Belgian lunch @ Frites (Central), Hong Kong

We first ate at the Central branch of Frites a few years ago, and really enjoyed the experience. We were quite sad to find out that this popular Belgian beer house was forced to close up shop due to building renovations not long after our visit. A few months ago, we were delighted with the news that Frites was reopening at a new location in Central. The current location is a bit more inconvenient to get to than the original spot, especially with a stroller, but we still made the effort to go for lunch one recent Sunday. We arrived right at the start of the lunch service, so the restaurant was quite empty, but two-thirds of the tables were filled by the time we left 1.5 hours later. Service was friendly and cheerful, and the menu contained a wide variety of European dishes, with their specialty being the Mussel Pots in six different sauces. The food were all good, and we had an enjoyable lunch.

The familiar wooden theme at the new location:

For the kids, Fish and Frites (HK$185), made with New Zealand hake fillets in crunchy beer batter with tartare sauce, salad and fries. The kids loved the fish and fries, and did not touch the salad at all:

Hubby ordered the Duck a l'Orange (HK$275) with grilled baby gems, orange emulsion sauce and sweet potato dauphinoise. Frites' take on this classic French duck dish was delicious, and hubby did not even waste a drop of the gorgeous orange sauce:

I ordered a 1/2 kilo portion of the Laksa Mussel Pot (HK$225. The 1 kilo option is available for HK$375), served with frites and mayo. The curry sauce with coconut cream, kaffir lime and lemongrass went well with the mussels, but the sauce itself was too salty to have on its own:

As usual, hubby could not resist ordering dessert. He got the Apple Tarte Tatin (HK$85) with vanilla ice cream and Calvados sauce. According to the menu, the portion is good for two people, but hubby could have easily polished it all off on his own:

We were happy with everything at the new Frites, and will definitely return for a revisit in future.

[Prices quoted above do not include the 10% service charge.]

Frites (Central)
1/F, The Wellington
198 Wellington St, Central
Tel. +85 2 2217 6671