I'd read a few articles and had a few foodie friends talk about Man Mo Café. When I checked out their concept I was immediately drawn to the idea, Fusion Dim Sum. I mean, if you were told of a place that served Foie Gras Xiao Long Bao and Truffle Brie Dumplings I'm sure it would spark your interest too. The whole "oh, it isn't want it seems" about food is just really exciting to me. I was super pumped when I got there and I wasn't let down. If you are wondering why it is called Man Mo Cafe, it's because the chef and owner decided to name it after the Man Mo Temple near by (apparently its a tourist attraction, I've never been to it though..). Quick side note though, if you are planning to go to Man Mo Café and you aren't familar with Shueng Wan, be sure to google map the address and remember the road names! It's not the easiest place to find.
My partner and I got there about 7:00-7:15pm Tuesday night. The café is this mix between a restaurant and an art gallery, bright white walls with a clean sharp design. If you look up at the ceiling they have a wooden carving on of a crane and eagle, I thought that was a cool addition. When we sat down at our table this was the menu.
We ordered A LOT, first of the dishes to come to our table were their much anticipated burgerbuns! I'd heard/read so much about it I had to order it. As the waiter said it, it's regular burger ingredients in a bao, I didn't find it "regular" though. The bao was hot and crispy and hidden inside was a decent amount of moist minced beef (well seasoned) mixed with cheese and pickle. For those of you who aren't fans of pickle, not to worry, it is mixed in the beef mince so you don't really get that pickle texture (my partner was worried about that one). It comes with a little squeezy bottle of their homemade tomato mayonnaise, I thought that was a fun addition where your food is more interactive and fun to eat. I was so busy gobbling away I forgot to take a picture of what it looked like inside! I hope the description above gave ya'll a good idea of what was in it and what it tasted like.
Next up we had their King Spring Roll. Served hot, this had traditional spring roll ingredients (carrots, spring onion, etc) with the addition of a whole well cooked prawn. These long cigar shaped rolls was super crunchy and crispy as the wonton wrapper wasn't wrapped around too many times. The regular fried spring rolls I've had at yum cha's are crunchy, but not as crisp as this one. I assume it's because the wonton has been wrapped and folded a few times so it looses that light crispness. It comes with a side of homemade mayo too, I personally thought it was good without it.
Our first veggie dumpling was their Tomato Mozzarella, surprisingly this was one of my fav choices of the night. When you bite into it you get a burst of creamy mozzarella and sweet tomato, it's kind of like having a pocket of creamy tomato pasta burst into my mouth and surprisingly light too. Though this seems simple I think it was very well executed, skin of the dumpling was uber thin as well.
Then was their Foie Gras Xiao Long Bao, instead of the hot soupy liquid in a regular Xiao Long Bao this had oil (not too much though). I'm sure you don't need me to tell you to break the skin of the dumpling to let it cool before eating. The waiter said it was best to put some salt on top to enhance the flavor even more, and he was right! Very creamy and rich, the taste lingers on your palette for a while, I'd put this as a definite must eat if you go there.
Sorry this is so out of focus (my iPhone can only do so much..) but I just want to show how much of the dumpling was actually filled, rather good amount I think.
Our second veggie dumpling was their Truffle Brie, another must have on their menu. This dumpling had a crispy bottom and each bite was rich creamy brie and just the right amount truffle, it didn't overwhelm the dumpling. I think this was steamed and then put on a pan to crisp the bottom up, or may be baked? I'm not too sure but damn that was good. Made me think of a super posh version of a fried cheese stick. Brie = good, truffle = good, brie + truffle = oh my god, I'm in heaven. Even the lettuce has truffle on it, I happily ate it all up.
Beef Cheek Bun was next, as you can tell this was a steamed bao, the beef cheek was braised well and was tender and moist. I personally, didn't like the flavor as it is more on the rich-beefy side, but I know some people would have enjoyed this, it's just not my kind of thing.
Again, just want to show you that Man Mo Café aren't shy when it comes to stuffing their buns.
Kebabun was the last of our buns, and yes you guessed it right its a Kebab Bun. Although this ticked all the boxes for a lamb kebab (flavor wise), it was the least of my favourite because I thought more could have been done in terms of how the bun was made. Didn't seem that creative or innovative and that Man Mo's selling point.
Last of our savories was their Duck Risotto, my partner enjoyed this more than I did, he pretty much ate most of it up. The risotto was again cooked well and tasted like good fried rice but with fluffier "rice", again I didn't find this really innovative. The portion looks extremely tiny from the angle I took the picture, it actually is enough for two.
We ordered two desserts, HK Egg Lemon Tart and Nutella Ball. I regret not ordering the the Bun Tatin though, I was told the fruit was caramelized apple. Wonder they converted an apple tart tatin into a bun, hmm.. The egg lemon tart was topped with meringue and the custard part of tart fell more on the egg side, there was only a tiny hint of lemon flavor. The crust was extremely crumbly and melted in my mouth. I think if this was more lemony it would have been better.
The Nutella balls are their spin off traditional black sesame ball (Jin Deui). This is served warm and nutella lovers will definitely get a kick out of this! One mouthful is more than enough though, there is quite a bit of nutella in the ball.
Over all, a good experience, something very different and they deliver when it comes to quality and taste. Nice big check mark on the service too, the waiters know what is on the menu and what to recommend, depending on your preference. The food is on the heavier side though, so make sure you have space if you plan to order as much as I did! Really clever concept and apparently this is the first restaurant in Hong Kong to specialize in Fusion Dim Sum (I don't know why no body has ever thought about it before). Our bill for two came to about HKD 600 + 10%, its more on the expensive side but its something special so I don't mind paying that much. Man Mo Café's chef, Nicolas Elalouf, found a way to combine western and chinese cuisine and bring a whole new experience to "dim sum dining" that's fun and exciting. I'd recommend coming here sooner rather than later, I have a feeling there will be long lines outside of their doors.
40 Upper Lascar Row, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
www.facebook.com/manmocafe
