Iris Mak

Hongkonger Iris Mak Siu-kin has been a foodie for about 10 years. A job in ad sales at a listings magazine took her to many of the territory's top restaurants, and she's found it a hard habit to break.

Nowadays, Mak helps her father out with his furniture business but still finds the time to eat out at least three times a week. 'I don't go out by myself,' says the talkative Mak, 'but in company, I like to socialise and try new restaurants.'

If she cooks at home, where the kitchen is really her mother's domain, it will be seafood or fish, probably a stir-fry.

Fortunately for her waistline, Mak is also a keen hiker: next month she'll be raising money for charity by walking the Lantau trail at night. To prepare, she walks up the 25 flights of stairs to her flat four times every day and has the thigh and calf muscles to prove it.

Mak recently visited the Italian steakhouse Manzo in Times Square, where she had the clams casino. She was particularly impressed by their size, as they occupied the entire shell and not just the half she expected. She also found them to be 'thick and juicy'.