With Hong Kong’s heat hitting record highs, there’s no better time to wipe the sweat from your brow and head indoors for a mouth-watering affair instead. If you’re at a loss for where to start, the hot new summer menu courtesy of the fine folks over at Zuma, the much-favoured Japanese noshery, is pretty much guaranteed to be a good bet.

New to the menu this summer are plates that are sure to not only thrill, but also chill your taste-buds, starting with the refreshing Big apple berry cocktail which perfectly combines raspberries, blackberries, lime, apple, vanilla and Ketel One vodka. The sweetness of the cocktail instantly hits one’s tastebuds before the aftertaste of a slight sour flavour takes over. Close your eyes and it’s easy to believe you’re sipping poolside at a luxurious paradise-set resort.

Bringing more yummy to your tummy is the new Tomato salad with Roasted Eggplant and Ginger Dressing. This sharing plate’s deliciousness can be accredited to the binchotan charcoal on which it was grilled, this is a dish best suited to share among two to four friends.

While, perhaps more high-end than your typical Japanese pub style cuisine, the Chilled somen noodles with sea urchin, grated ginger and wasabi, still shows what izakaya is all about, as each bite brings one closer to the sea thanks to its luxury seasonal ingredients and masterful Japanese traditional touches. Much like the salad that precedes it, this dish is best shared amongst a small group of friends.

Zuma’s summer menu is a refreshing reminder to dinners just why the Central-spot has earned the ranking as an award-winning kitchen and bar.

Text: Bailey Atkinson