New brunch review: Kinship restaurant, Hong Kong

New American x British brunch in Soho

When it comes to eating out, there’s little I love more than long, leisurely meals. So Hong Kong’s indulgent brunch culture is perfect for me. We have options galore but there’s always room for a new one. Enter Kinship.

If you haven’t been to this new comfort food-heavy restaurant yet, it’s started by American Chris Grare (former Executive Chef at Lily & Bloom) and Brit Aaron Rhodes (former Executive Chef at Gough’s on Gough). I went for dinner a little while ago for the “Let Us Feed You” menu and had a taste of the rich, creative dishes they offer (still thinking about the chicken liver mousse with oat cookie!). It was very indulgent so I was curious about their new brunch.

So what's the review for Kinship Hong Kong?

The Brunch ($388)

At first I thought guests could choose from either an American or British brunch menu but turns out the brunch menu is a mix. As in there are four appetizers, two of which are more American (i.e. corned beef hash and a biscuit with gravy) and two are more British (i.e. black pudding and mushrooms and a salted beetroot salad). And three mains, two of which are more American (stack of pancakes, and fried chicken and waffles) and one is more British (roast sirloin of beef).

Let’s Share

Eating the four appetizers at the same time seemed a little random but they are all good in their own right. However, the American ones were probably my favourite. It’s not easy to get a biscuit with gravy in Hong Kong and this one is moist and fluffy with a light, creamy sauce. And I really liked the moist hash which had a sweetish sauce along with tender pepper ribbons and soft potato chunks.

Mains

We ordered the fried chicken and waffles and the roast sirloin. The chicken and waffles was pretty good with boneless nuggets and a maple syrup-spiked hot sauce. Part of me wants to say I wish they had been more generous with the chicken but I really was too full to even finish this portion.

But the roast was the star of the show. Just look at the size of that slice of beef! It was incredibly tender and the sides were very well prepared. When I took my first bite of potato, I actually dropped my fork and said “Oh. My. Goodness.” My friend replied “Yeah, I know. That’s a really good potato. And I don’t even like potatoes!” Haha.

Board Walk Treats

Brunch comes with two desserts: an ice cream sundae and a bakewell tart with poached cherries. Both are good though by this point we were too full to have more than a couple bites of each.

Verdict

Kinship is a fun space. There’s hip hop playing all brunch and the décor is industrial chic yet comfortable. Layout wise, it’s a big rectangle so guests can see all the action (guests and the open kitchen). All this to say it’s a fun, relaxed, tasty place for a comfort food brunch.

3/F LL Tower, 2 Shelley St, Central, 2520 0899