Haute cuisine or going solo? A favourite for every occasion

Several friends and acquaintances contacted me to point out that I was mentioned in a recent article by Allan Jenkins, editor of the Observer Food Monthly, in England. We had met in Spain in May, and when he was offered a press trip to Hong Kong, he e-mailed to ask if we could meet and eat at a few places around town. I suggested going to Macau to eat at Robuchon a Galera, where I had a booking that coincided with his visit, and the following day, my foodie friends and I spent several hours with him, going to cheap and high-end places.

In the article, published last month, he wrote that Robuchon a Galera was my favourite restaurant in the region. The thing is, it's not.

I don't have one single favourite restaurant, because there's not one place that's good for all circumstances. Robuchon a Galera is a place I absolutely love. It's not just the inventive, delicious food and attentive service. I also appreciate that it's a bargain considering the quality - less than HK$700 for an elaborate five-course lunch. Despite this, I wouldn't want to eat there every day, and I rarely go there for dinner. It's on my list of 'favourite Michelin three-star restaurants in Macau for lunch' - quite a limited category, as I'm sure you'll agree.

I have many favourite restaurants that I go to depending on who I'm dining with and the ambience I want. When I want a relaxing, delicious meal where I know the chef and can leave it in his hands on what to serve, I go to On Lot 10 (for casual, family-style French), Gold and Otto e Mezzo (for Italian), Sushi Kuu (for omakase) and the cheese room at Caprice (for high-end French). I have many favourite Chinese restaurants, which I choose depending on specific regional cuisine and the price point: they include The Chairman, Celebrity Cuisine, Cuisine Cuisine (the one in the Mira Hotel), Tim's Kitchen, Manor and San Xi Lou. There are favourites for when I'm dining solo (Jin Luo Bao, Joon Ko, as well as many noodle shops) and places I go to when I'm with a big group that's going to get rather raucous (Tung Po, a specific branch of Under Bridge Spicy Crab). I have favourites for certain dishes, or for seasonal food - for hairy crab there's Tien Heung Lau; for hearty winter dishes, I visit Yung Kee; and when I'm craving glutinous-rice-stuffed suckling pig, I book the Kimberley Chinese Restaurant.

Although there's some overlap in the categories, I'm careful not to mix things up too much. I wouldn't bring my elderly relatives to Tung Po, nor would I take a crowd of hard-drinking friends to the quiet atmosphere of Celebrity Cuisine. I like one just as much as the other, so they're 'favourites' in their own way. But one single favourite where I would want to eat for all occasions? If someone could come up with that restaurant, he'd make millions.