Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong｜The Dutch House Restaurant & Bistro

Come here for lunch with a friend not seen for quite some time.  I think it is the first time bothe of us to have Dutch cuisine in Hong Kong and I have already forgot what they are like.  The ambience of the restaurant is elegant but relaxing, it like a private club than a restaurant.  Staff is very friendly and she has explained the history and origin of the cuisine and dishes and give great recommendations. The appetizers are two Dutch Savory Street Food: Frikandel and bitterballen.  Dutch is famous for its deep-fried snacks and I can never resist fried food.  The Bitterballen is delicious with crispy surface and soft and juicy inside.  The filling is stewed ox tail and broth which is rich in flavor.  Frikandel is just skinless fried sausage, but with the onion sauce topping, it become yummy. Then Oak Smoked Eel is served. The Chef use very simple but delicate smoking process to pre-treat this Smoked Eel so that can preserve the most original taste with lovely Oak aroma. I love mussels, but this Traditional Dutch Mussels Pot taste new to me.  The mussels are freshly airmailed to Hong Kong so freshness is guaranteed.  And they did not put in too much seasoning, so the taste is clean and original.  The carrots, onion and other ingredients give the sweetness to the sauce. Italian bread is served, and we can dip in the sauce. The Dutch Mussels pot is lovely, and I am thinking to buy one myself. The main dish we choose is Dutch Tomahawk Pork Chop because both of us not very interested in Sea Bass.  The Pork Chop is topped with two kinds of cheese to enrich the taste.  The pork chop is tender and juicy, with the salty and cheesy richness. Actually we are very full already.  Luckily the dessert is a mini size Homemade Apple Crumble Pies with Vanilla ice-cream.  The apple crumble pie not so sweet but love the strong taste of apple and cinnamon. It’s a very enjoyable dining experience with friends.

Their menu was comprehensive, offering ala carte as well as dinner set. We decided to go for their chef menu, which was priced at $988 per person. Our first course was Dutch appetizers, consisting of bitterballen and Frikandel sausage. This meatball was made with beef broth and deep fried, thus the skin was crispy and the filling inside was creamy and flavourful. Mustard sauce was added on top of enhance the taste. Frikandel sausage was made using minced chicken and pork, chewy and very flavourful. Another appetizer was Herring fish. Fish bone was removed for easy eating and the fish meat was soft and flavourful, good to go along with beer. Taiheiktai tokubetsujunmai rokamaetori sake was light and easy to drink, good to go along with sashimi. Oak smoked eel - The staff told us that this eel was limited in supply. Eel have strong smoked taste, soft and very flavourful, going well with the sake. Salad was fresh and crunchy. Traditional Dutch mussels pot - Mussels was cooked over this Dutch pot, with the mussel soft and juicy, absorbing the essence of the gravy. Gravy was flavourful, with sliced veggie in it as well. Garlic ciabatta bread was provided for us to dip onto the gravy, with the bread toasted till soft and fluffy, slightly sour in taste. Classic lobster bisque - The staff added a scoop of burnt brandy into the soup, which was quite interesting. They told us that this soup was made using entirely from lobster. It was creamy and thick in texture, flavourful and having strong lobster taste. Lobster meat was chewy and fresh in taste. Dutch potato fries was of thick texture, fried till soft and crispy. Curry tomato with onion egg yolk sauce was provided at the side for us to dip onto it. Dutch tomahawk pork chop - It was slow-cooked for 30 minutes, thus this pork chop was very juicy and chewy, not tough at all. This was one of their signature dishes, as recommended by the chef. Apple crumble pie - Apple crumble was crispy and sweet in taste, with apple meat in it. Vanilla ice cream was provided as well, which was milky and sweet.

A lovely and homey restaurant with good food and attentive service. Appetizers: escargot, quail leg, Dutch bitterballen (similar to a Spanish croquet), smoked baby eel. Smoked baby eel was my favorite, it has such a meaty flavour and the fish oil just melts in your mouth. Soup: Lobster bisque, featured thick stock made from deeply roasted lobster head and shell. Big chunks of lobster meat in every bite was truly satisfying. Main course: Dover sole in lemon butter, ricotta ravioli and Korean wagyu beef neck steak in ragu. Neck was a great choice of cut, muscle tissue were slow-cooked until tender and it was very flavorful. Dessert was the classic apple crumble with vanilla ice cream. Amazing buttery crumble! Overall experience has been great. Highly recommend to get the Chef’s menu. The portion were generous, seasoning on point, nice pairing with sake, whiskey and wine.