Dumplings and Shanghainese food in Hong Kong, razor clams in New York: a gin distiller’s favourite places to eat
- Dimple Yuen, co-founder and distiller of Two Moons Distillery, loves to return to her old favourites like Delicious Dumplings and Liu Yuan Pavilion
- If you are ever in New York, she says The Breslin’s razor clams aren’t to be missed
Dimple Yuen is co-founder and distiller of Two Moons Distillery, producer of Hong Kong’s first locally made gin. She has just launched a new calamansi-flavoured gin. She talks to Andrew Sun.
I’m a very loyal foodie. As much as I love trying new restaurants and cuisines, I always find myself going back to my favourites.
One of them is Delicious Dumplings (497 Un Chau Street, Cheung Sha Wan, tel: 2488 3322), a family-run dumpling shop on an unassuming street. It’s a no-frills type of restaurant with only three types of dumplings to choose from, but there’s almost always a queue because all the dumplings are freshly wrapped on the spot. They also make their own soup base and chilli oil, so it’s well worth the wait.
Another favourite of mine is Liu Yuan Pavilion (3/F, The Broadway, 54-62 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, tel: 2804 2000), as I love Shanghainese food, especially during hairy crab season. I make it a point to go at least once during the winter season to get my annual crab roe fix.
I’m a huge fan of seafood and no other place does seafood fresh out of the water quite like Hong Kong. To get the full experience, I love taking visitors to seafood restaurants by the water, whether it’s Sai Kung, Lei Yue Mun or Lau Fau Shan. It’s incredible to witness them get absolutely mind-blown by the sensory overload.
I’d also take guests to Oi Man Sang (1 Shek Kip Mei Street, Sham Shui Po, tel: 2393 9315), a local dai pai dong, to experience the nostalgic Hong Kong style of dining. With a truly open kitchen right by the pavement, every dish is made with incredible wok hei – a flavour hard to find elsewhere. I always order their deep-fried oyster pancake, salted egg fried prawn and stir-fried black pepper beef.
Flavourful crab, yummy yakitori: where a head chef likes to eat
For a fancy splurge, one of my favourite experiences lately was at Mono (5/F, 18 On Lan Street, Central. Bookings online only), so I’m definitely planning my next celebratory dinner there. From their service, creativity, attention to detail and food quality, everything was top-notch and it was one of the best dining experiences I’ve had in a long time.
For drinks, I have to recommend Quinary (56-58 Hollywood Road, Central, tel: 2851 3223) with top mixologist Antonio Lai. Actually, we’re collaborating with him now for a few limited-time-only cocktails using our Two Moons calamansi flavoured gin.
Once we can travel again, I’d love to travel back to New York and dine at The Breslin (16 West 29th Street, New York, New York, tel: +1 212 679 1939) again. Recommended to me by a chef at Per Se, The Breslin is everything you imagine a contemporary hipster Manhattan restaurant to be. With vintage-inspired decor, its bustling atmosphere is not a place for private conversations but the ambience is fun and lively, to say the least.
It’s been five years since my last visit but I will definitely order their Scotch egg and the razor clams à la plancha again. It’s one of the few places outside Hong Kong that does razor clams right.
