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Bo Innovation
One of the most creative restaurants in the city, Bo Innovation may have lost one of its two Michelin stars in 2010 but it remains a must-reserve place for a special dinner. Complete with tattoos and trendy haircut, chef Alvin Leung Jr., playfully reinvents, abstracts and highlights Chinese cuisine, creating elaborate tasting menus that are often described as Ferran Adria-inspired. The restaurant was featured on the Hong Kong episode of No Reservations during which Anthony Bourdain complemented chef Leung on making a mark in a “city where great food is a birthright and almost taken for granted.”
China Club
David Tang, the visionary founder of fashion brand Shanghai Tang, is a master at creating visions of old-world China. The scenarios he imagines may have never existed entirely as they are displayed here, but nevertheless is a wonderful world to get lost in. The club is housed in an old bank building in the middle of Central and has an awesome collection of Chinese memorabilia, including paintings, furniture, bric-a-brac and posters from Chairman Mao’s times. The food varies, but it is for the overall experience that most people go; arrive early and sip a cocktail at the long bar, decked out as a Shanghai club might have looked in the roaring ’20s. Alternatively, try to snag a private booth. Officially it is a members-only club, but any capable concierge can arrange reservations.
China Tang
Located in the Landmark Atrium, in the same complex as Landmark Mandarin Oriental, China Tang comes from Sir David Tang of Shanghai Tang and China Club fame. The restaurant, which also has a location in London’s Dorchester Hotel, focuses on traditional fare from Beijing, Sichuan and Canton and is decorated with a cozy mix of English and Eastern décor (think Chinese paintings, hand-embroidered wall paper and antique lighting). There are multiple private rooms for large groups as well as a beautiful bar area.
Fook Lam Moon
Much like LA’s The Ivy, Fook Lam Moon is Hong Kong’s original celebrity hot spot where you are almost guaranteed to see a big name. Even during lunch hours (which we suggest for a visit as opposed to dinner, which can feel rushed), black cars and paparazzi are waiting on the street in front of the Wan Chai institution. Those who are not regulars may feel a bit out of place but eating at Food Lam Moon is practically a Hong Kong right of passage. Don’t expect stellar service, but waiters do get guests in and out with efficiency. The menu is extensive and focus is placed on regional classics, seafood and classic Cantonese. The baked stuffed crab shell is a highlight.
Hugo’s
A Hong Kong institution that originally opened in 1969, this classic European restaurant in the Hyatt Regency earned its reputation as a favorite of Western expatriates and visiting business travelers. Devotees return often to take advantage of the well priced three-course executive lunch Monday through Friday, or to celebrate a professional milestone with exceptional sips from the 400-plus label cellar. The French chef commands his open kitchen while the dapper, knowledgeable wait staff silently prepare dishes from tableside trolleys. Start with a selection of Brittany rosé and Irish oysters and continue with mains that cater to carnivores like the organic Welsh lamb loin, peppered steak or roast Australian Black Angus rib. Hugo’s is famous for its old-school desserts, particularly the crêpe Suzette and chocolate bonbons, served with a theatrical flourish on billowing dry ice.
Kins Kitchen
Specializing in high-brow Cantonese cuisine, Kin’s Kitchen is owned by Lau Kin, owner of the Yellow Door, and founder of Hong Kong’s private kitchen movement. As is popular in the US, the restaurant focuses on sourcing local ingredients and turns classic Cantonese dishes on their heads in inventive new combinations.
Krug Room
This single table for up to 12 inside the Mandarin Oriental comes with views of the main kitchen where talented chefs whip up dishes created to complement the Krug Champagne, be it rosé or Vintage 1995. Guests are encouraged to discuss the menu suggestions directly with the chef who tends towards dramatic dishes with names like “Golden Caviar, Black Cod and Rain.” A limousine delivers discerning diners to and from this ultimate gourmand table.
Lung King Heen
Lung King Heen is the Four Seasons three-Michelin-starred Cantonese restaurant. Located on the fourth floor of the hotel, this simple yet elegant restaurant is best known for its lunchtime dim sum and fabulous Peking Duck. For a Michelin-starred restaurant, the setting is quite family friendly and not stuffy, and the service is among the best in town. For those staying at the Four Seasons, this is a wonderful way to enjoy a great meal within the confines of your hotel on your day of arrival. Please note that those interested in the duck must pre-order the bird at least 6 hours in advance of your meal.
One-Thirty One
Foodies willing to go a bit farther afield will be richly rewarded at this three-story, Sino-Portuguese house overlooking the South China Sea. Located in the bucolic seaside village of Sai Kung, the restaurant is about 45 minutes from Central by taxi. The romantic downstairs dining room, with exposed beams and French doors, seats only 25 for the four-course lunch and six-course dinner. Ingredients come straight from the surrounding organic farm and the chef’s menu changes daily, so that the foie gras swathed in black truffle on brioche tonight may be stuffed inside prosciutto-wrapped French guinea fowl tomorrow. Make reservations well in advance.
Spoon by Alain Ducasse
Alain Ducasse’s innovative French food rarely has to compete for attention but the location of this restaurant, in the Intercontiental Hotel, is nothing short of stunning. Diners sit almost at water-level with expansive views of the Hong Kong skyline (the hotel and restaurant are in Kowloon), and the dining room is decked out with a massive chandelier made of more than 500 Murano glass—what else?—spoons.
Zuma
For some of the best sushi in Hong Kong, foodies head to Zuma, a hip eatery with additional locations in New York, London, Istanbul and Miami. While the menu is long, it is hard to order a bad dish—all of the sushi is super fresh. The simple dishes like the uni on toast and Wagyu Beef sushi.
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