BEDU: A Wonderful Gastronomic Exploration of the Middle East

BEDU is Hong Kong’s home for refreshing Middle Eastern flavours with a contemporary approach to a region’s worth of diversity in spices, cooking methods, and traditions. Influence in the shared dishes comes from the desert tribe of Bedouin in the form of tangy, earthy, and sweet plates dominant in the ancient Levant region.

Opening in 2018 on the strong Gough Street food strip by French Hong Kong-raised siblings Laurea and Alexis Offe, the restaurant is dedicated to introducing strong vegetarian options to a former Soho lacking such accessibility and sources the greatness of the Arabian region to a cosy diner in Hong Kong.

The Middle Eastern eatery was born under the ownership of the Offe siblings' experience-focused restaurant group, Meraki Hospitality Group. It was the second opening for the pair, intent on trading local and seasonal produce for a modern twist on the region’s street food culture.

Venue

Sat at the legs of the infamous al fresco-drinking cobbled Shin Hing Street, BEDU effortlessly masks into a hip destination-restaurant on the Gough strip: non-pretentious, affordable in style and price-point, and a place to be talked about.

The bright array of orange terracotta, splashes of pink and purple, and brown-hued furniture bring the vibrance and colours of Beirut, Tel Aviv, and Amman markets and their spiced food. Taking inspiration from the Bedouin desert dwellers found in the region, natural materials of wood, clay, and metals on the walls and crockery further establish a Middle East authenticity.

BEDU’s menu is confident in hosting variant forms of dining experiences, inclusive of established tastings with conversations with Meraki executive chef Corey Riches at the bar, quick white wines with dips at the semi-outside patio or hosting multiple guests at the low tables.

Food and drink

In a fair sampling of plates sourced across Middle East, chef Corey mans a kitchen designed to infuse his culinary skills honed in fine-dining restaurants in Melbourne and Brisbane, with locally sourced New Territories vegetation and Arabic-inspired recipes.

Entering a bustily BEDU preparing for a rush of customers on a mid-week dinner, we joined the celebrations for a tasting of the Chef’s Menu (HK$610/pp) covering a wide range of seasonal plates from the garden, sea and land, mezze platters, with a revolving miscellany of chef’s Corey’s curated mezze and specials.

To begin our tasting, we manned ourselves with Homemade Flatbread and dug into the BEDU signature Smoky Hummus & Beetroot Labneh, bright in both creamy nutty flavours and colour, a Local Tomato Salad, prepared with Hong Kong-sourced shoot vegetables, followed by Seasonal Pickles & Fresh Cucumber.

In expected BEDU fashion, the starter mezze assemblage could consist as a full meal, but for us, the tangy, bouncy, and creamy flavours of each dish set the mood of the evening, acting as a palate cleanser. The nutty and garlic-strong flavour, as per the heavy ajoene aroma, of the hummus is a powerful dip for sampling the honey-sweet and herby-salty flatbread. Similarly with the beetroot labneh, both dips offer tangy aftertastes, coating your tongue with a salty oil and umami-rich layer. Cut the fat in your mouth with the pickled vegetables, slightly peachy in flavour and addictive to taste.

For Chef’s Mezze, chef Corey prepared a delightful Three Yellow Chicken Mousse, a buttery pate cured using the liver of Hong Kong yellow chicken presented on a bed of slightly vinegary yellow mustard. For my vegetarian dining partner, we tucked into the Honey Baked Feta, a lightly seared square cut of feta served on a bed of lavender-infused, locally produced raw honey.

A focus for BEDU’s culinary approach is to serve a strong vegetarian menu for a Soho crowd familiar with previously a lack of options. The powerful Roasted Local Eggplant and Beetroot Bastura dishes, rich in umami-packed, creamy sauces and playful with texture, shine on the menu, in part due to co-founder Laura’s vegetarian diet.

The beetroot plate features a cobbled together melange of beetroot labneh, honey-roasted pine nuts, sautéed herb garlic, beetroot carpaccio cuts, pickled cucumber, and with caramelised whey drizzled atop. Sourcing local beetroot from Hong Kong, chef Corey effectively matches the savoury, earthy flavour of the eggplant with a pickle and tang from the whey and zaatar, forming a well-rounded bite.

Where chef Corey’s skill shines is hidden deep within the savoury Truffle Duck Tagine, an aesthetically sublime sizzling platter with three distinct layers: a chicken soup-infused risotto with herbs to introduce a slight bitter taste, smoky and paprika-focused duck breast, and an egg yolk to complement the dish.

Nearing the end of our tasting of the chef’s menu, the smoky seared cuts of duck breast was a standout dish, powerful in aroma and flavours to represent the strength of BEDU’s culinary flex. The light frothy chicken-base meets with an herby twang to match the salty duck slices. Biting into each breast cut releases a charming charcoal-rich and slightly lemony aroma that travels through the nose to push for yet another bite.

In a suitable finale to the Chef’s Menu, we dug our spoons deep into the frothy, aromatic Daisy’s Honey Cake. A special at BEDU, the honey cake employs the local raw honey sourced from New Territories and served on a sizzling plate with green almonds for a matching crunchy texture.

Ending our meal on the honey cake was well-deserved and appropriate. In a dining experience shirking away from preservatives, additives and fillers, raw and local ingredients shine at BEDU for flavours that taste real, especially in the honey cake. The hot almond milk poured by chef Corey to both soften the cakes hard exterior and bring a piquant and nutty taste to the dessert.

Atmosphere

BEDU is a warm hug embracing you with a homely atmosphere, as part of a family restaurant that places a considered emphasis on sharing a culture of food with loved ones crowding around in appreciation.

With its soulful interior, matching the desert and inner-city colours of a far-flung Arabic and Middle Eastern world, BEDU introduces you to a world beyond Gough Street, along with the knowledge possessed by the managerial-server teams and chef pair. Vegetarians are well catered for in a rare Hong Kong attempt that has wondered a wealth of foodies beckoning to the haven.

Verdict

In a delightful inspection of the Chef’s Menu, prepared by veteran chef Corey Riches, BEDU stands proudly in the limelight as a venue apt to challenge appetites and expectations with simple recipes and ingredients sourced locally.

Whilst not placing in a specific locale on earth, BEDU does well to expose diners to dishes that can assume a utilitarian regional identity. Hummus is Israeli, Egyptian, and Lebanese; baked feta is Iranian and Iraqi; tagine is Moroccan and Algerian.

We highly recommend sampling the Chef’s Menu at your next visit to BEDU for a comprehensive exploration of a region and its gastronomic wealth.

This food review is based on a complimentary media tasting provided by BEDU in exchange for a truthful review and no compensation. The opinions expressed within represent the views of the author.