There has been a long standing battle for the ownership of a national cuisine! No, I'm not talking about the stoush between Australia and New Zealand over the beloved pavlova, I'm talking about something much more serious.
Steak-frites is a very common and popular dish served in brasseries throughout Europe, most notably in Belgium and France, where both lay claim as its birthplace. Simply translated, it is a combination of steak and fries and in reality, many countries could probably lay claim to the dish. Typically using entrecôte, French for the premium cut or rib eye, the fatty steak is usually cooked medium rare and served with golden fries and topped with a béarnaise sauce.
It's somewhat surprising to learn that Hong Kong has adopted the steak-frites revolution, with a serious number of players in the space. In fact, SoHo in the Midlevels has more steak-frites restaurant than you can count, with Peel Street housing three within sight of each other! I'd been eyeing off many of these brasseries and decided it was high time to check on out!
With so many to choose from, I simply picked one that had the coolest name and best looking web site. Conveniently located in Peel Street, stepping into La Vache was like being transported to Paris, the staff and the fit-out screamed chic Parisian charm. We didn't have a reservation, but were informed that there was a table available, as long as we were out by 8pm - not a problem we assured our maitre 'd.
