So-Called SoHo

With no large department stores, no offices and certainly no big businesses, the quiet Soho East in Sai Wan Ho is nothing like its Central namesake. Pedestrians float by lazily in this relaxed cluster of restaurants where lunch hour is literally a walk in the park. An extensive range of restaurant choices, from Spanish to Italian, makes this neat dining pocket a must-go for those wanting to escape the hustle and bustle of downtown Central to eat by the sea.

Getting there:
From exit A at Sai Wan Ho station, turn right onto Tai On Street, left onto Lei King Road and finally right at Tai Hong Street to reach the Lei King Wan complex. Alternatively, a ferry service runs between Sai Wan Ho and Kwun Tong every 30 minutes.

Gitone

G/F, GB27-28, 45 Tai Hong St., Lei King Wan, Sai Wan Ho, 2527-3448
This art and dining fusion is one of the most interesting additions to the Soho East site. Part artistic workshop, part small restaurant, Gitone is an open-plan space dotted with easels, indoor plants and stainless steel-topped tables. Cages of (real) fluffy parrots make for unusual dining guests alongside vibrant paintings and cabinets filled with hand-crafted pottery. Every four months or so the menu changes between a Shanghainese, vegetarian or Cantonese set-menu, each costing $380 per person. For an additional $250, diners can attend a one and a half hour ceramics or painting workshop before their meal in order to build up an appetite and expand their creative minds. At the time of writing, Gitone is serving up their Shanghainese menu of mouth watering delights including sliced beef shank and guava in wasabi sesame dressing, deep fried enoki mushroom and shrimp ball and their specialty: the braised chicken with red shallots and rock salt. As a general rule, Gitone does not allow walk-ins, so bookings are essential if you wish to enjoy a thoughtfully prepared meal in a very unique space.

Uncle Moustache