Given my obsession with eating, I visit a LOT of restaurants. Often my eating experiences blend into one and if someone asked me months later what I ate at one particular restaurant, I cannot for the life of me remember. Then, every so often, somewhere new comes along that totally takes me by surprise. Flint Grill & Bar, a beautiful new restaurant located within the JW Marriott Hotel, is one such place.
Having heard absolutely nothing about Flint until I received an invitation, my expectations were fairly non-existent; I had simply read the words ‘chef’s table’ and ‘grilled steak’ and the decision was made for me to attend.
From the moment you enter the restaurant, you forget you’re in a hotel; you forget you’re even in Hong Kong. The space is gorgeous, combining rustic with chic, modern with old, and here and there adding the odd Hong Kong touch. The wallpaper, for example, from a distance could just be coloured stripes, but on closer inspection actually represents the colourful, high-rise buildings of our city. Individually sourced antique (yet working) kitchen scales line the shelves across the four spaces of the restaurant – bar and lounge, sommelier’s table, chef’s tables and dining area – something that I immediately noticed and loved.
Flint’s mixologist and bartender, Bryson Rivera, formerly at Aqua, is considered one of the top mixologists in the whole of Asia. Watching him make a ‘Feint Obscurity’ (his signature take on an Old Fashioned) was like watching a theatrical performance, complete with smoke, fire and unbelievable aromas.
Once seated on the beautiful wooden chef’s table, our feast (no exaggeration), prepared by award-winning chef Sven Heinrich Wunram, was laid before us, beginning with amberjack sashimi, house-cured gravlax, burrata salad and tomato salad.
Whilst the seafood dishes were beautifully fresh, for me, being a cheese fiend, it was the two salads that really stood out. The burrata was wonderfully creamy, with a delicate, yet notable flavour, whilst the blue cheese dressing on the other salad was out of this world! Knowing how much food was still left to come, I had to refrain from scooping up spoonfuls of this dressing and eating it on its own!
The first of the main courses to arrive was the Boston lobster, baked Thermidor-style, followed by a seafood grill including snapper, more Boston lobster, red king prawn, scallops and a pot of mussels. The seafood was again wonderfully fresh and cooked to perfection. I particularly enjoyed the king prawn, once we had successfully managed to remove its shell, and I was impressed by the amount of meat on the lobster that made it worth its buck.
The fennel seed-crusted Berkshire black pork chop, served with apple compote, was juicy and delicious, the sweetness of the apple nicely complementing the ever so slightly bitter fennel seed crust. Even better, however, was the Linz Heritage prime Angus sirloin. Cooked on a lava stone grill to a perfect medium-rare, the beef was tender and tasty on its own; drizzled in Flint’s secret sauce, it was even more spectacular. This sauce, made with 30 ingredients including Madeira and curry powder, was totally different to the average pepper sauce and left a lasting impression.
All of the above was served with crispy fries, creamy mashed potato with chives, creamed spinach, steamed asparagus and garlicky forest mushrooms – each of which deserved more praise than a simple side dish.
Moving onto desserts, each of the four we sampled was more impressive than the next. The key lime cheesecake with seasonal berries was perfectly light and fluffy, whilst the candied ginger ice cream gave it a little hint of unexpected excitement.
The meringue layer of the Baked Alaska gave way to mango custard and raspberry sorbet, again giving it an exciting twist from the original version.
The gigantic s’more, Flint’s take on the classic campfire dessert, was dangerously moreish, yet, surprisingly, it was the banana cream trifle that took first prize for me. Creamy dulce de leche, coconut parfait, chunks of banana and cubes of banana rum cake came together to make this dessert simultaneously refreshing yet decadent.
Dining at Flint was more than just a delicious experience. In each and every dish, you could taste the quality of the ingredients, and the see the skill involved in making dinner here a memorable one. Prices for starters range from around $100-200, whilst main courses range from around $180-500. After my first dining experience at Flint, I knew it most certainly would not be my last.
Flint Grill & Bar
5/F, JW Marriott Hotel
Pacific Place
88 Queensway
Admiralty
Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2810 8366
Coming back to the restaurant’s pride and joy, the pork belly bao was everything I had dreamt about over the past year… and more. The pork had the perfect balance of meat and fat, laced in a gorgeous sesame dressing and a sweet hoisin sauce, topped with leek and shiso red onion salad. The fluffiness of the bun made it seem light and easy to eat, even after all of the preludes.
