Meats eatery offers visual feast as well

A focal point of the new Meats eatery in SoHo, described as a “meat bar”, is a custom-made  rotisserie and robata grill.

Guests can sit in front of the glass-fronted kitchen to watch the chefs as they marinate, grill, roast and carve.

On Staunton Street, the bar offers casual dining without reservations, offering sharing-style dishes. As well as slow roasting and grilling, its kitchen even prepares smoked meat.

Brought to Hong Kong by Pirata Group, Meats has warm lighting, eclectic mismatched seating and vintage touches, thanks to Melbourne’s boutique interior design firm Samantha Eades. Exposed raw building materials are offset with European tiles and hand-painted depictions of forest animals on textured walls.

Head chef Paddy McDermott says the knowledge and science behind preparing meat “almost takes us back to our primal instincts”.

“I’m fascinated by the skill that goes into knowing how to use the whole animal, respecting unappreciated cuts of meat to create amazing dishes.”

Each table has tongs, miniature meat cleavers and carving forks for diners. A one-page menu divides the offering into Small, Meats, Sides, Veggies and Sweets.

Meats dishes that can be seen turning on the rotisserie include rustic Iberian porchetta with crispy crackling and aromatic herbs. Another slow-cooked signature is the chicken, which is salted overnight and basted in its own juices. A feature dish is appropriately titled Chef Give Me Meats!, which includes exclusive items not listed the menu.

As well as wines, the bar offers bourbons, cocktails and craft beers by the bottle and draught.

Meats seats up to 78 diners, including discrete corners and casual counter stools.

Pirata Group, run by Manuel Palacio and Christian Talpo, also has the restaurants Pirata, The Optimist, Pici and TokyoLima.