NEW Restaurant Review – In the Fox Den with Mr & Mrs Fox
What did the fox say? Sorry, I just couldn’t resist, but before the song gets stuck in your head, let’s talk about the newest addition to Swire Group’s restaurant portfolio. The whimsically named Mr & Mrs Fox was inspired by the characters of a children’s book. The three-storey venue, which occupies a corner of Taikoo Place Apartments in Quarry Bay, is filled with plenty of playful touches. On the ground floor is the laid-back domain of Mrs Fox, where a selection of quirky cocktails as well as craft brews and wines is on offer alongside casual bites and seafood platters. Climb the stairs and you arrive at Mr Fox’s cozy dining room, where a menu filled with sustainable and organic produce entices diners while interactive trolleys groaning with cheese, desserts and made-to-order martinis weave through the plush dining room. The top floor is paneled with full-length bookcases toppling with antique books and other curios such as an old rifle that would have looked right at home in the hands of a Confederate soldier. A gentle push of the book shelves reveals the hidden “fox den”, an intimate yet spacious private dining space and outdoor terrace with capacity to accommodate 24 lucky guests. Executive Chef Joey Sergentakis, the former Chef de Cuisine of Cafe Gray Deluxe commands the kitchen. Mentored by culinary greats the likes of Gray Kunz and Daniel Boulud, Chef Joey’s menu is rustic yet with an undercurrent of sophistication.
Family-style rustic affair: We commenced the evening with sumptuous tiered shellfish platters ($975) accented with sweet tender snow crab legs and ruby red spot prawns from Vancouver, Canada. A refreshing, zesty Hokkaido scallop ceviche ($135) followed, alongside a charcuterie board stacked with creamy foie gras, rillette, and cold cuts. The crab and apple salad ($90), bejewelled with grapes, radishes and walnut granola, was a delicious balance of sweet and savoury notes, and a perfect palate cleanser following the rich cold cuts.
(Clockwise from top: Charcuterie board, salad of romaine hearts & radicchio, scallop ceviche, rustic bread)
A feast for the taste buds as well as for the eyes, the barbeque duck consomme with foie gras ($75) arrived on a tray complete with a French press filled with the flavourful soup. Poured tableside, the delicate smoky soup balanced the richness of the duck and poached cubes of buttery foie gras. Tiny slices of raw parsnip added unexpected pops of sweetness while fresh basil infused the soup with intoxicating perfume.
(Clockwise from left: barbeque duck consomme, BBQ duck and poached foie gras before soup is poured, crab & apple salad)
With much fanfare, the salt baked snapper ($495) arrived encased in an intricately molded pastry crust that harkened back to the elaborate dishes of a medieval kitchen. However, the snapper could have been more tender, although we adored the herby gribiche sauce that gave the fish incredible flavour.
As the exclusive importer in Hong Kong of “Black Market” Rangers Valley beef from Australia, the restaurant has designed a special ageing station for this M5+ grade Black Angus beef. The 16 ounce sirloins ($285) we tasted were a bit gamey for our preference, and came alongside addictively sweet roasted garlic, and a trio of sauces ranging from classic bearnaise, green peppercorn and cognac, to chimichurri.
To cap off the soft opening launch, we indulged our sweet tooth in fluffy, 72% Araguani chocolate souffle ($80) alongside spoonfuls of tart passion fruit sauce. The banana baked Alaska ($155) was flame-broiled tableside to give the marshmallow crust a beautiful caramelized sheen. The nostalgic 80s dessert was a fat kid’s dream filled with peanut butter and chocolate ice cream, alongside banana, cookies and rice crispies.
Verdict: A beautiful, whimsical venue with an eclectic, creative menu. Some of the dishes during the soft opening tasting shined more than others, but the menu is still very much a work in progress. We’re confident it will get there eventually, so head over soon to play house with Mr & Mrs Fox.
Mr & Mrs Fox, 23 Tong Chong Street, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong, 2697 8500
