My husband and I have lived in Hong Kong for nearly four years, and we eat out two or three times a week, mostly on weekends. When dining out, I don't have any special standards, other than the normal expectations of good service, fresh food and a delicious meal. One of my favourite places for delicious dim sum is Luk Yu Tea House (24 Stanley Street, Central, tel: 2523 5464). It is best to go either mid-morning or after lunch as it gets extremely busy during lunch time, and it's hard to get a table. I love the atmosphere at Isola Bar & Grill (shop 3071-3075, IFC Mall, 1 Harbour View Street, Central, tel: 2383 8765). I love sitting outside soaking up the sun, eating a buffet starter of salads or cold-cut meats and cheese, followed by a main course. I like to round off my lunch with an array of desserts, including dipping fruit and marshmallows into the chocolate fountain. Isola is also a romantic destination for a dinner date. A recent discovery is Man Mo Café (40 Upper Lascar Row, Sheung Wan, tel: 2644 5644), which serves the best fusion dim sum in town. Service, decor, and atmosphere are top notch and the food incredible. Foie gras xiao long bao, steamed ratatouille dumpling, tomato mozzarella dumpling, and the duck fried risotto are superb. We are regulars at Nha Trang Vietnamese Restaurant (88-90 Wellington Street, Central, tel: 2581 9992). The prompt service makes it a quick, no frills, but delicious lunch or dinner spot for pho. I also like the fresh rice paper rolls with fried fish. I love the breakfast menu at Oolaa , (CentreStage, Bridges Street, SoHo, tel: 2803 2083). I normally opt for the four-egg omelette or fruit Bowl with muesli. Spiaggia (92B Stanley Main Street, Stanley, tel: 2813 7778) is our summer hangout. The waterfront site and friendly owner make this place very amiable. The food is really good. We could spend hours there in the sun, watching the crowds pass by, devouring crispy fried calamari, root vegetable and goat's cheese salad and the pan-fried salmon on soft peas. I am from Johannesburg, but now call Cape Town my South African hometown. Whenever I feel homesick I drop by The Stoep (32 Lower Cheung Sha Village, Lantau, tel: 2980 2699), which is a great little place for a lazy South African lunch by the beach. Try the mixed meat combo with steak, chops and boerewors (South African sausage). If you're not a red meat eater, try their house-made breads with tantalising dips and the barbecued fish. When I return to Cape Town there are just too many restaurants to visit. Koi at The Ambassador Hotel (The Ambassador Hotel, 34 Victoria Road, Cape Town), which overlooks the Atlantic, has a menu full of pan-Asian delights. My favourite dishes include the Koi (salmon) roses, dim sum platter, sesame crusted seared tuna and the grilled calamari tubes, with a glass of rosé under the African sunset. It just doesn't get any better than that.