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Andrew Sun

Architect and former Hong Kong secretary for environment Wong Kam-sing is the chairman of Wu Zhi Qiao (Bridge to China), a charity that encourages young people to take part in rural revitalisation. He spoke to Andrew Sun.
My parents are from Shunde in Guangdong province in southern China, which is known for its food.
We were a grass-roots family with seven sisters and brothers in total. We ate simple but umami Shunde-style food at home. The tradition has been passed down to my current family.
A favourite restaurant of mine is Sang Kee Congee Shop (7-9 Burd Street, Sheung Wan. Tel: 2541 1099). I usually order the freshwater grass carp belly or fish ball congee. My father cooked a similar congee at home on holidays. The taste is basic yet fresh.
The chef has to manage the boiling time perfectly with care and passion. I feel congee is healthy for my body and soul.
The Shunde-style congee brings back memories of my father, who was praised by the entire Wong family as the best weekend Shunde chef.


Bijas Vegetarian Restaurant (G/F, Run Run Shaw Tower, Central Podium, Centennial Campus, University of Hong Kong, Western District. Tel: 2964 9011) on the Hong Kong University campus serves healthy seasonal vegetables in a creative way.
Dining at Bijas not only offers me a healthy lifestyle, but also the chance to support social and environmental sustainability.
For celebrations, I may go to Roganic (Shop 402-403, 4/F, Lee Garden One, 33 Yun Ping Road, Causeway Bay. Tel: 2817 8383). Its new location has a stunning wood interior with salvaged local timber, echoing its sustainable dining ethos.

I would take visitors to Hong Kong to a traditional Hakka village such as Lai Chi Wo or Kuk Po, in the Sha Tau Kok area near Hong Kong’s border with mainland China, and taste the delicious local flavours there.
Chung Kee Store (Kuk Po Village, Sha Tau Kok. Tel: 2679 9148) is good for traditional Hakka dishes such as pan-fried stuffed tofu and contemporary farm-to-table delicacies. At Kuk Po, you can also try fresh juice from the locally-grown gac fruit.
Lai Chi Wo is one of Hong Kong’s largest coffee-producing areas. You can try the coffee [made from beans] grown there at The Coffee Terrace (Shop 185, Lai Chi Wo Village, Sha Tau Kok).

Another weekend-only village shop offering local farm produce is Foo’s Café (Number 6, Lai Chi Wo Village, Sha Tau Kok). This December, Wu Zhi Qiao will be organising a charity luncheon in Lai Chi Wo.
On a recent study tour with young people, we travelled to Kamiyama and Kamikatsu in Japan’s Tokushima prefecture, on the island of Shikoku.
In Kamiyama, we visited Aiueo Japan, a family farm run by a couple with ties to Nepal. They prepared for us steaming hot dal bhat, the national dish of Nepal, consisting of steamed rice (bhat) served with lentil soup (dal), vegetables and curry.












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In Kamikatsu, we visited two local restaurants.
One was Rise & Win Brewing Co. (237-2 Hirama, Masaki, Kamikatsu, Katsuura-gun, Tokushima). From the architectural design to the beer-brewing process, it all follows a zero-waste principle.
The other was Cafe Polestar (Hirama-32-1 Fukuhara, Kamikatsu, Katsuura-gun, Tokushima. Tel: +81 885 46 0338), the only café in town, run by a young local.

She prepared an exquisite dinner using fresh, locally grown ingredients, offering a true farm-to-table experience.
One stand-out dish featured vegetable mixed rice with juice from yuko (a local citrus fruit), creating a refreshingly unique flavour.


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Food and Drinks

Where a Shunde food lover in Hong Kong goes for home-grown coffee, congee and Hakka dishes

Congee at Sang Kee Congee Shop. Photo: Intsagram/eathealthytime

Chung Kee Store, in Kuk Po, a restored Hakka village in Hong Kong’s New Territories where Wong Kam-sing enjoys pan-fried tofu. He also shares his favourite restaurants for congee and celebrations. Photo: Eugene Lee

Wong Kam-sing is the chairman of Wu Zhi Qiao (Bridge to China), a charity that encourages young people to take part in countryside conservation. Photo: Wong Kam-sing

Congee at Sang Kee Congee Shop in Hong Kong’s Sheung Wan neighbourhood. Photo: Instagram/eathealthytime

Vegetables at Bijas Vegetarian Restaurant on the Hong Kong University campus. Photo: Facebook/Bijas Vegetarian Restaurant

Sea bass at Roganic, one of Wong’s picks for a celebration meal. Photo: Roganic Hong Kong

Dal bhat is Nepal’s national dish. Photo: Shutterstock

Dim sum, coffee, char siu, egg tart, lamb skewers in Australian’s ideal Hong Kong food day

Dim sum baskets at Lin Heung Tea House in Hong Kong’s Central district. Photo: Instagram/bettyshanghai

Lin Heung Teahouse is where Hong Kong-based photographer Nicholas Wong enjoys dim sum. He also shares his go-to spots for Hong Kong-style milk tea and French toast, and Xinjiang and Korean food. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Nicholas Wong is a Hong Kong-based photographer who grew up in the Melbourne suburbs. Photo: Nicholas Wong

Lin Heung, where Wong enjoys dim sum. The teahouse, which dates back more than 100 years, closed in 2022 and reopened in 2024. Photo: Charmaine Mok

Char siu barbecue pork at Sun Kwai Heung in Hong Kong’s Chai Wan neighbourhood. Photo: Instagram/eatourdiary

A skewer at Xinjiang restaurant Ba Yi, in Hong Kong’s Sai Ying Pun neighbourhood. Photo: Instagram/barbarawang_bw

Chinese sausage clay pot rice at Sheung Hei, in Kennedy Town. Photo: Facebook/Sheung Hei

Lobster at Sydney Fish Market. Photo: Getty Images

Roast chicken and sides at El Jannah, where Wong visits on his trips back to Australia. Photo: Facebook/Eljannah

Where a French chef in Hong Kong eats reminders of home, pizza and dim sum

A pizza from Fiata Pizza. Photo: Fiata Pizza

Thomas Caro is the executive chef of Rex Wine & Grill in Hong Kong. He shares his favourite places to eat in Hong Kong. Photo: Thomas Caro

Signature dishes at New Punjab Club, where “everything bursts with flavour”. Photo: Black Sheep Restaurants

A variety of dishes from Maison Libanaise. Photo: Handout

Wonton noodles from Tsim Chai Kee in Hong Kong. Photo: SCMP

A dish at Tate Dining Room, where the food is “spectacular”. Photo: Tate Dining Room

Polish chef in Hong Kong’s favourite restaurants for lunch, late-night Japanese, Cantonese

Okonomiyaki at Kozy Okonomi-yaki Teppan-yaki restaurant. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Dishes at BaseHall, a food hall in Central featuring popular Hong Kong restaurant brands where Krzysztof Czerwinski goes for a quick lunch. Photo: BaseHall

Krzysztof Czerwinski, executive chef at Soho House Hong Kong, says Polish food is diverse, but under-represented. Photo: Dead Good

Scialatielli pasta with fresh zucchini at Trattoria Felino in Wan Chai. Photo: Trattoria Felino

A crab dish at Kam Tung Kitchen in Shau Kei Wan.

Okonomiyaki, a savoury teppanyaki pancake dish, with pork at Kozy Okonomi-yaki Teppan-yaki restaurant in Causeway Bay. Photo: Jonathan Wong

When it comes to food, Czerwinski appreciates San Sebastian in the Basque region of Spain. He even went there on his honeymoon. Photo: The Upper House

6 of Singapore’s best hidden speakeasy bars that will take you back in time – and how to find them

Bartenders at Chandu create drinks with a narrative that are loosely based on history. Photo: The Robertson House by the Crest Collection

A bartender mixes a drink at Chandu, one of our picks of six of the best hidden speakeasy bars in Singapore. Photo: The Robertson House by the Crest Collection

The Mizuwari whisky highball at Live Twice uses Hokkaido soft water rather than soda to accentuate the malt notes of the Japanese Nikka whiskies. Photo: Instagram/@livetwicesg

Chandu is inspired by Singapore’s colonial era, when opium dens flourished in the city state. Photo: The Robertson House by The Crest Collection

Chandu’s Mata Hari cocktail is named after a Dutch dancer and courtesan. Photo: Facebook/Chandu

Oriental Elixir, located in a Peranakan rowhouse, is a dimly lit watering hole for nonconformist cocktails. Photo: Philipp Meier

Oriental Elixir’s Malabar Tamarind cocktail combines the sour ingredient with roasted cherry tomato gin, dry vermouth. Photo: Instagram/@oriental.elixir

Junior the Pocket Bar is a small, 25-seater speakeasy that tasks itself with changing the menu completely every few months. Photo: Philipp Meier

A cocktail titled Sesame from the Korea-inspired menu at Junior the Pocket Bar. Photo: Junior the Pocket Bar

Jade Harbour is part of The Bund menu currently offered at Junior the Pocket Bar, inspired by the Shanghai district. Credit: Junior the Pocket Bar

For its Korean Joseon dynasty-inspired menu, the interiors of Junior the Pocket Bar featured dragons. Photo: Philipp Meier

Roxy is a hip-hop-inspired speakeasy hidden inside the Miss Fitz restaurant in Singapore’s Marina Bay. Photo: Facebook/Roxy

The drinks at Roxy are based on classics, but are given their own spin. Photo: Facebook/Roxy

Last Word has finessed tipples that were invented in the 1920s. Photo: Philipp Meier

Last Word’s eponymous cocktail is a classic, blending gin, maraschino liqueur, green chartreuse and lime. Photo: Instagram/@lastwordsg

Lifestyle

Food & Drink

Architect Wong Kam-sing talks about villages he visits for home-grown coffee and Hakka cuisine, and his go-to restaurants in urban Hong Kong


Architect Wong Kam-sing talks about villages he visits for home-grown coffee and Hakka cuisine, and his go-to restaurants in urban Hong Kong.


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Hong Kong dining & recommendations

Where a Shunde food lover in Hong Kong goes for home-grown coffee, congee and Hakka dishes

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Architect Wong Kam-sing talks about villages he visits for home-grown coffee and Hakka cuisine, and his go-to restaurants in urban Hong Kong

Architect Wong Kam-sing talks about villages he visits for home-grown coffee and Hakka cuisine, and his go-to restaurants in urban Hong Kong