Tom and I haven’t exactly eaten extensively in the restaurants of Hong Kong (much to Tom’s disappointment) but we’ve tried quite a few and found some really nice places. Here are some of our favourites, vaguely in order of ascending price (i.e. cheapest first):
Tim Ho Wan
Shop 12A, Hong Kong Station (Podium Level 1, IFC Mall), Central/Shop B, C, & D, G/F, 2-8 Wharf Road, Seaview Building, North Point
This dim sum restaurant was recommended to us by a couple of people and one of the restaurants in this chain has a Michelin star! We had to check it out, and it was as good as we were told! The dim sum is great, and we can eat our fill (and then some) for around HK$120 (approx. £10) between the two of us. Tom in particular is a fan of the enormous glutinous rice dumplings but we also like their take on BBQ pork buns (crisper and sweeter than normal) and BBQ pork rice rolls, amongst others.
The two addresses above are the branches that we’ve been to, but Open Rice suggests there are 5 in total. The IFC branch is usually pretty busy. The first time we went we waited for about an hour to be seated. They do takeaway though so you can get your food and go onto the roof of IFC Mall and eat it there! The North Point restaurant seems to be less busy – we went on a Sunday lunchtime and were seated straight away.
N.B. When we have guests visiting, we usually take them to Maxim’s Palace in City Hall instead of Tim Ho Wan for dim sum. Despite the fact that you also have to wait a long time to be seated, and it is more expensive (and the food isn’t quite as good in my opinion), it has a great atmosphere as it is set in a large ballroom with ladies bringing trolleys around from which you can select the dishes you want. Definitely an experience I’d recommend if you’re visiting Hong Kong!
Crystal Jade
Shop 301, Tai Yau Plaza, 181 Johnston Road, Wan Chai
This place does great xiaolongbao (which I talked about in this post), along with a range of Chinese staples and Shanghainese specialities. I don’t think we’ve ever had anything off the menu that has not been good. The restaurants are nicely decorated and the service has always been excellent. It’s pretty reasonably priced too, most dishes are HK$60 to HK$80 (£5-£7). Again, this is a chain so they are dotted all over Hong Kong but we’ve been most often to the one in Wan Chai.
Sabah
G/F., Shop 4-5., 98-102 Jaffe Road, Wan Chai/Shop D, G/F, 142-146 Queen’s Road Central, Central
This restaurant serves a great selection of Malaysian cuisine. We’ve had great food and good service in both branches. You must try the roti! This is a type of flatbread and it is absolutely delicious, especially when dipped in a curry sauce. The beef rendang is also definitely worth trying. We also like the laksa and satays.
Thai Simple Kitchen
517 Jaffe Road, President Cinema Roof Floor, Causeway Bay
This was another restaurant found on the recommendation of friends and it didn’t disappoint. The setting is lovely, with a large outdoor terrace and the food was great too. I can’t remember what we had but it was all pretty standard Thai food and it was all really nice! The entrance is a little hard to find though, it’s a small doorway on Cannon Street. If you want a nice meal out and you love Thai food, I think this place would be a great bet.
The Chapel Bar
G/F, 27 Yik Yam Street, Happy Valley
Being British, we do love a good Indian curry but we’ve not had much luck finding a great one here in Hong Kong. I know that Chungking Mansions is touted as the place to go, although it’s a bit of a maze (and quite an experience!) and the one restaurant we’ve been to in there was ok but not amazing. But this British bar with an Indian chef seems to do the job just as well, and in a nicer setting. The curries are pretty reliable and we’ve been several times now. It’s not the cheapest, at about HK$100-120 (£8-10) for a curry and rice, but we like it. It’s also a really nice place for a drink and has very friendly staff.
Indonesia Restaurant
1/F-2/F, 66 Granville Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
Tom and I were converted to Indonesian food on our honeymoon in Bali, and so we were keen to try this place and it didn’t disappoint. The menu has a range of standard Indonesian dishes, along with some that we hadn’t heard of. Some of the standard dishes include Nasi Goreng, which is Indonesian-style mixed fried rice, Mie Goreng, which is fried noodles, and Tom’s favourite, Nasi Campur, which comprises rice and a selection of meats. Having said that, both times I’ve been to Indonesia Restaurant, I’ve had the mixed set lunch, which is a selection of 3 smallish dishes and a drink and cost about HK$60 (£5). I didn’t know what all the dishes were but I enjoyed them all! The service is also great here.
La Maison
Shop B, 1/F, Mountain View Mansion, 2 Swatow Street, Wan Chai
We visited this small restaurant for a celebration, and as such it was a treat for us. It cost a bit more than we’d normally spend on dinner (I think the bill came to about HK$1000 (£80) between us), but it was totally worth it! The restaurant is classified as a private kitchen, which means it cannot serve alcohol but they do not charge corkage if you bring your own. It’s situated just off Queens Road East and when you get inside you realise it’s in a residential block! However, the decor is nice, the service was friendly and the food… well, the food… Tom and I are already fans of French food and this restaurant served a very good example of it! The bread was beautiful, we shared a starter platter of meats and pate which were nice, and the mains were also excellent. I’ve forgotten what I had(!) but Tom had the confit de carnard and said it was great. We had a pudding each to finish: Tom’s apple crumble was nice, but my chocolate fondant was gorgeous! A lovely place to come on a date or a special occasion.
And finally…
Aqua Spirit
30/F, One Peking, 1 Peking Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
…this one is not a restaurant but a bar, and one that I’d recommend to all visitors to Hong Kong. It’s situated fairly high up in a tower overlooking the harbour with a fantastic view of the skyline on Hong Kong island. It’s a really nice bar (significantly nicer, in my opinion than the one at the top of ICC) but it has a dress code – no singlets, shorts or flip flops! Drinks there are about HK$100+ (£8+) for a beer and HK$120+ (£10+) for a yummy cocktail. Go there for one drink at least. You won’t be disappointed. The view really is that good.
So what do you think? Do you disagree with any of my recommendations? Or do you have some favourites of your own to recommend? I’d love to hear from you!
Thanks for reading!
Rachel
the Little Koo blog 