I know a place: Arnault Castel
Andrew Sun
Arnault Castel is director of Working Unit Limited, which runs Kapok shops and distributes the Moleskine brand in Southeast Asia
As a French expat, there is a new restaurant that I love called Serge et le Phoque (shop B2, Tower 1, The Zenith, 3 Wan Chai Road, Wan Chai, tel: 5465 2000). I wouldn’t call it homestyle as it’s quite sophisticated. The food is inventive without being stuffy, which is the problem with quite a few French restaurants outside of France.
I am very picky about French food – and very picky in general – but I enjoy most Chinese and Japanese food in Hong Kong. For authentic Cantonese I think Manor Sea Food Restaurant (shop F-G, 440 Jaffe Road, Causeway Bay, tel: 2836 9999) is amazing. It feels a bit lost in time, but the waiters are super friendly and the food is wonderful.
I really enjoy the dim sum and the atmosphere at Island Tang (shop 222, The Galleria, 9 Queen’s Road Central, tel: 2526 8798).
It’s quiet, the service is attentive and it’s a nice place to have a relaxing Sunday lunch.
For Japanese, I like the sushi and sashimi at Sushi Shin (Wing Hing Court, 110-114 Tung Lo Wan Road, Tai Hang, tel: 2398 8000). It is always fresh and it’s right next to my home. For a nice evening atmosphere and very inventive Japanese food I would for sure suggest Ronin (8 On Wo Lane, Central, tel: 2547 5263).
In Tai Hang, the pork chop noodles at Ping Kee (5 Shepherd Street, Tai Hang, tel: 2577 3117) are pretty amazing. Just around the corner is one of my favourite coffee spots, Unar Coffee Company (4 Second Lane, Tai Hang, tel: 2838 5231), and probably the best ice cream in town at Lab Made (6 Brown Street, Tai Hang, tel: 2670 0071).
I could add hipster favourite Yardbird (33-35 Bridges Street, Sheung Wan, tel: 2547 9273). From the newcomers, Duddell’s (Levels 3 & 4, Shanghai Tang Mansion, 1 Duddell Street, Central, tel: 2525 9191) is doing fine Cantonese fare in a beautiful environment.