Chocolatier
Historic French patisserie Dalloyau arrived in Hong Kong in the earlier half of 2014, taking up a spacious and elegant storefront in Harbor City, which doubles as a classy fine-dine afternoon tea spot. It wins points for a 300-year tradition of impeccably detailed pastries, its signature coffee-almond-sponge Opéra cake, and for its unfortunately amusing name: “Dalloyau” sounds roughly like “bottom-spanking” in Cantonese. Can’t win ‘em all…
Shop 403, 4/F, Ocean Centre, Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, 3185-8330.
Steakhouse
Purists might scoff at the idea that a steak joint isn’t a dark mancave serving up hefty slices of grilled meat, but we beg to differ. Japanese fine-dining steak restaurant Holytan in The Pottinger hotel is at the top of our list thanks to its sleeker steaks prepared with a unique cooking method. They use an infrared oven—one of only two in the world. The results are perfectly charred and flavorful on the outside, and deep pink and juicy on the inside. Paired with addictive soy-based or herby sauces, Holytan’s steaks are big winners in our book.
2/F, The Pottinger, 74 Queen’s Rd. Central, 2351-5808.
KFC
Hong Kong Islanders, you’ve sat tight for a worthwhile Island contender to the still-popular, still-expanding Korean Fried Chicken scene. This summer, the original trendsetters Lee Family (Lee Ga) Chicken Hof & Soju finally brought its back-to-basics vibe, famously scrumptious plates of KFC and super-cheap liquor to Wan Chai. For dissipating the insane crowds at the Kowloon-side branch and providing one more outlet to satisfy our cravings: Lee Family, you are our heroes.
