Favourite Hong Kong restaurants of a wellness magazine founder – for green papaya salad, bubble tea and more
Jo Soo Tang, founder of Wellness 360 and chairwoman of the Hong Kong Adventist Hospital Foundation, loves places that aren’t pretentious and fussy; with steak no longer on the menu for her, it’s healthier options that appeal
Long-time philanthropist Jo Soo Tang is chairwoman of the Hong Kong Adventist Hospital Foundation. She also founded Women of Hope and started the Wellness 360 online magazine and fairs.
My dining habits are quite flexible, as I am not particularly fussy. But as years go by, I am eating less meat, so steak restaurants are no longer a priority. I generally dine out with close friends and I have my usual favourite places that I go to with my husband.
One the places I love is Samsen (68 Stone Nullah Lane, Wan Chai, tel: 2234 0001) because it’s casual and service is fast. If I am with friends or my husband, I like places that aren’t pretentious and fussy. I love sitting at the bar and ordering their Thai milk tea, crab fried rice, omelette, green papaya salad and pad thai noodles.
With guests new to the city, I would take them to any of the seafood restaurants in Lei Yue Mun. It’s a quick drive for us and they also have stores that sell local Hong Kong snacks. It’s a great inside look at a part of the city.
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Another good place would be Maxim’s Palace Chinese Restaurant (2/F, City Hall, 5-7 Edinburgh Place, Central, tel: 2521 1303), as they still have the ladies pushing the dim sum trolleys around and it is always packed for a great atmosphere!
For celebrations, my husband and I go to Amigo (Amigo Mansion, 79A Wong Nai Chung Road, Happy Valley, tel: 2577 2202), as it is such a local institution. You get cute Post-it notes embossed with your name on it and ladies get a flower on their way out. I love the band that they have and the place has been around for many generations.
For a quick snack or treat, my eldest daughter and I love bubble tea. We go to a small place in a Causeway Bay mall. The shop is called CoCo Fresh Tea & Juice (various locations including Shop G02, Causeway Bay Plaza 2, 463-483 Lockhart Road, Causeway Bay).
I also love Spice Box Organics (Golden Valley Mansion, 137 Caine Road, Mid-Levels, tel: 2559 9887) for healthier snacks. They have a great selection.
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As a frequent traveller, I can’t resist the Sunday brunch at Le Beaulieu restaurant in Hanoi’s Sofitel Legend Metropole Hotel (15 Ngo Quyen, Phan Chu Trinh, Hoan Kiem 1000, tel: +84 24 3826 6919). In Shinjuku, Tokyo, I have to have tempura at Tsunahachi Sohonten (3-31-8 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku 160-0022, Tokyo, tel: +81 3 3352 1012). It’s normally my first stop when I’m in Tokyo.
