The Most-Loved Hong Kong Restaurants, According To 4 Tastemakers
The culinary scene in Hong Kong is world-renowned for being vibrant and sumptuous. Here, four creative tastemakers share the restaurants they love – and recommend the dishes to order and tables to book. By KATIE BERRINGTON
Victoria Tang-Owen, founder and creative director of Thirty30 Creative
“My current favorite spot in Hong Kong is The Merchants, a traditional Shanghainese restaurant at Forty-Five Landmark. I worked with interior designer Sean Dix to develop a large-scale hand-painted, hand-embroidered wallpaper in traditional Chinese style that flows across one side of the restaurant. The crispy eel, shredded chicken and wok-fried river shrimps are my must-haves.” @victoriaxtang
Kim Bui Kollar, stylist and creative consultant
“Hong Kong has an abundance of delicious restaurants, but, when it comes to Chinese food, I feel like it can sometimes be a choice between either ambience or food. Xin Rong Ji wins in both areas, without being a fancy restaurant in a hotel. In fact, its nondescript entrance and location makes it quite cool. I love the hushed dining room and the curated lighting. Peking duck is the dish to order, but I find the simple vegetable dishes to be equally exquisite – they are served depending on seasonality and from the Xin Rong Ji’s farm, and big groups are welcomed so that lots of different flavors can be ordered. I always take a photo of the restaurant’s wabi sabi floral arrangements for my mood board, too.
“Next up is Louise: it’s always fun to visit what feels like Louise’s actual house. The famed chicken and rice is so delicious and is one of those dishes that is meant to be shared. I like to have an aperitif at one of the tables in the garden and hear the bustle around the Soho area. Save room for dessert, too – it’s totally worth the extra exercise the next day. I have dreams of doing a shoot in the gorgeous wallpapered dining room downstairs.
“Alternatively, when I am in the mood for a cool, casual meal, I go to Yardbird, where I am guaranteed to run into people I know from Hong Kong or visiting from New York or Tokyo. It’s always a fun time there, and the service is fantastic. Yakitori [grilled chicken] is the premise of the restaurant, but I always get the fish sandwich and the Caesar salad, which is made of wild-flower greens. Yardbird is a total vibe – it’s unlike any other restaurant I have been to in the world.” @aka.kimbui
Lung Lung Thun, financier and watch collector
“My favorite place to eat in the whole of Hong Kong is Oniku Kappo Jikon. It’s difficult to escape the stresses of Hong Kong life, but when I step inside the restaurant, I feel transported to another time and place. In the many years I have visited, staff have pushed themselves to perfection, growing their technique, tastes and presentation, and I always leave blown away. The meal itself feels like a journey, and I don’t think any other restaurant in Hong Kong does beef better.
“Despite all the extravagance this restaurant provides, there’s something incredibly warm and intimate about eating here, particularly if you sit at the counter, which allows you to watch the chef prepare each dish – and the smiles of other guests as they are being served.” @lunglungthun
Amanda Strang, pastry chef, actor, presenter and model
“Hong Kong has such a vibrant food scene, which is heaven for any foodie. I love dining at Xin Rong Ji. The interior is a clean, modern Chinese setting of white walls with dark wood; nothing fancy, but classy. I like to sit at the corner table of the main dining room and often peek at what the table next to me has ordered. The chef prepares the yellow croaker fish from the East China Sea with such a light hand. The ingredients (from seafood to silken tofu skins), cooking techniques and the heat of the food when it’s served is what makes this restaurant one of my all-time favorites. Xin Rong Ji serves the best Imperial peking duck in town (even though it’s not Zhejiang cuisine). It’s baked to perfection (you can hear the sound of the cleaver when it cuts through the skin), then placed on a thin pancake with condiments before being beautifully wrapped for that perfect bite. To round up the meal, I order the deep-fried rice cakes with osmanthus syrup. I get lost in the experience of taste each time I dine here, as if the world has dissipated around me.
“The Merchants is another restaurant I often visit when I want a fun night out. The wok-fried river shrimps with snap peas, stir-fried shredded Mandarin fish, and honey glazed Jinhua ham are my go-to dishes. After dinner, I pop to the bar upstairs, Cardinal Point, for a night cap at the corner table with a plush velvet sofa.” @amandastrang
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