Ladies Street Sik Fan Co

New age Dai Pai Dong

Deep fried mango prawns with caviar

Located in the busy tourist district of Mong Kok in Hong Kong, where the popular "Lady Street" market is at, Ladies Street Sik Fan Co is a new restaurant only launched back in late 2018 but already created a massive buzz within the local communities. The concept of the venue is all about tracking back to the "Dai Pai Dong" era. Popular back in the 70s-80s, Dai Pai Dong is a type of open-air food stall in Hong Kong, dishing up classic Cantonese dishes in a casual environment. Sadly, due to government regulation and hygiene concerns, there are hardly any Dai Pai Dong left. The founder of Ladies Street Sik Fan Co committed to recreating the Dai Pai Dong atmosphere but within a restaurant space.

China Tang Landmark

Weekend lunch in style

Steamed Buns, Black Truffle, Black Mushroom

I have eaten at China Tang Landmark not long ago to experience what top class Cantonese fine dining dinner is all about. Top ingredients, executed in both classic and modern methods with a touch of refinement is what China Tang is all about. For my second visit, I returned to sample its lunch menu. Most Chinese restaurants have a massive difference in its lunch vs dinner offering, so I was keen to see what the lunch menu is like at China Tang. The menu is mostly dim sum, along with some small dishes that are tapas sizes which are great for sharing.

Social Place

The real social deal

 Flaming pineapple

Social Place is a mini restaurant chain in Hong Kong spreading across 3 sites. It is aiming toward a younger generation with a modern concept that uses classic Chinese cooking methods and blending in South East Asian cuisine characteristics with a creative touch. It is extremely popular with the locals with its fun and ever-changing dishes, providing major talking points for diners and created a real buzz on social media. while it is such a trendy venue, but what really matters to me is the taste, as you can fool people only once if the taste failed to match up the concept or the cost, so it was time for me to test the water when a local friend suggested to try it out with me.

Yum Cha

Quirky and creative dim sum

Hot custard buns

I am always on the hunt for good quality dim sum whenever I visit Hong Kong, and while I will always enjoy classic dim sum in traditional Cantonese tea houses, it is nice to have a change every once a while. Aiming toward a younger set of audience, Yum Cha is a modern dim sum joint that offers creative dim sum with a touch of a western twist. Its offering are playful in both the names and presentation, perfect for people to share on social media. Yum Cha has been opened since 2015 and is still going strong, and now becoming a mini-chain with four restaurants across Hong Kong.

La Dame de Pic London

Cutting edge French cuisine 

Duck Smoked with vanilla Orange and fresh curcuma

It has been just over a year since I last visited La Dame de Pic, the 1 Michelin starred restaurant by the legendary French chef Anne-Sophie Pic, inside the Four Season Hotel at Ten Trinity Square, London. The creative fine dining restaurant is known for its elegant French cuisine and top class desserts, after trying most fine dining restaurants in London, it is fair to say La Dame de Pic has the best desserts offering. Another element I enjoy from the kitchen is daring to use a range of premium spirits in its cooking, from single malt whisky to well-aged rum, really taking advantage of the deep flavours you would get from a top-shelf bottle.