Rating: ★★★★☆

Address: 3/F, 33 Hillier Street, Sheung Wan 上環禧利街33號3樓

Telephone: 3968 7623/ 3968 7600

https://www.thekinnet.com/en/our-centre#cafe

Since I left corporate finance and started working in private wealth management over a year ago, lunchtime became a much more certain event for me. Unless I have client lunches, I will usually meet up with friends for lunch, get my nails done in Central or go to the gym.

Once in a while I will organise a lunch date with my mum too (“once in a while” since my mum is the busier one) and this time, we decide to try out The Kinnet Cafe, which is a cafe in a wellness centre called The Kinnet, opened by our family friend.

The Kinnet is a luxurious and welcoming wellness and fitness centre in Sheung Wan, and the cafe is located on the third floor. There is an indoor dining area which is bright and spacious, with natural sunlight, comfortably spaced tables and wooden surfaces making for a calm, relaxing set up. There is also a self-service outdoor patio which will be lovely for weekend brunches.

The cafe has a compact but enticing list of food and drinks, and there are also daily specials for lunch. There is a marble counter at the back of the restaurant and you can go there to pick out the salads and desserts. The prices didn’t seem too cheap for a restaurant in Sheung Wan at first, but we later find them justified as the food’s portion is robust and the cafe does not charge a 10% service charge.

(1) I start off with a smoothie, Pina Colada ($68), made with banana, pineapple, coconut milk, maca and soy milk. The drink is well blended and packed with refreshing flavours.

(2) We order a daily special lunch set, which comes with a soup and a main course. The tomato and basil soup is absolutely mouthwatering – the soup is flavour-packed and soothing, and tastes clean and pristine.

The main course is a roasted organic chicken, we get to choose two salads on the side. The kale salad is startlingly fresh, and the squash salad is also refreshing and delectable, but we wish the squash is a tad softer. The chicken has a delightfully crispy skin and the meat is tender and moist. Since this restaurant has a mandate to promote healthy eating, with little sugar and salt added to the dishes, I find the seasoning of the chicken a tad too weak and have to add more salt.

(3) There is an “All Day Breakfast” section on the menu, and we decide to try the avocado eggs Benedict with yoghurt “Hollandaise” sauce ($90). The eggs are perfectly poached and the ingredients are fresh and naturally tasty. Again, I have to add a bit of salt, but this is otherwise marvellous.

(4) The cafe’s signature dessert is a New York Cheesecake, which is low fat and leaves you feeling light and comfortable afterwards. The cheesecake is not very sweet at all, in line with the cafe’s mandate to serve wholesome, healthy food. I hear that the restaurant is currently working on their new menu that may offer more choices for people who want clean, low-fat food without cutting down on the flavours (I suggested to them that they offer “low sugar”/”low sodium” options on the menu instead of adjusting the flavouring of all their dishes).

(5) The walnut and pumpkin tart catches our eye and we decide to share a piece of it. The walnuts are boiled so they are attractively soft and easy to eat, and the mashed pumpkin also offers a gorgeous and gentle sweetness.

(6) My mum orders a cup ginger tea ($45) after the meal. The taste of ginger is distinctive as they freshly make this tea at the cafe every day and do not use tea bags.

My mum and I find our lunch very enjoyable – the dining environment is serene, the food is clean and delicious, and the service is polite and helpful. I can’t wait to check out their new menu and will surely be back to try out the dishes!