Nove at the Fringe: A delicious take on cha chaan teng fare and other Hong Kong comfort food

This is the second outlet for Nove, which opened in Central last year. Nove at the Fringe is located in the former home of M At The Fringe. The interior is nostalgic, set in this 120-year-old building – how could it not be? Designer Albert Kwan – who also designed China Tang and China Club – adds his special touches with Chinese artwork spread across one side of the restaurant and large red lanterns dangling from the high ceiling in the centre of the dining room. There are booths to one side of the dining area and lots of natural light from the windows from the other.

There are some new dishes at this branch, too, like the Eugene Pao pan-fried Angus beef bun (HK$65). We tried the baked BBQ pork pineapple bun (HK$40) and the classic har gow shrimp dumplings (HK$55) from the dim sum list, both home-made; you can taste the quality of the ingredients. We also loved the fried tofu cubes (HK$55), which were crispy on the outside and soft in the middle with the right amount of seasoning.

My favourite dishes, though, were the honey-glazed Iberico char siu pork (HK$165 for half/HK$295 for whole) and the signature baked tomato and pork chop rice (HK$185). This classic cha chaan teng dish is elevated by placing pork cutlets on egg fried rice with lavish toppings of tomato sauce. It is the best in Hong Kong comfort food and we will definitely be back for more.

For dessert, we went for another classic, chilled mango pomelo sago cream (HK$55), which was enough for two and made a delicious ending to an already tasty meal.

Nove at the Fringe

The Fringe Club, 2 Lower Albert Road, Central