Hong Kong and Macau_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 14th Edition) - Andrew Stone [115]
Peninsula Academy ( Map; 2920 2888; The Peninsula, Salisbury Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui) Every two months one of the chefs from the five-star hotel teaches a different cuisine for $1100 per head (including lunch).
Towngas Cooking Centre ( Map; 2576 1535; www.towngascooking.com;Basement, Leighton Centre, 77 Leighton Rd, Causeway Bay) Classes in a range of Chinese cooking styles and other culinary subjects for $300 to $350. There’s also a Tsim Sha Tsui branch ( Map; 2367 2707; Shop L030, New World Centre, 18-24 Salisbury Rd).
PUBLICATIONS
The best sources for travellers looking for more restaurant recommendations than we are able to make here are the biannual Good Eating guide by the South China Morning Post (special@scmp.com), published in March and October, and the annual HK Magazine Restaurant Guide by HK Magazine (asiacity@asia-city.com.hk), published in February or March. Both offer reviews and listings of hundreds of eateries throughout the territory. The Guide: Hong Kong’s Restaurant Guide from bc magazine (www.bcmagazine.net)has reviews of Hong Kong restaurants in all price categories.
The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB; Click here) distributes an annual booklet called Best of the Best Culinary Guide, featuring award-winning local dishes and where to find them. Lonely Planet’s World Food Hong Kong, while not a restaurant guide per se, will take you on an in-depth culinary tour of the territory.
PRACTICALITIES
Opening Hours
Where possible we have given opening and closing (last order) times for all restaurants reviewed, though some may change over time. Most restaurants are closed for at least a couple of days during the Lunar New Year Click here.
How Much?
You can make a meal out of wonton noodles and some greens and it would cost you no more than $30, and fast-food chains such as Cafe de Coral (www.cafedecoralfastfood.com), Fairwood (www.fairwood.com.hk) and MX (www.maxims.com.hk/html/fastfood) would serve you a set meal (soup, main and coffee) for about $40. Otherwise, a proper sit-down lunch costs at least $80 and for dinner about $120 per head. Upscale restaurants will set you back at least $500 per person for dinner.
Booking Tables
Most restaurants midrange or above take reservations. At some with preset menus, prior booking is mandatory. Booking is also required for popular places that serve two or even three seatings a night.
Tipping
Tipping is not a must in Hong Kong restaurants, as waiters supposedly get full salaries and every bill includes a 10% service charge. But the service charge almost always goes into the owner’s coffers so if you like the service, tip as you see fit. Most people leave behind the small change.
Smoking
All indoor spaces of eateries are now technically smoke-free. Nicotine addicts are seeking out restaurants with unsheltered outdoor spaces where the smoking ban does not apply. In districts such as Soho Click here, where restaurants tend to have open fronts, customers often step outside to get their fix.
Self-Catering
The two major supermarket chains here, Park’N’Shop and Wellcome, have megastores that offer groceries as well as takeaway cooked food. Their gourmet counterparts include Great Food Hall ( Map; 2918 9986; Basement, Two Pacific Place, Admiralty; 10am-10pm); Citysuper, with a handful of branches, including Causeway Bay ( Map; 2506 2888; Basement 1, Times Sq, Causeway Bay; 10.30am-10pm); Oliver’s, the Delicatessen ( Map; 2810 7710; 2nd fl, Prince’s Bldg, 10 Chater Rd; 8.30am-8pm) in Central; and Taste ( Map; Festival Walk, Kowloon Tong; 7am-midnight). Three Sixty ( Map; 2111 4480; 3rd & 4th fl, Landmark Bldg, 1 Pedder St; 7am-9pm; MTR Central, exit C) offers expensive organic produce. Wet markets for fresh produce can be found all over town, including on Graham St ( Map; 5B) in Central, Bowrington Rd ( Map; MTR Causeway Bay, exit A), Chun Yeung St ( Map; MTR North Point, exit A2) and Canton Rd (