Hong Kong’s Chinnery Is a Historical Gem Offering Anglo-Indian Fare

(Bloomberg) — The Chinnery, located on the second floor of the Mandarin Oriental, opened in 1963 and was originally designed to resemble an English private gentleman’s club from the Victorian era. Not much has changed. The cozy windowless space is warmly clad with dark wood paneling and red fabric, interspersed by paintings of various figures by George Chinnery, an English artist who spent the first half of the 19th century living in India and Macau.

Booths line one wall, separated by glass and wood dividers to allow privacy, while there are also stools at the whisky-lined bar for dining. Despite booking almost a week in advance for lunch, I was only able to secure seats at the bar for my guest and me — “roughing it.”

The restaurant offers Anglo-Indian cuisine. The menu is short, sweet and not cheap. There are just 10 mains, divided evenly between British classics — such as fish and chips (HK$378), bangers and mash (HK$358) and daily roast (HK$598) — and Indian dishes. Starters have a lighter design, such as Devon crab (HK$328) and beef tartare (HK$348).

The service is impeccable — present but not intrusive — and the atmosphere is one of hushed conviviality. Somewhat recklessly, because we were hungry, we ordered lamb samosa (HK$168) to share as a starter, followed by kadai gosht (HK$388), which is braised lamb shoulder, and aloo gobi (HK$288), a spiced cauliflower and potato dish. The curries both came with delicately cooked rice in separate metal bowls. We also ordered plain naan (HK$108).

The food was richly flavored and well presented. Be warned that the servings are large. One curry would probably have been enough for the two of us. While no dish disappointed, the real star of the show is the atmosphere. This is a place that feels special. My guest, who has lived here for 17 years, had never been before and declared it to be her new favorite place in Hong Kong.

Adding historical resonance is the fact the Mandarin is owned by Jardine Matheson, whose founders successfully advised Britain in its war with China to open up the country (a literal trade war), which resulted in the 1841 cession of Hong Kong. Chinnery painted portraits of both of the influential Scotsmen William Jardine and James Matheson.

Before we left, I asked one of the serving staff (dressed in white dinner jackets, of course) if the artwork are authentic Chinnery paintings. These are copies, he replied with a friendly smile. The originals are kept somewhere safe. 

The total bill came to HK$1,406, which included an excellent serving of cheesecake with a lemon and blueberry compote, accompanied by vanilla ice cream (HK$158), as well as two espressos. We drank plain water with the meal, which almost seemed criminal at a place like this.

The vibe: Authentic colonial.

Can you conduct a meeting here? This place was made for deals.

What would you order again? All the dishes were good but probably wouldn’t order two heavy curries next time. I’d order a whisky instead. 

Need to know: The Chinnery is open for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Friday, and for dinner from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Monday to Saturday. Booking is necessary to secure a table, although you could pick up a counter seat as a walk in. There is a dress code after 5 p.m.

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