While Hongkongers scout remote destinations for their first holiday in 2026, a journey of discovery for the palate is now on offer closer to home. Yurt, newly opened on SoHo\u2019s Elgin Street, is bringing the hitherto unexplored flavours of Central Asia to the heart of the city, proving you don\u2019t need a boarding pass to be an adventurous gourmand.<\/p>\n
In a dining scene that prides itself on diversity, Central Asia has remained conspicuously absent from the many menus on offer in Hong Kong. For the founders behind Yurt, filling that gap has been a project a long time in the making.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis idea has been in the back of all our minds for years, even before we met,\u201d they share. The catalyst was when Xeniya Tregubenko was introduced to fellow Kazakh native Ali Nuraly through a mutual friend early last year. What started as a casual chat quickly touched on a common dream \u2013 to introduce Central Asian flavours to Hong Kong.<\/p>\n
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<\/div>For both, Yurt marks a distinctive new life chapter. For Tregubenko, a seven-year Hong Kong resident, the restaurant is about \u201cputting down permanent roots\u201d for her culture in her adopted city. For Nuraly, a more recent arrival, it signals \u201cthe exciting beginning of my entrepreneurial journey\u201d.<\/p>\n
Although the pair were confident in the appeal of their plan, Nuraly admits that taking the first concrete step towards opening Yurt was daunting. \u201cIntroducing a completely unknown cuisine \u2026 it was a leap of faith,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
The greater challenge, however, was one of cultural translation. \u201cIt\u2019s one thing to cook the dishes; it\u2019s another to bring the spirit,\u201d Nuraly explains.<\/p>\n
The man tasked with helping achieve this goal is head chef Marat Zakaryayev, another native of Kazakhstan whose culinary experience runs from Almaty to London. \u201cMy goal is for the first-time taster to understand our homeland through its flavours,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n