If chocolate is food for the gods, then garlic is surely the food of the people! Beloved across the world, there is nothing quite like garlic to bring out the best in almost any dish as a fundamental tower of flavour, inspiring a healthy, loving madness for these gorgeous little bulbs. With that in mind, we proudly introduce Mad For Garlic’s upcoming June debut at Times Square in Causeway Bay! One of Korea and Asia’s most successful western restaurant chains since launching in 2001, Mad For Garlic’s 38 locations across Korea serve a modern, chic Italian wine bistro experience (with a Korean twist) to showcase the true superstar of the kitchen: mighty garlic!
Koreans know and love their garlic, and you’ll experience this passion for these delightful cloves in every sumptuous and innovative dish. Served in a striking, modern interior, Mad For Garlic also carries the rustic charm of an old-school tavern or a sophisticated European winery. Combined with elegantly playful garlic-based decorations, every meal is an experience of lingering satisfaction.
Mad For Garlic serves garlic-themed signature dishes within a framework of Italian classics, complete with Korean accents and paired with wines selected for their ability to complement the robust flavour of garlic. Using crops from the protected farm region of Changnyeong-gun – Korea’s largest and most famous producer of country-certified garlic – produce from these lands is hugely rich in flavour due to the region’s unique soil structure, resulting in a less spicy and pungent product. Mad For Garlic goes through over 1,000kg of garlic delivered every day to outlets across Korea.
Garlic may be our superstar, but you’ll find that Mad For Garlic is most concerned with balance. Finding harmonization between garlic and other ingredients is of paramount importance in our menu, but make no mistake: we are truly mad about garlic. Savour every bite of a garlic-laden experience with our oven-fresh breads, crisp salads, pastas, steaks, risottos and much more, including signature plates such as the crispy thin-crust Garlic Snowing Pizza topped with buttery shrimp, pineapple and fried garlic, the comforting spice-laden Garlicpeno Pasta, and the succulent Garlic Sirloin Steak grilled to perfection and heaped high with sautéed garlic and crispy garlic chips.
Wine-wise, Mad For Garlic has a fond appreciation for vino and is designed to feel like a plush wine cellar, perfect for unwinding after a long week. The wine list has been assembled to address the issue of wines paired with garlic flavours, starting with provenance and research into each bottle we serve. With an approachable and affordable list perfect for beginners and connoisseurs alike, you’ll find garlic-friendly bottles from across the world in addition to our private Mad For Garlic house vintage.
Korea has enjoyed a love for garlic unlike any other country, and even the country’s mythology and foundations are rooted in garlic lore! As the Legend of Dangun has it, a bear and a tiger prayed to the gods for a human transformation and were rewarded with an opportunity to prove their worth: given 20 cloves of garlic and some mugwort, the bear and the tiger were told to stay out of sunlight for 100 days while eating nothing but this sacred food. This proved too tall a task for the tiger, but the bear endured and was transformed into a human woman as reward for its dedication. She married a lord of heaven, their child went on to establish the first Korean state, and the national holiday of Gaecheonjeol (National Foundation Day) remains a beloved annual celebration throughout Korea.
Welcome to the launch of a great tribute to beloved garlic as Mad For Garlic gets set to rock the culinary landscape, coming soon to Causeway Bay!
Mad for Garlic
Address:
Shop 1104, Times Square,
Causeway Bay,
Hong Kong
