By Alice Jenkins
COCONUTS CRITIC’S TABLE – Hidden behind some rather glitzy golden doors on Elgin Street is the latest addition to the Soho dining scene – Juhu Beach Club. The brainchild of Indian-born, America-raised, U.S Top Chef Preeti Mistry, Juhu Beach Club combines flavours from the streets of Mumbai with good ol’ American comfort food.
The colourful concept, which originated as a pop-up and quickly developed into one of San Francisco Bay area’s hottest of hotspots, was recently transported across the waters to Hong Kong in Mistry’s first international venture. I couldn’t wait to see what all the fuss was about.
Funky painted chopping boards
As we walked in, the first thing my dining companion and I noticed was the chilled boho vibe. The lighting was dim, the staff were smiley and the tunes were on point, making us immediately feel at ease. With funky retro prints and large shards of mirror adorning the walls, the interiors further added to the laidback feel and reflected the relaxed yet glamorous nature of the restaurant’s namesake, Juhu Beach.
Despite the obvious trendiness of the place, the clientele was not your usual Hong Kong hipster crowd. There was instead an eclectic mix of expats, locals and tourists, including an impressively large proportion of Indian families, which we took as a good sign.
Manchurian Cauliflower
We started off with two vegetable dishes, namely the Manchurian Cauliflower (HKD108) and the Brussel Sprouts Nest (HKD98). The cauliflower arrived piled on the plate, glistening with an intensely orange, sweet & sour sauce very like that found on the American/Chinese favourite, sweet & sour pork. The cauliflower was soft on the inside, crunchy on the outside, tangy to perfection and, overall, ridiculously tasty.
Next we dug into the sprouts. Although we’re not quite sure where the nest part came into the equation, we loved the charred sprouts, slick with the curry leaf butter and accompanied by the sharp fenugreek pesto (fenugreek, FYI, is an Indian herb slightly resembling basil in appearance).
Brussel Sprouts Nest
The sprouts were cooked to just the right level – soft but still with a little bite, and the fenugreek pesto was unlike anything I’ve tasted before. So far, we were impressed.
Next up was the notorious Bombay Sandwich (HKD118), which came served with a side of fresh tomato soup. This was basically an extremely well executed cheese toastie with a little extra pizzazz. We were told the dish is the exact recipe Mistry’s mum cooks for anyone feeling slightly under the weather, and we can see why – it’s simple, comforting and pretty darn scrumptious. Although we couldn’t quite taste the Chaat Masala described in the menu, we’d happily eat this every sick day, and every other day, too.
Bombay Sandwich
Next we moved onto what this place is best known for; the Pavs (or Indian style sliders). Being somewhat of a pulled pork aficionado, I was immediately drawn to the Pork Vindalated (HKD58) – a soft bun stuffed to the brim with shredded pork, smothered in what is described as “Vindaloo bbq sauce and cilantro yogurt”.
Given my experience with vindaloo in the past, I was expecting something with a little more kick to it, but this was decisively mild. Despite the lack of heat, and Vindaloo flavour all together, the pulled pork had just the right balance of smokiness and sweetness. I was left just a tad confused as to where the Indian part came in.
Pork Vindalated
When I bit into our next Pav of choice – the Vada Pav (HKD58) – I discovered where all that spiciness had been hiding. I loved the Indian heat running through the potato patty, even though this time it was somewhat overpowering. For those less spice inclined – BEWARE.
We ended the night with the Tamarind Coconut Veg Curry (HKD168), a simple yet effective curry in which the tart tamarind flavours cut nicely through the richness of the coconut milk. Although nothing to write home about, it left us warm inside the way only fresh, homemade curry does.
Tamarind Coconut Veg Curry
As the evening came to an end, we realised we’d eaten an almost entirely vegetarian meal without noticing it. That’s a testament to good veggie food if ever we’ve heard it!
While we feel the Indian twist wasn’t always as present as we’d like it to be, overall the food was tasty, our bellies were pleasantly full, and the bank wasn’t broken – which is a welcome change to the at-times monotonous HK dining scene.
Juhu Beach Club, 28 Elgin Street, Central, (+852) 2177-3544
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