Naked Gurume Gyarari

Under the careful guidance of executive head chef, Hong Kong’s own Justin Chan, NAKED Gurume Gyarari has blossomed into one of the city’s finest internationally-inspired restaurants. This Elgin Street eatery draws on Chan’s Chinese, Laotian and Portuguese heritage. The food at NAKED Gurume Gyarari is resolutely ingredient-driven with a mindful approach to healthy, considered food choices across the menu. The food draws on the common language which cuts across the normally discrete arena of national cuisine with an aim on drawing out the best in each ingredient, regardless of when one’s preconceptions would normally place it.

NAKED Gurume Gyarari was founded by Patrick Wai after a career spent working in international design, and Wai’s influence is immediately obvious to diners at this fine, international Elgin Street restaurant. The dining room doubles as an exhibition space and maximises the art’s impact by keeping the decor simple: dark wood, minimalistic settings and simplicity – that’s the name of the game here. The restaurant’s name, Gurume Gyarari literally means Gourmet’s Gallery and that is a fitting epithet for this Central Hong Kong restaurant indeed - combining traditional with the kitchen’s artistry means that NAKED Gurume Gyarari assails the senses in every way.

By his own admission, head chef Chan’s objective at NAKED Gurume Gyarari is simple: to take the best ingredients and combine them with cooking methods learned from around the world – people should find art in food, as I have. A cursory glance at Chan’s menu confirms this assessment immediately. The reassuringly short signature menu offers plenty of international flavour, especially the lobster risotto bisque and the foie gras pairs with guava gelato. Each dish is prepared and served beautifully - in many ways NAKED Gurume Gyarari is the restaurant Central Hong Kong has been waiting for.