One of an increasingly small number of restaurants championing fine dining in Wan Chai, Aera strives to showcase the best of New Nordic cuisine – a focus on sustainability, environmental consciousness and responsible practices in food sourcing – in addition to promoting the work of promising young Hong Kong chefs. At the helm is restaurant partner and head chef Chevalier Yau. He and his team are committed to discovering the finest local, natural ingredients, and enhancing them through timehonoured Nordic culinary methods such as pickling, smoking, air-drying and fermentation. At first glance the menu looks deceptively straightforward: think tagliatelle bolognese, and pigeon with beetroot and garlic. However, the flavours are precisely executed and the dynamism of the kitchen clearly perceptible.