Favourite Hong Kong restaurants of Stephanie Poon, founder of Zarie athleisure brand

I am definitely drawn more to nostalgic, hearty, home-cooked style of dishes. I like a lot of places when I eat out but Brass Spoon (1 Moon Street, Wan Chai, tel: 2877 0898, and 10 Pottinger St, Central, tel: 2804 1817) is where I go most. The hearty and healthy pho with a ching bo leung (clear sweet soup) drink delivers almost meditative qualities.

Fa Zu Jie (1/F, 20A D’Aguilar Street, Lan Kwai Fong, tel: 3487 1715) is another one of my favourites. The homey atmosphere, coupled with simple yet tasty fusion French-Chinese dishes, inspires us to always stay until the restaurant closes.

If I’m having a bad day I stop by Igloo Dessert Bar (Shop C, Lower Deck, Star Ferry Pier 7, Central, tel: 2656 3318) to cheer myself up with one of their local flavours of gelato and mochi while staring at the harbour.

For visitors, I take them to Dragon Inn Seafood Restaurant (Miles 19, Castle Peak Road, Tuen Mun, tel: 2450 6366) which is my grandpa’s favourite restaurant near the Gold Coast. The whole process of procuring the seafood from the wet market and having it cooked at a restaurant reflects the essence and history of Hong Kong’s food culture. They still serve my childhood favourites like baked lobster with cheese and steamed crabs with glutinous rice.