Anthony Cheung is the chef and owner of Casa Cucina, an Italian restaurant which has recently relocated from Sai Ying Pun to Causeway Bay. He spoke to Andrew Sun.
I got to eat out a lot before Casa Cucina reopened. Otherwise, I rarely have days off. When I do, I basically go for comfort food – which is mainly local food.
For lunch, I normally get Chinese barbecue. A really good choice is Kitchen One Roast Goose (G/F, 36-48 Tang Lung Street, Causeway Bay. Tel: 3579 5766). It feels like an expensive Chinese restaurant but the price is very local.
The char siu uses really good pork collar cuts with layers of fat and meat. And it’s got a good glaze. The goose skin is super crispy and still attached to the meat. They even provide a really good pickled radish. I literally eat lunch there three or four times a week.
I like walking through Victoria Park and ending at Sister Wah (13A Electric Road, Tin Hau. Tel: 2807 0181) for a beef brisket noodle.
I’m sure it’s a very simple recipe but they do something to the broth to make it so memorable. Don’t go during lunch hour. It’s become a hotspot for tourists so there’s always a line. Go during off hours, like 3pm or 4pm.
Late night, I go for Chiu Chow at Wong Kee Restaurant (Shop 1-3, 14 King Dao Building, 14 Burrows Street, Wan Chai. Tel: 2891 2623). It’s open until 2am. The ambience is great. Los of chefs and food people go there. They got a really good oyster omelette and Bombay duck.
I’ve tried a lot of pho and Co Thanh’s (Shop 123, L1/F, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty. Tel: 7073 7735) is really unique. The place is memorable too. You’ll want to keep going back.
For French, I like Somm (7/F, Landmark Mandarin Oriental, 15 Queen’s Road Central. Tel: 2132 0055). I know the chefs there so I know how much work goes into the dishes. If I can’t travel abroad to get inspiration, then I go to Somm for new ideas.
With visitors, I would bring them to Lamma Island for seafood like at Rainbow Seafood Restaurant (23-27 First Street, Sok Kwu Wan, Lamma Island. Tel: 2982 8100). It has a vibe you can’t find in the city. The seafood is good and not too expensive, good for after a hike.
For dinner, it would be dai pai dong-style dining. I like the Bowrington Road Cooked Food Centre at the stall Wing Kee (Shop CF4, 1/F, 21 Bowrington Road, Wan Chai. Tel: 2574 3870). The market’s vibe is really good.
For a splurge, it would be Magistracy Dining Room (G/F, 1 Arbuthnot Road, Central. Tel: 2252 3188). I used to work with their chef Matthew Kirkley. It brings you old Hong Kong glamour and gives you an excuse to dress up. The prime rib is really superb.
We moved Casa Cucina because the old space was really run down. Every week there was a new problem, like with electricity or air con. At the new space, I am bringing something new, not just focused on traditional Italian and pasta.
We moved a bit towards modern European – with things like pickling, using different spices like a Portuguese peri peri chicken. We are also using dashi as a stock base, which is more subtle and can work on anything.
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