HAWKER: THE ASIAN-INSPIRED SNACK BAR WHERE COCKTAILS AND SHARING PLATES ARE CELEBRATED
Late night cocktails and Asian-inspired snacks take centre stage at Hawker, the latest venue by the lauded Mason Group. Open 5 days a week, from 6.00pm until late, the moody lounge is, as its name suggests, a haven for street food. The eatery sits in the former site of The Back Room, a softly lit lair perched behind the ever popular restaurant Mason on Batu Bolong in Canggu.
It’s small plates which play a starring role here explains Mason Group Head Chef Benjamin Cross. “The concept is a bar with refined cocktails, and a food element based off late night snacks,” he says, “with inspiration taken from the street hawkers or equivalent around cities like Taipei, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, and Tokyo.”
The menu is interspersed with snacks, dumplings, skewers, noodles & rice, and desserts. Nibble on the likes of 5-spice smoked wagyu brisket with mala dressing, or raw tuna and goma with ogonori furikake. Dumplings are in no short supply, from chicken and cabbage wonton, to shiitake and tofu money bags with green vinegar. There’s Taiwan-style cold noodles with sesame and white cut chicken, or crowd-pleaser fried rice with garlic chive and bean sprout for the hungry. And an indulgent coconut fried ice cream with miso butterscotch to finish.
The accompanying drinks menu is just as Asian-inspired. Sake sits alongside local beers like Kura Kura and Island Brewing, with a slew of wines gathered to match the aromatic Asian flavours - sparkling, white and red are joined by a cluster of pink and orange drops. But it’s the cocktails which really shine here - even the classics have embraced an Asian twist. Sip on the Hawker Old Fashioned (Suntory Kakubin, Wild Honey, Chocolate Bitters) or the Sichuan Mule (Baijiu, Ginger Beer, Lime, Bitters). There’s a duo of alcohol-free options too for teetotallers - Spritz Ball (Tie Guan Yin, Pineapple, Soda, Salt) and Baltmore Classic (Red Tea, Cherry, Lime, Soda).
“Hawker is a reflection of the things we love most about Asian dining and drinking, says Zachary De Git of Mason Group. “The drinks menu is a nod to flavours from all over the continent.”
