BASEMENT RESTAURANT

The main reason we love this new restaurant on Gough street is simply because it’s so different from any other place in Hong Kong. Basement restaurant (the brainchild of the same people that created the quirky furniture store- Homeless) has a European loft feel accented by eccentric decorative surprises. On a temperate day you can sit outside on the small outdoor terrace with the wrought iron garden furniture.

The interior has interesting details: light fixtures shaped like bowler hats, a section with a domed ceiling that resembles the inside of a wine barrel, a curvy bookshelf, mismatched chairs, old leather banquettes, and a star shaped mirror. The waiters are wearing black and white graphic t-shirts with forks and spoons on them. The bread comes out in a carved tin platter and the salt and pepper shakers look like wooden blocks that would be in a child’s room. Even the name cards are shaped like the silhouette of a wine bottle and wine glass.

You’d think with an interior this meticulously designed that the food would be expensive but the lunch set menus are reasonable priced at 88, 108 or 138 HKD. For that price you get a soup a main, dessert and a drink. We tried the fresh minestrone soup with loads of carrots and chopped veggie goodness, the sea bass with risotto was super tender and separated in soft chunks. The bread and butter pudding was not too big of a portion for dessert and we washed it all down with a refreshing glass of iced lemongrass tea. The cuisine is a European fusion bordering between French and Italian. The mains include steak, lamb chicken and pastas. The wine list is decent.

Basement restaurant is an excellent addition the burgeoning Gough street dining scene and will certainly draw a lot of people to NoHo with its charming art-gallery appeal.