Where do I even begin with Beef & Liberty California Tower? The vibes, the burgers, and most significant of all - the appointment of new B&L Group Executive Chef Uwe Opocensky, previously Executive Chef of Michelin-starred Mandarin Grill and The Krug Room at Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong. With a swanky new bar addition to this B&L, there's really no better person to lead it than Pawel Mikusek, who brings with him another impressive resume as the previous Head of Cocktails & Spirits at Lily & Bloom. So you can see why I was extra excited about this one! Good thing my little brother was back in town for a few days so I could drag him along as my plus 1.
Moving on to the food. Given the high-caliber appointments in both kitchen and bar, I naturally wanted to try everything; from the new menu of bar bites to the classic B&L burgers, desserts and new cocktails crafted by Pawel. Read on for the deets + restaurant information.
The kitchen + pass.
Like I said in my previous post, I'm not a huge cocktail person. But I can easily say that this is one of the best-mixed cocktails I've enjoyed in a while - Pawel might just have converted me with The World Needs More Diplomats (HK$100), made with Diplomatico anejo rum, lime juice, cinnamon syrup, watermelon soda, aztec chocolate bitters and garnished with a stick of cinnamon. The watermelon + cinnamon + rum was a weird but awesome combo. Need this pool-side for my next vacation.
This Banana Nuclear Daiquiri Shot isn't on the cocktails menu, but should be a bar special starting this week. I'd ask for an entire glass of it the next time I'm there - kind of like a refined banana shake.
This was another new signature snack on the menu, the Chicken Liver Parfait (HK$68) I could eat the stuff for days. Creamy, light and with a thin layer of maple syrup and crispy shallots on top for an interesting balance of flavours. Wish I didn't fill up so much on the bread though before the burger and desserts to come!
Fresh, seasonal veggies served raw on ice in a cute clay pot. The Vegetable Crudites (HK$58) was a refreshing way to break up the meal a little bit, and each colourful hand-picked component had a nice, juicy crunch to it. Really nice garlic aioli dip with paprika too!
Loyal fans of Beef & Liberty, have no fear. The B&L classics remain on the menu, including this sumptuous Bacon & Raclette Cheese Burger (HK$125). Assembled with grass-fed beef patty, Wicks Manor English bacon strips, melted raclette cheese and caramelised onion, it's basically my perfect burger. And look at the gorgeous cook on that beef! My brother ordered the Black Pepper Burger (HK$118) as recommended by our extremely attentive server Larry. I ordered the Medium and he the Medium Rare, and both came out exactly how we wanted.
I could immediately guess that this was an Opocensky creation, given the depth and richness of this seemingly simple cup of chocolate ganache. It's called "Oreo" and it pretty much satiates a month's worth of dessert cravings - so a word of caution to those who aren't a fan of sweets. It was incredibly - and almost sinfully - indulgent.
On a final whim (and as a rec by the lovely Melanie), we also tried the Banana Banoffee cream cake with popping candy on top. If you see that B&L offers something with banana in it, get it. Somehow, they unfailingly do that fruit justice every single time. One thing though - popping candy kinda stresses me out (is it just me?!). Probably could do without the topping the next time around, just as a personal preference!
Beef & Liberty California Tower
Address – No.. 30-32 D’Aguilar Street, 3/F, California Tower, Lan Kwai
Fong, Hong Kong
Contact Number – 2450-5778
Contact Email – press@beef-liberty.com or hi@beef-liberty.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/BeefandLibertyHK
Instagram - @beefandliberty
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