Jar Just-A-Restaurant

It’s my third times here. The reason of me coming back is mostly the sangria and the octopus in garlic olive oil (must try!), and don’t you agree that tapas and sangria make the best pair to cheer you up after a hectic day? (tho I agree that beer & nachos make a great pair too) I never get enough of sangria, and with choices of different sizes, we can choose from a glass, 1 liter, or 2 liter. I cant remember the price but it’s like HKD300ish for 2 liters, great deal indeed. It’s interesting to find that most of the staff are locals, all of them are friendly and helpful. However the Spanish tapas are all authentic. My best picks are the crab cake, octopus in garlic olive oil and bread pudding with caramel ice cream. They are just so delicious and perfectly presented. I’m always so satisfied after having dinner here.

JAR Just A Restaurant located on Lyndhurst Terrace (Central, Hong Kong). It is inside the same building where one of my favourite outdoor patio and terrace roof garden is — Blck Brd Bar Lounge. JAR is rustic with exposed ceilings and industrial bare lightbulbs, brickwalls and rustic wooden floors. Clean, crisp white linen line the tables. My gf took us here whilst we were in town. After a month long diet on Asian cuisines, I was really looking forward to some Western classics and European contemporary comfort food.
The menu was presented on a single fresh sheet with daily features on board at your table. Which reminds me a lot of The Refinery with their selection of appetizers and even the menu layout.
Spiced Cauliflower: with spiced pepper yogurt. For those that follow our blog knows I have a tender soft spot for Nuba’s Najib’s Special (Crispy cauliflower tossed with lemon and sea salt). So it’s expected that I make comparisons. Although soft and roasted with a smokey flavor, JAR just doesn’t have that zing of acidic burst typical in the Middle Eastern dish. A valiant effort.
Fried Normandy Camembert: Served with caramelized onions and a dash of truffle oil. A take on Saganaki, fried Camembert has a mild, slightly salty taste of buttery flavor and a slight crunch.
Wild Mushroom and Truffle Pappardelle: Rich and flavorful with truffles, spores and cream. I do apologize for the horrid photos. I hadn’t realized until now. I must have either been really intoxicated or feeling rushed and pressured to steal time while my childhood friend sat waiting. What? You don’t understand my camera too right?
Tiger Prawn Angelhair: Served with roasted cherry tomato sauce marinara sauce. The prawns were fresh and had nice bite and bounce. The sauce on the other hand was standard, nothing spectacular that wowed us.
Smoked Dutch Eel Spaghetti: Pangrattato, garlic, chili and olive oil. I quite liked this dish with the earthy, robust and salty almost sardine/​anchovy like seasoning on the eel. It was something different and included more elements and colors to the flavoring.
All About Duck Pasta: Long flat egg pasta with duck confit, braised sweet leeks, duck fat and duck egg yolk. As David Chang would have it and I concur is that fat also has taste, bold flavoring in fact. And when done correctly, can elevate a dish that much more. Too much, and it will be drowning. The duck confit was soft and fatty. This is a very rich dish and I wish there was some acidity to contrast, lift and cut some fat.
Hong Kong is really a beautiful city to visit. Not too sure I would live here given the workaholic lifestyle. But certainly, a foodie and shoppers heaven. Time like this, I wish I had carried my D90 out.