Aaharn

Aaharn, could not be more straightforward to be the name of a restaurant, means "food" in Thai. Situated in the historic Tai Kwun, it is a renowned restaurant that offers an authentic culinary exploration of Thai cuisine. Helmed by acclaimed chef David Thompson and awarded one Michelin star, Aaharn specializes in dishes made from the best quality and freshest ingredients sourced from Thailand. Featuring traditional techniques like hand-pressed coconut milk, it transports diners to Thailand through innovative yet wholly authentic cuisine. AMUSE BOUCHE - Ma Haw (7/10) Meaning "galloping horses" in Thai, the amuse bouche was a delightful preview of the meal to come. Pairs of bite-size pineapple piece topped with a minced meat relish, they provided a cooling base against the lively mix of meats and herbs that awakened the senses. STARTER - Betel leaf w/ lobster, lemongrass & fresh shredded coconut (7.5/10) - Northern Thai tomato relish w/ crunchy rice (8/10) - Fresh rice vermicelli salad w/ scallop (8/10) The tomato relish has stolen the show - piquant tomatoes, rice crackers and fiery chillis came together in a spicy dish but still offered a balance of savory and tart. Offering respite, the vermicelli salad balanced the heat with plump scallop and silky noodles. Each starter provided generous portions and twist on classics, leaving guests eagerly anticipating the meals still to come. MAINS - Grilled corn & river prawn salad (7/10) - Chicken soup w/ vellow beans, basil & lime (8.5/10) - Stir fried Thai greens (7.5/10) - Red curry of Iberico pork cheek w/ pea eggplants (8/10) - Thai iasmine rice The mains delivered vibrant Thai flavors in abundance. I especially liked the chicken soup with citrusy yet appetizing undertone that left me yearning for another bowl. Generous amount of tender pork cheek soaked in creamy red curry comprised a highlight dish. While the curry lived up to Thai cuisine's reputation for heat, the rich and nuanced flavors far outweighed any spice. Substantial but light, I left fully satisfied yet not uncomfortably full. DESSERTS - Mango w/ sticky rice (7.5/10) - Steamed rice dumpling w/ coconut & palm sugar (8/10) A satisfying conclusion to the meal. The rice dumpling was a real star - exterior of shredded coconut added textural contrast to the soft rice, enclosing rich coconutty palm sugar. Both showcased local flavors and that Aaharn has mastered Thai desserts as much as their savory dishes. Date: Aug 2023 weekday dinner

It was my birthday. The manager offered us a balcony seat so we could enjoy a nice view to watch the Christmas night show (every 30mins). I ordered a vegetarian tasting menu. The staff introduced the dishes and taught us how to eat in order to get the best flavour and texture. If you like extreme taste of spicy, you will definitely love the dishes. At the end they made me a mango sticky rice birthday cake! How sweet they were! I want to say thank you to the staff. They were so friendly of course especially the manager, Jeremy, he was a very funny guy. We love to talk to him. Definitely will visit again!

Exciting and authentic flavors, quality preparation in several different and delicious dishes. Friendly service with a smile. The restaurant seems a bit slow (few customers) for a prime time meal in a busy location on a Thursday evening. This is my second visit, first was precovid. Still excellent.

Tried the lunch tasting menu. The food is really average for a Michelin one star. For Thai food the taste may have been adjusted to meet local taste bud but I find it leaning towards a sweet note. Which is not for my liking. I have recently tasted Chedi in Singapore which is so much better. They serve Thai milk tea and it was really not impressive at all. The staff are quite attentive despite we were the only table having lunch on a Saturday. Rated the atmosphere for 3 as it’s really hot dining inside the restaurant.

Food was a little underwhelming, came for dinner and had the long menu but none of the dishes I felt was memorable. They only served set menu and the whole table needed to opt for the same choice. Also they can't opt for non-spicy, so might not be too kids friendly or for those that can't handle spice. Overall the curry crab was my favorite, but I did get a shell or two while eating it. Service was acceptable, we did have someone that couldn't handle spice which we asked the waiter if we could make the food non-spicy. Their first response was “well we serve Thai food you know”, which I understand but I’ve had other Michelin restaurants in Thailand serving Thai food and they handled these kind of situations better. Nevertheless they were able to talk to the chef and make 2/3 of the dishes non-spicy, but with it being set menu it was definitely not as flexible to order. Nor was there any reminders at booking that only set menu is served and on their website, the menu online also doesn't show which food were spicy and which weren't. The dining area is intimate but didn't feel there was enough aircon in the restaurant so was quite hot after eating all those spicy food.

I was super excited when my friend picked the Michelin-star restaurant, especially when they only served a tasting menu during lunch. However, the overall experience has left us with great disappointment. Service: 3/10 - As soon as we had our table, they rushed to serve lunch, then to let us know that they had a mixup in the kitchen that we had to wait?? there were two other tables beside us in the room... Foods: 5/10 Salty. Especially the soup, the prawn is big but not fresh. We mentioned to our server that we were unable to eat the soup, it seemed they added too much fish sauce which hurt our throat. She argues that the soup is meant for us to eat with rice and curry, not alone??! Environment: 8/10 Very nice setting for a drink. Cleanliness: One washroom for the entire restaurant and it's not so clean.

Amazing experience last night at Aaharn. Set menu is always tricky as you never know about the portion size and different taste. They actually did perfectly well. All dishes were balanced, not too spicy and quantities are more than enough. Service was spotless, especially Kevin the beverage manager that’s making amazing cocktails. Wine list is good with affordable prices which is rare for 1* restaurant. Will definitely come back

Best vegetarian tasting menu in Hong Kong. Superb atmosphere and a veggie-friendly great-value-for-money tasting menu (488 pp excluding drinks). I’ve come here a few times now and it’s never disappointing. The presentation of the dishes is exquisite, flavors are great and staff is so nice. Couldn’t recommend it any more!

Aaharn has been a place I have been wanting to try for a while. Finally gave it a try after it received a Michelin Star in the 2020 guide. The lunch menu here is a really good deal at 198 hkd and 258 for a two and three course lunch set respectively. The food here showcases Thai flavors in a refined way. Restaurant is located in the Tai Kwun area which is a really trendy place to go and a nice place for dinner and drinks. Food: 4 stars Service/environment: 4.25 stars Value: 4.5 stars Overall: 4.25 stars Recommendations: fried perch with chili jam, coconut dumplings My favorites of the meal were the fried perch with chili jam and fried basil and the coconut dumplings. The fish was nicely fried and the flavors of the chili jam and basil really highlight what I love about Thai cuisine hitting on the sweet, sour, and spice notes. The coconut dumplings don't look very special at first glance. However, when you bite into them there is a ton of flavor. The dumplings include shredded coconut in palm sugar. Palm sugar is quickly becoming one of my favorite ingredients.

We arrived on opening night in October after incessant calls and emailing to try to snag a reservation. No one was replying to the email provided or picking up the phone. The food, rather on the pricy side but nothing shocking for a restaurant run by a chef of this caliber, was beautiful - all the right salty and sweet and sour flavors of Thai food in gorgeous presentation. Environment is stark. Minimal trendy darkly lit room. The servers seemed nervous but as it was opening night, you've got to give them some time to find their groove. Unfoetunately the chef wasnt around (apparently unfortunately ill!) and the bill came out to perhaps 1300 HK for two people, but a lovely night regardless.

The restaurant on the second floor is amazing, with great wine pairings. Highly recommend sitting on the balcony!