Gimme Ma

When we got to Ma Wan, the first thing we noticed was how much easier it was for our lungs to operate. So this is where all the fresh air in Hong Kong goes, to this former village island turned luxury housing estate playground.

Well, at least we’ve finally found a place where you can alfresco dine sans car fumes. A group of small eateries line the complex right outside the ferry pier, complete with lush greenery and shaded outdoor dining tables that scream “family-friendly.” We dove into the nearby Hong Kong-slash-Shanghainese diner, Nine Point Five (P2, Park Island, 2986-3889), for a quick bite. The no-frills home-style cooking, such as their stir-fried eggplant, is nothing special but it got us ready for our Ma Wan trek.

After the meal, we made our way down to the Old Village. More Hong Kong-style restaurants dot the place, among which is the ever-busy Fei Gei Restaurant (G/F, 211 and 214 Ma Wan Main St., 2986-5240). This place is famous for its seafood dishes, such as the stir-fried clams with black bean sauce and scallops steamed with garlic and vermicelli. We took one look at the butter and salt baked crab with mounds of creamy crab roe, and no longer wondered why this place is so perpetually packed. If you don’t mind the wait outside and the push-and-shove inside, Fei Gei is definitely worth checking out.

A casual stroll led us to Park Island Beach, where we found at least four couples taking their wedding photos. Can’t blame them—where else can you find such powdery clean sand in Hong Kong? But we were here for the eateries. We stopped by Café Roma (Level 1, Beach Commercial Complex, 3446-1226), the island’s first Western restaurant and an absolutely idyllic place, especially with its fantastic alfresco seating area. The husband and wife team (Lloyd and Marine Lewis) are huge foodies and it shows. “When I arrived in Hong Kong two years ago, I found it hard to find a place with authentic Italian pizza. So I was determined to learn to make my own,” says Marine who learnt the tricks of the trade from a team of experienced chefs in Italy.

We sampled one of their signature pizzas which had a crispy thin crust topped with Parma ham, arugula, and beautiful blocks of snow-white buffalo mozzarella. Deliziosa. The appetizers shone just as much—the antipasti platter arrived and was laden with deliciousness, packed with various thin slices of Italian-imported meats, Norwegian salmon, veggies and cheeses. Oysters are also popular here and Lloyd highly recommended the restaurant’s “Oyster Shooter,” a concoction of beautiful, fresh oysters served in an ice-cold Bloody Mary. “Operating a restaurant here is so different from having a restaurant on Hong Kong Island,” Lloyd says. Indeed, a meal at Café Roma is more like a vacation away at a friend’s home, with the walls adorned with different memorabilia donated by regulars, photos of the Lewis’ daughter, and other knickknacks. “This island really is like the new Mediterranean,” he adds.

Just a couple doors down from the “Ma Wan Mediterranean” is Pattaya Island (Shop 1-2, Level 1, Beach Commercial Complex, 2312-6111). With a full Thai staff in the kitchen, Pattaya Island does all its dishes in true authentic fashion. The restaurant imports most of the ingredients from Thailand and you can literally taste the freshness in every forkful. The Thai papaya salad was light and refreshing, with a little spicy edge to kick-start the appetite for the meal ahead. Pattaya’s signature quick fried crab was another impressive plate. The giant Australian-imported crustacean sat atop a bed of deep-fried vermicelli and garlic, and the bold flavors soaked deep into the tender crabmeat. But what we found hardest to stop gulping down were the crunchy fried Thai herbs, which were addictively fragrant. Definitely good with an ice-cold beer. And save room for dessert—Pattaya Island is one of the few places in Hong Kong that does the Thai sweet potato roll. Steamed sweet potato is scooped into the homemade glutinous rice flour roll and topped with a generous amount of sweet-smelling coconut cream. We happily lapped up all these delish Southeast Asian dishes right by the striking view of the Tsing Ma Bridge. Picturesque view and very good food—we really felt like we were on holiday.