Hong Kong – Vibrant contemporary gastrobar room 3 brings a wave of cherry-red to the lips with latest cocktails and a platter of delightful tapas-style teatime treats for an evocative journey to Japan to have a good time Hanami, the flower-viewing season. Available from 27 March 2023 and blossoming together with the country’s cherry trees, the sakura-themed sips and elaborate Japanese spring spread boost the blissful vibe of this modern-day speakeasy in fashionable H Zentre, Tsim Sha Tsui.
The spring cocktails will also be savored at KAPPOU MU, room 3’s serene sister restaurant in a pairing at lunch or dinner with its latest sakura-inspired omakase menu of traditional kappou cuisine. The 2 Japanese dining and imbibing hotspots, which opened on the turn of the 12 months and share a sublime reception area, are founded and managed by the dynamic hospitality management company Dining Art Group.
Sakura infusions will fuel merry hours of chatter within the three atmospheric interconnected chambers that comprise room 3 – called “room san” with san being the Japanese word for ‘three’. The fantastic profile of Sakura Blossom (HK$150), the primary of two latest springtime cocktails, will prove irresistible to those that love delicate mixed drinks with luscious mouthfeel and a creamy finish. Vodka laced with sakura leaves is the powerful base note to which fresh lemon, house-made lemongrass cordial, barely sour Maraschino cherry liqueur and egg white are liberally added for well-balanced and indulgent complexity. Echoing the primary sign of spring, a lightweight powder of sakura petals offers sweet red decoration atop the cocktail’s snow-white coat.
The opposite latest creation for spring is Sakura Negroni (HK$150), an uplifting Japanese tackle the classic Italian ‘stirred not shaken’ apéritif. While crafted in the standard manner of equal parts gin (from master Japanese gin maker Roku), Campari, and Vermouth – with a splash of grapefruit for piquancy – the Vermouth is something special, a limited-edition of the fortified wine with sakura petals amongst its botanicals. Dry ice emits wafts of cloudy smoke because the cocktail is served in an old-fashioned glass embedded in a cool picket box – a presentation that reflects the Japanese aesthetic of room 3’s expert team of mixologists.
One among their compelling gin-based cocktails from an inventory of unique Japanese-inspired signatures can be perfect for spring. Sakura Cha (HK$150) is a refreshing tall drink of Japanese gin enhanced by the fruity tastes and textures of peach-infused jasmine soda and silver needle tea – and a stunning cherry-pink tinge from a suffusion of sakura petals.
The joyous glow of spring can be captured in a soothing izakaya-style gastronomic journey on the contemporary gastrobar. Served from 4pm to 7pm every day, the room 3 Tanoshi Afternoon Tea Voyage (HK$388 for two people including 2 chosen drinks) presents nine varieties of appealing snacks snugly ensconced inside the grid of a classy picket tray. Aptly named – ‘tanoshi’ means happiness in Japanese – that is the right serving in the best setting to whisk friends away to the blissful cherry-tree meadows of Japan.
This teatime or after-work encounter with Japanese-inspired tapas spans eight scrumptious savoury preparations and a delicious jellied dessert. Fastidiously prepared and fried or grilled with gusto by the experienced culinary team, the izakaya servings include Japanese Green Pepper and Mini Sweet Potato; Fried Lotus Root; and yakitori favourites like Chicken Soft Bone and Minced Chicken with Japanese Egg. Garlic Chicken Wing highlights one other a part of the succulent bird. Pickled Burdock Root provides a clean, crunchy veggie palate cleanser, while the colorful, contrasting textures present in the moreish duo of Snow Crab Meat Tobiko and Tossed Mentaiko Udon slip down beautifully. The sweet finale is Mizu Shingen Mochi – glistening ‘raindrop cake’ that melds black sugar syrup, roasted soybean powder and agar-agar (seaweed gelatin).
This tempting sharing set features a glass of house wine, beer, juice, soft drink or Sakura tea each, or the possibility to sip one in every of the aforementioned trio of sakura-enlivened cocktails on the special price of HK$88 (originally HK$150).
Bringing memories of sakura viewing a step closer, the spacious interiors of room 3 are inspired by nature and the Japanese landscape. The handiwork of award-winning interior design studio Minus Workshop, brown and natural tones and bamboo motifs are weaved across three distinctively themed spaces and moods that stretch over nearly 2,000 sq. ft. Flexible seating arrangements throughout provoke socialising and relaxed chilling.
The ‘Akasaka Room’ is the primary, the most important and the liveliest of the spaces by which to settle back for spring tapas and cocktails. The statement bar provides an in depth view of the animated mixology ritual, while a domed ceiling and mirrored stainless-steel spheres and surfaces afford elegant afternoon or early evening rendezvous. A wide ranging central chandelier and accompanying spiral trial of bamboo-leaf shapes grace the intimate ‘Ginza Room’ with its curved tables, mirrored wall panels and crystal inlays. The ‘Roppongi Room’ beyond is the cosiest setting, where an extended, leaf-patterned inner wall evokes the sensation of picnicking under the trees.
For reservations, please call (852) 6361-8505 or visit https://inline.app/booking/room3/HZentre.
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