Word on the StrEAT: 9 restaurants and bars that left their mark on Hong Kong's dining scene
If you still haven't recovered from the hectic flurry of activities that swept Hong Kong in March, the
long Easter weekend is your chance. While traditional celebrations like painting eggs and eating hot cross buns are all well and good, Easter is also historically tied to a theme of revival.
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On Hong Kong's ever-changing dining scene, new names continually pop up, bringing novel flavours and bold concepts. Exciting as each new restaurant or bar is, it's hard not to feel a sense of nostalgia for those restaurants and bars that have left a mark on this city – places that brought something truly special and left behind unforgettable memories – but that have since disappeared.
Because some stories are just too good to end, however,
100 Top Tables has tapped into the Easter spirit of revival and asked some of our city's brightest F&B talents: 'What restaurant or bar do you miss most and would love to see back in Hong Kong?'
1. ArChan Chan, executive chef of Ho Lee Fook
A dai pai dong on Temple Street, Yau Ma Tei, in 1988. Over the years, more and more of these Hong Kong institutions have disappeared. Photo: Wan Kam-yan
'What I truly miss are Hong Kong's vanishing old-school dai pai dongs, those iconic street kitchens that used to be everywhere,' says chef ArChan Chan.
In particular, Hong Kee in Kowloon Bay held a special place in her heart until its closure last year. 'It was fast, fiery and full of life,' she adds. 'Every table was abuzz with stories, unpretentious and deeply local.'
Hong Kee was known for its wok-fried clams served with black bean sauce and chilli, its salt and pepper squid and Chiu Chow favourites such as pig's blood with garlic chives. For Chan, nothing could beat the rich, comforting lamb belly claypot, especially on a chilly winter night. She recalls fond visits with her parents and grandparents, with, 'The sizzle of the wok, laughter all around, a cold beer in hand and tucking into a bowl of something soul-warming – this place was a gem.'
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'Dai pai dongs like Hong Kee are more than places to eat, they are part of our neighbourhood and culture,' Chan reflects. 'There are fewer now, and even fewer that still carry that same fire. Losing them feels like losing a piece of our collective memory.'
2. Richard Ekkebus, culinary director of Amber
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