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Sushi, steak, Shanghainese food: a travel boss’ go-to Hong Kong restaurants

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Sushi, steak, Shanghainese food: a travel boss’ go-to Hong Kong restaurants

Investment banker turned travel entrepreneur Victor Dizon is a co-founder of A2A Safaris, specialising in luxury African safaris. He spoke to Andrew Sun.

I grew up in the Philippines. My mother loved to cook and my parents loved to eat.

Growing up, we had a very diverse menu, from all kinds of Asian cuisine to Spanish. And we were lucky – my parents took us travelling all over the world from a young age, which is how I developed my love for travel and food.

I do like fancy Michelin-star restaurants in Paris or Tokyo, but I equally enjoy eating street food in Bangkok or Singapore.

In Hong Kong, one of my favourite lunch spots is Lei Garden (various locations including Shop 1003, 10/F, Times Square, 1 Matheson Street, Causeway Bay. Tel: 2506 3828). They have amazing dim sum and Cantonese roast meats – especially char siu and the roast pigeon.

Braised beef with scallions at Wu Kong Shanghai Restaurant.
Tuna sushi at Sushi Tokami. Photo: Edmond So
Another favourite of mine is Wu Kong Shanghai Restaurant (L/G, Alpha House, 27-33 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui. Tel: 2366 7244). I first discovered Shanghainese cuisine in Hong Kong back in the 1990s.
It is a great option when you want something with a different flavour profile than Cantonese cuisine. They have great seafood including sautéed river prawns, sautéed shredded eels and, of course, hairy crab when it is in season.

I love sushi and always make it a point to visit Sushi Tokami (Shop 216A, 2/F, Ocean centre, Harbour City, 5 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui. Tel: 2771 3938). It is a branch of the well-known sushi-ya in Ginza [in Tokyo] and their sister company is a top supplier of high-grade Japanese tuna.

Across the board, the sushi is excellent but the highlight is all their cuts of tuna – especially the tossaki, which is from the neck, served as a temaki (hand roll). The shari (sushi rice) is also unique, using a red vinegar made from sake, giving it a more savoury flavour.

Peking duck at Peking Garden.

I always enjoy a good steak dinner. Our go-to place since the 1990s has been Ruth’s Chris Steak House (Shop 2&3, G/F, Lippo Centre, 89 Queensway, Admiralty. Tel: 2522 9090). We have had many celebrations there and their steaks and sides are always consistently good with amazing service.

For visitors, a Peking duck dinner at Peking Garden (various locations including 3/F, Star House, 3 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui. Tel: 2735 8211) includes a lot of theatre and guests love this. It is perfectly cooked every time and the servers know how to slice it properly to get the maximum taste out of the dish.

Other excellent dishes include their shredded conpoy and deep-fried yellow croaker.

A splurge preference is L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon (Shop 401, 4/F, Landmark Atrium, 15 Queen’s Road Central. Tel: 2166 9000). It still serves well-prepared French classics like veal sweetbreads, game birds like quail and guinea fowl, and Dover sole in a tapas bar-like setting.

Of course, a nice bottle of French Burgundy from Gevrey-Chambertin is a must to complement this meal.

Fillet steak at Ruth’s Chris Steak House.

As a big carnivore, my favourite place for Japanese teppanyaki in Tokyo is Ginza Ukai Tei (5-15-8, 1/F, Jiji-tsushin Building, Ginza, Chuo-ku. Tel: +81 3 3544 5252).

It feels like a Belle Époque-era French restaurant but the Wagyu is 100 per cent Japanese, cooked to perfection right in front of you. They have an excellent wine and sake list too.

Insider tip: request a private room for the ultimate teppanyaki experience.

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