There's a good reason Sai Kung is referred to as Hong Kong's back garden, but it's not just the expanse of lush green country park and inviting waterfront that are attractive to visitors and locals. It's also because it offers plenty of amenities in a pleasant environment.
When it comes to eating out, Sai Kung is famous for its Chinese seafood restaurants existing alongside an abundance of Western-style bistros that extend a warm welcome to families and have extensive menus that attempt to cater for all palates. Because it's an area popular with expats, there are also several pubs competing to serve the biggest big breakfasts and the most sumptuous Sunday roasts - and a fish and chip shop, of course.
Scratch the surface and there's a wider and more surprising selection.
If it's fine dining you seek, there's not such a large selection, but what's there is notable - French and international restaurant One-Thirtyone (131 Tseng Tau village, tel: 27912684) and the Michelin-star Cantonese restaurant Loaf On in the old town (49 See Cheung Street; tel: 2792 9966). It is next door to the charming private Anthony Kitchen, which serves up a bit of both. (It's no relation to Anthony's Ranch or Anthony's Catch elsewhere in town.)
At the other end of the culinary scale is May's Sawaddee (No5, Ko Fu Building, 58-72 Fuk Man Road, tel: 27916500) located in what locals call 'Noodle Alley' for its plethora of hole-in-the-wall eateries. The popular Thai cafe is crammed at weekends with diners jostling for places on the rickety chairs at the wonky tables, which are part of its charm. In this unpretentious venue, which grew from one small shop in 2003 and rapidly expanded to include the two neighbouring premises, the food is consistently good, not to mention dirt cheap.
May, whose full name is Narudee Chaichompoo, is a well-known character whose lively personality and hard work have built up a thriving business. She'll tell you that her food is authentically Thai - hot and spicy - and recalls that, at first, locals didn't like it because they said it was too hot.
A visit to May's wouldn't be complete without trying the famous crispy pork neck with chilli dip, the paneang seafood curry and the pomelo salad. I was there recently in a party of four, and we ordered so many dishes (including those three) that we couldn't finish everything. The grand total was about HK$90 each. Diners can bring their own booze, and there's no corkage charge. May has another restaurant in the town next to McDonald's, not to be confused with the one next door to the DVD shop in Man Nin Street. (It still bears her name but belongs to somebody else now.)