IN FAST-CHANGING Hong Kong there always seems to be an up-and-coming dining hot spot. This year, the happening place just might be Sai Wan Ho, otherwise known as SoHo East. Restaurants are the main attraction in the area, where 20 eateries line Tai Hong Street, bordered by Lei King Road and the harbour. Unlike its namesake, SoHo, in Central, SoHo East is primarily a residential area. In the past 30 years, private housing estates have replaced the squatter villages that used to dominate the streets. These estates provide a quieter, more laidback dining experience compared to the trendy eateries of SoHo. The area feels more like Stanley, but without the tourist shops. A walk around Sai Wan Ho reveals a school, playground, video rental store, dry cleaning shop and health centre. There's also the Hong Kong Film Archive on Lei King Road. Because of their surroundings, the restaurants on Tai Hong Street retain a neighbourhood feel, but there's enough variety to attract visitors from around Hong Kong. 'Customers come from all over because there are so many restaurants here with so many different kinds of food,' says a waitress at Cafe Dido. Arif Kan is the manager of Beira Dos Namorados, also known as BDN. Kan was born in Hong Kong but grew up in Macau and his restaurant offers the Portuguese food with a Chinese influence he ate as a child. He's been working with BDN's Macanese chef for 10 years since they met in Macau. Their signature dishes revolve around large plates of roasted meats and seafood. Kan points to the 'sword Ali Baba lamb skewers' and the 'flaming seafood combo' as popular choices for large parties. Like most of the restaurants in the area, BDN has an open-air feel, with large glass windows overlooking the harbour. Kan says more people are discovering the area, attracted to the seaside setting. 'Before, we had just dinner business, that's all. Now, people come for lunch, especially with the shuttle buses coming from Taikoo Place.' He laughs at the mention of the area's catchy name, SoHo East. 'It works,' he says, 'but I don't really care about it.' Kan's restaurant was one of the first on Tai Hong Street. 'We replaced a kindergarten,' he says, laughing with a hint of guilt. 'The area has changed a lot.' Kan has two places, next door to each other. He opened Beira Rio six years ago and a year later, started Beira Dos Namorados. Beira Rio, which means 'riverside', offers more of a fusion cuisine compared to its neighbour. The menu includes king crab, honey-glazed ribs, pumpkin risotto with sun-dried tomatoes and walnuts, roasted salmon steak with miso cream sauce and spaghetti with Portuguese sausage, garlic and chilli. While Beira Dos Namorados and Beira Rio have great variety, Ajijiman is a smaller restaurant with a smaller menu. The restaurant serves traditional Japanese cuisine with a modern twist, offering its own special rolls and methods of preparing sashimi. When asked about which dish he enjoys preparing the most, chef Yeung Siu-kwan says, 'They're all tasty,' before describing a fresh sea eel sushi roll. The eel is roasted before it's placed on rice and seaweed, with avocado, two kinds of fish eggs and a lightly spiced sauce. Tai Hong Street has a fair share of decent-sized restaurants, but the area is also a place where one can sit for hours, enjoying the sea breeze while nibbling on an assortment of snack food. World Cup fever has gripped Tai Hong Street, where numerous cafes are broadcasting the matches and serving international fare. Cafe Dido, now in its third year, serves a variety of small dishes including fried salmon skin, Thai chicken wings, fish crackers and Taiwanese tong yuen (glutinous rice balls). Varanda serves dim sum, porridge and other Cantonese dishes, while Prince Bakery offers staple Hong Kong pastries such as sausage rolls, Swiss rolls and pineapple buns. Borgo C has a full lunch and dinner menu, but also features tapas, a wine bar and dessert for those who want to stop in for tea or coffee. The owner, known as Mr Kwok, says he doesn't want to use rigid terms to describe his food. 'All my small dishes, I just call them tapas,' he says. 'They aren't necessarily Spanish or Chinese or anything. I serve a whole mix of cuisines.' His 'tapas' include Chinese roast duck slices and charcoal-grilled New Zealand beef cubes. Adding to the mixture of restaurants and cafes is a food store called AAlimento, which specialises in premium meats, including Australian Wagyu beef and other grain-fed beef, as well as pork, lamb and chicken. Fresh seafood includes abalone, Alaskan king crab, conch and scallops. The well-stocked shop also offers the home cook a variety of herbs and spices, condiments, organic vegetables and a selection of wines. Although it's not a large area, SoHo East provides a variety of dining experiences that's a reminder of the extraordinary diversity of Hong Kong. What's more, it's a quiet neighbourhood that provides a welcome escape from the fast-paced city. Hopefully, it will remain that way. 1 Matsue Restaurant Shop GD, 1-2, G/F, 25 Tai On St, tel: 2568 7678 2 Seasons Dessert Shop GD, 15, G/F, 25 Tai On St, tel: 2785 7128 3 Prince Bakery Shop GC 11-12, 35 Tai Hong St, tel: 2885 9598 4 AAlimento Shop Gc 9-10 site C, 35 Tai Hong St, tel: 2915 9832 5 Shooters 52 Shop 01-03, G/F, 35 Tai Hong St, tel: 2569 8320 6 Ajijiman Shop GB 18-20, Yat Wah Mansion, 45 Tai Hong St, tel: 2539 0098 7 Time Cafe Shop GB 17, G/F, 45 Tai Hong St, tel: 2567 2118 8 Varanda G/F, GB 14B-16, 45 Tai Hong St, tel: 3101 1091 9 Cafe Dido GB12, 45 Tai Hong St, tel: 2535 9979 10 Beira Rio Shop GB08-10, G/F, 45 Tai Hong St, tel: 2568 3993 11 Beira Dos Namorados Shop GB02-07, G/F, 45 Tai Hong St, tel: 2567 8889 12 Borgo C GB 01-02A, 45 Tai Hong St, tel: 8100 8446 13 Homely Fragrance Shanghai Restaurant 55 Tai Hong St (beside tennis court), tel: 2568 9098 14 TV at 10 Shop GA 10B-12A, G/F, 55 Tai Hong St, tel: 3101 1580 15 Eastern Coast Shop GA 10A, G/F, 55 Tai Hong St, tel: 2730 9123 16 Chit Chat Station GA 4-7 Shop, Kwun Fung Mansion, tel: 2569 9981 17 Villa Bianca GA 1-3 Shop, Kwun Fung Mansion, tel: 2885 3287 18 Ryo Italia Shop GA 30-31, G/F, 55 Tai Hong St, tel: 3105 0031 19 Bird at 26 Shop GA 26-29, G/F, 55 Tai Hong St, tel: 3105 1761 20 Oyster at 28 Shop GA 28-29, G/F, 55 Tai Hong St, tel: 3105 1761
