HK restaurants comparable to Shanghai's???

[pearltower]

Please help! Just moved to Hong Kong and I've been disappointed in the Hong Kong restaurants I've tried. I've looked at openrice.com to find good recommendations, but nothing has met my expectations yet...

Any help to find the Hong Kong equivalent of these Shanghai restaurants would be greatly appreciated!

Haiku (especially the spicy tuna rolls)
Lost Heaven Yunnan
Dong Bei Ren
South Beauty
Lao Tan Guizhou
Annamaya
Di Shui Dong
Vegetarian Lifestyle
Grape
Qimin Organic Hot Pot

Also, are there any foodie groups that meet up in Hong Kong? Would be fun to join one!

[jimbo]

Get yourself a copy of HK Timeout and also the Michelin Guide to start with.
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[Mat]

Please help! Just moved to Hong Kong and I've been disappointed in the Hong Kong restaurants I've tried. I've looked at openrice.com to find good recommendations, but nothing has met my expectations yet...

Any help to find the Hong Kong equivalent of these Shanghai restaurants would be greatly appreciated!

Haiku (especially the spicy tuna rolls)
Lost Heaven Yunnan
Dong Bei Ren
South Beauty
Lao Tan Guizhou
Annamaya
Di Shui Dong
Vegetarian Lifestyle
Grape
Qimin Organic Hot Pot

Also, are there any foodie groups that meet up in Hong Kong? Would be fun to join one!

On average, HK restaurant scene is less impressive than that of Shanghai.

[pearltower]

Have tried some of the TimeOut and Michelin recommendations, but still haven't been impressed...

Mat- I'm was worried about that. Just hoping I was wrong :P

[Mat]

Have tried some of the TimeOut and Michelin recommendations, but still haven't been impressed...

Mat- I'm was worried about that. Just hoping I was wrong :P

The irony is that ppl here eats all the time and claim that HK has great food,
It does have some great places but on average the ratio Price/Quality is less favorable than in Shanghai (no hard statistics on hand of couse but just an observation) or even places like Macau (but I am biaised here because I love the food there)

[ScotchDrinker]

I'm surprised that Jean Georges, Jia Jia (or the millions of less famous ones), M on the Bund etc aren't featured on your super list.... anyhoo, answers in blue below.

Please help! Just moved to Hong Kong and I've been disappointed in the Hong Kong restaurants I've tried. I've looked at openrice.com to find good recommendations, but nothing has met my expectations yet...

Any help to find the Hong Kong equivalent of these Shanghai restaurants would be greatly appreciated!

Haiku (especially the spicy tuna rolls) Spicy tuna rolls are everywhere, but not in authentic, upscale Jap places. I personally found the setting of Haiku more impressive than the food.

Lost Heaven Yunnan Gweilo-friendly chic places doing "ethnic" food in places so dark you can't see what you're eating, Hutong and its sister restaurants / bars should do the trick. I do like the new Lost Heaven near the Bund for its environment though.

Dong Bei Ren For the real deal you need to venture into the side streets of North Point / Tsuen Wan. But Shanghainese restos here tend to do a bit of Dong Bei as well. For somewhere with a bit more "style" (yes you'll pay for it) try Bistro Manchu in Soho (if it still exists).

South Beauty Try the many Sichuan / Hunan "private kitchens" around town. But be warned: the food will be much more authentic than at South Beauty. People also seem to like Hunan Garden here.

Lao Tan Guizhou

Annamaya Do you mean Maya the Mexican place? Now THAT I love. And yes there is nowhere like it in Hong Kong.

Di Shui Dong See comment on Hunan food above.

Vegetarian Lifestyle Dunno, not my lifestyle. But try the Buddhist monasteries around town, in particular the one near Diamond Hill.

Grape

Qimin Organic Hot Pot Come on now, there are more hotpot places in HK than you can shake a wire ladle at. But of course they won't be as "cute" and "tastefully decked out" as Qimin. Or as organic. But they can be fun, rowdy places for super fresh food (read: still wriggling) and cheap beer nonetheless.

Also, are there any foodie groups that meet up in Hong Kong? Would be fun to join one!

[Dmmos]

The HK restaurant (and general hygiene) scene is overrated IMHO.

I trust this has been helpful. You should go home and rethink your life.

[pearltower]

Scotchdrinker- thanks for the thorough reply! will check out the areas and places you recommended.

[ScotchDrinker]

No worries, I just love my food wherever I am! I still have fond memories of trawling the filthy-looking hole-in-the-wall dumpling places in Shanghai when I was 7 months pregnant, much to the horror of the husband.

One thing that we don't really have in HK (apart from haute cuisine that is not located in a hotel ie, like the establishments along the Bund) is a proper bakery / cafe. Why can't we just have ONE Paul's in HK for crying out loud? I know of Ali Oli etc but they're all in Sai Kung! (but then I guess we don't really have anything like the French Concession either...)

[Mat]

One thing that we don't really have in HK (apart from haute cuisine that is not located in a hotel ie, like the establishments along the Bund) is a proper bakery / cafe. Why can't we just have ONE Paul's in HK for crying out loud? I

I am with you on that one - 5 years I am eating crap bread for breakfast!!!!! I wish Paul and the likes would set up camp here too....it's not like there is less expatriate here.....