[Closed] Brunch review: Fang Fang in Central, Hong Kong
A new Asian brunch buffet option in Central
Our first visit to Fang Fang was in the evening when the restaurant was buzzing. There was a pop-up event at the bar, a bustling dining room, bumping music, and the smell of incense wafting through the space. Brunch ($398 per person) is a decidedly more chill affair, with the bar turned into a kids play area and the restaurant naturally lit up to showcase the unique design features such as the black scaled walls. It’s a good chance for parents and families to enjoy the restaurant’s Pan-Asian cuisine.
The first thing to note about Fang Fang’s new brunch buffet (Saturdays only, from 12 to 3 p.m.) is that there are a lot of protein-rich dishes, so plan your attack accordingly.
Buffet table
If you enjoy seafood, you’ll get your fill at the buffet table. There’s a variety of nigiri and rolls, oysters, and shrimp skewers. Of these, the shrimp skewers were our favourite. Not only were they massive in size but fresh and juicy too. There were also small bowls of chicken and eggplant skewers, but unfortunately these had sat out for awhile at the buffet and were cold when we dug into them.
Made-to-order dishes
When we visited for brunch, the made-to-order dishes of the day were vegetable spring rolls and garlic chicken wings. The spring rolls were forgettable, but the wings were delicious. Juicy meat in a crisp batter that had pieces of what we thought were curry leaves blended in. A simple bite that showcased why Fang Fang is a great option for Pan-Asian cuisine.
Main courses
We’d been warned that the main course was a “platter to share” that consisted of lamb rack, beef tenderloin, wasabi prawns, duck leg pancakes, and pork belly. However, we assumed it would come as a bite or so of each type of meat, similar to how other brunch buffets in town do it. As a result, we grabbed a second serving from the buffet before realizing the sheer amount of food that was to come. Rather than a platter to share, we got four separate, generous sized servings. Of course we wanted to try it all, which led to us clearing out our afternoon to laze about, paying for our gluttony.
Of the main dishes, our favourite was the duck leg pancakes. The meat was tender and just fatty enough, with a lightly crispy batter. It was served simply with cucumber sticks, hoisin sauce and the egg wraps we loved from our first visit.
Drinks and dessert
For drinks, we opted for the unlimited iced tea option. These were excellent, refreshing and naturally fruity; no artificially sweet favours here. The yuzu option was our favourite. Dessert was a simple yet generous enough affair. Heavier options included a mango mascarpone pudding and white chocolate cake. There were also sorbets, ice creams, and fresh cut fruit.
Verdict
For the price, Fang Fang’s new brunch offering is one of the better value options in town. Because the buffet table is so focused on Japanese cuisine, it reminded us of Zuma’s famed brunch though the quality doesn’t quite compare (that said, Zuma's brunch is about $150 more expensive). What stands out to us about Fang Fang is how well they do Pan-Asian cuisine, such as the garlic wings, duck leg pancakes, and the Fang Fang-paneer (from the dinner menu). This is why we were a bit surprised the buffet didn't showcase more of their varied menu. We enjoyed the main courses though, which did showcase more of their Pan-Asian flair. We hope they’ll consider including more non-Japanese dishes to the buffet table in the future.
8/F LKF Tower, 33 Wyndham Street, Central, 2983 9083
Thanks to Fang Fang's PR for inviting me to review. This post will also appear on Foodie.
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