Uncle Tiger is an exciting new spot which has opened its doors on Bristo Place. Their opening Hong Kong Nights menu takes inspiration from the city’s street-food culture, with an array of dishes that are ideal for tapas style sharing.
Taken in by the Instagram posts that have popped up on my feed, I felt I had simply had to check it out. I headed in for a midweek bite with my mate Joe with high expectations, of all the cuisines out there, South East Asian street food is right up there.
Arriving at the venue I had some deja vu, the former tenants ran a dive bar synonymous with being a spot for a late night tipple after the Fringe. Suppressing my hazy flashbacks, I was taken aback by the simple, crisp red and white interior emblazoned with neon lighting.
The Hong Kong Nights menu.
We were shown to our seats and both commented on the chilled, spacious vibe. What is exciting about Uncle Tiger, is each menu will run for six weeks only before they move onto the next destination.
The dishes are chef-led and accompanied by inventive cocktails that compliment the menu. After a short peruse, we decided to get some Salt & Chilli Prawn Crackers (£3) and Uncle Tiger Prawn Toast Sticks with Spring Onion, Szechuan mayo and Gomasio (£6).
The delicious Monkfish Char Siu.
We then sipped on a couple of cocktails as we perused the sharer dishes – a one-of-a-kind Jasmine Tea Old Fashioned and a thirst quenching Peach & Plum Beer. After asking for some advice, we opted for the Beef Tartare with Green Chilli, Potato Crisp and Egg Yolk (£12); the Monkfish Char Siu with BBQ Tail, Cavolo Nero and Tobiko (£10); Roasted Hispi Cabbage with Miso Butter Sauce and Crispy Seaweed (£8); Pork Belly with BBQ Sauce, Fermented Cabbage and Crackling (£8); Barbecue Pit Beef with BBQ Tongue, Soy Caramel and Shitake (£8); Crispy Thigh Sweet & Sour Chicken with BBQ Pineapple (£12).
I’m not lying in saying that every dish was superb in its own way. You may have an idea of what you are getting in your head but each plate is presented in a really unique way. This was no more so than with the Sweet & Sour – it was so crisp and flavoursome.
Roasted Hispi Cabbage.
The Beef Tongue was melt in your mouth and the Pork Belly cooked to perfection. But the two hard hitters for me was the Monkfish and the Roasted Cabbage.
When the Cabbage was recommended to me, I was sceptical, however every bite was so moreish, I even muscled Joe out of a share of his portion. Again the Monkfish was really surprising, everything just danced in harmony on the tip of your tongue.
We also went for the Pork Mince Posticker Dumplings with Crispy Peanut Chilli Oil (£7) alongside the mains. To wash all of this down, I chose a crisp Tsingtao while Joe opted for a pint of Neck Oil.
I loved their first Hong Kong installment and we left in agreement that this was arguably our new favourite spot in the city. We witnessed couples, a mother and son as well as groups of friends all dining together during our visit, it really felt like somewhere full of quirk and quality that meets any occasion.
They can be found here on Instagram.