This brought him to the notice of premier Deng Xiaoping. 'Deng came into the kitchen and asked, 'Who cooked the crispy stuffed duck?', and, boy, was I scared, thinking I must have done a terrible job. But he said the duck was absolutely delicious and just wanted to congratulate me. The next thing I remember was non-stop flashing from cameras, and reporters asking me the secret of my recipe. Since then, crispy stuffed duck has become my trademark.'

It wasn't until 2003 when Kwong started working for food and art critic Lau Kin-wai at the private Yellow Door Kitchen that he began cooking for the general public. Eighteen months ago, the two opened Kin's Kitchen, collaborating on the menu, which features nostalgic Cantonese dishes and so-called peasants' meals made with the best ingredients. There's also the famous crispy stuffed duck and, in winter, snake soup, which has a base made from snake bones and dried tangerine peels. Rose-smoked chicken is another signature dish. Kwong uses fresh and dried rose petals combined with fresh sugar cane and brown sugar to slowly smoke the chicken.

'I'm pig-headed,' says Kwong. 'Over the years, my co-workers often complained about me not updating my time-consuming and labour-intensive methods. I also insist on using the freshest ingredients available, and you won't find MSG, chicken powder, or meat tenderiser in my kitchen. But if I don't stick to my practices, my customers will be disappointed.'

Adjacent to Kin's Kitchen is Guandong Chef/Edwin's Restaurant & Bar, a sleek, western-style cafe that serves decades-old Cantonese recipes passed down from the owner's grandfather, Tso Hing, who ran the kitchen at Government House for Sir Murray (later Lord) MacLehose. Edwin Lam Ka-kit has been cooking professionally for 18 years, although he's only in his mid-30s. 'I was born into a family of cooks and I'm proud of my inheritance,' he says. 'I'm the third generation carrying on this legacy. When I turned 17, I could single-handedly arrange two tables of typical Chinese banquet fare at our home.'

Lam trained at the Grand Hyatt and with the Regal Hotel chain, and from 1990 to 1996 at the American Club. 'This is how I learnt about five-star service. I was lucky that some of my colleagues at the American Club came in as partners with me to set up this restaurant last November.'

Lam's uncle Tso Kam-piu is consulting executive chef. Also armed with impressive credentials, he shares Lam's legacy of safeguarding the family recipes and passing on the knowledge of traditional Cantonese dishes to the next generation. 'Edwin and I want to be in the vanguard in bringing people's attention to our culinary heritage,' says Tso. 'It's vital because in Hong Kong few young chefs are equipped with the necessary expertise to continue our wonderful culinary traditions.'

Some of Tso's highlights are age-old dishes such as eight-treasures duck (lotus, lily, preserved ham, dried shrimp, red dates, dried tangerine peels, black mushroom and dried conpoy), which requires eight hours to cook.

Another standout in the area is Old Bazaar Kitchen, which offers reasonably priced Southeast Asian cuisine featuring authentic Nonya and Singaporean-Malaysian dishes. Executive chef Billy Chung Shu-tong says he was lucky to find an investor willing to trust his vision.

'I was a businessman travelling extensively in Southeast Asia,' Chung says. 'During that period I sampled endless varieties of dishes in different countries, and took notes on them. I never dreamt of becoming a chef. It all happened because of the 1997 economic crisis, when I lost my job. That's when I decided to take the plunge and learn the craft.'

Some of Chung's most popular dishes are jumbo clams, Malaysian-style copper pot steam rice, pork ribs with pineapple and Malay plum sauce and lamb ribs noodles in belacan sauce. Chung also sells some of the sauces and condiments, such as the belacan (shrimp paste), Indonesian sambal and kaya (coconut jam).

He says Malaysian-Singaporean cuisine is becoming more popular, and that Tin Hau has potential to become a foodie zone. 'The location is convenient and rent's lower than Causeway Bay. What we need are more shops and bars to encourage people to stay longer.'

The tranquil, smoke-free Sweet 19 (which has a second location in Homantin) opened in Tin Hau last September and is a perfect spot to spend a lazy afternoon. 'It's a great place to meet for coffee,' says executive director Barry Hung Chi-wai. Although it's small, Sweet 19 has a warm, inviting decor (the Homantin branch won an architectural award).

Chef Leung Siu-keung's contemporary western menu includes scallop-mango-avocado salad in Pommery mustard dressing, squid ink spaghetti with minced oyster meat and mushroom, baked prawn and scallop pancake purse. 'I take a health-conscious, lighter approach to cooking, which means you'll find I use more olive oil, less cream and no MSG,' he says.

The restaurateurs and chefs of Tin Hau may not exactly be aiming for fashionable fine dining yet, but they've certainly helped put the emerging food haven firmly on the map.