Chino

Chino to me really exemplifies the spirit of a neighbourhood restaurant, which can be hard to find in Hong Kong. They combine Mexican and Japanese cuisine—for example, a tostada filled with maitake mushrooms or wagyu beef and shishito pepper taco.

On the first episode of The Final Table, the challenge was Mexican food, specifically to make a taco—my teammate Mark Best and I made a corn tortilla taco filled with sea urchin, trout roe and Salsa Roja. They have a scallop and uni tostada at Chino, which reminds me a bit of that. I had never cooked Mexican cuisine before the show, but I have always loved eating it.

Islam Food in Kowloon City

Islam Food is one of my favourite local spots, which I make a special effort to venture to every couple of months. The food is delicious, extremely good value and it’s such a unique spot that sums up the best of the Hong Kong dining scene to me—multicultural and diverse. I would happily go there on my own for a plate of their veal goulash—there’s nothing like them anywhere else in the city. I also love that it’s been going for more than 60 years and is still operated by the same family.

Islam Food, G/F, No. 1 Lung Kong Road, Kowloon City, Hong Kong, +852 2382 2822; Islam Food, G/F, No. 33-35 Tak Ku Ling Road, Kowloon City, Hong Kong, +852 2382 1882, islamfood.com.hk

Don't miss: Neighbourhood Guide: What To Eat, Drink And Do In Kowloon City

Rex Wine & Grill

I have always been a fan of Nate Green and what he is doing at Rex looks really exciting. I haven’t had a chance to get over there yet but when I do, the shepherd’s pie is what I want to try—those kinds of dishes remind me of my days off in London when my wife and I would go for a pub lunch. Especially whilst it’s a bit colder right now, we can take advantage of eating heartier dishes like this.

REX Wine & Grill, B/F, One Chinachem, 22 Des Voeux Road Central, Central, Hong Kong, +852 2857 7157, rexwineandgrill.com.hk

On Christmas traditions…

My wife and children live in France, so Christmas for us means sitting in front of a roaring fire with several bottles of Bordeaux, cheese and charcuterie sourced from our local area. This is the beauty of French life. In Australia, it is oysters and beers on the beach.

Mono

Ricardo [Chaneton, chef of Mono] recently invited me to eat at Mono for a dinner series called “Unplugged,” where he and his team dove headfirst into cooking incredible food from all over Central and South America. The combination of cooking foods that they grew up with with the precision, passion, and technique that they possess made for an incredible experience. He featured some foods from Venezuela that are only served during the holidays. I am looking forward to eating those again one day!

Frank’s Records

I have known Todd [Darling], Josh [Chu] and Vinny [Lauria], [the founders] of Red Sauce Hospitality, since I moved to Hong Kong [in 2009]. We have grown together in this city as friends and peers in the industry. I’m really excited for their new record bar to open, which is going to combine so many of my favourite things in life: vinyl, seafood, booze and friends. 

Hop Sze

I am lucky to have a very tight crew of friends and family in Hong Kong, and we have an ongoing tradition of eating at Hop Sze in Sai Wan Ho every few months. We ask for a reservation on our way out which usually puts us back at our same table every two or three months. 

The smoked soy chicken, steamed fish, and “king of stir fry” dishes are always a must-order, but the super warm and friendly staff are always there to recommend something new. We have never been disappointed. Hop Sze is just another reminder of why Hong Kong has the best Cantonese food in the world.

Hop Sze, G/F, Lai Wan Building, 39 Shau Kei Wan Road, Sai Wan Ho, Hong Kong, +852 2569 0862

On Christmas traditions…

Working every day in the restaurant world makes home-cooked meals taste even better. I'm looking forward to inviting my circle of friends and family to hang out, eat at my house, and get deep into whatever culinary theme we choose for the night. I love cooking Israeli foods, or even just simple roast chicken and sides, I guess that’s where the inspiration for Roti Tori came from.

Neighborhood

It’s very rare as a chef, when you go out to dine, that there isn’t a single dish on the menu that you go ‘eh’ to. Every dish at Neighborhood was really tasty, innovative, and balanced. I could see and taste David’s personal touch on classics. He truly uses exceptional products.

Dishes I really look forward to having again are the salt-baked chicken with all the offal, and the Kinki fish paella. Though I don’t recall any minor details of the other dishes, I do remember it all being really damn good.

See also: Percy's Opens In Soho With A Focus On Sustainable Seafood

Ronin

Ronin has definitely been at the top of my list since I moved to Hong Kong. I would love to seek inspiration from Matt’s seafood flavour combinations in particular how he uses Japanese techniques and flavour profiles to bring out the best of local ingredients.

I really look forward to trying the flower crab & uni, and the shrimp scallop ball. The bamboo, fava bean dish sounds really interesting and tasty too.

Loaf On and local seafood joints

I think Hong Kong does seafood incredibly well. I have visited several seafood spots around Hong Kong such as Lei Yue Mun and Lamma Island. One of the best experiences was my visit to Loaf On, whilst I was searching for inspiration for Percy’s.

The salt & pepper mantis shrimp, egg white and flower crab, black bean clams and the salt & pepper abalone were the standout dishes. Oh, and of course, the Cantonese classic - steamed grouper in soy.

Loaf On, G/F, 49 See Cheung Street, Sai Kung, Hong Kong, +852 2792 9966

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