The Best Culinary Stars in Hong Kong

CONTENT: Andrew Kho

Hong Kong is going all out to bring travellers back to the once bustling city. While most of you might have already been back recently, majority have yet to return to Asia’s world city.

The next time you visit Hong Kong, why not include in your itinerary to visit some of the city’s well renowned establishments, each having their own distinctions. Give it a try and share your after dining experience with your friends or even to us.

Below are three award-winning restaurants each accorded with their own MICHELIN stars. These establishments comprise of French restaurant Louise, opened in collaboration with Chef Franckelie Laloum and Singapore’s Chef Julien Royer, an institution to Hong Kong’s fine-dining restaurant scene T’ang Court and a restaurant that is celebrating its homecoming Lai Ching Heen.

Lai Ching Heen, Regent Hong Kong

This Two MICHELIN starred restaurant has been around since 1984, 4 years after The Regent, Hong Kong first opened. It was then changed to Yan Toh Heen when the property was rebranded to Intercontinental Hong Kong.

This 2023, the award-winning Cantonese establishment has come to a full circle as the restaurant regains its original Lai Ching Heen name along with the property’s rebranding back to The Regent Hong Kong.

You know you will be in for an amazing meal when you are welcomed by an elegant surroundings with jade, stone and gold elements, a floor-to-ceiling windows that look out to Victoria Harbour, plush furnishings and the best of it all, impeccable service.

Helmed by Executive Chef Lau Yiu-Fai, Chef Fai has been with the restaurant since the day it first opened and has since worked his way up and continued to elevate his creations up to today.

The menu here comprise of popular Cantonese dishes cooked in traditional methods and using only the best quality ingredients. Start with the double boiled whole conpoy with fig and russula mushroom soup to warm up your appetite. The restaurant is also known for its delicious dim sum, must try is the Lai Ching Heen Superior Dumplings – a combination of three types of dimsum, steamed lobster dumpling with homemade XO chilli sauce, steamed French Obsiblue prawns with duck liver and steamed Hokkaido scallop dumpling with caviar.

Chef Fai’s cooking technique and methods are further showcased in the melt in your mouth, Wok-fried Kagoshima Wagyu with Hon Shimeji mushroom and garlic, lotus leaf wrapped fried rice with diced roasted duck, chicken , crabmeat, conpoy, mushroom and bamboo shoot. Notable highlight is the Golden stuffed crab shell with crabmeat, this unique dish has generous amount of fresh crabmeat with a perfect combination of seasonings and spices which made this one of our favourites.

Leave some space for the desserts such as the chilled mango pudding with lychee sorbet, and the delectable crispy sesame dumpling with pineapple and custard cream. a perfect ending to a satisfying meal.

Lai Ching Heen
Regent Hong Kong, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2313 2313
Website 

Louise

Located in PMQ, Hong Kong’s mixed-use, arts and design space at Aberdeen Street, Louise is a brainchild of two chefs, award-winning chef Julien Royer, Odette Singapore and Executive chef Franckelie Laloum, whom have been at the helm of the kitchen since the place opened.

Designed by renowned architect Andre Fu, the entire place brings a touch of chic and French inspired neighbourhood feel. Upon entering, you will be greeted by an open-space dining as well as a cozy lounge, head up to the second level and a homely French dining room awaits, at the end is a semi open kitchen concept and open food station where the chefs check through, adds a final touch of elements to the dishes before being served.

This French restaurant offers notable sharing platters such as the Braised Brittany dover sole cooked “Riviera” style, Rossini French beef tenderloin with Périgueux sauce with Pommes soufflées and The Roasted Hong Kong yellow chicken with Niigata rice en cocotte and salad which takes 50minutes to prepare, is a must try. All dishes serves up to four diners.

We tried some of the signature dishes here which include the refreshing Sweet peas, granny smith apple and avocado coulis with salmon roe and horseradish sorbet.

Next came the Brittany blue lobster tart with tomatoes, fresh herbs and crustacean dressing, each tart brings a crunch and you could taste the fresh lobster bits, freshly avocado atop with generous slices of lobster.

Another signature dish we enjoyed is the Hokkaido scallop ravioli with vadouvan “tourteau” crab bisque followed by the must try Roasted  “Plounéour Ménèz” pigeon legs which is cooked with kampot pepper condiments, served with black truffle artichokes and finished with Madeira pigeon jus. The pigeon used is sourced directly from Brittany. Here, all dishes uses only the finest local and international produce.

We ended the meal with the Raspberry Pavlova with fresh raspberry fruit compote, atop with whipped cream, lychee and rose sorbet, light cream and pavlova. A fitting dessert to end a fine French meal.

With only half a year after opening and attaining One MICHELIN star to its name in 2023 MICHELIN Guide Hong Kong, there’s no doubt that this place servesexceptional dishes ensuring quality and consistency. You won’t be disappointed.

Louise
35 Aberdeen Street, Central, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 5722 3269
Website 

T’ang Court, The Langham Hong Kong

A household name when it comes to authentic Cantonese cuisine in Hong Kong, this classic, timeless restaurant located at The Langham Hong Kong, with Three MICHELIN star tied to its name is a must go to restaurant for every Hongkongers and tourists alike.

Helmed by Executive Chef Wong Chi Fai who has been with the restaurant for nearly two decades and risen through the ranks since joining as a junior chef, T’ang Court serves a wide selection of authentic Cantonese dishes and delicacies which has won numerous international culinary acclaim over the years including having the MICHELIN star to its name since 2009.

The interior of the restaurant reflects the classic timelessness of the Tang Dynasty with lavish furnishings with silks, gold accents and contemporary sculptures. This two-level restaurant features a grand spiral staircase leading to the five private rooms which has hosted Hong Kong’s top business leaders and celebrities alike.

The restaurant pride itself of using only the finest produce including the freshest and finest seasonal ingredients including their popular signature dishes such as the Stir-fried Diced Japanese Wagyu Beef with Spring Onion and Wasabi and Stir-fried Fresh Lobster with Spring Onion, Red Onion and Shallot.

The specialties include authentic Cantonese dishes such as the popular all-time favourite dim sums which are all appetizing- Steamed dumpling filled with shrimp, pork, black mushrooms and Yunnan ham, Steamed mixed seafood and beetroot dumplings, Baked BBQ pork buns and Pan-fried rice flour rolls with homemade spicy sauce.

Must try include the fried diced cod fish with honey barbecue pork and the baked stuffed crab shell filled with generous amount of crab meat, onion and cream sauce.

To conclude your dining experience, the restaurant offers some popular Hong Kong desserts such as the freshly baked egg tart, sweetened almond cream with egg white and baked sago pudding filled with lotus seed paste.

We do feel that the place needs to do a bit of touch-up and refurbishment to their interior to adapt to a more modern dining environment, but what they lack on aesthetics and ambiance, T’ang Court’s made sure to focus on their food quality and service, of which each of the dishes served to us certainly lived up to our expectations and worthy of their recognitions the restaurant received through the years.

T’ang Court
1/F & 2/F, The Langham, Hong Kong, 8 Peking Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2132 7898
Website