Sushi, casual Cantonese, pasta and Michelin-star fusion in Hong Kong: where a food Instagrammer likes to eat

Avid food lover and globetrotter Enrica Tong started documenting her food journey on Instagram (instagram.com/enricatong) during the Covid-19 pandemic. She spoke to Andrew Sun.

My parents always taught me to be open-minded with food.

“You should always try something to know whether you like it or not,” they said. I have always kept that attitude. Now, I appreciate good ingredients, just as my mom, who’s a great cook, does.

Apart from Chinese, I love that Hong Kong has a range of very high quality restaurants serving different cuisines. An example is Mono (5/F, 18 On Lan Street, Central). Chef Ricardo Chaneton serves Latin American, French influenced food with interesting flavours and execution.

Mono’s red mullet with XO sauce and Peruvian oca. Photo: Instagram/@monorestaurant

Warm salad with kale, ice vegetables, figs and mizuna from Dining at Murasaki, in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. Photo: James Wendlinger

A recently found treasure is Murasaki (UG/F, Sino Plaza, 255 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay, tel: 6890 6088), a kappo omakase experience to enjoy sushi with seasonal otsumami [side dishes]. I really enjoyed their mapo tofu rice with Impossible meat. You don’t feel as heavy even after 15 courses.

If I am not meeting friends, I prefer simple eats for lunch, like a bowl of noodle soup. My favourite spot is Sun Cheong Ming (22 Yik Yam Street, Happy Valley, tel: 2573 7855) where I go for a bowl of cuttlefish ball rice noodles with curry beef brisket and tendons, plus extra scallions and ice lemon tea. Do add a scoop of their house-made chilli sauce.

Flower Drum’s baked pork chop rice with egg. Photo: Wilson Fok

Flower Drum (Shop B, 2/F, Linway Court, 69-71 Stone Nullah Lane, Wan Chai, tel: 6382 9826) is another option for a casual noodle or rice set, with a nice bowl of long boiled soup called “Sir Tang soup”. It’s honeydew melon, chicken and conch.

The soup was created by the chef’s father in homage to philanthropist Sir Tang Shiu Kin’s kindness saving the life of a restaurant staff member.

I love this place, as the chef and owner, Nansen Lai, has extensive knowledge and is meticulous about ingredients.

I also enjoy Andō’s (1/F, Somptueux Central, 52 Wellington Street, Central, tel: 9161 8697) Japanese-influenced Spanish food. It’s a Michelin-star restaurant but doesn’t feel pretentious, as chef Agustin Balbi always has a warm smile.

I also love Testina (3/F, 8 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central, tel: 2798 0668) for casual, authentic Italian. The chicken offal pasta is fantastic. Neighborhood (61-63 Hollywood Road, SoHo, tel: 2617 0891) is another favourite for dinner.

Thick roasted bone marrow from Testina, in Central. Photo: Testina

Neighborhood’s truffled Yuen Long chicken with wilted greens and morel mushroom sauce. Photo: Susan Jung

I don’t mind late suppers so often I try Vivant (8-10 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central, tel: 2952 2766) around 9pm for a bite and a few glasses of wine. You may still need to wait a bit, as this is a small restaurant.

I would take visitors to Genuine Lamma Hilton Fishing Village Restaurant (Lot 584, Sok Kwu Wan, Lamma Island, tel: 2982 8220) for seafood, where they can have a brisk walk around, then chill out at the restaurant and eat the local seafood. You can enjoy your food and wine at the seaside with the sea breeze for the whole afternoon.

Overseas, I highly recommend Asador Etxebarri (San Juan Plaza, 1, 48291 Axpe Achondo, San Sebastian, Spain, tel: +34 946 58 30 42). It’s destination dining, as the experience includes driving all the way up the mountain. It’s nothing fancy, but I was really impressed how they take barbecue to another level. It’s a heaven for wine lovers as well. You will end up eating and drinking till dawn.

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