Upper Modern Bistro: Date night dinner destination

There definitely isn’t a shortage of date night places in Hong Kong, but if you and your honey are looking for a new place to try out, pop by the new resto in town, Upper Modern Bistro!

The idea behind Upper Modern stems from the French background of Michelin-starred Chef Philippe Orrico (formerly of Pierre and St George in Hullett House), mixed in with Asian influences from his travel and work in Asia. The space at Upper Modern is quite lovely; the tall ceilings and smooth grey colours will immediately put you in a relaxing state of mind. If you happen to grab a spot near the elevated kitchen with glass windows, you’ll be able to watch as the chefs prepare your menu right on the spot.

With a menu including smaller tapas bites as well as more traditional a la carte offerings, our night started off with the tuna, squab and eggplant roll with piquillos and tomato. These were fresh and light small bites to start off the meal.

In contrast to the lightness of the first dish, the next dish was the foie gras creme brulee. If you’re not a fan of foie gras, this is a good option, as the creme brulee lifts some of the richness from the foie gras, and is a nice middle ground for those who want just a little bit of the foie and none of the fattiness!

Next up was the veal burger – sliders have never failed me (no one can resist a tiny burger, right?!), and Upper Modern Bistro’s juicy mini burgers did not disappoint. The veal was soft and tender; for a bit of extra indulgence in each bite, I piled on the mushroom sauce served on the side.

Now I’m definitely not a soup person (except when I’m sick and miserable… chicken soup is the way to go!) but my pick of the night was the mushroom soup with Beaufort cubes. It was insanely yummy; I loved the crunchy celery slices that provided a sharp, tangy contrast to the rich, creamy soup. Alas, soups are not the most photogenic of dishes hence the lack of a picture, so you’ll have to trust us that this was wonderful!

Sadly, after the highlight of the soup, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the Scottish salmon “teriyaki” main that followed. Even though the organic veggies were beautifully presented, the salmon was a little undercooked for my tastes, whilst the dish itself left me underwhelmed and a little confused as to its concept.

Luckily, things turned around with dessert. I couldn’t help but ooh and aah over how beautiful the presentation of both desserts were. The lemon panna cotta was my favourite – the citrus sorbet was wonderfully spicy and paired well with the yuzu parfait… if only there was more of it!

The “Upper Chocolate” was a silky smooth chocolate mousse with chocolate chunks and crunchy bits – I enjoyed the fact that it wasn’t too sweet but thanks to its richness, it would definitely be one dessert to share (unless you’re asking for chocolate overload!).

Upper Modern Bistro is a little pricey, with starters between $100-200 and mains around $150-600. The restaurant has only been open for around a month so there are definitely things that need working on (we felt the tapas dishes were generally stronger than the mains) but from my visit, the place was already buzzing with lots of diners (on a weeknight too!) and the elegant space and beautifully-presented food would be ideal for a cosy date night. So if you’re in the neighbourhood and looking for a place with your special someone, why not give Upper Modern Bistro a chance?

Upper Modern Bistro  6-14 Upper Station Street, Sheung Wan
2517 0977