FINDS, Hong Kong’s only Nordic restaurant (the name stands for Finland Iceland Norway Denmark Sweden), has made a bold move over to ‘the dark side’. I unfortunately never actually visited it when it was right on our doorstep in LKF Tower, so won’t be able to make any comparisons with the old FINDS which I know was always very popular, but I can tell you that the new FINDS, now located in the very trendy boutique hotel, The Luxe Manor, is definitely something special and well worth the oh-so-treacherous journey across the harbour!
The fun, curvy lime green and wood interior entices, giving a fresh yet warm atmosphere, accentuated by the big projected image of a burning wood fire. The retro wooden beams are beautifully contrasted with the modern lime green and multi-coloured Missoni print chairs.
I was fortunate enough to be invited by the girls at Sassy HK to try the set lunch menu, which was absolutely divine. The flavours were all so fresh and light, that even though I had a three-course meal (which is not something I tend to do at lunchtime), I did not walk away with that uncomfortably full, comatose feeling.
FINDS is famous for its fresh and delicious seafood, the bestseller being their house-smoked salmon. We were in fact told that they go through over 6,000kg of salmon every year! That’s a LOT of salmon!
Salmon pastrami
Of course, their talent does not stop at smoked salmon, as celebrity Finnish chef Jaako Sorsa also conjures up some delicious meaty dishes and interesting vegetarian and even vegan-friendly dishes.
The set lunch menu changes every week, starting at $108 for one course, $128 for two or $148 for three. We had the choice of Roasted duck breast salad, Greek salad or Pumpkin soup for starters. I selected the duck salad, beautifully paired with slices of juicy mandarin, chunks of beetroot and crispy rocket in a honey balsamic dressing. If one could eat summertime, this is what it would taste like.
Roasted lemon and thyme sole fillet
For main course, it was a choice of Mixed mushroom linguini, Roasted lemon thyme sole fillet, Grilled beef sirloin steak or a large salad. Not wanting a hugely heavy dish and thinking I needed to see how good their seafood really was, I chose the sole fillet. Served on a bed of perfectly buttery asparagus risotto and topped with a cherry tomato, cucumber and dill salad, I could not get enough of this dish. The sole was incredible, so light and fluffy, perfectly complemented by the fresh dill. I find dill can often be a little overpowering, but in this case it helped to bring out the flavour of the sole rather than masking it. Had this not been so delicious, I think I would have had a bad case of food envy for the sirloin steak, which looked absolutely amazing, and the perfect sized portion so as not to be too heavy, as I had feared. I wish I had gone back on Friday just to try the steak! And then on Saturday to try the linguini, which also looked delicious!
Orange sorbet
Although we were all fairly full, we could not resist accepting a bowl of fresh orange sorbet served atop juicy mandarin slices. Heaven in a bowl. I’m going to find out how to make it and add it to my list of the perfect summer desserts.
For seven years, FINDS has been a success in Hong Kong, not only for its delectable Scandinavian cuisine, but also for its molecular cocktails – they have actually just launched a cocktail recipe book, which I am keen to see if I can try my hand at! The relocation has in no way made a dent in their success. If the thought of making the 10-minute journey from Central to TST seems a little scary, think about how ridiculous that is, give yourself a little pep talk and get on the MTR as I can guarantee you will not regret it! After all, they do say you should do something everyday that scares you…!
FINDS
1/F The Luxe Manor
39 Kimberley Road
Tsim Sha Tsui
Kowloon
Tel: +852 2522 9318
Date visited: Thursday 11th August 2011
Read my mini-review of FINDS on Localiiz. You might find some other exciting restaurants on there too!
