Hong Kong’s 7 best restaurants for modern Cantonese cuisine: from chef Saito Chow’s imaginative offerings at Chinesology to Vicky Lau’s soy spotlights at Mora and old favourite The Chairman

Dec 25 , 2022

Two-way stuffed crab claws at Auntie Āyi. Photo: Handout

Auntie Ayi’s neo-deco surrounds evoke the dark lounges of the 60s and 70s, while the menu includes novel Chinese dishes like the 8 Immortals Drunk platter

Want to show guests how Hongkongers like to eat? Michelin-starred The Chairman, in the top five of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, offers Cantonese fare that’s not revamped for an international palate

In Hong Kong, the greatest challenge in seeking out exceptional Chinese cuisine may be in the sheer volume of excellent choices, rather than finding them in a dearth of quality as it might be elsewhere in the world. Having said that, traditional Cantonese flavours are often overlooked in favour of marketable members of the “eight great Chinese cuisines”. Or they were, anyway – but today a new generation of young chefs and hip eateries are reimagining classic regional dishes with modern flair. So from restaurants rewriting the rulebook to best-in-class traditional faves, these spots represent the best of modern Cantonese cuisine today.

1. Chinesology

Rice in fish soup with scallop, marshmallow, greens and sesame. Photo: Handout

For those looking to get to grips with Chinese cuisine at its essence and heights, Chinesology, which inherits its address from French Window, is the place to do so with a view. Chef Saito Chow spotlights textures and flavours foundational to traditional Chinese cuisine with top notch ingredients such as the A5 Kagoshima Wagyu amuse-bouche with treasure and pine nuts and double-boiled fish maw soup with Japanese melon, chuanbei and almond.

Shop 3101, 3/F, IFC Mall, Central, 6809 2299

2. Auntie Āyi

Silky egg custard with fresh lobster infused with 20-year-aged Huadiao wine at Auntie Āyi. Photo: Handout

The Chinese-tinged neo-deco surrounds of Auntie Āyi set a nostalgic scene evoking dark lounges of the 60s and 70s, spotlighting the highly referential-yet-novel Chinese cuisine on offer. Wow factor abounds with starts such as the 8 Immortals Drunk platter which is served ethereally using dry ice and comprises cold appetisers like duck tongue, bitter gourd, jellyfish, steamed chicken and abalone, variously marinated in baijiu and yellow wines. Also not to be missed is the sesame candy chicken where nostalgic sweet meets spectacular savouriness, as well as the egg custard with huadiao infused lobster for maximum taste, texture and fragrance.

Shop 002, LG1, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty, 2803 7881

3. Ho Lee Fook

Hong Kong-style curry beef cheek claypot at Ho Lee Fook. Photo: Handout