Dara HKG

Happiest Birthday, Darang Mel! Today, we celebrate not only your special day but also the invaluable contributions you have made to the establishment of Dara. Your exceptional culinary skills and unwavering passion have shaped the restaurant's success and reputation. Without your expertise and talent, this restaurant would not have been possible. May your birthday be filled with joy and may your culinary journey continue to be filled with success.

BE RIGHT BACK

Our first home at the Artisan House has officially been turned over. It has been an amazing year and we couldn't have done it without all of you.

Many of you have been asking when and where Dara will be reopening. Today, we are excited to announce our new home at Shop 3, 5-6, G/F, SOHO189, Sai Ying Pun. We expect to start our soft opening by invitation in mid-November.

We are more than excited to host you all again. Stay tuned for more details including our upcoming events, our improved, but familiar, interior, charcoal grill, and new cocktails on our menu.

We can't wait to host you guys once again!

GUEST SHIFT @ CLUB MANHATTAN

Dara will be closed for a while but that doesn't mean we'll be taking a break.

Join us this 13 October from 9pm onwards at Club Manhattan where we will be serving our Pandan Negroni and Chocnutini along with a new signature cocktail that we've been working on.

RSVP for the event by sending us a DM or messaging our friends at Club Manhattan directly via 9787 5066.

See you guys there!

📍3/F, Shopping Arcade, Hong Kong Convention And Exhibition Centre, 1 Harbour Road, Wan Chai

LAST CALL AT THE ARTISAN HOUSE!

Join us for a night of drinks, bites and karaoke as we celebrate our last weekend at the Artisan House!

Our cocktails will be available to order until stocks last as well as an all-night happy hour deal for all house spirits and wines.

Our usual dinner menu will not be served but a special bites platter will be on offer.

We will be announcing our moving date and location very soon. We are very excited to reveal what’s next.

In the meantime, let’s end our time at our first home with one last party.

We look forward to seeing everyone there!

CHOCNUTINI

Taste profile: Bitter, sweet, strong coffee and chocolate afternotes

Espresso Martini made the Filipino way.

The Chocnut, with its sweet peanut taste, is a chocolate that is associated with the Filipino childhood. The Barako, popular for its uber-bitter profile, is a coffee bean that is most commonly grown in the Philippine province of Batangas.

By marrying the strength of the Kapeng Barako (Barako Coffee) with the delicate sweetness of our bar-made Chocnut syrup, we create this balance of polarizing flavors that works perfectly either as a night cap or as a dessert.

📸:

NEGRONI WEEK STARTS NOW!

Side by side with our Pandan Negroni, we are excited to serve our two new Negroni cocktails for the next 7 days.

The SHARP & DAPPER, a Mezcal and coffee riff on the Negroni, adding a bitter punch to the classic, and

The PRESKO (Fresh), Dara's fruity and summer take on a White Negroni.

In collaboration with Imbibe and Campari, Dara will be donating 10% of our Negroni Sales to Slow Food, an organization whose goal is to prevent the disappearance of local food cultures and traditions.

Book your tables via our Bistrochat.

MINATAMIS NA SABA AT KAMOTE

Minitamis is a traditional Filipino dessert that cooks fruit, and in some variations sweet potato, in arnibal, an unrefined sugar syrup that is used in many Philippine sweets.

At Dara, we combine saba (Philippine plantain) and kamote (sweet potato) with a pandan sugar syrup and is topped off with pinipig (rice crispies) for a textural crunch, providing our guests with a fresher alternative to satisfy their sweet tooth.

NEGRONI WEEK

Join us at Dara from September 18 to 24 for a week of Negroni cocktails!

Along with our best selling Pandan Negroni, our bar team will be coming up with two (2) new Negroni cocktails to be served exclusively on those dates only.

In collaboration with Imbibe and Campari, Dara will be donating 10% of our Negroni Sales to Slow Food, an organization whose goal is to prevent the disappearance of local food cultures and traditions.

Join us for a great cause and book your tables for Negroni Week via our BistroChat link in our bio!

ENSALADANG TALONG

Our ensalada is a simple Filipino salad, comprised of green mango, onion and cherry tomatoes and seasoned with our homemade calamansi dressing, and is served on a bed of roasted eggplant, giving the freshness of this dish a smoky finish.

Best paired with many umami and savory dishes of the Philippine cuisine, this dish is an excellent choice to open up your taste buds and start any meal.

📸:

SALAMAT ARTISAN!
(Thank you, Artisan!)

It has been a blessing to have found a home for Dara at the Artisan House. For the past ten months, it has been an honor to have hosted our fellow Filipinos where we can share the nostalgia of home and a place for our foreign friends to experience our culture, whether or not for the first time. We are forever grateful for the love and support.

However, it is with sadness that we have to say goodbye to our first home. Circumstances have forced us to close our doors at the Artisan House by the end of September 2023.

To usher in the next chapter, we invite you to come eat and tagay (cheers) with us before we say paalam (goodbye) to the place where it all began. We are excited for what is to come.

Maraming salamat sa inyong lahat!
(Thank you very much to you all!)

Comment below and let us know what you'd like us to bring over to Kabanata 2 (Chapter 2)!

LECHON KAWALI

The secret of the Lechon Kawali is its simplicity. This crispy dish is made by frying thick slabs of succulent pork belly in hot oil and is traditionally made in a "kawali", a frying pan that can be found in every Filipino household.

A fan favorite, the umami packed dish is paired with two condiments, the "sarsa", a sweet dipping sauce made from liver and "s**ang sawsawan", a spiced vinegar that is infused with onions and chili over a few days. We then balance it with "ensaladang labanos", a side salad made from radish, tomatoes and "bagoong", acting as the perfect palate cleanser for the next flavorful bite.

📸:

**a

SARSIADONG APAHAP

Derived from the Spanish word salsa, "sarsiado" is a cooking style that means to be cooked with a thick sauce. Typically, sarsiado dishes are prepared using fish, such as Tilapia or Milkfish. However, this dish is prepared using seabass, which is locally known as "Apahap." The seabass is seared and served on a bed of Filipino-style soffritto, which consists of chopped tomatoes, celery, onions, and garlic.

It's worth noting that Philippine cuisine often features pork or beef as the main ingredients in many dishes, and the sarsiado provides a delicious balance to pair with other umami-forward dishes.

📸:

DARA x STRANGER & SONS

3 August 2023 from 6pm to late.

Presenting our menu for tomorrow's Stranger & Sons Gibsons x Dara's Oysters pairing event!

For the price of HKD188 (service charge inclusive), choose between three (3) specially crafted Stranger & Sons Gibson with each cocktail paired with its own unique Filipino-styled oyster.

Tables are going fast! Book now via our bistrochat link in our bio to secure your seats.

We look forward to hosting you tomorrow!

Adobong Manok

Adobo is arguably the most recognized Filipino dish in the world. Although there are many variations of this savory dish, its most popular marinade combines soy sauce, vinegar, whole peppercorns, garlic, and bay leaves.

The name "adobo" was derived from its way of cooking and was coined during the colonial era, taken from its Spanish counterpart. However, the style of preparing this dish existed even before the Spaniards entered the country, making its taste a uniquely Pinoy experience.

📸:

DARA x STRANGER & SONS

3 August 2023 from 6pm to late.

A fusion of cultures!

Using the Indian flavor-packed Stranger & Sons Gin, we will be serving three (3) Filipino inspired drinks of Martini’s rebellious cousin— the Gibson. Cocktails will be curated by Dara’s head mixologist and head bartender, Jon Bunoan and Aaron De Guzman, and also our special guest and friend, Stranger & Son’s very own brand Ambassador, Amir Javaid.

We will be pairing their creations with the umami of fresh oysters that come with three (3) different Philippine styled sauces made by Dara's kitchen team— with each sauce designed to pair perfectly with its own specific Gibson.

We look forward to seeing everyone there!

Inasal na Manok is a popular Filipino style barbecue made by marinating chicken with lemongrass, ginger, garlic and "atsuete", or annato in English, creating a reddish hue on the meat and is brought to life by grilling it over a hot plate. We serve this dish with a side of "atchara", a Filipino condiment, which is made from pickling papaya fruit.

The Inasal's origins can be traced back to Bacolod, a city in the Philippines over 500 kilometers away from Dara's hometown in Pampanga, but like many dishes in the Philippines, is shared and enjoyed across the many regions across the country.

📸:

SABONG SA DARA!

In celebration of the announcement of Asia's 50 best bars taking place in Hong Kong, join us on the 19th of July, 2023, where we are honored to be hosting a duo of Hong Kong's very own friends from the industry.

Witness Paulo Quejano, co-founder of The Sanctum, and Bryan Benitez, head mixologist of Ozone at the Ritz-Carlton, go head-to-head, displaying their very own unique cocktails, from 8pm until late.

We are excited to announce our guest shift tomorrow, 6 July (Thurs)!

Our Head Mixologist, Jon Bunoan, will be at FURUTU spearheading an evening of Japanese x Filipino styled cocktails and will be joined by Mark Korps, one of our co-Founders at Dara.

Come say hi to the boys and grab a drink from 8pm to 11pm!

📌 Furutu, Ground Floor, 59C Peel St, Central

"7641"

Flavor profile: Citrus forward, hints of spice

Our signature cocktail's name is derived from the total number of islands that comprises The Philippine Archipelago, 7,641 islands scattered across the three major regions of the Philippines— Luzon, Vizayas and Mindanao, with each cluster boasting its own unique culture and personality.

Using Cognac as the base spirit, we enhance its flavours by combining it with fresh lemon juice and elderflower liqueur and finished with a unique spice profile of our bar-made chrysanthemum-ginger honey syrup. Finally, we garnish this drink with a lime coin— a visual representation of any one of our beloved Philippine islands.

📸:

#7641

Kinilaw is a native seafood dish from the Philippines that cooks raw fish with the acidity of vinegar. Also known as the Filipino ceviche, the Kinilaw is perfect either as an appetizer before the savory flavors of other popular Filipino dishes or as "pulutan", a term used to describe food that pairs perfectly with beer or other spirits.

While there is a wide variety of fishes to use for the Kinilaw, such as Tuna or more commonly Tanigue, we at Dara use Talakitok (or Yellowtail), curing it with the acidity of our vinegar, ginger and lemongrass mixture.

📸:

GRASSROOTS PALOMA

Flavor profile: Balanced, vegetal notes

A flavor-bomb combination that utilizes tequila and carbonated grapefruit juice and blending it with our "mixed greens" concoction which fuses the natural sweetness of ripe pineapple, fresh mint, tarty kaffir and the bitter malunggay, a vegetable popular in many Philippine soups, creating this vegetal and refreshing drink perfect for the heat.

The grassroots concept is inspired by many Filipino stories where, from humble beginnings, the resilience of our fellow Pinoys transcend them into a better life.

From the farmers who harvest the very produce that we incorporate in our food and drink, to within the walls of Dara where from our small catering business we now strive to grow as restaurant, and to our esteemed guests, OFWs, locals and foreigners alike, who after a long day deserve a toast to their hardwork.

To the dads of Dara and to all fathers out there, wishing you a very happy Father's Day!

To celebrate our household heroes, all dads get 50% off on their dinner orders today.

𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐀𝐋𝐀𝐌𝐀𝐓! 🇵🇭

On behalf of the organizers, we would like to express our gratitude to all who graced the Philippine Independence Day Celebration at last Sunday, 11th of June 2023.

Our successful event was made possible by the community's unwavering love and support. It was heartwarming to see everyone come together in the spirit of camaraderie, reflecting the true essence of our national day. 🤝🏻💫

We hope everyone had an enjoyable time, indulging the pinoy comfort food and refreshing cocktails prepared by and .hkg ! and Edwin filled the room up with so much “kilig” energy by serenading us, later then joined by all the jammers who showed off their singing talents. 🎙️✨

𝙂𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙁𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙤-𝙤𝙬𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙨𝙤𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩! 🌟

.hkg .ethical.fashion .pink .active .hk

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙙 — 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙪𝙘𝙠𝙮 𝙙𝙧𝙖𝙬 𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙨! 💚

| Dinner date for 2 people
𝗥𝗮𝘆𝗮 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮
hkg | Lunch date for 2 people
𝗝𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝗻 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘇

| Eco-Soy Candle Making Workshop for 2 people
𝗞𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗹𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗼

| 7-day Experience Pass
𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼

| Dewy Brightening Facial
𝗧𝗶𝗮𝗿𝗮 𝗛𝗼𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗲
active | Workout Bands
𝗝𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗴𝗻𝗼

| Professional Home Organising Consultation
Hannah Cheng
hk | 250ml Vegan Guacamole Dips
𝗗𝗶𝘅𝗶𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻

Let's continue supporting Filipino-owned businesses in Hong Kong. We hope to see you at the next event! 👋🏻

𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐬𝐚 𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐀 🇵🇭

Event: A Journey of Discovery - Experience the Filipino Way
🗓️: Sunday, 11 June 2023
⏰: 12:00 PM - 10:00 PM
📍: DARA
Shop 6, Artisan House, 1 Sai Yuen Lane, Sai Ying Pung ( MTR Exit B3 )

📣 Join us for a small gathering, to celebrate independence day and enjoy the lineup of creative Filipino-owned restaurants and artisans brands in Hong Kong. Experience a unique gastronomic and retail experience, a tarot card reading and live music session to be led by and few more talented artists. Whether you come alone or with a group of friends, you will definitely have an awesome time!

🕺🏽No booking required, just walk-in!💃🏻

🥘 We are delighted to serve you with a delicious Pinoy-style lunch and snacks prepared by along with .hkg Indulge yourself with some ube flavoured pastries by 💜

🛍️ Our pop-up is a good opportunity to celebrate Filipino artisans' craftsmanship. Support and shop from these brands

👡 .ethical.fashion | Handcrafted sustainable sandals made in the Philippines

🕯️ | Connoisseur of eco-soy candles and home fragrances based in Hong Kong

☀️ | Fine jewellery brand dedicated to creating modern classics. The brand reimagines South Sea pearls into understated yet chic pieces that transcend the common phrase: “Your Grandmother’s Pearls.”

🔮 | Psychic Readings, Energy Healing, Mindfulness & Numerology

🍸 will be serving three signature cocktail for one night only sponsored by All proceeds from the drinks from 6:00 - 10:00 PM will be donated to .pink .This community organisation is dedicated to empowering underprivileged local communities with accessibility to be preventive and proactive about breast cancer health care.

🎁 We will end the event with a lucky draw - win some goodies from .active .hk ✨

Stay tuned with the exciting schedule line-up! 👏🏻

Our Lunch menu is now on FoodPanda!

Order our Silog sets and pastries care of everyday from 11:30am to 3pm.

Our dinner menu will currently still only be available for dine-in. Stay tuned for any updates moving forward.

Aligue, or "Burong Talangka" in Pampanga, is prepared by fermenting the roe and tomalley of river swimming crabs with salt as a method of preservation.

By sautéing the paste with rice and topping it with fresh crab meat, we create this savory dish known as Aligue Rice and is best paired with flavorful dishes, such as our Chicken Adobo and Lechon Kawali, amongst many other items on Dara's menu.

📸:

The origins of Sisig can be traced back to the 1700s. From the kampangan word "Manyisig", which means "to eat something sour", the Sisig was originally made from guava, papaya and other vegetables and was a salad rather than the umami packed dish we know today. It wasn't until the mid 1900s, when Aling Lucing of Pampanga, dubbed the Queen of Sisig, started incorporating pork "maskara" (pig face) creating this Filipino specialty that would even capture the praise of the late Anthony Bourdain.

Since then, many variations of Sisig have been developed. However, here at Dara, we take pride in sticking to the simplicity of the Kampangan tradition, combining pork maskara with chopped onion, chicken liver and various souring agents and served on a hot plate, the sizzle of which has become a familiar sound during our dinner service.

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PANDAN NEGRONI

Flavor profile: Bitter, slightly sweet, pandan afternotes

A riff on everyone’s favorite Italian cocktail, by infusing pandan leaves with gin, we replace the natural bitter afternotes of this classic aperitif with the sweet and nuttiness of the pandan.

The Pandan Negroni has become one of Dara’s best sellers and is a great start to any meal.

Grab a great deal on our Pandan Negroni during our Happy Hour at the following times:

-Sunday to Thursday from 3:30pm to 5:30pm & 9:00pm to late; and
-Friday to Saturday from 3:30pm to 5:30pm.

📸:

We are finally announcing our Lunch Service!

Starting tomorrow, 2 May 2023, we will be serving our Silog dishes from 11.30am to 3pm.

Pair the quintessential Filipino brunch with our Barako coffee or freshly squeezed juices.

📸:

BUNGA

Flavor profile: Tarty, sour, hint of spice

Bunga, which translates to Fruit in English, is our signature cocktail that combines flavors of various fruits to create this tongue tickling cocktail. By balancing the sweetness of raspberries with salted tamarind and fresh lemon juice, we finish the drink with a touch of chile liqueur to add a slight sense of heat to every sip.

The Philippines is home to over 300 different edible fruit species and is the 8th largest exporter of tropical fruits worldwide.

📸:

We are more than honored to be hosting “Cheesecake For A Cause” where we are looking forward to be serving the delicate Buko Pandan Cheesecakes from April 14 to 16, 2023, made by our dearest friend, Funmhk.

All profits of the sales will be for the benefit of Help For Domestic Workers.

Reservations are filling up fast so book your tables early via our BistroChat (link in bio).

GUBAT

Flavor profile: Citrus forward, grassy afternotes

The Gubat (or Forest in English) is one of Dara’s signature cocktails that uses vegetal ingredients to create this citrus forward cocktail. The infusion of dill leaves in vodka creates a unique grassy tickle to the tongue, balancing it with fresh lemon juice and the sweetness of our bar-made pandan cordial. The herbaceous notes from green chartreuse, fresh mint and green tea elevates the body of the drink and is an excellent palette cleanser after a hearty meal.

The inspiration behind this drink is the lush Philippine rainforests which covers about a quarter of the country’s land mass and is home to a very diverse ecosystem of animals such as the wide-eyed Tarsier and the country’s national bird, the monkey eating Philippine Eagle.

📸:

Need to kill time before your dinner plans or a night cap after a long day? Come through for Happy Hour at Dara!

Swing by for a great deal on our Pandan Negroni and Camalansi Margarita as well as mocktails, beers, wine and house spirits. Bar bites will also be served.

🎨:

Laing is a Filipino dish that is made by cooking taro leaves in coconut milk and green chilis and is traditionally served as "ulam" (main dish) that pairs well with other popular Philippine dishes.

Here at Dara, we wrap the simmered leaves in wheat rolls, deep fry it in vegetable oil and served with our homemade coconut cream dip, giving a unique spin to this vegan dish.

The savory and smoky flavor of the Lumpiang Laing goes well with many of our cocktails and is an excellent choice to start a meal.

📸:

We are pleased to announce that as of today, March 13, we will be open for dinner service every Monday from 6pm!

You may book your tables through our Bistrochat via the link below.

http://book.bistrochat.com/dara

We look forward to hosting you guys!

CALAMANSI MARGARITA

Flavor profile: Sour, citrus notes

The calamansi, known as the Philippine lime, is utilized in a wide variety of traditional Filipino dishes, marinades and sauces. Despite its tiny size, the small green fruit packs a potent balance of sweet and sour flavors.

Our crowd favorite Calamansi Margarita combines freshly squeezed calamansi with tequila blanco and a splash of agave syrup, giving the world famous margarita a flavorful twist that is synonymous with the Philippine palate.

📸:

We are excited to announce our second guest shift this Friday, March 10!

Featuring Bryson Rivera of Social Den (HK) and Lester Ligon of Spirits Library (Philippines).

The boys will be serving their signature cocktails from 8.30pm until late.

Slide us a DM for more details.

Hailed as the Best Soup in the World by the Taste Atlas Awards, the Sinigang is a true representation of Filipino cuisine. Known for it's sour broth, different soup variations range from lemon, kamias and guava and depending on preference, using either beef, pork, shrimp, bangus (milk fish) or simply doing away with the meat and making it vegan.

Our Beef Sinigang sticks to tradition by using tamarind imported from the Philippines as its soup base, simmering it with tender beef chunks, and a wide range of vegetables such as mustasa (mustard greens), taro, tomato, string beans and radish.

We do understand that some of our guests have dietary restrictions. Darang Mel (Auntie Mel) will be more than happy to accommodate by making the dish vegan. (Let us know in advance).