(CNN)- Eating in Hong Kong is no easy task.
Not because it's out of options -- there are more than
24,000 licensed places with pretty much every global cuisine imaginable -- but
because it's a challenge to keep up with the culinary wonders that emerge
daily.
From Michelin-starred fine dining to dai pai dong street
eats, we've compiled a list that'll help to impress the local foodies during
your coming visit.
Talk of the town
These are the cutting-edge eateries that give diners an
extra sprinkle of kudos by serving up dishes that'll make their Instagram
followers jealous.
Lai Bun Fu
Staying in On Lan Street, the new Cantonese fine dining
space Lai Bun Fu is helmed by former Hong Kong Government House executive chef
Chung Kin Leung.
He's cooked for countless global leaders in his time and
personally visits local markets daily to source ingredients. Signature dishes
will include Sifu (master) crispy chicken with five condiments and the
decadent-sounding mash-up of foie gras prawn cutlets on toast.
Lai Bun Fu, 5/F, 18 On Lan Street, Central, Hong Kong; +852
2564 3868
Burger Circus
While another gourmet burger joint wouldn't normally excite,
the Black Sheep group has serious pedigree having opened some of the hottest
restaurants of 2014, including Carbone and Ho Lee Fook.
It road-tested its burgers at the Clockenflap music festival
in November and has just opened this train-influenced diner in Hollywood Road
where everything -- including the sodas -- is made in-house.
Burger Circus, 22 Hollywood Road, Soho, Hong Kong; +852 2878
7787
Saam
In the heart of Hong Kong's always-happening Soho district,
Saam is an intriguing new addition that claims to employ "the very latest
kitchen technology in their culinary journey around the world."
As such, the menu is projected on the walls while a
"refrigerated centrifuge" helps prep dishes including "foie gras
candy" and "autumn fields."
Saam, 51 Graham Street, Soho, Hong Kong; +852 2645 9828
ON Dining Kitchen and Lounge
ON is the second Hong Kong venue from the team behind Upper
Modern Bistro which won a Michelin star within months of opening in 2014.
ON is named after and located in the new restaurant hotspot
of On Lan Street in Central district where chef Philippe Orrico oversees the
kitchens of both the restaurant and lounge bar.
The crack team of Orrico, Jeremy Evrard, Giancarlo Mancino,
and Nicolas Deneux take great pride in their sourcing so diners can expect fine
wines alongside delicate patisseries, and one of the best cheese cellars in
town.
ON Dining Kitchen and Lounge, 28-29/F, 18 On Lan Street,
Central, Hong Kong; +852 2174 8100
Old classics
One day you're in. The next day you're out.
That doesn't apply to these solid classics in Hong Kong.
They're the reliable goodies that locals can relax about
falling in love with, without the fear that they may not last.
Trust us, our hearts break too often.
Pierre
French culinary legend Pierre Gagnaire has a suite of
restaurants around the world showcasing his philosophy of "facing tomorrow
while respectful of yesterday."
In Hong Kong, Pierre -- the restaurant -- sits atop the
Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong and offers modern French gastronomy which reflects
this ethos such as Gillardeau oysters with ginger, lamb with gorgonzola and
couscous or Napoleon Cake of pastry, vanilla cream, coffee and caramel.
Pierre, Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, 5 Connaught Road, Hong
Kong; +852 2522 0111
Yan Toh Heen
The signature Chinese restaurant of the Intercontinental
Hotel boasts some of the finest views in Hong Kong alongside some of the city's
most innovative Cantonese cuisine.
The attention to detail in the restaurant's design matches
the plates, with two-Michelin-star chef Lau Yiu Fai serving playful, modern
takes on dim sum, exemplary seafood and surprising desserts.
Yan Toh Heen, The InterContinental Hong Kong, 18 Salisbury
Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong; +852 2313 2323
Cha chaan teng
A world away from fine dining in luxury hotels comes the
venerable and much-loved cha chaan teng of Hong Kong.
Tsui Wah -- don't judge yet -- isn't only the most popular
chain in Hong Kong, with most branches open 24 hours a day, they serve up Hong
Kong classics such as condensed milk buns, Swiss sauce chicken wings and
fishball soup to everyone from hungry clubbers to Cantopop stars.
Lan Fong Yuen is one of the oldest cha chaan teng in Hong
Kong serving one of the best milk teas in town. It's also where instant noodle
is cooked up as a gourmet dish.
If those are too mainstream, the low-key Hoi On Cafe, has
been running for as long as Lan Fong Yuen. Its retro menu and interior would
impress the most hardcore Canto-fan.
The spring onion with corned beef omelet on a thick open
toast is culinary gold.
Tsui Wah, various locations across the city
Lan Fong Yuen, 2 Gage St., Central, Hong Kong; +852 2544
3895
Hoi On Cafe, 17 Connaught Road, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong; +852
2540 6340
Aberdeen Street Social
British chef Jason Atherton has rapidly expanded his global
restaurant portfolio to add his third Hong Kong restaurant alongside 22 Ships
and Ham n' Sherry.
This stylish conversion in the former Police Married
Quarters has a downstairs bar with more formal dining upstairs, where dishes
such as pig's trotter, cep risotto and roasted turbot show global influences
and a sure hand at the stoves.
Aberdeen Street Social, 35 Aberdeen Street, Central, Hong
Kong; +852 2866 0300
Chris Dwyer is a Hong Kong-based communications consultant
and food writer. For his restaurant reviews, chef interviews and more visit
www.finefooddude.com.
