Hong Kong chefs and food impresarios making their mark globally

Hong Kong diners are very used to foreign chefs and restaurant brands opening in the city. For a long time, it was an indicator of quality as well as innovation – bringing better and new cuisines to our shores.

However, the reverse hasn’t happened nearly as often, with the exception of restaurant groups that are well-established at home, such as Maxim’s Group, but even then, they don’t go very far afield, usually to the mainland or Macau.

Compared to a company such as Maxim’s, Little Bao is minuscule. Run by chef May Chow, Little Bao, just off the main SoHo area on Staunton Street, is a 20-seat restaurant. Incredibly popular since it opened in 2013, diners dutifully wait to squeeze into the tiny restaurant to get a taste of Chow’s innovative Chinese-influenced bar snacks, from the eponymous bao – steamed buns with a range of fillings, not unlike sliders – to lamb tartare with fermented tofu, and fried chicken with Sichuan spices.

And yet Chow has been well received by the international community, appearing in media worldwide and being invited to demonstrate at food festivals from France to Australia. Many foodies make sure they have a meal at Little Bao if they come to Hong Kong.

“We were approached by a lot of international guests that loved our concept so we wanted to give it a try,” says Chow. Working with a local partner, she opened a branch in Bangkok in July.