On the Menu | Autumn in Hong Kong means alfresco dining and hairy crab – but will 0+3 make this year particularly quiet for the city’s restaurants?
- As temperatures start to drop in the city, Hongkongers can once again enjoy an array of incredible alfresco dining options, not to mention hairy crab season
- There’s a buzz in the air as Covid restrictions continue to ease, but restaurateurs think things will get worse for their industry before they get better
There’s always something special about the arrival of autumn in Hong Kong – when nostalgia-inducing cool breezes begin to temper the heat of the day, and when extreme humidity gives way to the faint scent of dry leaves in the air.
This is the time of year when we start planning our return to places we never would have imagined patronising in the height of summer, like our favourite rooftop bars or street-side dai pai dong food stalls (hats off to those who can grin and bear the sweaty experience of eating while perched on the plastic stools at these places during summer months – and even more so to the cooks who power through while tending the woks).
A few of my close friends and I look forward every year to this season, for an event we have dubbed the annual “Excrabaganza” (previous and vetoed names include “Crabpocalypse Now”, “Crabmageddon”, and “Life is a Crabaret”).
As the summer heat subsides, we gather the troops and head to the Genuine Lamma Hilton restaurant on Lamma Island, where we demolish as much crab as possible – from hairy crabs (Chinese mitten crabs, typically in season in Hong Kong from September to November) to local yim chai crabs (virgin female mud crabs). If you have a favourite crab place, don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments.
There’s palpable excitement in the air here in Hong Kong, as pandemic restrictions are gradually being relaxed and new restaurant openings and events are picking up again. Speaking to a few restaurateurs and chefs, however, it seems there’s also trepidation within the dining industry.