toyko and hong kong restaurants

I know these cities have a plethora of dining. We would like some recommendations for upscale food that is not over the top expensive, and we like to have reservations. We have 3 nights in both cities. Just your favorites would be perfect. If you lived there, where would you go on a Sat night?

Thanks in advance for helping me, I know I need to reserve in advance and I will be there in a couple of weeks.

I know these cities have a plethora of dining. We would like some recommendations for upscale food that is not over the top expensive, and we like to have reservations. We have 3 nights in both cities. Just your favorites would be perfect. If you lived there, where would you go on a Sat night?

 

Thanks in advance for helping me, I know I need to reserve in advance and I will be there in a couple of weeks.

Sabatini de Roma in Tokyo is a must!!!

Hong Kong and Tokyo are worlds apart in the dining world.

Hong Kong has many international restaurants that are extremely expensive as all food items must be imported. Locally produced foods are so polluted that they are inedible.

You can do very well if you dine at Felix at the Peninsula Hotel - but it will cost you a bundle. Central on the Island has many very interesting (and relatively safe) outlets - but they are not good values.

You can eat at the local food stalls, which are very cheap and tasty. But you run the risk of Cholera or worse.

The city of Tokyo has more Michelin-Starred Restaurants than France, England, and the USA combined.

Many of the best restaurants and bakeries in France closed there and re-located to Tokyo, where the people are quite willing to pay top dollar (or Yen) for top quality.

The prices range from very affordable to ridiculous.

All of it is meticulously fresh and delicious.

All of it is very safe to eat.

I have eaten many times in a great variety of places in Hong Kong without any health problems. It seems there have been five reported cases of cholera in there in the past three years; not what I would call a hazard.

Hong Kong has one of the highest life expectancies in the world; years higher than the US.

I know these cities have a plethora of dining. We would like some recommendations for upscale food that is not over the top expensive, and we like to have reservations. We have 3 nights in both cities. Just your favorites would be perfect. If you lived there, where would you go on a Sat night?

 

Thanks in advance for helping me, I know I need to reserve in advance and I will be there in a couple of weeks.

Food is subjective, as are phrases like "upscale food" and "not over the top expensive," so I hesitate make any recommendations for Tokyo. And, I can't see if you are looking for American, French, Italian, Thai, Chinese, Indian, Nepalese food, etc. It is all available and we have British and Irish pubs where you can get beans on toast, play darts and drink Guinness.

I am only posting to say that if you are interested in food and have 3 days in Tokyo, you might enjoy going to one of the food halls at a major department store where samples are handed out. You can sample many foods and sometimes wine and it is a pleasant way to spend an hour for people interested in food. Mitsukoshi in Ginza seems to offer the most samples, but other department stores are good also.

I hope you will enjoy your time in Japan,

Kate

P.S. I agree with BruceMuzz about street food in HX. Hawker food in Singapore or K.L. I would do, but not HX and never India. I guess it just depends on your experience.

We would like to try signature dishes in each local, I am not really interested in other nationalities cuisine as I travel I prefer to eat the "national specialities".

I dont want to eat where I am sitted on a hard stool, I like places that take reservations, and I prefer non-smoking which might be an issue in Tokyo. I prefer not spending $150pp.

Having said that , I am thinking about:

Tokyo:

Birdland (yakatori) because this is close to the Palace Hotel ( 10 minutes by taxi) and I am going there the same day of arrival( want something easy)

Kaikaya by the Sea (fish)

Meisen ((tonkatsu)

and in Hong Kong:

Above and Beyond (everything plus view)

Fu Sing Shark Fin (Char siu )

Spring Deer ( Peking Duck)

It is so hard to choose when there are a plethora of places. Does this list seem reasonable and in each of those categories , is there a b etter choice?

I don't know Birdland or Kaikaya, but Maisen is the best for tonkatsu. Ask for a table in the big (main) room at the back. The sashimi appetizer is always good and Maisen is famous for its potato salad. You can get a small side dish to share, if you fancy that sort of thing.

As you are interested in native cuisine, I would suggest you try unagi (grilled eel) if you get a chance. Some people are put off by the idea of eating eel, but it one of Japan's culinary treasures. I cannot recommend a particular restaurant as I just go to the place in my neighborhood, but you can probably find information on the internet or ask the concierge at your hotel, if you are interested.

Regards,

Kate

One thing my Mom (who came from Japan) told me was that you go to a tempura restaurant if you want tempura, a noodle house if you want udon, or a sushi restaurant if you want sushi. In other words, best to have what the restaurant specializes in.

I second the suggestion for unagi, one of my favorite foods.

I've heard how good the pastry shops in tokyo are, looking forward to having an eclair that hasn't needed to be defrosted first.

You can visit OpenRice.com which is Hong Kong's version of Yelp.

I suggest you look at the restaurant lists and reviews on tripadvisor.com where restaurants are divided into the type of cuisine you prefer, which makes it much easier to identify one that will suit your tastes.

Hmmm, I certainly wouldn't categorize Hong Kong street food with India's. It is very safe in most local eateries or even street food in HK.

Well i am from hong kong n can assure u the hygiene standard is quite high. Honestly if u want good food with a large variety of choices please do try dinner buffet in any upscale hotel. They are terrific i would suggest u booking the dinner buffet at hong kong island shangri la hotel hong kong island or kowloon shangri la hotel . The cost will be around $90 US dollars per head. Enjoy your stay in Hong Kong.

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Oh, this is a juicy question! You are very lucky to be going to both HK and Tokyo, as they are great foodie destinations. I have lived in both Hong Kong, and Japan, (I've also lived in Singapore and Kolkata, India), and know HK and Tokyo very, very well. In fact, we still maintain an apartment in Wan Chai in Hong Kong. My wife is Japanese, and we also continue to maintain a place in Japan also. Although we live in NYC, we're often in both places simply to have fun with the food. With the background being set, let's get into it. I'll suggest a few of our favorite places.

Hong Kong

Hutong in TST, Kowloon side.

Very elegant, very upscale, with dishes that will knock your socks off. Added to that an amazing view, particularly for the light show at 8 PM, and this is a no-brainer. I specifically recommend the stir fried oysters with leaks, and also the spicy rice dish, which is amazing.

Ana Gura on D'Aguilar St., in Central.

This is probably the best tempura house in Hong Kong, in my opinion. I know you'll be in Tokyo anyway, but this place is worth the visit. Totally chic, excellent food presentation, and the bottom line is that the dishes are awesome. The location is also good. As an added recommendation I would say after dinner, go for coffee at Molly Brown which is around the corner on Stanley Street.

Ozone, Ritz Carlton, Kowloon side.

I'm not a bar person, but this place is different. This is totally elegant, extremely upscale. Being on the 118th floor affords some stunning views. Seriously stunning. What's nice about this place is that even without the views, this is a foodie destinations in itself. As a New Yorker from Manhattan, I do not impress easily, but this place is impressive. The last time we were there we had crispy calamari, tandori chicken, Hokkaido scallops, and a few other dishes. Without exaggeration, this was one of the best assortment of dishes I've ever had in Hong Kong. Major recommendation: After dining here you need to hit the Chocolate Library for dessert. It's located in the same Ritz Carlton, on 103rd floor. This is complete indulgence, make no mistake. You could also do Hutang and then the Chocolate Library. We have done that order several times in the past That is an amazing Saturday night out, although be prepared to spend a couple hundred dollars, easily.

Either A Lorcha OR Litoral in Macau. I am mentioning this because you have three days in Hong Kong. It would be a crime for you to be in Hong Kong and not go to Macau. For gambling? No, not at all. You should go to Macau to see a show, specifically the House of the Dancing Water which plays at the City of Dreams. Both DW and I live for the arts, and Broadway and the West End in London are where we can usually be found, if we're not at the Met, Vienna Opera House, or La Scala in Milano. Basically what I'm saying is that we are no strangers to excellent performances. But that having been said, Dancing Water, may possibly be the most amazing show that I have ever seen. It really is an "extravaganza". An excellent Saturday night out would be to depart HK, take the ferry to Macau, have dinner at one of the two restaurants, which are both Portuguese, then hit City of Dreams for the show. I promise you, I promise you, that you will love that evening.

A Little Bit of Soul in HK?

If you looking for something unusual and interesting, I can also strongly recommend Makumba. It's an African restaurant that features live performances. They used to be located off of Hollywood Road, but now they're located in Central. We recently stopped in there a few weeks ago, and the new digs are cool indeed. The music was great, and the food was delicious. At the old location I had gone there maybe five or six times, and was never disappointed. Our last experience at the new location was the same. The food was amazing, and the price, quite reasonable.

A few others worth mentioning:

Spice, Restaurant in TST. A great Indian place, where you must order the spicy crab. Too delicious to even describe!

Slims, Queen Road East. This is one of the best places for ribs in Hong Kong. It's a hole in the wall dive, but once you take your first bite, you won't even care.

Best Pizza: Paisano's on Hollywood Road, or the one next to Wan Chia Station. The best pizza in Hong Kong, hands-down.

Fav causal seafood joint:

Rainbow Seafood Restaurant, Sok Kwu Wan, on Lamma Island

Fav Chinese place: American Restaurant on Lockhart Rd.

RIP to Riquiqui, previously my favorite dessert place in HK.

Tokyo to come next.

Hope this helps.

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The Tokyo portion of your question is a lot more difficult. Tokyo is large and you can find great restaurants in the most unlikely of places. You don't have to go to a "big-name" restaurant for great food. In fact, in Japan, so much is based on hype, it really is. I have gone to many moderately priced sushi places in Tokyo, for example, which were as good, or better, than the absolute highest rated sushi places. Don't always believe the hype , that's all I'm saying. In terms of other dishes, you can have great meals at everyday izukyu places that are often far superior to self proclaiming "high-end" places. Honestly, we have probably been to almost every high-end restaurant in Tokyo, but our most enjoyable meals have been very basic izukya places. It's a lot of fun to order many different small dishes, and we have a blast doing so.

So much of it will also depend on what area you're talking about. Will you be mostly in Shibuya, or perhaps Shinagawa? Maybe you'll be in Ginza, Akihabara, or Omotesando? As another poster stated, it will also depend on what type of food you're looking for. If you're a hard core unagi or anago lover, like myself, there are some areas that are better than others.As a general rule, many of the best restaurants are located very close to major eki's (densha/ train stations). That's especially true for soba, udon, or ramen houses.

When we are hosting visitors in Tokyo, there are however, a few places that we sometimes take them too.

Gonpachi, in Roppongi:

Every American visitor that we have brought there has loved it. It's a good general introduction to Japanese food, without being too hard-core. I have to admit that I love this place, even if the seasonings are toned down to satisfy American taste. It's also not an intimate restaurant, so be prepared for a rather noisy and boisterous environment. Worth going to, though.

Sukiyabashi Jiro in Roppongi Hills:

In spite of what I said in the above concerning big-name restaurants or chefs, this is one sushi house that I love. We have brought many visitors from the States to this place, and everyone has raved about it. I am a hard-core sushi fanatic, and I can guarantee you an amazing experience at this place. It ranks as one of my favorites, for sure.

66 Dining, Roppongi Hill:

This is a really cool casual dining place that has great food with an edgy (for Japan), feel to it. The place is decorated with sexually explicit displays, that are actually quite funny. If you are a bit rigid though, you may not appreciate the humor, but if you do, you'll be rewarded with some amazing food.

Sushi-Dai in the Tsukiji Fish Market area. The sushi here is good, very good. It would rank in the top 10 to 15 best sushi places that I've been to, globally. If you do the fishmarket thing, this is probably a place that you should check out for lunch.

As I write this I can see the utter futility in trying to identify places, as there are just too many. You could walk down the street in any major area and potentially have one of the finest meals you've ever had. I think perhaps the best idea is to really just walk around and explore. If you're staying in Shibuya, for example, it's a lot of fun to try and decide which place to go to. Your choices will just be amazing.

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We are there all the time and are careful with food but HK had some great restaurants. The Hyatt in TTS Kowloon has a great Chinese restaurant, in fact make a reservation because it is always busy. In Ocean terminal for lunch it is called Pearl something, they have one in Shanghai also recommended by Fodders guide well priced and good food.

Obama just dinned at one of the restaurants in Tokyo that I had recommended to the OP, (Sukiyabashi Jiro).

It's one of my favorites, and I've never been disappointed.

Good choice Prez!

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We just came back from our Celebrity Millennium cruise. It departed from Hong Kong. We had lunch two times at Serenade Chinese Restaurant (Cantonese) It is located up on the first floor of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre next to the Star Ferry. It offers fantastic views of Victoria Harbour, we had delicious Dim Sum. It has an a la carte and set menu, http://www.maximschinese.com.hk/eng/restaurant/index.aspx

Also we had a wonderful dinner at Spoon by Alain Ducasse, it was an experience. Reservations and menu: www.hongkong-icintercontinental.com.

One thing my Mom (who came from Japan) told me was that you go to a tempura restaurant if you want tempura, a noodle house if you want udon, or a sushi restaurant if you want sushi. In other words, best to have what the restaurant specializes in.

I second the suggestion for unagi, one of my favorite foods.

I've heard how good the pastry shops in tokyo are, looking forward to having an eclair that hasn't needed to be defrosted first.

I don't know if you have started your eclair research yet, but the best in Tokyo are from Cozy Corner. They are not an upscale pastry shop, but rather a chain with several branches. They have the best choux pastry in the city.

If you google "cozy corner pastry, tokyo" you will find some food blogs and a "trip advice" site where people rave about the cream puffs. In my opinion, the eclairs are even better as you get the great pastry, wonderful filling AND chocolate icing on top.

Kate

I don't know if you have started your eclair research yet, but the best in Tokyo are from Cozy Corner. They are not an upscale pastry shop, but rather a chain with several branches. They have the best choux pastry in the city.

 

If you google "cozy corner pastry, tokyo" you will find some food blogs and a "trip advice" site where people rave about the cream puffs. In my opinion, the eclairs are even better as you get the great pastry, wonderful filling AND chocolate icing on top.

 

Kate

Thank you Kate! I will try to find one not too far from where we are staying in Shinjuku. I get Paris Star eclairs here, but they send them out to the stores like PCC after freezing them. Once I bit in & it was half frozen still. Looking forward to Tokyo.