Hong Kong is a hub for foodies; restaurants are popping up faster than we can keep up with, and customers are still queuing at their doors. Here at Expat Living, we have to admit we are serious munchers ourselves and spend most evenings frequenting one of the hundreds (millions?) of eateries around the city. So when we give you our recommendations you can trust us that we’ve only selected the best! Here are our top 5 from this month.
208 Duecento Otto
208 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan
With an office in Sheung Wan we are spoilt with options for lunch, however, most of them are either take-out or too small and packed with lunch goers for us to get a table. 208 Duecento Otto is a refreshing – and beautiful – Italian restaurant on Hollywood Road that always guarantees happy taste buds. Their lunch set is $128 for the antipasti buffet and pasta or $108 just for the huge antipasti bar – and a delicious choice of Italian dishes such as kamut penne with grilled vegetables and mozzarella, and chicken paillard with rocket and cherry tomato. Be warned though, looking out of that huge window onto the streets of Hong Kong, with the temptation of unlimited cheese and meat, may just make you a tad late off your lunch break!
Sushi Tokami
Shop 216A, Level 2, Ocean Centre, Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui
Holding on to its Michelin star status for the third year in the row Sushi Tokami, tucked away in the otherwise crazy Harbour City, is a must-visit for sushi lovers. It’s all about the tuna here which is possibly (actually no, definitely) the best tuna you will find in Hong Kong. Delivered daily from Tokyo, Michelin-starred chefs create impeccable sushi rolls and sashimi right in front of hungry diners. We went there hungry and tried the OMAKASE – chef’s recommendation set menu which included starters, appetizers, sashimi, snacks, steamed dishes, 14 pieces of sushi, soup and a dessert ($2000). While that might seem expensive and an excessive amount of food, if you are going to go to a Michelin-starred sushi restaurant, why go half hearted?
BÊP
Lower Ground Floor, 9 – 11 Staunton St, SOHO
For those of us who love Vietnam but can’t escape to Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh often enough, BÊP is a year-round favourite. Try a steaming bowl of Pho Tai ($70) or the Heo Sua Dut Lo ($198) – slow-roasted suckling pig – on a cold day, with a side of Ca Tim Nuong ($78), a smoky warm aubergine salad. When it warms up, go for some deliciously light Bun Cha Ca fish cakes with rice vermicelli noodles($68) and rice paper rolls (from $70). Their salads are fresh and full of authentic Vietnamese flavours, and whatever the weather, there’s always room for satay skewers (from $68). Wash it all down with a Vietnamese filter coffee ($38) or fresh lime soda ($36). When you finally get a seat you soon learn why the queue extends well up the street most days! Get in early for lunch, or get a group together for dinner – then you can order a number of dishes and share.
Mr & Mrs Fox
23 Tong Chong Street, Quarry Bay
Mr & Mrs Fox has quickly become one of the hottest spots in Quarry Bay since opening in September in Taikoo Place – and with good reason. There’s a sense of style and self-assuredness that permeates the venue, from the quirky placement of two stuffed foxes in the buzzing ground-floor Mrs Fox bar, to the slick service and sophisticated menu of the first-floor Mr Fox steakhouse. While the venue is a steakhouse, it’s no one-hit wonder, with an Icelandic cod brandade ($215) with green olive tapenade served on a bed of chorizo and bell pepper stew and bouchot mussels, that we would really recommnd. We also loved the banana baked Alaska ($155, for two people), with salted caramel, peanuts and chocolate, flambéed at the table. Our verdict? A faultless menu, flawlessly attentive service and contemporary cool fit-out adds up to another win for Swire Restaurants with its fantastic Mr & Mrs Fox.
Yum Cha
3/F, 20-22 Granville Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
A newcomer to the dining hub of TST, Yum Cha offers contemporary Chinese cuisine with a twist on the classic East-meets-West style. With a hint of playfulness and full-on cuteness, these Instagram-worthy dishes (pictured) are thankfully also full of flavour and packed with fresh ingredients. The BBQ Piggy Buns ($49 for three pieces) almost look too adorable to eat. Immediately, though, taste takes over looks; they are surprisingly tasty for something that appears like it could just be for show. The hot custard buns ($49 for three) rival the piggy buns on the looks scale, and these fun morsels are as entertaining to play with as eat; you can really let that inner child out! Also go for the adorable crispy pineapple puffs ($49) that come in the shapes of ducks and are presented in a birdcage; they’re simply too charming not to order. When dining in a place like this, you can understand why everyone has their cameras out at the table. Happily, the flavours live up to the presentation in every case.
We do love eating here at Expat Living so you will find endless reviews and recommendations of where to eat and drink in Hong Kong over on our Wine and Dine page!
