Hong Kong currently houses over 200,000 cafes and restaurants. And for the clueless tourist (the same also applies for some locals) that only means eating wherever their feet and hunger take them and hoping they won’t regret afterwards. But for those who know better, visiting any or all of these, my top ten picks made up of recent discoveries, will guarantee quite a gastronomic treat. Be it eating on a side street, directly across a vulcanizing shop, or warming up to the chilly weather with oolong tea and a variety of desserts, dining out in Hong Kong will prove to be as satisfying (more than, even) as bargain hunting. Besides, how often can you say that you’ve eaten a molecular xiao long bao?!

                 

1 Street Side Café along Ormsby Street
That’s not exactly the name of the café. But it might very well be as it doesn’t have one and that exactly describes what it is. These “al fresco” (and I use that term loosely here) snack bar is very typical of small neighborhoods. The one I decided to have a quick bite in is located in the Tai Hang area, walking distance away from the tram. And even if a mechanic was working on an old car’s wheels right beside our table, I sure didn’t mind as I enjoyed my toasted bread with a spread of condensed milk and my hot milk tea. While savoring my simple meal, I was happy to enjoy scenes out of the local lifestyle--a group of people on bikes, a lady hanging her clothes out to dry, and two men leaning on the wall, armed with cigars, and apparently in deep discussion. Immerse yourself in a unique dining experience and save yourself a couple of bucks in the process.

2 The Pawn
White walls, wood-paneled floors, grill windows, long tables to suit big families--one will never imagine that this spacious three-floor two-year-old bar and restaurant used to house the Woo Cheong Pawnshop. Not much of the original establishment remains and changes have been made to make the ground floor a living room cum bar, the second floor a homey restaurant, and the top floor a roof garden fit for parties. The menu, like the interiors, has also seen change. As a matter of fact, it continues to do so as British chef David Tamlyn makes it a point to vary the dishes everyday, retaining just the restaurant’s bestsellers in the daily lineup, signature dishes such as roast bone marrow, Sunday roast, eton mess, fish and chips with some of the best fries I’ve ever had, and lemon trifle. Pawn your good food craving and you’ll get much more in return.

      

The Pawn
62 Johnston Road
Wanchai, Hong Kong
www.thepawn.com.hk
Tel. no.: (852) 2866 3444

3 Lin Hong Chu
Waking up to a busy morning may not be your cup of tea but when you’re being served endless dumplings, then who are we to mind loud chatter, right? Upon entry to this restaurant located on the third floor, you’ll instantly be reminded of your high school canteen. But soon as you spot the roving cart containing stacks of dumplings, then you know you’re bound to have a much better meal than cafeteria food. Here’s the routine: first, wash your chopsticks and bowls with tea. Order your choice of beverage. Prepare your dipping sauce. Then crack your fingers and be ready for a breakfast feast of over 30 dumplings and desserts, made fresh everyday. Have your fill of the typical old-fashioned breakfast, which can include fish bladder soup, rice cake fried right on the spot, squid with curry sauce, pig’s knuckles, congee, and rice roll with chicken. With the locals always heavy in attendance, you can expect a lot of talk. And, matched with a filling Cantonese fare, there’s nothing like it to perk you up so early in the day.

Lin Hong Chu
Along Des Veoux Road
Beside the HSBC

         

 
4 Lei Garden
When in a mall, one is easily tempted to try what’s familiar. But if you’re a bonafide foodie, you opt for what’s value for your money and appetite; no doubt about that. And there’s no other mall restaurant that can promise and deliver all these but the Lei Garden. If you find yourself at the IFC Mall (or even if you’re not), you better make this Michelin 1-star restaurant part of your itinerary. It’s definitely worth the visit and worth the long wait for (better reserve if you can, especially since it‘s located within the financial district). The dishes are Cantonese fused with Western ingredients; definitely familiar but not common. Imagine me nodding my head (yes, I was that impressed) after sinking my teeth on deep-fried French beans, slurping my pig hock soup down to the last drop (love that concentrated chestnut and cane root flavors), and enjoying every bite of the crispy roasted baby duck and sweet and sour pork with strawberry.

Lei Garden
Shop 3008, Two ifc Mall
1 Harbour View Street
Central
Tel. no.: (852) 2295 0238

5 Sweet Dynasty
It's a dynasty alright. Just browsing through the menu, you'll see that they have dishes that can feed plenty. Although this restaurant is known for its Cantonese desserts, I say I'd still head on out to busy Canton Road for its main dishes and overwhelming variety of congee. Braised Bean Curd and Minced Meat with Chili Sauce, Sweet and Sour Prawns with Pineapple, Sauteed Scallops with XO Sauce--a pretty familiar fare?! How about Deep-fried Duck Fillet with Special Orange Sauce, or Sauteed Pork Organs with Ginger and Spring Onion, or how about Fresh Pig Livers and Beef Congee? There is literally close to a hundred to choose from (and the many photos in the menu don't help either because they're all too good to look at). Picking from the lot is the only thing you have to worry about. Once over, you can sit back, relax and feast like a king.

Sweet Dynasty
Ground Floor, 100 Canton Road
Tsim Sha Tsui
Kowloon
Tel. no.: (852) 2199 7799

6 Harbour Plaza 8 Degrees
Just the second hotel to rise in this old district (near thee old airport), Harbour Plaza 8 Degrees has already attracted thousands of locals and foreigners, sending them to Tokwawan and out of the normal touristy route. It is perhaps of the hotel’s concept of having an 8 degree design (the front office counter leans to the right, so do minute details like the restaurant’s placemats and glasses). But it can very well be the hotel’s restaurant, XXX, as well as it boasts of a reasonably priced and delicious all-day buffet. This is where I stayed on my recent 4D/3N sojourn and one of the privileges of staying in their luxurious rooms is getting free breakfast. It wasn’t wasted on me as I took the offer and took advantage by having rounds of freshly baked breads and pastries, steamed vegetables and fresh fruits, cereals, and noodle soups. I appreciated the fact that the restaurant has WiFi and not much noise filled the room the time I was there, consequently making me spend and enjoy breakfast longer than usual--and that’s the making of a very relaxing and comfortable home away from home.

     

Harbour Plaza 8 Degrees
199 Kowloon City Road, Tokwawan
Kowloon
www.harbour-plaza.com
Tel. no.: (852) 2126 1988

       

7 Bo Innovations
Although all the previous restaurants blew me away one way or another, I must say that this restaurant sent me to the moon and back as my jaw dropped each time a dish was brought out and placed on our table. I know of molecular gastronomy (I’m a big fan of El Bulli’s Ferran Adria, in case you don’t know), but like knowing death and staring straight at grim reaper’s eyes (excuse my comparison), experiencing the real thing surely takes things to another level. UK-born, Canada-raised chef Alvin Leung will keep you at the edge of your seats over a tasting menu composed of 8 courses, typically enjoyed over a span of two hours. It’s a ultra sensory experience and it will take you through a cycle of disbelief and awe each time. New dishes are born out of his creative mind every two months and on the night I visited, I had the pleasure of eating a spoonful of foie gras powder and freeze-dried raspberry speckles, roe souffle with pomelo jelly, a xiao long bao presented like a small broth-filled balloon which pops upon contact with your mouth, ginger sorbet transformed into a bite-size meringue with the use of liquid nitrogen, and almond ice cream smoked with sandalwood. Bold and innovative indeed!

Bo Innovations
Shop 13, 2nd Floor J Residence
60 Johnston Road
Wan Chai
www.boinnovation.com
Tel. no.: (852) 2850 8371