Elgin Street in Hong Kong’s SoHo is well-known for an incredibly high turnover rate for restaurants thanks to excessive rent hikes, so it’s somewhat surprising to see new concepts willingly open up. One such restaurant that has disregarded Elgin Street’s curse is 12000 FRANCS. Unlike other restaurants serving modern European cuisine, 12000 FRANCS brings diners refreshing ingredient-driven dishes that uses both traditional and modern preservation methods. Even the name, 12000 FRANCS, comes from the intriguing story of Napoleon Bonaparte who, in 1795, offered this amount in cash to anyone who was able to develop a food preservation method for his armies. Just that alone should have you wanting to pay this restaurant a visit.

Vibe at 12000 FRANCS

Like most restaurants on Elgin Street, 12000 FRANCS isn’t very spacious, but what it lacks in size, it makes up for in design. The area is open and welcoming, with a long picnic-esque table at the front and more restaurant-style seating at the back. Normally, I’m not a fan of long table dining (especially if you get stuck beside loud diners), but the table is separated by massive wine-holding metal pigs, adding both aesthetic and functionality. 12000 FRANCS maintains the fine balance between sophistication and approachability.

Starters (Pickled + Potted)

Rather than being divided into starters, mains, and desserts, the menu at 12000 FRANCS is divided into the different preservation methods used by Chef Conor Beach. We began with the pickled + potted dishes (essentially starters) and, naturally, couldn’t settle on just one or two..

The Stracciatella (HK$130), not often seen on menus in Hong Kong, was rich and creamy with hints of sundried tomato, curry leaf, and chili that were slightly overpowering (but only because I love plain stracciatella cheese oh-so much). Next up was the Montanara (HK$80), which is essentially a deep-fried pizza with green chili tomatillo, ricotta salata, pecorino sardo, and carrots. Sound delicious? It was. Moving on, the Foie Gras Parfait (HK$170) was made with chicken liver, jalapenos, and herbs, and came with 12000 FRANCS’ homemade malted sourdough bread, which was divine. Finally, based on the chef’s recommendation and the fact that we’ve never seen this type of fish used in a tartare before, we tried the Bonito Tartare (HK$190) with olive oil aubergine, almond aioli, and coriander, which was a very fresh and refreshing take on the traditional tartare.

Mains (Vacuum + Fire)

Moving onto the Vacuum + Fire dishes, we began with the Lamb Spare Ribs (HK$400), which is meant to be shared between 4-6 people. Six people might be stretching it (depending on how much you’re ordering), but the intense applewood smoked ribs with salsa verde fell off the bone and was finger-licking good. To go along with our ribs, we made the healthy choice of ordering a side of Gai Lan (HK$90), which is actually a popular Chinese vegetable. Chef Beach gives this local favourite a modern spin by adding smoked almonds, anchovies, and fresh ricotta cheese.

Dessert (Sugar + Cultured)

With a simple dessert choice of three dishes, we chose the two sweet options, the first of which was the Better Than Nutella (HK$98). Perhaps a bit of a presumptuous and boastful title, this dessert certainly had everyone at the table lapping up the warm chocolate hazelnut mousse, bread pudding, and milk and honey sorbet. What really won my heart (and my taste-buds) was the K.A Pastry (HK$80); a maple pecan kouign amann (buttery layered French pastry) with pumpkin puree and vanilla ice cream. This dessert was so damn good that we actually ordered another one. If you come to 12000 FRANCS and can only order one dish, this would be it.

Verdict

While this year has been a bit rough for restaurants in Hong Kong, I’m happy to say that I finally found one I can confidently recommend. With a modern-minimalist vibe, friendly service, excellent wine, and refined cuisine that won’t cost a fortune, 12000 FRANCS sits at the top of my list for 2016.

12000 FRANCS
43A Elgin Street
SoHo, Central
Hong Kong

Tel: 2529 3100