A Touch of Kitsch: The team behind Michelin-starred Italian joint Octavium presents their latest venture, Nove, a contemporary Chinese restaurant serving up dim sum and Chiu Chow-marinated dishes.

Look & Feel: Nove is tucked onto a narrow side street in Central, squeezed between the street stalls. Inside, the restaurant is cosy yet high-ceilinged, featuring a chinoiserie-inspired design with plenty of large hanging lanterns and vintage furnishings courtesy of Albert Kwan, the interior designer behind many of Shanghai Tang’s spaces.

On the Menu: Signatures include the steamed pork belly buns, baked abalone cheese tarts, and sliced goose, goose wings and pig’s trotters, which are marinated in a 40-year-old marinade. Expect modern reinterpretations of certain dishes — such as the xiao long bao, which comes with a seafood bisque broth. Teas such as pu’er and phoenix mountain tea feature on the drinks menu alongside a selection of wines.

Meet the Chefs: Executive chef Wong Yiu-por boasts 50 years of experience in whipping up Cantonese cuisine, particularly dim sum. You might recognize him from his time as head dim sum chef at Michelin-starred Island Tang and other top tier restaurants. Meanwhile, chef Poon Kwai-chung brings 30 years of experience in Chiu Chow dishes to the table.

FYI: Word on the street is that Bart Bombana, the teenage son of renowned chef Umberto Bombana, is an apprentice dim sum chef here.

Check out Hong Kong’s newest restaurants and bars here.

This writeup is a news piece and was not based on a restaurant visit. The Loop HK will update this post once we’ve visited in person.