Editor’s Picks: Where to eat in Hong Kong this September

Since opening in 2019, modern Chinese vegetarian restaurant Miss Lee has found a unique way to combine the techniques of Asian and Western cuisines to create some really great tasting food, and this season is no different. Their new range of a la carte dishes includes some more traditional style foods and creative ideas. The celtuce and mushroom salad ($118) with king oyster mushroom, white fungus, and pickled ginger jelly, for example, is a refreshing start to any meal, and the cold noodles with potato strips ($128) are mixed with fungus, bamboo shoot and bamboo fungus seasoned with chilli and mixed herbs for a spice you'll keep going back for. On the more inventive side, a creamy tomato rice cake ($138) turns away from traditional pasta and uses soft and chewy Shanghai rice cakes to go with a slow-cooked sweet cherry tomato sauce with parmesan chips for extra crunch and flavour.

Offering a new menu that features their signature bold yet comforting regional Isaan cuisine, Chachawan’s family-style four-course sharing menu ($478 per person) is where I’ll be for either dinner or weekend lunch this season. The menu includes some of their classic dishes and a monthly rotating Isaan dish created by head chef Narisara Somboon. Highlights include refreshing salads such as Som Dtum Khao Pod with corn, salted egg, cherry tomatoes, chilli, Thai garlic, and sweet and sour Tamarind dressing, and Larp Moo with chopped pork, pork skin, shallots, spring onion, mint, coriander, and spicy-sour dressing. While main dish choices include Gai Yung, marinated and grilled chicken thigh, Pla Phao Glua, salt-crusted whole seabass, and the special Isaan dish of the month: Massaman Gai curry with a slow-braised chicken leg, potato, and peanuts with roti. This dish is only available until September 30, as there will be a monthly special after that. Not forgetting the carbs, there’s also Phad Thai noodles, Khao Pad rice with crab meat, and Khao Niew Mamuang, the mango sticky rice, or Kanom Dtum, warm coconut rice dumplings served in salted coconut cream, for dessert.

Connecting the world of coffee with food and wine, Interval Farmacy is an all-day dining cafe and restaurant opened by twin brothers and entrepreneurs Josh and Caleb Ng that you may also recognise as @twins_kitchen. The venue has now appointed a new head chef Samuel Ng who comes with a new direction for the food menu. Originally from Brisbane, Samuel will bring his experience in Western and Cantonese cuisine and cafe culture in Australia to offer handmade pasta, wood fire pizza and main dishes on the grill. Highlighted items include heirloom tomatoes with pickled peppers, basil and shiso vinaigrette; handmade tagliolini with local pipis chilli garlic sauce and fresh coriander and a wood-grilled local three yellow chicken served with wood fire bread and homemade sauces.

With new chef de cuisine Terry Ho in tow, European-style restaurant and bar Somm is offering new dishes created in collaboration with chef Richard Ekkebus such as raw shima aji kombujime with kyuri, celtuce and shiso; grilled Isaki a la plancha with kohlrabi, wakame and sea grape salad and a velvety sake beurre blanc sauce; and dry-aged and tender Challans duck breast with sweet butternut squash, pumpkin seed praline and flavourful duck jus. Prior to his new role, Terry was the junior sous chef of Amber, before working as sous chef at L’atelier de Joel Robuchon in Taipei and returning to Hong Kong as sous chef at Arbor. Now at Somm, it looks like there is much to look forward to with his input on the French neo-bistro style menu.

Having reopened after a recent renovation, Frank’s is ​​back with a new and revitalised Italian American menu filled with ‘Frank’s Originals’ and revolving specials. Crowd-pleasing classics such as Frank’s Meatballs ($85), linguine clams ($165), and orecchiette with homemade sausage and broccoli rabe ($155) remain on the menu as a Frank’s Original, whilst new creations and specials including lasagna fritta ($165), which is sliced and pan-fried with melted for a crisp crust, Mafaldine bolognese ($170) made with 100 percent local produce, and urchin caramelle pasta ($180) designed to look like candy are sure to delight. They will also offer caviar service ($550 per 30 grams) with shrimp crackers and Tuscan onion dip and more seasonal dishes.