Favourite Hong Kong restaurants of Benjamin Cox, Belgian beer and chocolates purveyor
Quality of service, freshness, and cleanliness are top of my list when eating out. I enjoy meat a lot and am always on the hunt for good cuts. My comfort foods are dim-sum and pizza. A good burger works, too. I eat dim sum at Ding Dim 1968 (14D Elgin Street, SoHo, tel: 9698 1968), pizza at Motorino (14 Shelley Street, SoHo, tel: 2801 6881), and burgers from The Butchers Club Deli (Unit A-B, 16/F Shui Ki Industrial Building, 18 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Aberdeen, tel: 2884 0768).
Dim sum is definitely a must-try culinary experience for first-time overseas visitors. Obviously, Maxim’s Palace Chinese Restaurant (2/F Low Block City Hall, Central, tel: 2521 1303), Din Tai Fung (68 Yee Woo Street, Causeway Bay, tel: 3160 8998) or Metropol Restaurant (4/F United Centre, 95 Queensway, Admiralty, tel: 2865 1988) are great for this. I think the floating restaurant Jumbo Kingdom (Shum Wan Pier Drive, Wong Chuk Hang, Aberdeen, tel: 2553 9111) is always a nice nostalgic experience for tourists, although the food is rather standard.
When happy hours arrive it is time to unwind over beer, cocktails, wine and snacks with friends. I like Posto Pubblico (28 Elgin Street, SoHo, tel: 2577 7160) a lot, as the vibe is quite relaxing and the location is convenient. La Piola (8 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central, tel: 2851 2281) is pleasant, too, as they have food to complement while sipping a drink.
The French eatery Cocotte (9 Shin Hing Street, Sheung Wan, tel: 2568 8857) is one of my favourite restaurants. I love the refined atmosphere and impeccable service. Their scallops, tartare, beef and lamb chops are awesome. I like to eat by the kitchen bar counter at Chachawan (206 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan, tel: 2549 0020) to chat with the chef, devouring mouthwatering grilled seabass. Yardbird (33-35 Bridges Street, Sheung Wan, tel: 2547 9273) is my place for creative Japanese yakitori. My surprise [discovery] is their corn tempura. For an uncomplicated, filling steak meal, La Vache! (48 Peel Street, Central, tel: 2880 0248) is perfect – there’s no menu, offering only steak, salad and fries; but I get to select from a bevy of desserts!
Belgium is gradually becoming a new destination for gourmands to explore. On the outskirts of Brussels is Le Pigeon Noir (Rue Geleytsbeek 2, 1180 Uccle, Belgium, tel: +32 2 375 23 74), a wonderful small bistro that was just awarded a Michelin star. Excellent food quality and great chef! Toucan Sur Mer (Avenue Louis Lepoutre 17, 1050 Ixelles, Belgium, tel: +32 2 340 07 40) offers some of the best seafood in an enchanting, relaxing environment. Just located next to the Brussels Grand Place is the traditional Aux Armes de Bruxelles (13 rue des Bouchers, 1000 Brussels, Belgium, tel: +32 2 511 55 98), where you can take a break appreciating first-rate Belgian food in one of the oldest local cafes.
Benjamin Cox co-founded The Artist, a customised Belgian beer and chocolates delivery service.
