Visitors to Hong Kong need never go hungry. In survey after survey on the favourite destinations for food lovers, only France and Italy come higher on the list.

Besides the native Cantonese fare, other popular Chinese cuisines include those of Sichuan, Chiu Chow, Beijing and Shanghai. Asian food of all kinds abounds, with scores of Japanese, Vietnamese and Thai eateries, and the international repertoire here is as good as you’ll find anywhere in the world. While many Chinese restaurants have no English menus, most display their signature items in the window. And while you may not have the stomach to try some of the more exotic foods that are popular with locals –pigeon, frog, snake, duck tongues, offal and chicken feet are all staples – there are more familiar alternatives such as chicken, goose and pork. And a trip to Hong Kong without sampling dim sum is unforgivable.

First off, no trip to Hong Kong would be complete without a visit to Yung Kee (32-40 Wellington Street, Central, +85225221624, www.yungkee.com.hk). It’s famous for classic Cantonese fare, especially roast goose and barbecued pork, and menus are available in English. Also in the Central area is one of Hong Kong’s oldest ‘independent’ Western-cuisine restaurants, M At The Fringe (2 Lower Albert Road, Central, +85228774000, www.m-atthefringe.com). The food is reliably excellent and reflects the international, eclectic tastes of the ‘M’ behind the name, Australian owner Michelle Garnaut.

Magnificent views of Hong Kong can be found at Café Deco (1/F & 2/F, Peak Galleria, 118 Peak Road, +85228495111) situated on Peak Road. The menu is eclectic and features lots of beautifully fresh seafood, grilled meats and top tandoori dishes.

King’s Palace Congee & Noodle Bar (G/F, 22 Sing Woo Road, Happy Valley, +85228384444) is a great place to go at the weekends, especially if you’ve overdone it on the alcohol the night before. Congee (rice porridge) is the best food for sensitive stomachs: it’s light, subtle and comforting.

A great introduction to Shanghai fare can be nabbed at Lao Ching Hing (Basement, Century Hotel, 257 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, +85225986080), while Open Kitchen serves up international cuisine at reasonable prices and affords a great view overlooking the harbour.

Spring Deer (1/F, 42 Mody Road, +85223664012) in Kowloon is an ace place for Peking Duck; Sun Dau Kee Seafood Restaurant (120 Woo Sung Street, Jordan Road, Yau Ma Tei, +85227306827) serves excellent-quality seafood.

The Island Shangri-La (7/F, Island Shangri-La Hotel, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty, +85228773838) may be home to one of Hong Kong’s best French restaurants (Petrus) but it also houses this great buzzing café, Café Too. It’s self service but the choice is endless and you can go back as many times as you want.

The best-known drinking area is Lan Kwai Fong in Central. There’s a huge variety of bars and eateries here and is a good place to start for first-time visitors, since every taxi driver knows it and everything is clustered together. The district also includes the neighbouring streets D’Aguilar Street, Wo On Lane and Wing Wah Lane. It’s busy every night and has recently been pedestrianised during the evenings. Wan Chai is the other main bar area on Hong Kong Island. A gradual facelift has seen an increase in upmarket bars here but it remains the liveliest and earthiest part of town to drink. Bars of note include the Thai-themed KBG – Klong Bar & Grill (G/F, The Broadway, 54-62 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, +85222178330) and the Felix (28/F, Peninsula Hotel, Salisbury Road, +85223666251) – where the men get to pee with panache at the urinals overlooking Kowloon, and women get to neck great cocktails.

[top]