Trip to Macau - Hong Kong: Top Sights, Local Life, Made Easy - page 348

Best
Fine Dining
Those with a large pocket are spoilt for choice in Hong Kong when it comes to
haute cuisine, from braised abalone and lobster sashimi to the fancy molecular
creations of the latest celebrity chef. Prices at the top addresses can be steep, but
the city's gourmands don't seem to mind - they're fully booked almost any night
of the week.
Haute Cantonese
Hong Kong's dominant cuisine is Cantonese, the most sophisticated of China's eight re-
gional cuisines. It's one that's known for complex cooking methods, an obsession with
freshness, and the use of a wide range of ingredients. The coastal location has also meant
that Cantonese kitchens enjoy access to some very costly marine life, such as deep-sea fish,
and gigantic lobsters. That is why even Northern Chinese cooks would acknowledge the
superiority of their Cantonese colleagues in making the best of exclusive items like aba-
lone.
Celebrity Chefs
Hong Kong's affluent and cosmopolitan population loves foreign food, especially Japanese
and European. This is evidenced by the sheer number of exclusive sushi bars you can find
in town and the population of eponymous restaurants opened by international celebrity
chefs such as Nobuyuki 'Nobu' Matsuhisa, Joël Robuchon and Pierre Gagnaire.
Top Tip
› Home Dining HK ( 5680 6089; homedining [e-mail]; $400 per person) arranges dinner (including
watching preparations) at a local home. Contact them two or three weeks ahead of time.