Favourite Hong Kong restaurants of Cristina Sambuchi, food import manager
Sambuchi, a mother of two, tells us about her favourite places to eat her native Italian cuisine – when she’s with family, friends or has guests to impress – and restaurants she takes her children to
For me, food means passion. What counts is the quality of the ingredients. I am a hearty eater but if I do not find quality I can be very fussy. New flavours also guide mine and my husband’s choices. Usually, we do not order; instead, we ask the chef to prepare dishes of his own choice.
Being an Italian mother of two young children, I cook a lot. No prepared food has ever been seen in my kitchen. I use only quality ingredients.
Every Sunday with the children, as tradition, we eat out. If the weather is nice, we go to Cococabana (Shek O Beach Building, Shek O, tel: 2812 2226 ). If we feel like pizza we choose Isola (Shop 3071-3075, IFC mall, 1 Harbour View, Central, tel: 2383 8765). For fish and chips, it’s Bread Street Kitchen (Mezzanine, Hotel LKF, 33 Wyndham Street, Lan Kwai Fong, tel: 2230 1800). For tapas, it’s Ham & Sherry (1-7 Ship Street, Wan Chai, tel: 2555 0628). And for a beautiful focaccia with mortadella it has to be Sepa (61 Caine Road, Mid-Levels, tel: 2521 9800).
A must-go place to bring friends from Italy is Din Tai Fung (various locations including 68 Yee Wo Street, Causeway Bay, tel. 3160 8998), to let them try the excellent xiao long bao, dumplings and wonton.
