Source:
https://scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/2086409/favourite-restaurants-great-chefs-hong-kongs-kim-murphy
Lifestyle/ Food & Drink

Favourite restaurants of Great Chefs of Hong Kong’s Kim Murphy

Tapas, Scandinavian fish, Swedish with an Asian twist, modern Chinese and a good pot or two of mussels are among Murphy’s favourites for different occasions

Andrew Sun
Andrew Sun

Updated: 6:07pm, 13 Apr, 2017

Why you can trust SCMP
Kim Murphy, chairwoman of Great Chefs of Hong Kong.

As a qualified nutritionist, I know the benefit of good clean eating so I prefer fresh fish and organic vegetables when possible. For this reason I enjoy Cantonese, Spanish, Italian, in fact, most Mediterranean food as well as Japanese.

For Spanish, I really like One Minden Tapas (1 Minden Avenue, Tsim Sha Tsui, tel: 2722 1707). It has a fun ambience with simple, tasty tapas in the tradition of Andalusia. Also, Catalunya (Guardian House, 32 Oi Kwan Road, Wan Chai, tel: 2866 7900) transports me to Spain in their traditional dining room with great sharing tapas and fresh seafood cooked to perfection. Another is Fofo by El Willy (20/F, M88, 2-8 Wellington Street, Central, tel: 2900 2009) with a fabulous contemporary dining room, excellent choice of small, tasty dishes with lots of fresh herbs and spices.

Finds (1/F, The Luxe Manor, 39 Kimberley Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, tel: 2522 9318) has fabulous Scandinavian fish. The salmon seven ways is the perfect oily fish and it’s so good for you. The decor is funky, the service great and Finnish executive chef Jaakko Sorsa is the perfect host.

Frantzen’s Kitchen (11 Upper Station Street, Sheung Wan, tel: 2559 8508) is a new Swedish restaurant with exciting Nordic flavours married with Asian tastes, an excellent range of dishes with high quality ingredients and a relaxing environment.

Interior of Mott 32.
Interior of Mott 32.
I think it’s important to show visitors the abundant Chinese choices here. Two of my favourites are Mott 32 (Standard Chartered Building, 4-4A Des Voeux Road Central, Central, tel: 2885 8688) for its Peking duck and dim sum with a fantastic modern bar serving the best martinis.
Interior of Ho Lee Fook.
Interior of Ho Lee Fook.
Ho Lee Fook (1-5 Elgin Street, SoHo, tel: 2810 0860), an urban environment with creative cuisine. Order the slow-cooked chicken and the great array of vegetables such as the green beans with vegetarian XO, shimeji mushroom and five-spiced tofu.

The Grand Hyatt’s Grand Cafe (Lobby Level, 1 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, tel: 2584 7722) still serves the best Hainan chicken in town and delicious house-made ice creams with fresh fruit.

I also enjoy the Belgian mussel pots at Frites (1/F, The Wellington, 198 Wellington Street, Central, tel: 2217 6671) paired with their heathy salads and wonderful draught beer. It’s always a fun and buzzing environment.
The interior of VEA.
The interior of VEA.
If it’s a special occasion, then the tasting menu at VEA (29/ F and 30/F The Wellington, 198 Wellington Street, tel: 2711 8639) is a memorable experience in an intimate room with excellent service.

For the Great Chefs event on April 27, people should bring an appetite. Get there early, take your time to read the menu choices and plan your taste experience. There is so much choice, nearly 50 dining destinations serving food items so it’s easy to fill up quickly. But remind yourself you are doing something wonderful for special children.

Great Chefs of Hong Kong supports the Heep Hong Society’s Parents Resource Centres. For tickets and information, go to heephong.org/greatchefs