Hong Kong’s best tiramisu and the dish to visit Kowloon City for – a hotelier’s favourite restaurants
- Businessman Philip Chan loves dishes with strong, bold flavours that have a lot of depth
- He likes Ronin’s flower crab with uni and mitsuba, Sushi Tokami for its tuna tossaki hand rolls, and the pan-fried beef buns at Islam Food
Hospitality businessman Philip Chan’s family started the Butterfly hotels, and he helped launch the Page Hotels brand, including Page 148 in Tsim Sha Tsui and two Page projects in London, England.
I suppose I choose restaurants depending on the occasion and my mood. There are restaurants that I go to for comfort food, some I would visit on special occasions like birthdays, and some just for a specific dish that I like.
However, if I were to classify myself, I would say I’m someone who loves strong and bold flavours. I am interested in food that has a lot of depth. Sometimes a dish might look simple but, in fact, there are a lot of required components that make it special.
Ronin (8 On Wo Lane, Central, tel: 2547 5263) is a place I take my friends for refined contemporary Japanese. Its speakeasy entrance, bar-style seating and dark setting really surprise and delight first-time visitors. The tapas-style small dishes are complemented by amazing cocktails. My favourite remains the Kagoshima beef with negi and maitake sukiyaki, and flower crab with uni and mitsuba. The food is extremely flavourful without feeling overwhelming.
For coffee and tiramisu, Page Common (Page 148, 148 Austin Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, tel: 3844 8899) is a clever new concept. It’s a great coffee shop to spend an afternoon, with its own unique coffee blend. And the tiramisu is probably the best in town.
For celebrations, I like Sushi Tokami (Shop 216A, 2/F Ocean Terminal, Harbour City, 3-27 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, tel: 2771 3938). Their rice preparation is unique and special. They use red vinegar fermented with sake yeast and I think this goes really well with fish. My favourite is their tuna tossaki hand roll. Tossaki describes the region near the fish’s head. The meat is especially rich in flavour due to frequent lateral movements.
The food is better [than other branches] and it’s easier to get seats. The restaurant is extremely lively, offering simple, tasty tapas. A must order for me is fideua. It’s like paella but uses vermicelli rather than rice – it’s a classic Valencian dish.
My go-to pasta restaurant in London is Bancone (39 William IV Street, Charing Cross, London WC2N 4DD, tel: +44 20 7240 8786). Its daily fresh pasta, menu and dishes are extremely straightforward, and worth visiting again and again. Try the spicy pork and ‘nduja ragu, and brown shrimp and seaweed butter. It’s good food, done right.
