Located on Park Walk in Chelsea, most famous in the swinging 60s for its hedonistic restaurants and bars and even earlier in 1718 when the Raw Silk Company was located and had planted mulberry trees in the neighboring Chelsea Park (random I know), HUŎ is one of the street’s newest additions, hosting a menu filled with clean and fresh Asian food. From the bar, expect Asian-inspired cocktails alongside a reduced food menu available for counter dining. I don’t know about you, but I love to sit at the counter and watch the mixologists at work.
Inside, it’s looking GORGEOUS. Driftwood, perfectly placed lighting, endless timber – it’s perfect for date night, and in the warmer months (or if you’re brave enough in the cold) take advantage of the plentiful pavement dining for a meal or even just a few too many tipples.
Lucky enough to dine on a relatively warm evening, we took advantage of the sunshine whilst the doors were flung open and tucked into a refreshing glass of Champagne, whilst nibbling on a bowl of finger-licking chili-covered edamame. Not over-steamed and with a good amount of spice – a delicious start.
You HAVE to order the peppercorn salted prawns because they are absolute heaven! A generously sized bowl filled with juicy, plump prawns, covered in a perfectly golden batter and then sprinkled with fresh chili, spring onions and crispy bits which might have been nuts – but they were so addictive I didn’t take enough notice until they were all gone. If you’re sharing, I recommend two bowls because you’ll only regret it after the last bite.
Encompassing carefully selected dishes from around China and Southeast Asia, all prepared from scratch using traditional Chinese, Thai, Malay, and Singaporean disciplines – HUŎ has a cracking menu and includes almost all of my favourite Asian dishes. One of those being black cod and anything in teriyaki sauce. On the menu here is pan-fried teriyaki black cod on a bed of asparagus and with more of that tongue-tingling fresh chili for garnish. The cod was beautiful, well-cooked, absolutely packed with flavour from the teriyaki marinade and the asparagus still holding its bite. It’s not a cheap dish (black cod never is) – but it’s a must order and worth the slightly lighter wallet in the end.
If you have room, order a side of the Thai aubergine. It’s so fragrant from the moment it’s set down at the table and those aromas follow through in the mouth. The aubergine was roasted to perfection, was so juicy, and had soaked up all of the Thai flavours which exploded in the mouth with each bite.
Meat lover? I am and what’s better than a crispy duck pancake? Crispy lamb lettuce wraps! I do love crispy duck, but honestly, I love crispy lamb even more so and the portion here for the price was incredibly generous. Strips of juicy, crispy, full-flavored lamb with lettuce leaves for wrapping and hoisin sauce for dribbling over. It’s messy, but worth it – even if you do manage to spill it all down you.
To finish, a good old classic of banana fritters. It’s everyone’s favorite as a child (and into adulthood) and never seems to disappoint. Very much on the crunchy side here, but still lovely and gave us the sugar rush we’d hoped for and made for the perfect end to our meal.
We had such a lovely time at HUŎ and since visiting have been back for bites and cocktails both with friends, loved ones and more recently – meetings. HUŎ for me comes across as rather health(y)-focused on social media, but don’t let that fool you as they have both healthy and richly satisfying dishes to suit all appetites. Would we come back? We already have and will continue to do so in the future.
