Hong Kong: Where to Eat: Power Scene: Harlan’s

Harlan’s

This is the eponymous restaurant of Harlan Goldstein, a chef who learned from the maestro of modern-cuisine cooking, Alain Ducasse, among other chefs. Most recently, Goldstein was wearing the top toque at the exclusive Aberdeen Marina Club, before opening his own place with money borrowed “from Momma,” now repaid. The New Yorker is a devotee of classic cooking, tweaked with his own inimitable style that he dubs Modern American. To that end, there is a fancy hamburger on the menu, presented with truffle mayo and smoked Gouda, but diners are more likely to be enticed by the Tuscan beef, made from a recipe passed down from his Brooklyn grandmother and cooked in a wood-stone oven. Other specials include black mushroom-crusted rack of lamb and Wagyu sirloin steak.

Modesty is not Goldstein’s strong point. “We get the big, big shots here, anybody who is anybody in Hong Kong,” he claims. Harlan is currently on a roll, opening a slew of new outlets, including Private H and the Box, two fine dining spots, Tuscany by H and the G Bar, a New York-style lounge. He is a busy man, but never too busy for a chat!