Where a Panamanian in Hong Kong goes for Latin American food, ‘great’ dim sum, steak and seafood
- Divya Tourani of home decor site Casa Duniya has struggled to find good Latin food during her 23 years in Hong Kong, but knows a place with ‘excellent’ empanadas
- She also shares where she goes for seafood and some of the best fried chicken, a reminder of Thai street food, and food and drinks that are ‘always on point’
Divya Tourani is the founder of Casa Duniya, a portal for hand-selected home decor, accessories and gifts from around the world. She spoke to Andrew Sun.
My family is of Indian descent, but I was born and brought up in Panama. I’ve lived in Hong Kong for 23 years and love the food scene here.
My mother is an amazing cook – she was born in Vietnam. Growing up, she always loved trying new recipes and improving her cooking, so I was lucky to eat all sorts of cuisines.
Samsen (23 Jervois Street, Sheung Wan. Tel: 2234 0080) is great for the way it reminds me of street dining in Bangkok.
For fine dining with a relaxed atmosphere, LPM Restaurant & Bar (Shop 1, UG/F, H Queen’s, 80 Queen’s Road Central. Tel: 2887 1113) is one of my first choices.
General manager Romain Blanchard and his team always do an amazing job of making me feel right at home.
Apart from the seafood, Ming Kee’s fried chicken is one of the best in town.
It always amazes me how this tiny beach village restaurant cooks this dish to perfection every time.
I love being spoiled at the Mandarin Grill (1/F, Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, 5 Connaught Road, Central. Tel: 2825 4004).
Every meal there has been flawless – from the freshest oysters to a quintessential smoked salmon and steak that is always cooked to perfection.
I highly recommend giving them a try.
It has a cosy, homely feel and the owner is usually there to share fun stories about the restaurant and its beginnings some 30 years ago.
Like many Hongkongers, I enjoy spending long weekends in Bangkok or Phuket. In Bangkok, I try to make time to visit one of the branches of Coffee Beans By Dao (various locations including Room G12, Siam Paragon Building, Rama 1 Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330. Tel: +66 2 610 9703).
It may sound odd, but it does excellent Thai food, from the simplest of dishes like pad krapao to my personal favourite, yum pla duk fu, which combines crispy catfish with the perfect balance of sourness from a green mango salad.