Hong Kong is one of my favourite places. I love the gritty urban landscape set around magnificent Victoria Harbour with mountainous Hong Kong Island (often just referred to as "the island") on one side and Kowloon, part of the mainland, on the other. It's a scene from Bladerunner set down in a classical Chinese landscape painting. Traditional Chinese culture, the vestiges of British colonialism and cutting-edge contemporary food, fashion and design all add to the mix. In Wan Chai you will see the latest model Mercedes purring through streets lined with traditional food shops, stopping occasionally so that the exquisitely dressed Tai Tai, (colloquial term for a married woman rich enough not to work) can shop for dinner. Hong Kong takes food very seriously and every type of food is available. Not only are Cantonese, Chiu Chow, Hunanese, Shanghaiese, Hakka and Sichuan cuisines well represented, but I have eaten some of the best Japanese, Vietnamese, Spanish, Italian and French food there as well. Hong Kong has its own Michelin star rating for restaurants.
What I really marvel at is just how efficiently this jam-packed city state works. The MTR, the subway, is always clean and on time, the taxis are cheap, there is always someone around who speaks English. I have never encountered rudeness, I always feel safe and when you have had enough of the urban craziness, here are the islands around Hong Kong to escape to for a walk in the country.
Travel writing has no point unless it provides practical information for travellers but the choice of things to do and eat in HK is vast as is the range of prices you can pay, so here are only a few of my favourite places to stay and to eat in Hong Kong. There are many more!
Stay
Though the range of hotels in Hong Kong is endless, you could stay at The Intercontinental Grand Stanford. This hotel is in Mody Rd, (don't mistake it for the other Intercontinental down the road) less than 10 minutes walk from Nathan Rd, the main street that runs the length of Kowloon. It is in the club and pub area and boasts a Michelin starred Cantonese restaurant, the Hoi King Keen, as well as a great Italian restaurant. Ask for a Harbour View room and be mesmerised for hours, as I was, by the panoramic views of the harbour. Just across the road is the waterfront Esplanade where you can join the runners and walkers for an early morning workout if that's your thing. hongkong.intercontinental.com
The Landmark Mandarin Oriental. Make no mistake, this is one of Hong Kong's iconic luxury hotels and though this may be reflected in the tariff, the experience is amazing value. The hotel is in the heart of Central, the CBD on Hong Kong Island, and it is situated on top of The Landmark, a luxury shopping centre but within walking distance of tran quil Hong Kong Park. If you want to taste some of the best food in the world then a meal by chef Richard Ekkebus at the Michelinstarred Amber restaurant should be top of your list. The hotel boasts the biggest rooms in Hong Kong, a city that doesn't cater for claustrophobes when it comes to accommodation. Recently Joyce Wang, a talented young Hong Kong designer, stylishly refurbished the rooms, not, perhaps, that they ever needed it. Book at mrandmrssmith.com or phone the expert Travel Team on 0800 896 671 for guaranteed best rates and free extras.
Needless to say Hong Kong hotels have embraced the 21st century and there is no nonsense about paying extra for wifi, it’s generally free.
Eat
Mak's Noodle. Join the office workers at a shared formica table for a bowl of Mak's famous pork and prawn dumpling noodle soup, maybe with a side of steamed choy sum in oyster sauce. The quality here is excellent and this place has been going since the 1930s when warlords would fly down from Shanghai for a bowl or two of Mak's noodles. About NZ$8 a portion which is considered a bit expensive in HK. I go there every time I am in the country. 77 Wellington St Central.
The Felix, The Peninsula Hotel. This restaurant has been there since 1993 and, like this grand dame of all the hotels in HK, hasn't dated at all. The Philippe Starck-designed dining room and bar are as hip and groovy as ever and it has some of the best views (including those in the restrooms) in town, straight across to the island. Chef Kaji's food is cutting-edge delicious without being weird. Sit up at the long table on what is in effect a stage in front of "the Wave" a moving wavy backdrop, and be the centre of attention or tuck yourself away by the windows and enjoy the stunning food and the 8pm laser show on the skyscrapers on the island across the harbour. If you can't make it to the Felix, have tea in the foyer on the ground floor and reminisce about British Hong Kong. hongkong.peninsula.com/en/fine-dining/felix
Mr and Mrs Fox. This is one of my new favourites. Recently opened, sprawling over three floors of high ceilinged industrial design with taxidermy accents, it is a temple of drop dead cool with great food, where playing a chord on the old upright piano opens the door to the private dining room. Greek/Italian American Joey Sergentakis is in charge of the kitchen and I ate three kinds of fresh oysters with sensational toppings, scallop and oyster ceviche with pomelo and watermelon, and part of a butter-tender T-bone steak au poivre but ran out of time to try the banana, chocolate and salted caramel peanut baked alaska — next time, because I'm going back. Great value for the moderate prices charged here. mrandmrsfox.com
Sohofama. The Hong Kong art and design scene seems to be exploding and one example is the transformation of the old Hollywood Rd Police Married Quarters building into the ultra cool PMQ design centre where the government has kept rents low and let shops and offices to young HK designers and other local creative industries. You could spend hours here. As well as the designer boutiques, design offices and restaurants, there are weekly markets, pop-up exhibitions or you can hang out on the lawn and relax. Situated on the ground floor is Sohofama, a restaurant that describes itself as urban farm meets Chinese comfort food. So its menu features organic, chemicalfree, contemporary interpretations of classic Chinese dishes, and yes they really do have a farm from which they source ingredients. The food was knockout and I got plenty of ideas as the following recipes show. Moderately priced great food! sohofama.com
The Ale Project. The crew at the Ale Project are self confessed beer nerds, who run a great craft beer bar in Mong Kok where I sampled the beer and their menu of sourdough bread and tapas. It is cheap and cheerful and if there was ever a HK version of Beervana, this is it. Don't miss it. thealeproject.com
Ronin is barely visible from the street — just a charcoal-grey exterior with a door devoid of signage. Bookings are essential, it seats about 20 people, and is a tiny galley-shaped restaurant, with minimalist decor in the same grey as the door, accented with scrubbed wood. Genius chef Matt Abergel serves imaginative Japanese-inspired food. The shared dishes on the daily changing menu come in "raw" (oysters and several plays on sashimi), "smaller" (tapas-style) and "bigger" (main courses), with Kagoshima beef and quail the two exceptions to seafood and vegetarian choices. A well-matched wine and beer list, not to mention over 100 Japanese whiskeys and great music top it off. roninhk.com
Lok Cha Teahouse is where I escape to when it all gets a bit hectic. Situated in Hong Kong Park, a short walk from the bustle of Central, the Lok Cha Teahouse serves all sorts of Chinese tea, (they give you a teacup, a lidded cup with tea in it and an electric kettle of water so your cup is bottomless) and a menu of delicious vegetarian dim sum. Join the Chinese families and calm down before sallying forth back into the madness. You can buy their excellent tea and its accompanying paraphernalia there too. Great for gifts. lokcha.com
Food Tour of Sham Shui Po. We met outside Maxim's Cake Shop in the MTR station of Sham Shui Po and walked breakfast to lunchtime with a great guide who conducted us round this old area of HK and took us to six different food outlets for tastes of excellent old-fashioned HK food (pineapple buns, rice rolls, the slipperiest, most delicate silken tofu dessert with ginger syrup, shrimp roe noodles, braised goose and pork knuckle, and walnut cookies). We also saw noodles being made, went to a knife and chopper shop and a snake soup restaurant, plus took in everything as we walked around this timewarp area of HK. Only five on the tour. They also do a Central and Sheung Wan tour. Loved it. hongkongfoodietours.com
• Ray McVinnie travelled to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific, and would like to thank the Hong Kong Tourism Board, and his excellent guide, Patricia Chow, for their assistance on his latest trip.
Recipes
Braised eggplant with pork, miso and brown rice
This is based on a dish I ate at Shofama. I have untraditionally paired it with brown rice as I like its nutty flavour with the meaty eggplant dish.
Brown rice
250g brown rice, soaked 20 minutes in plenty of cold water, well drained
500ml cold water
- Put drained rice in a small saucepan and add the water.
- Bring to the boil, cover, move the rice to the smallest element, turn the heat to the lowest setting and cook without uncovering for 40 minutes. Remove from heat and stand without uncovering for 5 minutes. Uncover and fluff up rice with a fork. Cover. It will stay hot.
Eggplant and pork
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
700g eggplant, ends cut off, eggplant cut into 2cm by 8cm sticks
3cm piece ginger thinly sliced
500g free range pork mince
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 Tbsp naturally brewed Japanese soy sauce
2 tsp chilli paste or sambal oelek
4 Tbsp pale brown miso (called "white miso cup" I get it from the supermarket)
1 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp chinkiang vinegar (black rice vinegar)
250ml water
2 tsp cornflour dissolved in 1 Tbsp cold water
2 spring onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1 Tbsp sesame oil
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a wok or frying pan over moderate to high heat. Add the eggplant and ginger and stir-fry until the eggplant is well browned. Remove from the wok and reserve.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the wok, turn the heat up high and add the pork and garlic. Stir-fry, breaking up any lumps, for 5 minutes or until dry and browned, then add the soy sauce, chilli paste, miso, sugar, vinegar and water. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Uncover, add the reserved eggplant to the pan, mix well and stir in the cornflour mixture. Add the spring onions, reserving a few for serving. Mix well.
- Serve sprinkled with the sesame oil and spring onions, with rice on the side.
To favourite, print or share this recipe, go to the recipe page.
Hong Kong starter plate
Pickled radishes
My untraditional take on the Chinese pickles I ate in the working class district of Sham Shui Po. Good as an appetizer for an Asian meal but also good with cold chicken or ham.
Serves 6
3 pink radishes, sliced ½ cm
500g long piece daikon, peeled and diced 1½cm
1 Tbsp salt
1 red and 1 green mild chilli, sliced 2cm
2cm piece ginger, peeled, thinly sliced
1 cup rice or white vinegar
3 Tbsp caster sugar
- Put the radishes and daikon into a non reactive bowl and add the salt. Mix well and reserve 20 minutes.
- Rinse well with cold water and squeeze dry in a clean cloth. Place in a serving bowl and add the chillies and ginger.
- Put the vinegar and sugar into a small saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. When it comes to the boil, remove from the heat and pour over the radish mixture. Mix well and cool. Better the next day but good immediately.
To favourite, print or share this recipe, go to the
Green bean, onion and capsicums
My interpretation of an appertiser I ate at the Michelin starred Cantonese restaurant, the Hoi King Heen, at the Intercontinental Grand Stanford. I used a Taiwanese hot bean paste from my local Asian shop. I can’t read the Chinese name but it is made by the Chin Bin Pickle Food Factory and has a stylized white dove with a crown on its head above the Chinese characters. I chose it because it has the right flavour and has no chemical additives.
Serves 6
200g green beans, stalk ends cut off, beans sliced 3cm on the diagonal
½ small red capsicum, cored, seeded, cut into 2cm dice
½ small onion, cut into 2cm dice
2 Tbsp chinkiang (black rice vinegar) or malt vinegar
2 tsp sugar
3 Tbsp hot bean sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
- Bring a saucepan of water to the boil. Drop the vegetables into the water for 30 seconds, remove and drain well. Place in a bowl.
- Add the vinegar, sugar and bean sauce and mix well. Drizzle the oil over everything and serve.
To favourite, print or share this recipe, go to the recipe page.
Sohofama’s 24-hour drunken eggs
My interpretation as outlined to me by Jovi, Sohofama’s maître d’.
Serves 6
6 small eggs
1 cup Shao Xing Chinese rice wine
6 goji berries, halved lengthways, soaked in hot water for 5 minutes
Baby cos leaves for serving
- Put the eggs into a saucepan of cold water and bring to the boil. Boil 4 minutes, remove from the heat, drain and run the eggs under cold water until completely cold.
- Carefully peel the eggs. Place in a deep bowl just big enough to hold them. Pour the wine over the top so they are submerged. Reserve for 24 hours, turning occasionally.
- Drain the eggs (use the wine one more time for another batch if desired). Cut the eggs in half lengthways.
- Place some lettuce leaves on a serving platter and put the egg halves on the lettuce, cut sides up. Place half a goji berry on one end of each egg half and sprinkle lightly with salt.
To favourite, print or share this recipe, go to the