RESTAURANTS

Hong Kong diners are extremely discriminating and because food is taken seriously, restaurants have to compete on quality and price. There is a considerable range of prices when it comes to Chinese and non-Chinese restaurants, so you are well-catered for no matter what your budget. Lower down the price chain, Chinese restaurants are usually better value, and the price comes down even further the more people you have around the table.

Even for solitary diners, Chinese food often works out cheaper. For example, tea and a bowl of freshly made and cooked noodles (usually served with a meat sauce and a green vegetable), or a plate of dumplings and soup, at a downtown air-conditioned Shanghainese restaurant with proper seats, space between each table, a good level of cleanliness, an English/Chinese menu and English-speaking serving staff costs about $28 with no added service charge. A plate of Asian food from cafeteria-style Canteen (IFC Mall, Prince’s Building, etc.) would cost roughly $100, no service charge necessary. Any Western-style establishment in Lan Kwai Fong is going to work out more expensive than that.

Gourmands can choose from a vast array of local and international cuisine, including French, Spanish, Indian, Indonesian, Russian, Cambodian, Mongolian, Egyptian, Lebanese and Nepalese. Chinese restaurants often specialize in specific provincial cuisines that all have their distinct flavours and signature dishes: Cantonese (local), Hunanese, Szechuanese, Shanghainese, Yunnanese and Chiuchow are some of the better known. For detailed information on restaurants, prices and ratings, check out the weekly HK Magazine or the ‘Tatler’ Guide to HK’s Best Restaurants, updated annually. Foodies can also join the local online gourmet community at www.openrice.com (in Chinese) to keep track of new restaurants opening all the time and enjoy member discounts at restaurants. Another food appreciation society is Slow Food (Hong Kong) – call 2836 3938 to find out about meetings. Look out also for the free Japanese magazine Concierge (available in Great super markets), which usually has a few pages of restaurant discount coupons in English.

Restaurants waiting to get liquor licences and those not licensed to serve alcohol usually allow you to bring your own. Some waive the corkage charge; others can charge up to $100 per bottle.

Below, I’ve tried to provide an overview of the dining options in Hong Kong to get you started. If accumulating Asia Miles (www.asiamiles.com) is important to you, make sure you take advantage of the many restaurants and service providers in Hong Kong which are partners in the scheme.

Famous Chinese restaurants

These are some of the longest-established, most famous Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong, imbued with history and ambience (and often octogenarian waiters):

• Tai Ping Koon (40 Granville Road, TST; 6 Pak Sha Road, Causeway Bay, etc.). An early experimenter in East–West fusion; very Hong Kong.
• Luk Yu Teahouse (24–26 Wellington Street, Central). Claims to fame include the retro interior décor, the favouritism of the elderly waiters and an assassination carried out over dim sum in 2002.
• Yung Kee (32–40 Wellington Street). Famous for its roast goose.
• Fook Lam Moon (35–45 Johnston Road, Wanchai). Famous for the black Mercedes parked outside and the excellent food.

Good value restaurants serving regional cuisine

These include:

• Cantonese: Che’s (4/F, The Broadway, Lockhart Road, Wanchai).
• Hakka: Hak Ka (21/F, Lee Theatre, Percival Sreet, Causeway Bay).
• Chiu Chow: Chiu Lau (No.1 Peking Road, Tsimshatsui).
• Shanghainese: Siu Nam Kwok (Sugar Street, Causeway Bay).

Hotel restaurants

Some of the best restaurants in Hong Kong are located inside hotels such as the Mandarin Oriental, Peninsula, Conrad, Shangri-La, Hyatt Regency and Regent. They often enjoy stunning views of the harbour and have excellent service, as well as plenty of space – lacking in some other expensive venues. Prices are high, but you can buy discount cards that allow two to dine for the price of one for a fixed number of visits or period of time.