Brad A. Johnson
  • Blog
  • About
  • Photography
    • Food Photography
    • Travel Photography
    • Restaurant Photography
    • Hotel & Resort Photography
  • Writing
  • Contact
Brad A. Johnson

Food & Travel

Brad A Johnson
  • Blog
  • About
  • Photography
    • Food Photography
    • Travel Photography
    • Restaurant Photography
    • Hotel & Resort Photography
  • Writing
  • Contact

Where to Eat Now: Hong Kong

  • October 8, 2015
  • Brad A. Johnson
Ho Lee Fook, Hong Kong (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Ho Lee Fook, Hong Kong (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Ho Lee Fook, Hong Kong (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Ho Lee Fook, Hong Kong (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Lobster roll at Quest, Hong Kong (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Lobster roll at Quest, Hong Kong (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Chef Jun at Quest, Hong Kong (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Chef Jun at Quest, Hong Kong (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Aberdeen Social, Hong Kong (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Aberdeen Social, Hong Kong (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Aberdeen Social, Hong Kong (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Aberdeen Social, Hong Kong (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Butcher Club Hong Kong (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Butcher Club Hong Kong (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Butcher Club Hong Kong (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Butcher Club Hong Kong (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Eddie Young at Gradini at The Pottinger Hong Kong (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Eddie Young at Gradini at The Pottinger Hong Kong (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Gradini at The Pottinger Hong Kong (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Gradini at The Pottinger Hong Kong (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Lung King Heen at Four Seasons, Hong Kong (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Lung King Heen at Four Seasons, Hong Kong (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Lung King Heen at Four Seasons, Hong Kong (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Lung King Heen at Four Seasons, Hong Kong (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Lung King Heen at Four Seasons, Hong Kong (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Lung King Heen at Four Seasons, Hong Kong (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Black foot chicken soup at Lung King Heen at Four Seasons Hong Kong (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Black foot chicken soup at Lung King Heen at Four Seasons Hong Kong (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Lung King Keen at Four Seasons Hong Kong (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Lung King Keen at Four Seasons Hong Kong (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Shrimp xiu mai at Lung King Heen at Four Seasons Hong Kong (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Shrimp xiu mai at Lung King Heen at Four Seasons Hong Kong (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)

The dining scene in Hong Kong – like the city itself – is the ultimate expression of East meets West. Driven by homegrown chefs and European-trained expats alike, restaurants here combine a potent mix of old and new, of roasted goose and barbecue pork, dry-aged steak and crab fried rice. The epicenter of all this deliciousness is the historic neighborhood of Central, the island’s financial and cultural capital and home of last year’s Occupy Central protests against Beijing. No matter the politics, or perhaps in spite of them, Hong Kong’s dining scene has never been hotter than it is right now.

One of the toughest tables at the moment is Sohofama (PMQ, 35 Aberdeen St, Central, +852 2858 8238), a pan-Chinese gastropub that pulls as much from modern-day Taiwan and 1920s Shanghai as it does from San Francisco’s Chinatown circa 1960, an homage to a particular history of Chinese cuisine that has long challenged the notion of authenticity – but with a 21st-century, farm-to-table twist that shuns MSG. Spring rolls are stuffed with wild-caught crab and black truffles. Chicken soup is boiled for 10 hours and served with slippery wontons.

In similar whipsaw fashion, chef Jowett Yu’s cheekily named Ho Lee Fook (1-5 Elgin St., Central, +852 2810 0860) blends traditional Hong Kong dai pai dong (open-air street food) with the flair of a classically trained chef. You are guaranteed to encounter a long wait for a table, but you’ll be rewarded with succulent roast goose or prawn toast with MSG-intensive Kewpie mayonnaise.

Of course, Hong Kong’s real dai pai dong are just around the corner, massed along Graham Street, a must-stop for barbecue pork buns and stir-fried noodles well into the night.
Another highly exclusive new table is chef Que Vinh Dang’s Quest (byob, 239 Hennessy Road, 28th floor, Wan Chai, +852-2554-0888), in which a residential 28th-floor apartment has been transformed into a semi-secret dining room that seats 30 people a night. The fixed 10-course menu is never revealed in advance and includes surprises like “beef pho” tartare with shaved foie gras or yellowtail sashimi in a bath of tomato water with basil seeds and sea grapes – every bite an absolute delight.

Hong Kong has seen an influx of international celebrity chefs lately, and the one that’s definitely worth a look is Brit Jason Atherton whose Aberdeen Street Social (PMQ, 35 Aberdeen St., Central, +852 2866 0300) is located in the same complex as Sohofama. Atherton opened two restaurants in one: Downstairs is a casual pub, serving hand-chopped beef tartare and the cutest Bloody Mary you’ll ever see. Upstairs is more serious.

About half a block away is Steak Frites from the Butchers Club. The Butchers Club is a chefs collective, butcher shop and “deli” that debuted last year in Hong Kong’s up-and-coming Southside neighborhood of Tin Wan (worth a visit). Steak Frites brings those same steaks to Central (52-56 Staunton St., Central, enter on Aberdeen, +852-2858-9800). The menu is simple: nothing but a little salad, a great steak and hand-cut fries thrice-cooked in duck fat.

Hong Kong residents worship Italian cuisine. And they revere longtime transplant Giovanni Greggio, who rose to fame as chef at the city’s Nicholini’s before retiring. He was coaxed out of retirement in October to open Gradini Ristorante (21 Stanley St., Central, +852-2308-3088), a 50-seat charmer inside the new Pottinger hotel. The whole-roasted branzino is exquisite, filleted tableside with flair by manager and head waiter Eddie Young, himself nearly as famous as the chef.

Meanwhile, it’s also worth mentioning Lung King Heen, the luxury Chinese restaurant inside the Four Seasons, overlooking Victoria Harbor. When Lung King Heen earned three Michelin stars in 2009, it was the first restaurant in Hong Kong – and the first Chinese restaurant anywhere in the world – to win Michelin’s highest honor. If anything, it’s only gotten better since then. You certainly won’t find a Chinese dining experience more impeccable than the chef’s tasting menu here.

This article originally appeared in Coast Magazine. To view more of my work for Coast and the Orange County Register, check out the archives. I also invite you to follow me and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. 

 

Share
Tweet
Brad A. Johnson

Brad A. Johnson is a writer and photographer specializing in food and travel. His work has been honored by the James Beard Awards, Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards, World Food Media Awards, pdn Food Photography Awards and others. Based in Southern California, Brad currently serves as restaurant critic for the Orange County Register.

Previous Article

Hotel Review: Villa Florence, San Francisco

  • August 23, 2015
  • Brad A. Johnson
View Post
Next Article

Quick Review: The Pottinger Hong Kong

  • October 8, 2015
  • Brad A. Johnson
View Post
You May Also Like
View Post
  • Travel: Adventure
  • Travel: Asia
  • Travel: Culinary
  • Travel: Europe

R.I.P. Crystal Cruises (Update: Returning in 2023!)

  • Brad A. Johnson
  • February 6, 2022
View Post
  • California Restaurants
  • Travel: Culinary

Review: Addison, San Diego

  • Brad A. Johnson
  • December 4, 2021
View Post
  • California Hotels
  • California Restaurants
  • Travel: Culinary

Quick Review: Valle, Oceanside CA

  • Brad A. Johnson
  • November 19, 2021
View Post
  • Travel: Culinary

Food Photographer of the Year Exhibition at the Royal Photographic Society in Bristol, England

  • Brad A. Johnson
  • October 29, 2021
View Post
  • Travel: Culinary
  • Travel: Mexico

Where to Eat in Los Cabos, Mexico: The Restaurants Redefining Baja Cuisine

  • Brad A. Johnson
  • June 13, 2021
View Post
  • Travel: Culinary
  • Travel: Mexico

How to Make the Red Snapper a la Talla from Tamarindos Los Cabos

  • Brad A. Johnson
  • June 5, 2021
View Post
  • Travel: Culinary
  • Travel: Mexico

Hotel Review: The Cape, Los Cabos, Mexico

  • Brad A. Johnson
  • May 31, 2021
View Post
  • Travel: Culinary

How to Make Sangrita, Mexico City Style

  • Brad A. Johnson
  • May 2, 2021
This is the new Lao restaurant in Westminster that everyone will soon be talking about. The pork sausages, the barbecue chicken thighs, the sticky rice, the khao piak (Lao chicken noodle soup)...⁠ Link in stories. 176 5
Finally got around to discovering Del Rey, a super-sexy little speakeasy and tapas bar tucked inside the estate of Villa Royale in Palm Springs. Very tasty. Very cool. More details on the blog. ⁠ 121 4
Villa Royale, Palm Springs. Really cool vibe. Quick review on the blog. Link in stories. Will definitely be back. ⁠ 118 1
A few more scenes from my annual 75 Best Places to Eat in the @ocregister. Hungry yet? ⁠ 238 3
Today's the day! My annual dining guide to the 75 Best Places to Eat in Orange County is live. (The OC Register's print subscribers will find the print supplement in tomorrow's home delivery; unfortunately, the printed version is not available on newsstands.) The ranked list is back for the first time since 2019, plus a big new twist this year. It's behind the paywall, sorry. ⁠ 353 45
#JoshuaTree #Camping #Airstream #vacation #roughingit 87 4
Brad A. Johnson
  • Blog
  • About
  • Photography
  • Writing
  • Contact
Writer. Photographer. Traveler. Restaurant Critic.

Input your search keywords and press Enter.