Joe Paisley checks out one of the newest arrivals to E11’s growing East Asian food scene
民以食為天 (mín yǐ shí wéi tiān). That’s what Helen, the manager of APUS, a new Hong Kong restaurant in Leytonstone, said when asked about the importance of food to Hong Kong’s culture.
According to Helen, the idiom crudely translates as “food is the first necessity of the people.” Whilst translations vary, its reflection of Hong Kong’s culture is unequivocal. APUS, she goes on, “is about sharing this culture”.
The restaurant is tightly packed into a row of shops between the High Road and station that more often serves as a thoroughfare to other destinations than is one. But like Hong Kong, its diminutive size belies what is within.
APUS serves authentic food that can only be found in a small but growing number of Hong Kong restaurants across London, their emergence largely attributable to arrivals under the British National (Overseas) visa scheme.
“That’s a hard question,” Helen responds when asked to describe Hong Kong’s cuisine, which draws on and often fuses Chinese, European, and Southeast Asian cooking. A paradigm of that fusion is the baked pork chop rice: egg-fried rice layered with soy and sesame marinated strips of pork, then smothered with tomato sauce and topped with melted cheese.
The child of an East – West marriage, it is delivered on the sort of casserole dish by which cauliflower cheese or boiled vegetables are served in pubs, and looks decidedly like lasagna. Whilst hugely popular with Hong Kong customers, it otherwise divides opinion. If in a group, give it a try.
Not to be missed is the beef curry, with its rich coconut-based gravy and tender brisket. A surprise addition to the curry is beef tendon: in texture like a flump marshmallow but with a bit more bite; the perfect vehicle for sauce. Another revelation is the braised pork: slow-cooked belly in an aromatic sauce and combined with crunchy fermented vegetables.
Accompany them with freshly bundled dim sum before washing it all down with lemon iced tea. The APUS team spent over a month experimenting with different tea leaves to achieve an authentic taste. After drinking, you can never return to the masquerading shop-bought varieties
The menu is filled with treasures waiting to be discovered over multiple visits. It is not so extensive, however, that you question the freshness of the ingredients, as may be the case at restaurants where egg-fried rice is item number 289.
There are, of course, many classic dishes on the menu that diners will be familiar with. But, above all, APUS provides opportunity for adventure and greatly rewards those who take it.
Find APUS at 10 Church Lane, Leytonstone, E11 1HG
For more information about APUS including opening times, visit their website
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