Samantha Tam is a lecturer in the School of Hotel and Tourism Management at Hong Kong Polytechnic University and runs a catering workshop called Heimao Foods. She spoke with Andrew Sun.
I was born and raised in Hong Kong. Her mother is Shanghainese and a good cook, so she grew up watching her mother cook in the kitchen.
Although she didn't grow up with Cantonese food, she learned much of it from watching local TV and faithfully cooked Cantonese food since she was married to a Hong Kong man.
I was exposed to foods other than Chinese food in my cooking class at school, and I had a very good teacher.
Mrs. Thomas was Scottish and had a very good foundation in Western cooking, with a particular emphasis on tidiness, tidiness, tidiness, and cleanliness. That's how I teach my students now.
Simple local food is where my heart is. I went to school around Kowloon City, so I often get Chinese desserts at Tei Mou Koon Dessert (47 Fuk Lo Tsun Road, Kowloon City. Tel: 2382 5004). Now they are always busy. I took a taxi there one night and everything was sold out.
Food being cooked at Chong Fat Chiu Chow Restaurant. Photo: Dixon Lee
My family loves Chong Fat Chiu Chow Restaurant (60-62 Nanbi Road, Kowloon City, Tel: 2383 3114). We love old-fashioned, long-established restaurants where everything is the same, both in taste and presentation.
Another must-visit place in Teochew is Chao Lam Yuen (Shop C, Hing Wah Building, 446-450 Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay; tel: 2819 8938), which also has a very rustic atmosphere. The food is good, especially the oyster pancakes and spring vegetables. For a quick bowl of laksa, head to Dignity Kitchen (2/F, 618 Shanghai Street, Mongkok; tel: 2561 2633), a Singaporean social enterprise that trains the disabled and underprivileged to find work. I always worry about whether they can afford the high rents in Hong Kong.
Laksa from Dignity Kitchen, a social enterprise in Singapore.Photo: Winson Wong
A dish from Indian Chopsticks. Photo: Instagram/@indian.chopsticks
I also like Indian Chopsticks (19 Kwun Chun Street, Jordan. Tel: 2563 4600). It's a small place. The owner was once the Indian head chef at the Hong Jeong Jockey Club. I imagine a lot of chefs pop in here after work.
The place I most often go to while working is New Big Light (G36 Peninsula Center, 67 Modi Road, Tsim Sha Tsui. Phone: 2641 4188). Sometimes you just want a simple bowl of wonton noodles. The porridge is also delicious. When I'm busy, I choose this place without hesitation.
My parents are members of the Shanghai Friendship Association (1-3/F, South China Building, 1 Wyndham Street, Central. Tel: 2524 9246), so we always go there when we want authentic Shanghainese food. Very reliable.
Steamed fish at Yee Hope Restaurant, Aberdeen Wholesale Fish Market. Photo: Instagram/@hkfoodventure
For tourists, eating fresh seafood at Lei Yue Gate or Sai Kung is also good, but I prefer to take it to the Aberdeen Wholesale Fish Market early in the morning. If you want to take photos inside, you may need to fill out an application form in advance.
The on-site seafood eatery, Yee Hope Restaurant (Aberdeen Wholesale Fish Market, 102 Seak Pai Wan Road, Aberdeen. Tel: 2177 7872), acts as a sort of staff canteen, although you can also bring in your own seafood.
If I won the lottery, my splurge celebrations would be at The Chairman (3/F, The Wellington, 198 Wellington Street, Central. Tel: 2555 2202), although it might be easier to win the lottery than to make a booking here these days.
Outside of Hong Kong, I love the Kyoto cake shop Grains de Vanille (486 Kagiyacho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto, Tel: +81 75 241 7726).
They have over 10 different cakes every day, all so delicious that local ladies order 3-4 to share when they go. I went there several days in a row. Everything is light and delicate, but the flavor combinations are complex.
