Dolos is the latest brainchild of twin brothers Joshua and Caleb Ng who are behind food and beverage establishments such as Interval, Café Leitz, Common Ground and Vivant, under the Twins Kitchen brand. It continues the twins’ proclivity for unconventional cosy spaces offering good food at reasonable prices.
A Review of Dolos
Dolos, which is the name of a Greek god, actually is also the name for the T-shaped wave-breakers that you would have seen if you have ever hiked to High Island Reservoir. So don’t expect Greek food – or Hong Kong food, for that matter – when you go dine at Dolos. The restaurant is touted as a French-Japanese.
Head chef Sean Yuen doesn’t come from Le Cordon Bleu or Culinary Institute of America pedigree but cut his teeth working at top culinary establishments such as Florentino Grossi in Melbourne, as well as Hue Dining and the three-star Michelin Caprice in Hong Kong. More interestingly, he also plays bass with the local math rock band tfvsjs.
Dolos only serves a seven-course chef’s menu (HKD 880) every night. We started off with two generous amuse bouches: the oyster with banana and almond, and the cuttlefish with shisho and taramasalata. The cuttlefish was simple and delicious, but I have to say the oyster was not my favourite, either visually or in taste.
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The Shima aji, or striped jack, was served with Thai basil, fish sauce and lemongrass. The Thai basil which covered the whole portion of fish overpowered the natural freshness and sweetness of the crudo. It was also a relatively modest portion compared to the amuse-bouche.
The monkfish liver was enjoyable, with the fresh tomato offsetting the richness of the liver. The red prawn bisque was an absolute stand-out. The bisque was fragrant and tasty, and the prawn had the springy bounce of freshness.
The next two courses – the grilled pomfret with mint, peas and potato puree, and the three-yellow chicken with clam and butterbur sauce – looked surprisingly similar and both tasted good. There was a choice of pigeon, Wagyu beef picanha or grilled eel for the main course.
I was very happy I chose the eel. The skin was grilled to a light crunchiness while the meat retained its moist flavours but it was the accompanying sansho sauce crafted from eel bones and carrot oil that brought out all the umami in the dish.
The beef, which my dinner companion had, looked to be a perfect medium rare. The jasmine tea ice cream served with roasted strawberries was as refreshing as it sounds. It was a great end to the meal.
The presentation and the portioning are a little rough around the edges but the restaurant has kept its promise of serving seasonal products from both land and sea, and it has certainly achieved that with its ingredients.
Cuisine
French Japanese
We loved
Red prawn bisque
Grilled pomfret
Grilled eel
Jasmine tea ice cream and roasted strawberries
The Vibe
Dolos is a cosy space, seating only people and they do only one seating every evening, so you don’t have to worry about being chased out at 8.30 pm. The owners have certainly given a lot of thought to the diners’ experience, including generously offering no corkage charges for BYOB. In Central, this is almost unheard of. Not only that, they will serve your wine in proper wine glasses so you get the full experience.
Quick Notes
Price for two:
HKD 1,800
Address:
G/F, 60 Staunton Street,
Central, Hong Kong
Bookings through Bistrochat
Opening Hours:
Tuesday to Saturday: 6 pm-midnight
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This story first appeared here.
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