Pink Himalayan salt. Dry-aged Wagyu beef. Organic Californian kale. And that’s just what’s in your thimble-sized cocktail. All for only HKD188! (For more inspired food combos, see Fuck Yeah Noms’ Hipster HK Food Trend Generator.)
Hong Kong’s food scene, like its property market, is overcrowded, overrated and overpriced. New eateries – clamoring for attention with their thinly disguised recycled concepts – are constantly replacing ones that barely had time to wear off their new-restaurant smell.
Meanwhile, food critics more often than not write reviews that cater to the interests of their publications’ advertising revenue rather than that of their readers.
A group of friends decided that enough was enough. All food lovers based in Hong Kong, they grew tired of food that featured more embellishment than taste, as proven by many restaurants’ inability to exist for longer than a year.
Hence, inspired by the BBC documentary “The Madness of Perfection” that exposed the bullshit that is the Michelin Guide, they created a Twitter account called “I Give it a Month” (IGIAM), on which they post scorching remarks about local restaurants, often combined with their prediction of how much longer the establishments will last.
Gnawing on Ho Lee Fook's char siu, suddenly pictured Navin Andrews being tortured in Lost. I GIVE IT 6 MONTHS #chewy #hkfood #hongkong #lkf
— out of context hk (@igiveitamonth) December 8, 2014
“The idea is to spoof the multitude of soppy, sycophantic bloggers and PR people who spew guff about the STUNNING NEW CONCEPT,” one of the founders told us via email.
They did so anonymously, of course, since they “don’t really fancy being chopped by one of Dining Concepts’ chefs”.
That hour I spent at Motorino is never coming back. Think I'd rather chew on glass than their Brussel sprout fuckery. I GIVE IT 6 MONTHS.
— out of context hk (@igiveitamonth) December 5, 2014
Dining Concepts, a company that owns a scary number of restaurants, including Bombay Dreams, Cecconi’s, BLT Burger, Bread Street Kitchen & Bar, and Mamasan, is the target of much of IGIAM’s scathing criticism.
“We dislike restaurants claiming to be authentic but living under the umbrella of a large holding CONCEPTS group; celeb chef ventures in name only; anything that is faddy; sell-outs,” they wrote.
Joshua Wong surviving on a drop of glucose in water. Still better than Street Meat #hungerstrike #occupycentral #hkfood
— out of context hk (@igiveitamonth) December 5, 2014
Since they just described at least half of SoHo’s restaurants, we can’t help but see their point.
“We are committed to authentic, good experiences but are not scared to call out people who underperform,” they declare.
It's a wonder anything gets done in HK with all the stunning (all from official sites and PR guff) #hkfood #stunning pic.twitter.com/UFQmgJ5leb
— out of context hk (@igiveitamonth) December 4, 2014
And, by remaining anonymous, they promise “full impartiality”, unlike the “soppy shoe-shining” reviewers who are too scared to challenge The Man.
And IGIAM won’t have to venture into fiction to find fodder for their Twitter feed.
“Everything you see on our feed is based on a real experience,” they insist.
Ham & Sherry: sleazy manager who asked friend's fiancée if he could take her home. With friend right there. I GIVE IT 6 MONTHS #hkfood
— out of context hk (@igiveitamonth) December 4, 2014
“Chef slapping the door bitch on the rump at L’Entrecôte de Paris? Racist manager at Frites going on a rant about the Chinese? Ronin guy saying this must be good, because it’s expensive? Yes, those all actually happened.”
The account is only a week old, but they’re sure to gain notoriety sooner or later with their concise but scathing comments. A website is in the works.
Unsurprising entry in the OED under "pedestrian": Armani Aqua, where the staff ignore you and can't distinguish limes from lemons #hkfood
— out of context hk (@igiveitamonth) December 4, 2014
We asked what they thought the future of Hong Kong’s F&B industry would be, considering the dire state they believe it’s in.
“We dare not make predictions about the future, but if Rendang on Poutine is it, then Lord help us.”
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