John Chan is the wine director of the Landmark Mandarin Oriental hotel.
I enjoy food and drinks, but I actually do not dine out too much in Hong Kong. I like to spent my leisure time discovering and exploring specific ingredients and sources. Most ingredients from upscale restaurants are being flown in from around the world, as logistics play a major role.
For me, I would rather go to the produce source, especially for precious ingredients, to enjoy it fresh, rather than pay for transport and logistics.
However, there are local restaurants I enjoy. Hung’s Delicacies (EGL Tower, 83 Hung To Road, Kwun Tong, tel: 3107 4111) is famous for their soy marinated goose. The chef has a strong background in Cantonese cuisine in Hong Kong and Beijing, but their focus is on Chiu Chow cuisine, where the soy marinade plays an important role.
The flavour is rich and complex but mild at the same time. They marinate tofu, goose, eggs, and goose feet in this sauce. Their congee with baby oysters and the Buddha’s delight vegetarian plate are also very good.Sun Kwai Heung BBQ (17 Kam Tam Yun House, 345 Chai Wan Road, Chai Wan, tel: 2556 1183) does roast char siu and suckling pig for takeaway only. It was recommended to me by food critic Walter Kei at a wine tasting event. As a local, I eat char siu almost every week. Their pork is very sweet, marinated with honey and Chinese wine, and the fat and meat composition is balanced so after grilling the meat is tender with a juicy crust. The skin on the suckling pig is crunchy while the meat remains soft and tender. Amazing!
Sang Kee (7-9 Burd Street, Sheung Wan, tel: 2541 1099) specialises in congee, especially fish congee. The first time I went there I was still in my teens. My father took me and I was instantly surprised at the quality and variety of congee.
There are parts of fish available, including lips, side fins, back fins, head and tail, from different kinds, including carp or even grouper. My father said the shop catered for the gold and silver brokers in the exchange around the corner at Mercer Street. Those brokers only had a short time for their meal break, but once in a while they would win big money and celebrate with the most expensive fish congee – but still want to eat it really fast.
For visitors, I would bring them to Man Fat (150-152 Kiu Kiang Street, Sham Shui Po, tel: 2361 8708). It’s a very humble place but they do a variety of Cantonese favourite dishes very well.
I am also a coffee lover, especially hand-drip coffee, which is one the best methods to present the finest coffee beans. Technically speaking Moni Stand (1/F, 5 Tak Lung Back Street, Sai Kung, tel: 2776 8477) is not a cafe but a pure coffee tasting room, managed by Monica Lee. She is the owner, barista and roaster, and even trained other baristas for international competitions.
The shop is small, on one side is old music records from around the world and a stereo system. On the other side is coffee equipment. I keep returning to try different single-origin coffees and discover their tiny differences. Every time I am there, I spend the whole afternoon sipping a few different coffees.
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