Originally from Shanghai, Shirley Kwok is an ex-banker turned baker, launching The Cakery, Maya Bakery and vegan fermented cheese and dips label Cultured. She spoke to Andrew Sun.
My mum is Shanghainese, so she cooks a lot of small dishes and we always go back for a feast. She likes making everything from scratch.
About two years ago, I started weightlifting, so my trainer always tells me to eat more protein and have a clean diet.
People also keep asking me about sugar-free cakes as well as dairy-free and gluten-free products, so I realised there’s a need in the market. That’s how my plant-based Maya Bakery (Shop 4, G/F, PCCW Tower, Taikoo Place, 979 King’s Road, Quarry Bay. Tel: 6695 9656) came to be.
We have kids now so we can’t be too adventurous eating out, but we do like Grand Cafe (Lobby, Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, 1 Harbour Road, Wan Chai. Tel: 2584 7722). They have Western, Asian, Japanese and they also do different portions. Noodles can be large or small, with vegetarian options too. My kids love it there.
We also like going to Knead (28 Jervois Street, Sheung Wan. Tel: 2851 7778). It specialises in salads and sandwiches. It’s very casual. You can even create your own. The vegan options are quite nice. I especially love the hummus.
I eat a lot of chicken breast for the protein, but I still enjoy my steak. My husband and I really love the Grand Hyatt Steakhouse (G/F, Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, 1 Harbour Road, Wan Chai. Tel: 2584 7722). However, the main reason I like going is not for the steak, but the Caesar salad and garlic bread. They’re some of the best.
Another good beef place is Hana Sakazuki Japanese Restaurant (1/F & 2/F, China Tai Ping Tower, Phase II, 8 Sunning Road, Causeway Bay. Tel: 2577 9799). They’re a family favourite for Japanese teppanyaki – grilling on an iron plate. They have private rooms.
The vibe there is very good, nice and friendly. We’ve been going there for years. Even my parents who don’t eat beef like it here. They just order the seafood sets.
I also like taking my family to a private kitchen called Happy Chefs Happy Friends (Shop A, C1, C2 & F, G/F, Sunshine Plaza, 17 Sung On Street, Hung Hom. Tel: 3598 2968). They do Cantonese and don’t use MSG.
Normally I’m not a huge fan of Cantonese food but I feel I can really taste the natural flavours and I know how much time they’ve put in to cook things like abalone. I think they said their soups are cooked for around 16 hours so I really appreciate that.
For visitors, if they enjoy a few drinks, then I’ll take them to Yardbird (154-158 Wing Lok Street, Sheung Wan. Tel: 2547 9273) because it’s one of our favourite places too. Even my kids love it there. I really like the community vibe. Everybody’s so friendly, with music and everyone just looks happy. The food, of course, is good too.
Recently I went to Bali; we and the kids tried out a lot of vegan places. Kynd Community (12x Jalan Raya Petitenget, Seminyak, Bali. Tel: +628 593 1120 209) is one that really impressed us.
There’s a large open area, a bar vibe, with noodles and pizzas. The entire place is pink. Next to it is a vegan ice cream shop. They really create a community. The kids were happy. I was happy. They even had beautiful cocktails.