Philippine-born CJ Jalandoni is the head chef of pioneering Sai Ying Pun restaurant Brut. He spoke to Andrew Sun.
I grew up eating simple, home-cooked meals, with the same dishes rotated every week. When we did eat out, my family would usually go to simple Filipino restaurants.
It was not until later that I started exploring different cuisines, trying Arabic, other Southeast Asian and I even tried Ethiopian in New York. Today, I still appreciate simple food and am easy to please.
Hong Kong has so many great restaurants, but here are my standouts.
For dim sum, I usually go to One Dim Sum (209A-209B Tung Choi Street, Prince Edward. Tel: 2677 7888).
My favourite pizza is Baci (G/F, California Tower, 30-32 D’Aguilar Street, Lan Kwai Fong. Tel: 2344 0005). They make their dough perfectly.
For a hearty indulgence, Mirror Burger (194 Queen’s Road West, Sai Ying Pun. Tel: 5292 3545) is conveniently on my way home. Another good late-night snack is definitely the chicken doner roll at 27 Kebab (several locations including 25 Mercer Street, Sheung Wan. Tel: 3188 0676). Some things just taste better in the small hours of the night. It reminds me of my time in the Middle East.
For great cocktails, Coa (Shop A, LG/F, Wah Shin House, 6-10 Shin Hing Street, Central. Tel: 2813 5787) is my top choice. I always go for their coconut milk punch.
For dinner with a visitor, I would take them to Samsen (two locations including 23 Jervois Street, Sheung Wan. Tel: 2234 0080) for Thai food. It has an amazing vibe and the food is fantastic. I particularly love their khao soi and stir-fried flat noodles.
A more local experience is Sheung Hei (25 North Street, Kennedy Town. Tel: 2819 6190) for clay pot rice, followed by a walk along the promenade.
For a nice glass of wine, Crushed Wine Bar (Shop A, G/F, 6-8 Second Street, Sai Ying Pun. Tel: 5597 8774) is always a great choice. If in doubt, order a wine flight. Their mac and cheese is a hit too.
When it comes to splurging, my favourite spot is Roganic (Shop 8, UG/F, Sino Plaza, 255 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay. Tel: 2817 8383). Their food is well thought out and every single component has a purpose.
Outside Hong Kong, I love New York and enjoy all the different boroughs and districts of the city. Almost any kind of cuisine is available. My first time wearing a suit jacket for dinner was at Le Bernardin (155 West 51st Street, New York. Tel: +1 212 554 1515). The food is beautifully plated, very minimalist, but the sauces and marinades have so many layers of flavour.
On the other end of the spectrum was a kebab from Mamoun’s Falafel in East Village (30 St. Marks Place, New York. Tel: +1 646 870 5785) and a batch of Insomnia Cookies (299 East 11th Street, New York, Tel: +1 929 436 4708) from across the street.
Closer to home is my hometown Manila. Hapag (7/F, The Balmori Suites, Hidalgo Drive, Rockwell Centre, Makati. Tel: +63 917 888 5757) is a great new addition, doing a lot of fermentation to modernise Filipino food.
The cuisine is very regional, with different varieties of dishes throughout the archipelago. One specific barbecued chicken that hails from near my province is the chicken inasal. Thankfully, you can get some in Manila.
Every Sunday in Salcedo Village, there is a food market in a car park. A stall there called Nimitz Leggs (Salcedo Village, Jaime Velasquez Park, Makati) sells the best chicken inasal in Manila.