Sorry that I have been out of action for the last month or so, it has been one filled with travels, work, and event planning! But now things have settled down, I can get back to doing what I enjoy best – eating and then writing about it. There is just so much to catch up on, and whilst usually all of this backlog would overwhelm me and start getting me into a food blogging panic, I’m taking a zen approach and starting with a small, straight to the point post – Sanche.

Sanche is a small restaurant which seats around 30 people, a tidy, modestly-decorated yet modern and inviting restaurant nestled amongst the hustle and bustle of meat and vegetable market stalls on Gage Street in Soho.

Sadly this market is zoned for redevelopment by the Hong Kong Urban Renewal Authority, and this whole area is slated to undergo a huge makeover – all in the name of progress I suppose. It is indeed unfortunate, as the Graham Street market is the oldest operating street markets of it’s kind in Hong Kong, and has been going strong for 160 years.

Sanche serves ‘modern Korean’ food, and sources Jang, a traditional Korean sauce, from an artisan producer in Korea to deliver authentic flavour. Modern translates into a fusion element, mostly presented in their “Specialities” such as Bulgogi Quesadia [sic], and Cheese Buldak (chicken in a spicy sauce, with mozzarella cheese), and the use of yuzu in a couple of their dishes. Dishes are served in tapas style, great for sharing.

Bulgogi “Quesadia” – spring roll pastry, minced beef, bulgogi sauce, mozzarella cheese HK$158

We started off with the Bulgogi Quesadia – apart from the fact that they can’t seem to spell quesadilla (it’s spelled ‘quesadila’ on the specials board), and that the wrap was more of a wholewheat tortilla rather than spring roll pastry, this was a fabulous dish. Hey, you can’t go wrong with minced beef and cheese, and the bulgogi sauce added a nice tangy sweetness. The frisée side salad was doused with a dressing so good it makes you want to eat more salad.

Pepper Pancake – Cheungrang pepper, Korean leek, clam, dejang sauce HK$128

Call me simple, but Korean pancakes have got to be one of my favorite dishes in a Korean restaurant. I wanted to order this to see how it would compare to others that I’ve had, and it’s a full on 100% winner! The peppers have a hybrid taste of mild chili pepper and jalapeños, not too spicy but with some nice heat. The clams were so tasty and fresh, and the cherry on top – the pancake was fried to crispy perfection. No sogginess (like at Kaya – possibly the worst pancake I have ever ordered), no falling apart – perfect crispy edges that are so moreish that you’ll want to order … well, more.

Grilled Melo Fish Fillet – choice of salt, yuzu dejang, or soy sauce HK$ 198

We ordered the melo fish with the yuzu dejang sauce. The fish was cooked well with a crispy sweet and sour yuzu glaze on it, another enjoyable dish.

There are certainly more dishes on the menu that I am eager to try, and I will definitely be back for them. I wonder how the japchae fares here, am intrigued by the Kangnam Cheese Shrimp (cheddar, mozzarella and shrimp!), and really want to try that Spicy fried chicken salad that passed by our table and looked oh so good. Sanche was definitely one of those pleasant surprises.

The bill for the two of us came to HK$700 including 2 beers at HK$70 each. $560 for 3 dishes and a bowl of rice (which was not your normal steamed white rice, but a nice healthy red rice!) – I’d say that’s not bad at all.

Sanche

Address: Shop C, 32 Gage Street, Central, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2628 3248

Website: http://sanchehk.com/

 A sneak peak at the menu …