Street Kitchen.  The food was amazing, the service was impeccable and I loved the atmosphere of this charming restaurant .  For the LKF location and quality of food, I would say the price tag isn’t outrageous.  I am already contemplating when we should make our next reservation!

Dinner Total:  $1125 (2 ppl)*
Dining Date: Sept 14, 2014
Address: Mezzanine Level, LKF Hotel, 33 Wyndham Street / Tel: 2230 1800
Website: http://diningconcepts.com/breadstreetkitchenbar

Sources:  http://www.cnbc.com

*No drinks except 2 bottles of water