Opened by two scuba diving friends, Folk Mak and Edmund Yiu, this private kitchen is a good place for a casual dinner. They only open for dinner on request, so book in advance. The highlight of the dinner? Kopi Luwak (Civet coffee). This extremely rare coffee is made from coffee berries that have been eaten and passed through the digestive tract of wild palm civet in the Gayo Highland of Sumatra in Indonesia. The raw imported beans are then roasted locally. Kopi is the Indonesian word for coffee, and luwak is a local name of the Asian Palm Civet. Dinner started off with a cup of Kopi Luwak (black) when our palates were purest and uncontaminated by the five-course dinner to follow. This cup alone can cost up to HKD400 (USD50) at five star hotels. The coffee was really smooth, but somehow not strong enough for our liking. So we were offered an Espresso (HKD100/USD13 extra) after our dinner and that hit the spot. We even got a certificate for drinking the coffee!

The five-course dinner was paired with wines and the main courses were either the herb roasted French cut USA grain fed organic “natural” pork rack of loin or the grilled thick cut USDA certified black Angus sirloin steak.

For HKD600 (USD77) this is very good value. Not included is the 10% service charge.

– 14/20

Safety Stop
201, 2/F, Cheungs Building
1-3 Wing Lok Street
Central, Hong Kong
T: +852 2542 4268
W: www.safetystop.com.hk

Note that due to the fluorescent lighting, some photos show a distinct green or blue glow.

090717 Safety Stop

090717 Safety Stop - Menu

090717 Safety Stop - Kopi Luwak

090717 Safety Stop - Folk boiling water for the coffee

090717 Safety Stop - Preparing the coffee

090717 Safety Stop - Freshly shucked oyster trio

090717 Safety Stop - Hokkaido giant scallop

090717 Safety Stop - French "Rougie" duck breast

090717 Safety Stop - USA grain fed organic pork rack of loin

090717 Safety Stop - USDA certified black Angus sirloin

090717 Safety Stop - Kopi Luwak Espresso

090717 Safety Stop - Kopi Luwak certificate