Where a Hong Kong hotel concierge loves to eat on his days off – Sichuan and Cantonese restaurants from high-end to family-style

Mike Yuen has worked in the guest services industry for more than 15 years and is the chief concierge of the Landmark Mandarin Oriental hotel. 

I’m an easy person who is not picky about the environment or the view of a restaurant. I’m more concerned with the food quality and story. I believe there must be a reason for the restaurant to survive over the other 15,000 others in the city.

Mott 32 (Basement, Standard Chartered Bank Building, 4-4A Des Voeux Road Central, tel: 2885 8688) is one of my favourites with its unbeatable Peking duck and iberico pork char siu. The lustrous duck skin and the paper-thin chewy pancakes are a perfect match, and the iberico pork redefines the standard for char siu. I also like the evening dim sum options. Most restaurants only serve dim sum during the day.

Another more casual and family-style restaurant which I often go with friends and family is Glorious Cuisine (31-33 Shek Kip Mei Street, Sham Shui Po, tel: 2778 8103). It’s a proper seating restaurant, but in dai pai dong style, that serves live seafood. You can pick from the fish tanks and order the ingredients to be cooked as you like. The signature dish, chicken in special soy sauce, is a must. The chicken is well marinated and tender. Just remember to pre-order.

A restaurant’s story is always a major attraction me. 1935 Restaurant (19/F, M88 Wellington Place, 2-8 Wellington Street, Central, tel: 2156 1935) is a contemporary Chinese place in the heart of Central. The cooking, design, and name of the restaurant were inspired by the founder’s grandma, who was born in Sichuan and was a renowned master chef from the region.

But it’s not just spicy. They do original Canton-influenced Sichuanese cuisine with an impeccable menu of spicy and non-spicy dishes. Braised winter melon, fried crispy softshell crab, and poached giant grouper are must-tries. Don’t forget their cocktails with unique recipes of Chinese herbs and spirits.

Another of my choices must be Somm (7/F, The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, 15 Queen’s Road Central, tel: 2132 0055). It offers high-quality seasonal ingredients and a consistently changing French neo-bistro menu based predominantly on Japanese ingredients. The best part for me is the wine-by-glass menu, which lists more than 100 choices of wine and sake.

For visitors, I recommend two restaurants to experience Hong Kong food that are poles apart in style. The Australia Dairy Company (47-49 Parkes Street, Jordan, tel: 2730 1356) is a well-known cha chaan teng (cafe). The egg custard pudding and scrambled eggs are signatures. Of course, efficiency is also conspicuous.

The other recommendation, at the other end of the scale, is Man Wah (25/F, Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, 5 Connaught Road Central, tel: 2825 4003). You rarely find a Chinese restaurant with good food, attentive service and a stunning harbour view. It’s also my choice for a special occasion.

As for overseas, a lot of the people say Japan is the best eating destination, but Macau better satisfies my desire for delicious food. A street called Rua da Felicidade has many local restaurants and Cheong Kei (68 Rua de Felicidade, tel: +853 2857 4310) is the best noodle place I’ve been to in Macau.

The fine noodles are pressed by bamboo pole, and their dry shrimp roe noodles can’t be missed. You should also try the fish skin with ginger and spring onion and deep-fried fish ball. It’s not just the delicious food, the setting takes you back to the 1970s.