https://www.scmp.com/rss/523475/feed Elaine is a lifestyle journalist dedicated to capturing the soul of Hong Kong. A born-and-raised local who returned after a decade abroad, she makes it her mission to unearth stories that define and transform the city’s vibrant identity. Her work celebrates everything from classic dai pai dongs to emerging artists, and has been featured in Time Out, China Daily, and Honeycombers. She rarely says no to a good pour of wine or a compelling true crime saga. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Elaine Wong Elaine Wong The rhythmic hiss of gas burners from Sek Si Mei Sek’s kitchen cuts through the chatter as we take our seats. Once a modest street stall, this now-roofed eatery retains its dai pai dong soul: wobbly plastic stools, the syncopated clang of woks and the intoxicating aroma of white pepper-laced bone broth swirling around the table. Macau’s 24/7 rhythm, fuelled by its casino economy, sustains a late-night dining culture where 100 pataca stir-fries share pavements with casseroles three times the... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/food-drink/article/3341273/macaus-best-late-night-eats-according-chefs-tam-kwok-fung-julien-tongourian-and-pan-sihui?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/food-drink/article/3341273/macaus-best-late-night-eats-according-chefs-tam-kwok-fung-julien-tongourian-and-pan-sihui?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Feb 2026 06:00:39 +0000 Elaine Wong Elaine Wong For a full year, he was forbidden to touch even a single piece of chicken. Yoshiteru Ikegawa, the yakitori master of the Michelin-starred Torishiki in Tokyo, spent his apprenticeship mopping floors, running errands and peeking over the shoulder of his mentor, Yoshito Inomata, a “Karate Kid” in the world of charcoal and skewers. It was not until his fourth year that he was finally allowed at the grill. Inomata’s logic was brutal, simple and par for the course in Japan: to teach the young Ikegawa... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/food-drink/article/3339345/why-yakitori-chef-yoshiteru-ikegawa-treats-grilling-endurance-sport?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/food-drink/article/3339345/why-yakitori-chef-yoshiteru-ikegawa-treats-grilling-endurance-sport?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Jan 2026 10:00:22 +0000 Elaine Wong Elaine Wong In the floor above his family’s dried-goods business, Viego Szeto waves his hand over rows of ceramic jars packed with tangerine peels and plums that have been ageing together for the past 45 days, a time-honoured ritual that allows the fruit’s natural sourness to mellow and sweetness to develop, flavours impossible to achieve with modern short cuts. “This isn’t ‘waiting’,” he says, “but rather a precise control of time and environment.” Szeto’s shop, Yiu Fung, has been selling preserved fruits... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/food-drink/article/3326528/hong-kong-chefs-bringing-traditional-chinese-preserved-and-dried-ingredients-modern-era?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/food-drink/article/3326528/hong-kong-chefs-bringing-traditional-chinese-preserved-and-dried-ingredients-modern-era?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Sep 2025 11:15:10 +0000