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Arirang
A branch of the upmarket Korean restaurant chain, Arirang has the usual barbecues along with some excellent hotpot dishes. It's a great place for a bargain set lunch, to refuel for more shopping.
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Chang Won Korean Restaurant
If you're looking for truly authentic Korean food, head for this place, just one of several restaurants along a stretch that makes up Tsim Sha Tsui's 'Little Korea'. Try the excellent bibimbab (around HK$100 ).
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Chilli Fagara
This new hole-in-the-wall in Soho serves reasonably authentic Sichuan fare and is a welcome addition to the short list of quality local eateries open in this part of Central. Make sure you try all three Sichuan tastes: màa (spicy), laat (hot) and táam (mild).
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Chilli N Spice
A branch of the ever-growing chain - nine branches at last count - has found its way into Hong Kong's oldest (reconstructed) colonial building. Expect no surprises, but the venue and views are worth a ringside table.
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Chuen Cheung Kui
Enlist a Cantonese dining companion or dive in bravely - there is not much English spoken here. 'Gizzard soup' and 'stomach tidbit' are two of the less appealing (at best acquired tastes) items on the English menu here, but the pulled chicken, a Hakka classic, is the dish to insist upon.
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Dia
This stylish place, all blue satin and rattan, serves North Indian cuisine. Kick off with the mixed starters platter (around HK$120 ) before diving into the curries with some sensational naan .
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Food Republic
Food courts in malls have a bad rep but this one proves an exception. The choice of food covers everything from pasta and noodles to Thai and Vietnamese. There are also mini hotpots and teppanyaki. The longest queue is at the stall by Yummy Vietnamese Restaurant, which is famous for its beef pho (around HK$25 ).
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Honeymoon Dessert
This place, serving Chinese desserts such as sweet thick walnut soup and durian pudding, has become so famous that some people drive in from town for it. Some former loyalists say standards have slipped in recent times, but others remain faithful. The business has since grown to include new locations such as Sheung Wan (2851 2606, Shop 4-8, G/F, Western Market, 323 Des Voeux Rd Central; hnoon-midnight; MTR Sheung Wan, exit C).
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Hutong
With the panoramic view of Hong Kong you'd feel like you're midair while eating here, and dishes such as wok-fried prawns with salty egg yolk and crab roe (around HK$190 ), and crispy de-boned lamb ribs in hutong style (around HK$250 ) would make you feel that way anyway. If you're adventurous, try the drunken raw crab.
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Hyang Chon Korean Restaurant
This somewhat expensive Korean restaurant attracts Korean expats and their friends with its authentic ginseng chicken and bibimbab, rice served in a sizzling pot topped with thinly sliced beef and cooked and preserved vegetables, which is then bound by a raw egg and flavoured with chilli-laced soy bean paste. Service is friendly and helpful.
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Kin's Kitchen
Opened by artist and gourmand Lau Kin-wai, who was behind the opening of private kitchen Sichuan Cuisine Da Ping Huo, this unassuming restaurant is so painstaking in choosing its ingredients that the waiter can tell you why the chef needs to source a chicken from a particular region. The signature smoked chicken (half/whole around HK$180 to HK$360 ) needs to be booked a day in advance, and you will know why when it melts in your mouth.
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Koh-I-Noor
Fine Indian cuisine with sophisticated presentation and service is what you get here, as well as sophisticated prices. The most expensive dish is the leg of lamb (around HK$300 ), great for sharing. But the weekday vegetarian/meat lunch-time buffet is a steal at around HK$55 , while biryani dishes are around HK$62 . There are branches around town, including in Tsim Sha Tsui and Tai Koo Shing; prices may be a little lower at those locations.
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Korea House Restaurant
Korea House, in situ since 1965, is known for having some of the most authentic Korean barbecue, kimchi and appetisers (side dishes to a BBQ sizzled at your table) in Hong Kong, and is always filled with Korean expats - the ultimate stamp of approval. Enter from Man Wa Lane.
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Kyozasa Restaurant
For an izakaya experience, this colourful and cosy Japanese restaurant is as close as you'll get in Hong Kong. It has a menu that extends from sushi to steaks via hotpots. There are reasonably priced set lunches. And unlike Gomitori (2367 8519; Shop LG5, Lower ground fl, Energy Plaza, 92 Granville Rd), it does not discriminate - they treat you the same whether you're Japanese or not.
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Mega Box
One of the newest shopping arcades promising all forms of entertainment under one roof, the dining options here span a large spectrum of Asian cuisines including Japanese, Vietnamese and regional Chinese. Western restaurants are few at the moment but the choice is bound to grow.
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Nadaman
The authentic Japanese food at this restaurant has won it a well-deserved reputation, but the décor falls somewhat short. Though it is expensive, it's worth it, and the set meals at lunch time (around HK$120 to around HK$480 ) are very good value.
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Pak Heung Kwun Yum Temple
The folks here claim that their poon choy is the most authentic and the recipe dates back to the end of the Southern Song dynasty (AD 1127-1279), when the defeated emperor fled from the Mongolians to what is today the New Territories. Apparently, the proof is in the duck, stewed the same way it was 800 years ago. Vegetarian food is available upon request. Booking is by the table, each seating 10 to 12.
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Shui Hu Ju
This restaurant, which could almost be in Off Soho, serves earthy dishes from Sichuan that have only been gently toned down. The décor is a delight - traditional Chinese with tables separated by latticed screens. It's like dining in one of the neighbouring antiques shops.
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Sorabol Korean Restaurant
This is the Korean's Korean restaurant, with helpful and informative staff. The barbecues are great and the kimchi dishes - notably the summer variety of the piquant and fermented cabbage - particularly well-prepared.
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Sun Keung Kee Roasted Goose & Seafood Restaurant
We recommend dropping by for the roast goose and congee when you're in the area, perhaps en route to another New Territories destination. But this restaurant does have a loyal following of people making a trip here just for the bird.
Read more about Sun Keung Kee Roasted Goose & Seafood Restaurant
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Sushi Hiro
A good example of Causeway Bay's Japanese-ness, this restaurant is one of the many authentic sushi bars hidden in the upper floors of a commercial building, much like the way it is in Tokyo. Like other sushi bars of this grade, Sushi Hiro offers a seasonal choice of fish that changes on a weekly basis, and the chef will happily pick the best for you.
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Tai Pak
Diners who come here are being squashed on the narrow pedestrian walkway while waiting for a table, and they are being squashed when having to share the small tables with strangers. But they are not gluttons for punishment; they are simply food lovers who enjoy a good daam daam min (around HK$24 ) and drunken chicken ( HK$48 ).
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Veda
We've heard talk that this uberstylish and pricey eatery is not measuring up to the same standards as when it first opened its doors and introduced Hong Kong to 'innovative Indian' (eg chicken in coriander and cashew-nut paste, fish steamed with mint). Sunday brunch (around HK$200 ) still seems to pack in the punters, though. The weekday lunch buffet is HK$98 .
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Viceroy Restaurant & Bar
The Viceroy has been an institution in Hong Kong for some two decades: an upmarket Indian restaurant with sitar music and a fun place to watch comedy at least once a month.
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Wing Lai Yuen
A household name in Hong Kong for daam daam min , this unpretentious local eatery actually offers more than that. Try the fiery beef cooked in chilli broth (around HK$48 ), or for something tamer, go for the wonton chicken in clay pot (from around HK$78 ). English won't work here: bring a phrase book.
