Top 6 Private Kitchen sin HongKong

Andrea Lo

Private kitchens are some of Hong Kong’s greatest hidden treasures… if only you knew where to find them. With prohibitive rents in the city, many a restaurateur are turning to running private dining businesses out of beautiful spaces outside of Central areas – sometimes even if their own home. And you can expect more than just your usual steak or fish: all of them boast exquisitely crafted dishes and hard-to-find world cuisines.

A bonus for guests at Ovolo Southside: many of these private kitchens are located in Wong Chuk Hang, just a stone’s throw away from the hotel. Just remember to book waaay ahead – dining at these private kitchens are exclusive affairs that demand advance reservations.

Pomegranate Kitchen

Wong Chuk Hang is the Hong Kong neighbourhood du jour, and Pomegranate Kitchen should be at the top of your to-do list. Nestled in an unassuming building, the private kitchen boasts an open-plan kitchen and spacious dining area, and unusually for Hong Kong it has a 2,000 square feet terrace – perfect for mild weather. Here you can expect to dig into Mediterranean dishes. Highlights from the a la carte menu include Tunisian shakshouka, a signature Mediterranean dish with eggplant, tomato, bell pepper and served with hot bread; and slow-cooked harissa chicken ragout with chickpea and coriander. Pomegranate Kitchen is open for weekday lunches; other times it can be booked out for private events and parties.

Masala Bay

Want a taste of Afghanistan cuisine in Hong Kong? Thanks to Masala Bay this is very much a reality. The private kitchen’s Clearwater Bay digs is also the home of chef and fabric paint artist Vandana Anand, who hails from Delhi and whose father is from Kabul. Here dishes that you’d be hard-pressed to find Hong Kong take centre stage: think bulani, an Afghan dish made with eggplant; and Indian-inspired fare aplenty. A dining experience at Masala Bay will set you back HK$650 per head.

Cuore Private Kitchen

Taking up a large loft space in Wong Chuk Hang, Cuore is an Italian private kitchen that also doubles as chef Andrea Oschetti’s living room. Chef Oschetti takes private bookings three nights a week at around HK$780 per head, offering a vast homecook spread that includes everything from crowd favourites like ravioli and carpaccio to homely comfort foods like Italian meatballs and chocolate truffle cake. Buon appetito!

Dine Art, Cosimo’s Private Kitchen

A fine dining destination and art gallery all in one, Dine Art is helmed by Cosimo Taddei, who offers guests family recipes that he grew up with in his native Italy. The menu is constantly changing and dishes are created using seasonal ingredients: think appetisers like scallop, langoustine and prawns; mains like breaded veal tenderloin; and sweet treats like homemade tiramisu, just to name a few from the current menu. The beautiful open kitchen space boasts a collection of art pieces from the likes of China-based Zao Wou Ki and Australian painter Fred Williams. Dine Art is open for lunch for 32 lucky guests, while intimate dinners accommodating 24 are available on request for HK$880 per head.

Fa Zu Jie

Unlike most private kitchens in Hong Kong, Fa Zu Jie is situated on a street slap bang in the middle of Central – though naturally, its actual location isn’t as obvious as that. This private kitchen is located down a quiet alleyway down party central Lan Kwai Fong. Even less usual are its offerings: Fa Zu Jie specialises in French-Shanghainese fusion cuisine. The menu brings plenty of surprises: dishes come with super-artistic names like “little lobster and little rice ball, playing on the floating bed”. Makes for a more creative option than many other restaurants in the area, that’s for sure.

Eat Ethio

Supper club Eat Ethio puts on private dining events once a month, offering Ethiopian spread to lucky individuals picked from a pool of its subscribers. Expect carb-heavy comfort foods in aplenty: standout dishes spicy red lentils served with ambasha bread, and slow-cooked chicken served with fermented flatbread. Run by Hong Kong-based Ethiopian native Helina Tesega, Eat Ethio has also expanded into a lifestyle brand that puts on pop-ups and drops jazz mixtapes. To get on the mailing list, visit its website for more info.

Andrea Lo is a freelance journalist and translator based in Hong Kong. After cutting her teeth in the industry as a staff writer at a lifestyle magazine, she embraced the freelance life in 2015 and hasn’t looked back. She spends her time exploring the best of Hong Kong’s dining and nightlife scene, trialling new fitness trends, and travelling to exotic locales – all in the name of “research”.