Hong Kong hidden gems: locavore cooking on a beach, an Indian-Afghan private kitchen and Mediterranean classics on a beach

The food at Yin Yang Coastal on Ting Kau beach is almost wholly made using local produce, while The Gallery on Lantau serves Mediterranean dishes and barbecue

In the eastern New Territories, Masala Bay is the place to go for Indian-Afghani cuisine – round off a meal with a traditional kulfi ice cream

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Margaret Xu Yuan prepping “yellow earth chicken” at Yin Yang Coastal, one of three off-the-beaten-track spots in Hong Kong serving memorable cuisine in relaxed surroundings. Photo: Chris Dwyer

Published: 12:15pm, 27 Aug 2021Updated: 11:10am, 9 Sep 2021

With thousands of places at which to eat across Hong Kong’s rich and varied dining landscape, not to mention whole districts dedicated to dining, it’s easy to become a creature of habit and not venture out beyond a few convenient neighbourhoods.

But doing so means missing out on special, off-the-beaten-track spots which reflect their unique location and serve memorable food in relaxed surroundings, far from busy city streets.

Yin Yang Coastal is barely a 20-minute drive from Hong Kong Island, but an extended weekday lunch there felt like a mini holiday, such was the sense of escape. It’s one of those places that reminds us of just how Hong Kong can continue to surprise.

Following the restaurant’s directions after leaving Tsuen Wan in the western New Territories – it’s not somewhere you’d ever find by accident – we found ourselves in Ting Kau village, walking through laundry-filled alleyways before arriving on a beach. At one end sits a white building surrounded by trees – the home of Yin Yang Coastal.

Yin Yang Coastal is barely a 20-minute drive from Hong Kong Island. Photo: Chris Dwyer

If the Yin Yang name is familiar, you may have eaten in its former Wan Chai location further south. When chef Margaret Xu Yuan opened there in 2008, it won restaurant of the year awards and heralded her arrival as a true proponent of organic, farm-to-table Chinese cuisine, long before it became a trend.

In 2015, she chose to relocate to this fishing village, where her cuisine feels even more at home with its surroundings. It’s easy to see why she fell in love with the 1950s building, given its fabulous views, light and sense of place. The arrival of a truly tropical downpour only added to the sense of comfort and cosiness once we were inside the private kitchen, which can accommodate up to 30 diners.

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