DINING

HONG KONG DINING AWARDS The city’s top restaurants, chefs and food delivery services as voted by you. By Apple Lee

This month Sai Kung’s sister magazine Hong Kong Living celebrated Hong Kong’s dining industry and those who pushed on during these 24 | SAI KUNG

challenging times. Here are some highlights from the second annual Hong Kong Dining Awards. Full rundown of winners at hongkongliving.com Zuma Known for its contemporary izakaya dishes, free-flow brunches and atmospheric setting, Zuma is crowned Restaurant of the Year in this year’s Hong Kong Dining Awards. The two-storey Japanese restaurant, located inside the Landmark Building, beckons a diverse crowd from white-collars and partygoers to couples and families. Opened more than a decade ago, the restaurant’s longevity speaks volumes, especially being in such a fast-paced city where restaurants come and go. “Being strong in the Hong Kong scene after 14 years is not easy. We strive for perfection on a daily basis. We never stop thinking about innovation, progress, quality, product and guest experience,” says Alex Bellafronte, Zuma’s Operations Director Asia. zumarestaurant.com

Amber Aside from its undisputed status as one of Hong Kong’s best fine dining restaurants, Amber is widely recognised as a pioneer of sustainability and plant-based cuisine. Last year, the restaurant eliminated dairy, gluten and refined sugar from its menu and replaced the French culinary staples with healthier alternatives. At the new Amber, guests are encouraged to opt for the vegetarian or vegan tasting menu, where fresh produce is given a leading role in the degustation rather than just a garnish. Led by executive chef Ricahrd Ekkebus, the two Michelin-starred restaurant continues to pave the way for sustainable eating in 2020. The restaurant has already launched plastic-free and sustainable seafood policies and uses only cage-free eggs in its dishes. “Sustainability efforts never stop. The climate crisis is becoming more and more urgent and many of our peers are following suit to make positive changes to the environment,” Ekkebus says.

mandarinoriental.com

Vicky Lau As the chef-owner of Tate Dining Room, Vicky Lau is the only female Asian chef with a Michelin-starred restaurant in Hong Kong. After graduating from New York University with a degree in graphic communications, Lau left the design field to embark on her culinary career and enrolled in Le Cordon Bleu. Her cutting-edge culinary creations and intricate plating earned Tate Dining Room a prestigious Michelin star in 2013, only one year after its conceptualisation, and in 2015, Lau won the title of Best Female Chef in Asia voted by World’s 50 Best Restaurants. Today, Lau is one of the first people who comes to mind when we think of French-Chinese cuisine. In the city’s highly competitive dining scene, she has managed to find innovation in her culinary craft with seasonal menus centred around native ingredients. tate.com.hk

John Nguyen Bold and conventional are how John Nguyen would describe his culinary style. “I don’t hold back and the result is dishes that boast plentiful strong flavours,” he says. “You’ll either love us – or love us. There is no in between.”As the head chef of Xuan, a newly-opened modern Vietnamese restaurant, Nguyen challenges the perceptions of traditional Vietnamese cuisine being just pho or banh mi. With daring dishes that often come with a trace of spiciness and umami, the chef is known for combining French techniques and a hefty dose of American-style cooking to concoct flavoursome creations.

John Nguyen

Best Al Fresco Restaurant

Limewood Located on the shores of Repulse Bay, Limewood is a beachside stronghold for both Southsiders and those travelling from afar. With bright interiors and breathtaking views, this Cali-inspired restaurant will make you feel miles away, without even stepping on a plane, perfect with the current travel restrictions in place.“We wanted to create somewhere that really embodied beachside living and bring the best dishes from the most beautiful beaches in the world together with flavours of Hawaii, Mexico, Thailand and Vietnam all feature strongly,” says Matt Reid, co-founder of Maximal Concepts, the hospitality group behind Limewood. Both family and pet-friendly, this beachside hangout is the perfect spot to sit back and enjoy Hong Kong’s cooler months. “We hope to continue to offer the feeling of having ‘holiday at home’ when the sun shines, the rosé is cold and the BBQ is fired up and buzzing,” says Reid. limewood.hk

Louise Nestled inside a heritage house in PMQ, Louise doles out elevated French classics with heart-warming flavours that pay homage to home-cooked delights. Helmed by internationally acclaimed Michelin-starred chef Julien Royer, the restaurant earned its first Michelin star this year after opening last summer. Designwise, homegrown architect André Fu has transformed the two-storey building into a chic and elegant restaurant while retaining the essence of colonial style architecture. On the ground floor by the restaurant entrance, there is a cosy al fresco terrace surrounded by luscious greens. Beyond its relaxing outdoor area, Louise features an upstairs dining room and a high-ceilinged bar and lounge serving up specialty charcuterie and handpicked wines by its sommelier. louise.hk

Best Delivery Service Foodpanda Foodpanda has evolved significantly since its beginnings in 2014 as a food delivery service. Not only can you have your favourite meals delivered straight to your door, nowadays, Foodpanda also operates a number of virtual kitchens and offers a 24/7 online shopping experience with Foodpanda Mall and Pandamart. Most recently, with Hong Kong’s dine-in restrictions and gathering bans during the coronavirus outbreak, Foodpanda has seen a surge in restaurant partners on its platform. The delivery platform now works with over 11,000 restaurants across the city, giving customers an even broader selection. Looking forward, Foodpanda is expecting to achieve an even greater coverage across Hong Kong, the opening of more Pandamart locations and a delivery time as fast as fifteen minutes. foodpanda.hk SAI KUNG 25