Eat & Drink

Hot Tables

Chris’ Common Room

Chris’ Common Room, an Italian restaurant located in a trendy neighbourhood just above Hollywood Road in Sheung Wan, is our first gourmet destination this month. The former Italian seafood restaurant recently reopened as Chris’ Common Room under a new concept that offers a broader menu to accommodate meat lovers and vegetarians alike. Chris' Common Room is the brainchild of owner Christopher Liu, drawing inspiration from his university days at Oxford spent in the Junior Common Room, relaxing and socialising with his college mates.

The restaurant is bright, open and airy. Its décor is contemporary. The all-glass enclosure welcomes guests into a large dining room framed by a long bar and a semi open kitchen. The high ceilings and warm colours exude a relaxed and friendly ambience , befitting the restaurant maxim of “Bringing good food and good people together”.
The cooking philosophy of the restaurant supports the ethos – appetising, authentic southern Italian dishes that incorporate quality and seasonal ingredients from Italy, Japan, Asia and beyond. We started with Red Prawn & Avocado Tartare($280). The tartare is nicely blended and seasoned with lemon olive oil. Burrata Cheese ($180) came next, one of our favourite appetisers. The cheese is soft, with just the right texture. The Seafood Bouillabaisse ($180) is
an appetising, lighter version of the popular Marseille soup that mixes vegetables with a variety of fresh seafood including clams, squid, tiger prawns and red snapper fillet, seasoned with saffron.

The entrees were next. First came the restaurant's signature dish – Red Prawn Spaghetti ($500), featuring fresh Sicilian red prawn in a tomato-based sauce. The red prawn is known for its large size, tender meat and its deep-shrimp flavour, and we eagerly savoured every morsel.

Next was Braised Wagyu Beef Cheek ($300) in which the beef cheek is slow-cooked in red wine. The meat is tender and practically melts in the mouth, its flavour deepened by the glorious red wine sauce. Then came our highlight dish – Roast Whole Australian Free Range Chicken ($800), with pre-order required. The chicken is marinated with homemade sauce and roasted with garlic, rosemary thyme and butter to a golden-brown colour and served with potatoes. The dish is perfect to share with a large gathering. For dessert, we had BakedApple Flan with Salted Caramel Gelato ($118), which nicely complemented our hearty meal. Chris’ Common Room offers a wide selection of Italian wines from different regions. We had Le Tunella Pinot Grigio Col Baje 2017 ($110 /glass), a fruity, refreshing white and a nice glass of Il Molino di Grace Chianti Classico Riserva 2015 ($110/glass) for our meal.

Chris' Common Room is destined to become one of the more popular dining hotspots in town. The food is excellent, and the ambience is conducive to a hearty, happy meal. It's also the perfect place to drop in for lunch, happy hour or dinner after a day of sightseeing along Hollywood Road and Sheung Wan. We highly recommend it.■

11 Po Yan Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
2559 3339