A yoga teacher’s favourite Hong Kong restaurants, from Mak Man Kee to Brass Spoon to Grassroots Pantry

Jessica Lee teaches yoga classes at Flex and Lemon Drop, as well as at the female-only gym Pherform. She believes in a healthy lifestyle but still indulges in the occasional treats. She tells us about where she goes for a healthy salad, a great bowl of noodles and to enjoy the best gin and tonic and vegetarian dinner on a night out with her friends.

I don’t follow a diet and I am not a vegan/vegetarian, but I do try to balance my meals with a good amount of greens and some meat. I eat junk food, so most days it’s a tough struggle between eating healthy things that nourish my body while occasionally enjoying a snack like crisps that brings me joy. While I don’t fully practise veganism, I’ll try to go meatless at least one or two days a week, as it still makes an impact.

I was born and raised in Hong Kong, so my palate reflects that. I never say no to soup noodles. Some of my favourite spots include Mak Man Kee (51 Parkes Street, Jordan, tel: 2736 5561) for wonton noodles, Kong Chai Kee (2 Canal Road East, Causeway Bay, tel: 2893 5617) for fish ball noodles, and Kau Kee (21 Gough Street, Central, tel: 2850 5967) for beef brisket noodles.

I also really love Tam Jai Sam Gor Mixian (439-441 Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay, tel: 2442 2616) as well as Sour and Spicy Noodle (Room 3, 5/F Island Beverley, 1 Great George Street, Causeway Bay, tel: 2333 9693) for their hot and sour potato starch noodles. When I crave Western comfort food, the steak and hash skillet at Green Waffle Diner (Kar Ho Building, 35-39 Graham Street, Central, tel: 2887 9991) comes to mind.

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I mostly teach around the Central/Sheung Wan area, so between classes I like to pop over to Fresca (54A Hollywood Road, Central, tel: 2770 2282) for a healthy salad – they pack their salad boxes to the brim, so you get an amazing amount and selections for a great price, and it’s so hard to narrow it down to just four for the large salad box.

If I’m craving carbs, Extra Virgin (Sun Wise Building, 112-114 Wellington Street, Central, tel: 2984 0009) is an inexpensive choice.

I also really like the takeaway boxes at Maison Libanaise (10 Shelley Street, Central, tel: 2111 2284). My usual order is the za’atar fried chicken with Syrian salad and cucumber labneh sauce.

Ohms Cafe & Bar (192 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan, tel: 5400 4236) is another not-so-secret hideout for when I want to park myself at a spot and work on my laptop while enjoying a guilt-free meal like yuba and kimchi mix with tofu salad which comes with a sprinkle of turmeric – yummy!

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When I have yogi friends in town, I like to take them to Grassroots Pantry (108 Hollywood Road, Central, tel: 2873 3353) for a nice dinner. They do a fantastic job of making plant-based food delicious, plus the staff are so friendly. I still dream about their barbecue popcorn “chicken” and mixed mushroom linguine.