In the first instalment of our new series, A Taste of Home, Hong Kong-born, London-based singer-songwriter Emmy the Great reveals her favourite places to eat and drink when she’s in Hong Kong
Singer-songwriter Emma-Lee Moss, who performs music under the name Emmy the Great, was born to a British father and Chinese mother in Hong Kong. Though she moved to the UK at the age of 12, she returned to Hong Kong in 2017 to visit her parents, who had moved back to the city, for Mid-Autumn Festival. Moss found herself so drawn to her home town at this time that she wrote her fourth album, April / 月音 about Hong Kong and, in March 2018, decided to move back on a longer-term basis. She gave birth to her daughter here and remained through late 2019 when she returned to London and co-founded Pavilion, a new gallery and culture initiative that promotes East Asian art and diaspora.
During Moss’ extended time in Hong Kong, she had the opportunity to revisit childhood haunts and uncover a host of new favourites, particularly when it came to dining out. Here she reveals the places that captured her palate.
What do you miss most in terms of food and drink when you are away from Hong Kong or haven’t been back for a while?
I miss the quality of the restaurants. For me, places like Samsen on Stone Nullah Lane can’t be beaten in terms of taste. I also miss the variety. Unlike some cities, which do certain types of cuisine well and others less so (see Mexican cuisine in the UK), Hong Kong has everything covered.
What is the first dish you eat when you return to Hong Kong and where do you go for it?
The first place I visit is Great in Pacific Place. It has such nostalgic connotations from the ‘90s, when I used to spend my Saturdays at the Seibu food court. I’ll get takeout sushi and a soda water, then I’ll take the escalators up to Hong Kong Park. My senses know I’m in Hong Kong at the precise moment that I leave the mall air conditioning, and the cold air breaks for the humidity outside.