Sohofama

Absolutely loved, loved, loved the space! I’m a sucker for outdoor seating and this is definitely up there for one of the best. It’s kind of below street level and it was pouring rain so the walkway above provided a nice shelter while we got to enjoy our meal without getting drenched.
There did appear to be some seats indoors, but that ain’t my cup of tea if it’s over 55 degrees outside. The thing that really stuck out was that they had a cocktail garden where they grew all the herbs they use in their drinks.
I have to say, this place was pretty damn pricey, but all the dishes were presented beautifully, and the service was great. I got the orange congee cocktail, which had a really weird texture, and tasted alright. It was like a sweet, alcoholic… watery congee. Not my thing. My sister’s elderflower tea cocktail was really refreshing. The lobster rice and the ribs were phenomenal and definitely the highlight of the meal. For sure a place to impress someone on a date.

Maybe I’m just looking for a place for afternoon coffee /​drink, the manu may look a bit extravagant (and it’s a mistake to order truffle dumpling in a Sunday afternoon) Anyway, I like the environment here, the outdoor area is relaxing with shields, fans and… mosquito repellant (nice!) Coffee is out of stock today (oops!~) so I’ve order a ginger ale. My friend’s coconut+shooter looks nicer tho. Easily we spent like 3 hours there without noticing, just later found that the truffle dumplings are quite expensive! Must be the waitress being too nice and pretty that we just ordered the dumpling as she suggested…^___^”

It ain’t bad at all but on the pricey side.
Now it’s quite a different dining experience if you have to rush through door-​in-​door-​out in 45 minutes (about to watch Avengers 2 later that night!). The staff were a bit oblivious about whether or not if they even had tables available for walk-​in, but the manager played smart and offered a table to us anyway.
Read through the food/​drink menu definitely took us some time. The names of the cocktails were amazing, if you could read both Chinese and English, they guaranteed a few giggles. But again, you had to read the fine prints to really know if you were ordering a gin or a whisky or a traditional Chinese liquor mix (coz there’s no way to tell from the name.)
The names of the dishes were the same, but a bit of a hit or miss. Just like most of the ideas G.O.D. (the lifestyle store that owns Sohofama), about 75% would give you a good giggle, and the rest of the 25% would be either over the top, confusing, actual typo, or a mix of the above. Say while they were focusing on serving organic food, I was not sure if adding «organic» (有機) in front of most of the items were a genuine intention, or more a tongue-​in-​cheek.
Anyway, we ordered the drinks first, and then ordered ORGANIC xiao lung bao, black truffle spring rolls, Chinese creamed cabbage (奶油津白), and a XO sauce scallop fried rice.
XLB were good, not my top 3, but definitely more decent than I expected in a «modern Chinese fusion» restaurant. black truffle spring rolls and Chinese creamed cabbage were both well made, but I found it hard to justify the price. Fried rice were a bit too dry, and as the traditional wisdom would tell you, you needed rice cooked overnight to make good fried rice, and apparently no actual restaurant would do it that way.
But at least, food arrived in timely manner and at least one of the staff (+ the manager) did realize we were in a hurry. The 4 stars were given to the expedited service, the above average + above expectation food, but not for the price, nor the cheeky menu.

I totally agree with a previous reviewer, Celine’s comments on Sohofama. To summarize, you can totally find the same dishes at other restaurants at a much lower price, except that the menu won’t have the word «organic» on every item.
Sohofama is definitely overpriced. I came here with a female friend. We ordered 4 dishes and 2 cocktails. The bill came out to be $ 1000 already. The 4 dishes were drunken free range chicken, slow cooked 48-​hour beef short rib pancake slider, local group casserole and stir friend organic local green beans w/​organic minced pork. My cocktail was the smoked camomile. Again, don’t get me wrong, the food was all good. I just think it’s overpriced for having the name tag «organic» on every item but I didn’t see anything special about the meat being more tender or have better quality. The cocktail was special but not strong enough and a bit too small for the price.
Service at Sohofama was so-​so… I was quite disappointed with their staff when we were seated at the high chair facing the wall at 7pm. We asked if we could sit at a regular table as we knew we were just gonna have a quick dinner and leave within 1.5 hours at 8:30pm. Without checking the bookings, the staff just declined and said it’s full house. Guess what, when we left the restaurant before 9pm, there were still a few empty tables. I understand there may be some no-​shows but at least they could check and offer us a limited time frame to sit at a regular table. I’d definitely expect a bit better service at a pricey restaurant.

The masterminds of Locofama have teamed up with G.O.D to create an amazing collaboration of farm to table organic Chinese food… and the results are delicious. Decorated in the quirkiness of G.O.D that we all love and enjoy, the food and drinks does not disappoint.
I recommend as a first time guest to try the tasting menu. Some of the highlights are the delicious 生煎包 (Sheng Jien Bao) which are soft and pillowy filled with seasoned pork and a cripsy bottom. The Xiao Long Baos are quite comparable to those from the famous Din Tai Fung where the skin is paper thin and meticulously wrapped. Try the truffle XLBs for a decadent treat. Other highlights of the meal are the organic eggs with crab meat which has a dramatic presentation and finally the seared organic pork… tastes like beef… but super delicious with the garlic and greens sauce over the top.
Drinks are also quite unique. Try the Luo Han Guo if you are into strong and not so sweet drinks, the Orange Peel Porridge for a quirky Asian inspired drink, however ask the bartender to whip up their Bloody Mary. and ask for it extra spicy. It is one tasty and delicious drink. The vodka has been infused with chilis to make it extra punchy.
This is a must try for me and by far one of the best new places in HK right now!

Sohofama is the little sister of Locofama, both selling organic food under Goods Of Desires (GOD). It is somewhat buried behind G.O.D. with no signs outside yet, however you can enter through the back of PMQ to their patio area.
The outside patio area was empty on a Sunday evening but is charmingly decorated with home-​grown plants with bringing a country feel, and is known as their urban garden. Definitely lovely for an afternoon brunch/​tea.
We sat down in a booth indoor. It is suitable for groups, with 2 long tables sitting maybe 10 and a couple other 4-​people booths. I’d say it fits about 30ish inside. Water was served with refreshing squeezed lemon. They have a simple menu and they also offer a tasting menu for $ 480 per person (They remove 2 dishes if there’s only 2 diners) But we opted for a la carte.
They don’t have their alcohol license yet so only mocktails are served. There’s no prices on them but they’re a rather steep $ 70. The LEMON MINT MARIGOLD had a hint of lemon grass and mint/​soda, a reminiscent of a mojito (less minty, more lemony), the FRANGIPANI GREEN TEA tasted more like a sour light green tea (kind of similar to the one starbucks offered for a while). Both are refreshing but overpriced.
The star dish was the ORGANIC SPANISH BELOTTA PLUMA PORK WITH GARLICK DIPPING SAUCE $ 248, It came with 7 pieces (a bit pricey for its portion) The meat however, was very tender and a little pink in the center. The butter/​herb/​garlic mix added to the richness. Definitely pair with RICE $ 18 for this as it can get a little salty.
The DRUNKEN FREE RANGE CHICKEN $ 98 had a stronger chinese wine aroma than Crystal Jade’s but the free range chicken was a tad dry. Portions are similar to Crystal Jade’s which runs around $ 78. It is topped with wolfberries and on a thin bed of cucumbers.
The STIR FRIED GREEN BEANS WITH MINCED PORK $ 98 was a bit expensive for what it is. Nothing really special, Again, I can get the same dish at Crystal Jade for about $ 60?
Since we weren’t full yet, we added an order of STIR FRIED PORK TENDORLOIN WITH CHILI AND HOUSEMADE PANCAKE WRAP $ 168. To be honest, it wasn’t anything too special from your typical Chinese dish. The pancake may be a TAD thin and easily ripped when folded. But I’d much rather it be thin than thick. The price was somewhat reasonable though.
Complimentary glutinous rice balls were provided, THey kind of reminded me of the nutella balls I had at Man Mo Café.
***
Tips: Could try the xiao long bao, The ORGANIC SPANISH BELOTTA PLUMA PORK WITH GARLICK DIPPING SAUCE was a star although a little pricey. Order rice to make up for small portions.
Favourites: ORGANIC SPANISH BELOTTA PLUMA PORK WITH GARLICK DIPPING SAUCE
Meh: STIR FRIED GREEN BEANS WITH MINCED PORK and DRUNKEN CHICKEN were nothing special. Mocktails on the steep side. Overpriced
Last words: The bill came out to be $ 870 after tip which is steep for what it is. I expected the bill to be around $ 500 max. I much prefer its sister restaurant LOCOFAMA for more unique and western flavours. I felt like I was eating at an overpriced (albeit higher quality) Crystal jade. But the price does not justify the jump in quality. Perhaps a larger portion on some of the items would alleviate this.