Super spam and egg sandwiches, char siu pork, Sichuan food, dumplings: Hong Kong restaurant recommendations from a Spanish chef
Spaniard Jaime Ortola is the executive chef of Fireside in Hong Kong, which specialises in open-fire grill cooking using charcoal and wood. He spoke to Andrew Sun.
I’m from Alicante, Spain, which is near Valencia. I grew up eating traditional food from my region, like paella. I didn’t choose food as a career. At 18, my parents just told me I had to do something. But after I started being a chef, I loved it.
In Hong Kong, I love the street food. For example, before work I like to have breakfast in a cha chaan teng. I like spam and egg sandwiches (chaan daan ji). The place I often go to is Yuk Kin Fast Food (Shop A, Po Wan Building, 6 Yai Ping Shan Street, Sheung Wan. Tel: 2549 2505), located in the classic green building.
I enjoy going to Lung Kee Restaurant (300 Des Voeux Road Central, Sheung Wan. Tel: 2522 2278) with friends and getting some char siu pork.
Another place I like is Andy’s Kitchen (245 Des Voeux Road West, Shek Tong Tsui. Tel: 5636 3180). It serves more Sichuan food and is open late so I can go after work. I try everything, including soup with blood pudding, chicken tendon, lotus root, squid, everything mixed together, and it’s super spicy.
I like the stall serving traditional Northern dumplings in the Queen Street Cooked Food Market. They only have a Chinese name but it means Traditional Beijing Dumpling House (CF11, Queen Street Cooked Food Market, 38 Des Voeux Road West, Sheung Wan. Tel: 6354 8082). I like it because I can order some Cantonese fried chicken from another stall along with a combination of dumplings.
Recently, I tried Testina (3/F, 8 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central. Tel: 2798 0668). It’s really something different, not the usual copy-and-paste menu of Italian foods. They use a lot of innards and offcuts. I love it. It has a lot of soul.
Francis West (42 Peel Street, SoHo) does really good Middle Eastern-inspired food and is value for money. I could eat there every week.
Also for Middle-Eastern food, Beyrouth Bistro (Shop A, 39 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central. Tel: 2480 5338) is amazing. I love this very small place. I can taste the olive oil in the food. And the owner Joseph is super nice. He always remembers my name and what I like. He is what hospitality is all about.
I am a fan of Chullschick (Shop D, 45-53A Graham Street, SoHo. Tel: 2668 3948). They do Peruvian chicken but the ceviche is very good too. The way they cut the fish is very special. They don’t overcook it. There’s not too much water or sauce.
For Spanish, I think my friend Jorge Vera Gutierrez at Bayfare Social (5/F, Rosewood Hong Kong, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui. Tel: 3891 8732) does a great job.
I like also Chueca (8 Gough Street, Central. Tel: 2703 0810). Owner Jordi Valles from Barcelona is a cool guy, really knowledgeable. They do many things you don’t find much here.
