Miyako Kai is a Japanese writer and journalist who has lived in Hong Kong for 15 years. She is also a recent cancer survivor and hosts a weekly podcast called Artistspoken. She spoke to Andrew Sun. I am very open-minded about what I eat. I usually like clean, fresh and high-quality ingredients, with not too much seasoning. Of course, I love Japanese cuisine and like foods with a similar principle to Japanese food. However, if I am out of Hong Kong for more than two weeks, I miss char siu and dim sum so much. The Chairman (18 Kau U Fong, Central. Tel: 2555 2202) has been my favourite for about seven years. There are so many great dishes but the best is the flower crab with steamed Shaoxing wine and rice noodles. I love its clean taste and subtle sweetness of the meat. Kyoto Oden Masa (Shop 1103, 11/F, United Success Commercial Centre, 508 Jaffe Road, Causeway Bay. Tel: 2891 1530) is my new favourite Japanese restaurant. The chef used to work in Kikunoi, one of Kyoto’s most famous kaiseki restaurants. Oden is usually casual food but they have an amazing Kyoto-style dashi (soup base), which is more subtle and less salty. It’s in a completely different league from what you normally think of as oden . Masa is also good at à la carte. The most addictive is the oyakodon (chicken and egg bowl). I like Censu (28-30 Gough Street, Central. Tel: 2997 7009) because I have always been a fan of chef Shun Sato’s cooking. In Tokyo, I always went to places that offer what is called “creative izakaya” – high-quality, stylish Japanese cuisine with influences from other cultures. Censu’s dishes and vibe really remind me of that. A favourite there is the unagi (eel) burger. Mora (40 Upper Lascar Row, Sheung Wan. Tel: 9583 8590) is the latest from chef Vicky Lau of Tate Dining. I have always admired her talent. Tofu is its main theme and every dish is created with tofu or soybean. A vegetarian’s all-day food date in Hong Kong, from noodles to cheesecake Embla (11 Upper Station Street, Sheung Wan) is another new outlet that impresses me, by chef Jim Löfdahl , formerly of Frantzen’s Kitchen. I lived in Norway for one year and I always feel the similarities between Nordic countries and Japan, in the simplicity, cleanness, and depth. I enjoyed their yellowtail gravlax. I always see chefs from famous restaurants eat at Chachawan (206 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan. Tel: 2549 0020) in their downtime. My most favourite is the crab fried rice. For visitors, I love taking them to Duen Kee (57-58 Chuen Lung Estate, Route Twisk, Tsuen Wan. Tel: 2490 5246), an unassuming village house for morning dim sum while hearing birds singing from hanging cages surrounded by nature. It’s rare to see this nowadays. It feels like a remote location but it’s actually not that far from town. Order the watercress harvested from their own farm, tasting so fresh and crunchy. In Tokyo, I usually rely on my friends for where to eat. Last time, twice I was taken to Shabuzen Shiwa (5-17-11, Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo. Tel: +03 3400 2281), a shabu-shabu restaurant. It’s stylish and modern but has been in business for over 20 years. The octopus shabu-shabu and pork shabu-shabu were stand-outs, so delicate, complex and amazing. It was also nice walking around Ura-Harajuku, which has developed a lot while I was away for a decade.