I met Jason Atherton years ago at a friend’s dinner in Singapore. He wanted to come to Hong Kong. I asked if he was interested in talking to us, and that’s how it all started.

Aberdeen Street Social was always the plan. We wanted to open something more substantial. We introduced him to the market first with 22 Ships and Ham and Sherry.

Chachawan is one of the projects that I feel close to. It was a collaboration between the chef and the staff. We didn’t hire a designer—we got it up and running in three months.

There are hipsters, the office crowd, and old people who think it’s hip to eat there. You don’t have to dress up or anything: just go and have fun.

I met Alan [Lo, husband and founder of The Press Room Group] as we were both strapped into being judges—a friend of both our mothers owned a jewelry shop and ran a competition for youth in Hong Kong.

No, it was not love at first sight. We were friends for a long time.

Oh, we talk shop all the time. We own Duddell’s together. We’re still married, so it’s been OK so far!

Alan is a creative and impatient person. I’m a bit more on the business side. I guess we make quite a good partnership.

The best part of running a restaurant group is seeing the satisfaction of your customers.

You have to really understand your market and sincerely give the customer the best you can.

Don’t do it just because you think it’s going to be fun. There are easier ways to make money.

The worst part is people management. As much as you try to keep the standard consistent, people are erratic. Maybe they’re in a bad mood, or something has happened in the family. It affects them, whether you like it or not.

Hong Kong is unlike Europe, or in the US, where people view it as a career. They’re not far-sighted enough to see that “If I work here long enough, I will be able to create something really great.”

As much as it is excruciating, I look at OpenRice reviews. We have meetings about them. You have to judge if it is legitimate— some people just want free stuff out of it.

I do feel like people judge us to a higher standard. Sometimes, I’m like, “It’s so unfair! Why do you have to do that?” But it is what it is.

When we first opened 208 [in Sheung Wan], my staff said, “Are you sure? There’s no one around here.”

We took risks, because we couldn’t afford the rent.

We must have done something right. People were moving outwards. Everyone was looking for a neighborhood joint.

I just had a baby four months ago. It’s a complete nightmare trying to lose the weight.

Of course, I have taken time off. But I’m not an obsessive mom. Balancing it out is not rocket science.

I started working for the family before I was 21. They were my toughest years: figuring out what I wanted to do.

Failures are important, for someone to be able to grow.

Ideas don’t just drop from the sky. It’s from experience, from talking to people. Once you stop, that’s the end of your career.

My favorite thing about Hong Kong is the buzz. But it can feel claustrophobic after a while, with too much on at the same time.

It’s ironic: the buzz and how overwhelming it is, are basically the same thing.

When I first moved here, I really hated it. But it grows on you. It offers what other cities don’t have.

I’ve learned not to get too emotional about the business. Selling Jia was quite a big step. But at the same time, that’s business. You have to move on.

Check out new restaurant Aberdeen Street Social at G/F, PMQ, 35 Aberdeen St., Central, 2866-0300.