Music lover tells of her favourite Hong Kong restaurant playlists, and dishes to go with it

Hip-hop and nostalgia at Hotal Colombo, Shane Osborn’s ‘very personal’ music selection at Cornerstone – Maria Chan needs good tunes if she’s eating alone

She still has a thing for the American-Italian and Jewish deli dishes she grew up eating, but also has go-to places to dim sum, sushi, and pork chop curry rice

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String hoppers with kiri hodi at Hotal Colombo in Elgin Street, Central, Hong Kong. It’s just one of Maria Chan’s favourite restaurants, for the music as much as the food. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Published: 11:37am, 30 Sep 2019Updated: 2:25pm, 30 Sep 2019

Maria Chan is the director of content partnerships at National Geographic for the Asia-Pacific and Middle East region.

I like ordering a lot of things just to taste. My mom’s Thai, dad’s Chinese and growing up in Philadelphia, you’re exposed to a lot of American-Italian and Jewish delis, so those would be my top four foods. Also, I almost never have full set meals. I just like to order a drink and a dish, then go elsewhere.

I have favourites for different moods. If I am eating by myself, I want a place with a good music playlist. If I know a chef cares as much about the food served as the music they played, that is my sweet spot. Hotal Colombo (31 Elgin Street, SoHo, tel: 2488 8863) checks those boxes with its hip-hop and nostalgia. The string hopper dish with a light curry sauce is so good. It’s inherently comfort food.

May Chow’s Happy Paradise (UG/F, Ming Hing House, 52-56 Staunton Street, SoHo, tel: 2816 2118) has an awesome playlist that is all over the place. Her fried chicken is also great.

Pan-fried pig’s brains at Happy Paradise in Central, which Chan says has a playlist “that is all over the place”. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Shane Osborn’s playlist at Cornerstone (49 Hollywood Road, SoHo) is very personal to him. I am totally not a vegetarian but his vegetarian dishes surprise me.

Elliot Faber’s Saketen (Shop 4, The Steps, H Code, 45 Pottinger Street, Central, tel: 6704 2570) also has a good combo of music and dishes like the katsu sando.