Trendy eateries and a new MTR line: Why Aberdeen and Ap Lei Chau may be the next hip neighbourhoods

Aberdeen and Ap Lei Chau don't usually spring to mind when deciding where to go for dinner. But restaurateurs predict these areas will soon become the next culinary hot spot and are moving in to set up shop.

The most obvious reason is because the MTR's new South Island Line is slated to open next year, but that's not all. Daphne So, manager of vegetarian restaurant MUM Veggie + Coffee + Sweet, says: "We're close to Ocean Park, and there are a lot of people who work in the area.

We get a lot of office ladies who are right above us in this building and industrial buildings all around us. You'd expect the weekends to be quiet, but we get a lot of families. They like the relaxed vibe of the area. If they're driving, they're often looking for less busy areas. There are also lots of playgroups and nurseries nearby and the parents come while they're waiting."

Jonathan Glover, founder of The Butchers Club Deli, agrees. "We're doing a lot of open days, especially over the weekend, that are really family friendly. Barbecues, markets, Sunday roasts, whole hog roasts, things like that," he says.

After launching The Butchers Club, a one-table private kitchen, butcher's shop and dry-ageing facility, last year in nearby Tin Wan, Glover opened the deli in an 8,000 sq ft space on the top floor of an industrial building in Wong Chuk Hang, which includes a 10,000 sq ft rooftop. It shares the space with retailers such as Ed1tus, which sells men's fashion, and vintage furniture showroom Casa Capriz.