9 savoury desserts by Hong Kong restaurants: from Hansik Goo to Noi by Paulo Airaudo
The city’s top chefs are creating nuanced sweet courses showcasing umami and fermented flavours, with ingredients like basil, chilli and caviar
In Hong Kong, the highest praise for a dessert is to say it’s “not too sweet”. So it seems fitting that the city is witnessing the rise of savoury desserts across its fine dining scene.
Savoury desserts emphasise herbs, spices, or umami and fermented flavours – often using ingredients typically found in main courses. As Mono’s chef-owner Ricardo Chaneton observes: “The term ‘savoury dessert’ might sound challenging, but many ingredients we consider savoury are technically fruits or berries, like tomatoes, avocados and pink peppercorns. When creating these desserts, the goal isn’t just mixing unusual ingredients – it has to make sense.”
This innovative approach resonates deeply with local tastes. “Hongkongers have a nuanced palate,” comments Leela’s chef-founder, Manav Tuli. “Think of how red bean soups, sesame desserts or even mango pomelo sago rely on natural bitterness or tartness.”
“Ultimately, it’s about creating a conversation,” says the restaurant’s pastry chef, Cynthia Erica Sugiarto. “Why can’t desserts surprise us the way savoury dishes do?”
Without further ado, here are nine savoury desserts from Hong Kong’s top restaurants that may surprise you.
1. Ecuadorian chocolate with Andean and Peruvian chillies – Mono
Chocolate and chilli is sort of like Latin America’s answer to our tong yuen and ginger soup. This match made in heaven dates back to ancient Mesoamerican civilisations, where the Mayans and Aztecs mixed ground cacao with chilli peppers to create xocolatl, a bitter, spiced chocolate drink.