Oh That Biscuit!

by Cynthia Sin-Yi Cheng
June 30, 2008

The Pawn
62 Johnston Rd
Wanchai
Hong Kong
852-2866-3444

During my trip to Hong Kong in May, local in-the-know friends insisted on taking me to barely three-month-old The Pawn. This bar-lounge-restaurant located in a restored Wanchai heritage building offers a charming venue to while the night away with friends. I had so much fun drinking champagne and meeting new friends over dinner. Then the cheese plate with homemade oatcake (~$14) stopped me in the middle of my merriment. These incredibly fragrant baked oatmeal biscuits were deliciously tender with crisp bits of oats throughout. When they told me how bare the ingredients were, I was shocked. The contrasting sharpness of the seasonal British cheese — ranging from Montgomery cheddar to Colston Bassett Stilton — that accompanies the biscuits made a sweet-and-savory pairing that quickly became an addiction at my table!

Going to be in Hong Kong soon? I wouldn’t miss a nightcap at The Pawn with oatcakes and cheese.

And if you can’t make it to Hong Kong, I’ve brought the recipe to you:

6 cups quick oats
3 ½ cups flour
1 ¼ cup butter
½ cup sugar
¼ cup water

Combine all dry ingredients with butter and sugar. Mix well. Add water. Roll out dough and cut into shapes using a cookie cutter. Bake at 180 degrees for 20 minutes. Yields 120 pieces.