Sai Kung's restaurant scene goes beyond seafood with Caribbean, Sri Lankan, Portuguese and multinational tapas
Sai Kung's vibrant dining scene has so much to offer with an international line-up of good restaurants
Most people who visit Sai Kung for a bite head straight for the waterfront strip of seafood restaurants. Locals, however, tend to regard those places as tourist traps, and the frequency with which tour buses block the roads in the area lends credence to that view.
In recent years, a lively dining scene catering to varied tastes has grown up in the area just behind them. If you are seeking something spicier than steamed grouper, take a stroll through the narrow alleys of Sai Kung's old town, just off the car park next to the Tin Hau Temple, to Hoi Pong Street.
Ban Thai (tel: 2882 9189), which opened a year ago at 5 Hoi Pong Street, is notable for reliable food and friendly service, but AJ's Sri Lankan Cuisine (tel: 2792 2555) is one of a kind.
Managing director and executive chef Ajith P. Muthu Mudalige states confidently that AJ's, which also offers a popular takeout and delivery service, is the only Sri Lankan restaurant in Hong Kong. The establishment has been there for seven years, making it one of the first non-Chinese dining options in the area.
Mudalige - who confusingly answers to "RJ" - says he got the idea to set up AJ's while working at another restaurant in Sai Kung and customers would ask him about his native cuisine. So he set up his own shop in 2009 and never looked back. To keep the cuisine authentic, Mudalige says he imports ingredients from Sri Lanka.
He declines to single out particular dishes as specialities, but among the most popular are the lamprais, a dish influenced by the period during the 17th century when areas of Sri Lanka were colonised by the Dutch; the stuffed capsicum with shrimps; the black lamb curry; and the Sri Lankan street food favourite, string hoppers.