World Foodie Guide

World Foodie Guide explores the concept of 'traveleating', eating great food from around the world, with personal restaurant reviews, recipes and research into food and ingredients like Sichuan hot pot, dim sum, dried scallops and XO sauce.

For the most recent reviews and recipes, please visit my blog at World Foodie Guide

Where To Eat In Hong Kong

This is the last of three posts on where I plan to eat in Hong Kong, Macau and Beijing during my two week trip in October. Part of the fun of traveleating is the planning stage, and more than anything, I love researching local food shops, markets, cafés and restaurants to visit.

Following Where To Eat In Beijing and Where To Eat In Macau, here, finally, is my attempt to draw up the Hong Kong list! I've been putting it off for weeks, because even though I've gathered a lot of information, having to eliminate restaurants is just too heartbreaking! If only I had a month's worth of lunches and dinners in Hong Kong...

I've never lived in Hong Kong, and my parents left in the 60s, but I used to visit quite regularly when I was younger. However, I haven't been back since 1997, the year I left Beijing after two years studying Mandarin. So it's going to be a whole new experience for me, as well as for vegetarian husband, who's never been. I've asked Hong Kong friends and relatives for recommendations, and researched endlessly online, to come up with the following. It's by no means a definitive list, as I still have a few weeks to refine it.

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Where To Eat In Hong Kong

Where To Eat In Macau

This is the second of three posts on where I plan to eat in Beijing, Hong Kong and Macau during my two week trip in October. Part of the fun of traveleating is the planning stage, and more than anything, I love researching local food shops, markets, cafés and restaurants. As I've exhausted myself on Where To Eat In Beijing - the list is still only partially complete - I thought I'd write about where to eat on the day trip to Macau from Hong Kong. Then onto the huge task of trying to finalise the Hong Kong list!

As ex-Portuguese colony Macau is an international destination, famous for its casinos as well as its Portuguese-influenced architecture, there are plenty of restaurants and cuisines to choose from. Vegetarian husband and I only have one lunch and one dinner there, so we're restricting ourselves to Portuguese-Macanese. Having travelled regularly to Brazil and Portugal (husband used to live in Rio), we'd like to compare it to the dishes we're familiar with. There aren't as many online resources for gastronomic options in Macau as there are for Beijing and Hong Kong, but this just means less decision-making and more time for eating!

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Where To Eat In Macau

Where To Eat In Beijing

Restaurant tips

Before I go on any trip, I like to plan where and what to eat during my travels. I can do 'spontaneous' now and then, but I generally prefer to know where I'm going to be eating! As the Olympics start in a few days, I thought I'd write up my notes on the Beijing restaurants and eateries that I hope to visit in October as part of a two week trip to Hong Kong, Macau and Beijing. Although it's only the first draft of the list, it might be useful to visitors to Beijing during and after the Olympics. I've consulted friends and family out there, and read many online reviews. All the resources that I've used are listed below - thank you everyone, particularly Diana Kuan from Appetite for China and Sandra Huang from Savour Asia for all the amazing reviews!

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Where To Eat In Beijing

Helen Yuet Ling Pang

How To Make Chinese Hot Pot

Here's a wonderful World Foodie Guide recipe for colder weather as it will keep you nice and warm for hours. I don't know how other Chinese people prepare their hot pot (or steamboat), but this is how my mother does it, so I've described it the way we've always had it at home. Naturally, there are many variations based on personal preferences and regional differences, but ours follows the Hong Kong Cantonese style. I've had Beijing and Mongolian hot pot in China and these were definitely different. There is also the fiery Sichuan style, which you can read about in my post What is Sichuan Hot Pot?

To read the rest of the review, please click here:

How To Make Chinese Hot Pot

Helen Yuet Ling Pang

How To Make Chinese Steamed and Pan-Fried Dumplings

Here's my recipe for making both Chinese steamed dumplings and Chinese pan-fried dumplings (the latter are known as 'potstickers' in America). There are also boiled dumplings which I've had often in Beijing, but I don't like them quite as much. My mother has a recipe for making these.

Apparently Chinese people rarely steam dumplings at home because they are more difficult to prepare. My mother has never steamed dumplings, which surprised me when she told me. However, today was our third session at making these and we didn't find it hard at all. You just need to be organised, and it would really help to have two or more people doing this as there is a lot happening at the same time. If everyone has his or her task, then it's both easy and fun.

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How To Make Chinese Steamed and Pan-Fried Dumplings

Helen Yuet Ling Pang

Dal Pescatore (Italian) - Mantova, Italy

10/10

I had not heard of Dal Pescatore until I read about it last year in a Condé Nast Traveller supplement on Italy. It has three Michelin stars, and currently ranks 23rd in the San Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants list. Big deal, I thought. The Michelin guide covers few countries, while the San Pellegrino list is compiled by a select group. I don't go out of my way to eat at Michelin-rated establishments, while my husband actively avoids any place with even a whiff of pretentiousness. And yet there was something intriguing about this family-run, country restaurant in the middle of nowhere, headed by female chef Nadia Santini. I had to find out more.

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Dal Pescatore

Helen Yuet Ling Pang

Trattoria Meloncello (Italian) - Bologna, Italy

9.5/10

A few weeks ago, I mentioned some restaurants that I'd researched for our eating trip to Bologna, Italy (which ended yesterday). In total, we visited six restaurants, all of which were booked a month in advance. This is the first review, of our favourite one, Trattoria Meloncello. It's received one of the highest ratings I've ever given a restaurant - 9.5/10. In short, it's a perfect gem of a place, and highly recommended.

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Trattoria Meloncello

Helen Yuet Ling Pang

Ristorante Diana (Italian) - Bologna, Italy

8.5/10

Another restaurant that squeezed itself onto the Bologna shortlist was the famous Ristorante Diana, still considered by some to be the city's best. My husband, who has eaten there, insisted that I would like it. Despite feeling a little sceptical, particularly as there were other restaurants I was far more keen to visit, I'm so glad we ended up at Diana.

It's a formal restaurant, where classic Bolognese dishes have been enjoyed in an elegant, old school setting since 1920, and where the service from well-dressed waiters is guaranteed to be excellent. Incidentally, Mario Batali loves a 'classic lunch' there. We went for lunch too, having booked a month in advance, thus securing a prized table in the 'front' room. This is smaller than the back room, but it's where all the buzz is, and you can watch everyone come and go. Apart from one American couple, and us, there were no other tourists there.

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Ristorante Diana

Helen Yuet Ling Pang

Zanarini (Italian) - Bologna, Italy

8.5/10

Zanarini, an elegant cafe and pasticceria, was very close to where we were staying in Bologna, Italy, so we would walk past it several times a day.

It always looked so inviting, whether in the morning for a quick breakfast, a coffee break, lunch or aperitifs in the evening with limitless buffet snacks. As it was open from 7am to 10pm daily, we were able to see through its large windows what treats were on offer at various times of the day. The window displays of cakes and desserts looked particularly spectacular. And on the first floor, there is a tea salon, where you can also have lunch and aperitifs.

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Zanarini

Helen Yuet Ling Pang

Villa Cipriani (Italian) - Madeira, Portugal

7.5/10

Part of Reid's Palace Hotel, Villa Cipriani is an Italian restaurant set on the edge of a cliff, with a stunning view of the sea. It shares its heritage with Venice's Hotel Cipriani, and the chef also worked there for several years. Having booked a table on the prized balcony only the night before, we had high expectations.

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Villa Cipriani

Helen Yuet Ling Pang

Reid's Palace Hotel (afternoon tea) - Madeira, Portugal

8.5/10

Having found out that afternoon tea at Reid's Palace Hotel was an event not to be missed, I duly booked a table for five people on the balcony, which is the only place to sit, as the view of the sea from the clifftop location is breathtaking. It was peaceful, with live piano music coming from inside, and the service was efficient and friendly.

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Reid's Palace Hotel

Helen Yuet Ling Pang

O Jango (seafood) - Madeira, Portugal

8.5/10

This came highly recommended by a Portuguese foodie friend who regularly visits Madeira. The restaurant was located on a little street in the Old Town, next to many other restaurants, and had it not been recommended, we might not have chosen it over one of the others. It was small inside, with a basic, rustic decor, the service was fast and friendly, and most importantly, it wasn't a tourist trap.

The exciting menu featured predominantly seafood of all varieties...

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O Jango

Helen Yuet Ling Pang

Doca do Cavacas (seafood) - Madeira, Portugal

8/10

This was another seafood restaurant that came recommended by our Portuguese foodie friend, and given its stunning location high up on the edge of a cliff, we couldn't not go. As usual, we booked a table on the balcony looking out onto the sea. It was relaxed, not crowded or noisy, and we watched the sun go down during dinner. The menu was simple and reasonably priced, with the usual specialities of black scabbard fish, prawns, clams, mussels, octopus etc.

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Doca do Cavacas

Helen Yuet Ling Pang

Gloria (French) - Tallinn, Estonia

9.5/10

While researching Tallinn's restaurant scene before an impending six day visit over Christmas, I came across Gloria, 'one of the world's top 100 restaurants' according to Conde Nast Traveller. Open since 1937, various world leaders and even a Pope have dined here at this most exclusive of restaurants. Furthermore, it has a superb wine cellar, one of the best in the Baltic region.

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Gloria

Helen Yuet Ling Pang

Olde Hansa (Medieval) - Tallinn, Estonia

8.5/10

Situated in a medieval merchant house just behind Tallinn's town square, Olde Hansa serves medieval food in an authentic setting. Although this might sound tacky and touristy, it's actually a wonderful experience and we ate here twice during our six day trip.

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Olde Hansa

Helen Yuet Ling Pang

Slack Season Tan Tsi Noodles (Taiwanese) - Taipei, Taiwan

9/10

Specialising in cuisine from Tainan, the ancient capital of Taiwan on the southwestern side of the island, this is an adorable little restaurant, which my friend and I visited two days in a row. My friend's Japanese guidebook recommended it and it was definitely well worth two visits! The food was extremely cheap, the smells incredible, the service fast, and the interior very stylish, with plenty of wood.

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Slack Season Tan Tsi Noodles

Helen Yuet Ling Pang

Din Tai Fung Restaurant (Taiwanese) - Taipei, Taiwan

8.5/10

During my five day stay in Taipei, my friend and I walked past this restaurant many times, but gave up hope of ever eating here because of the extremely long queues, with an electronic ticketing system. On our last evening, we tried one last time and were successful as we managed to just walk in (it was about 6pm), beating the queue, which started to form not long after we started eating. This is Taipei's most famous xiao long bao (steamed buns with pork filling) restaurant, and there's even a branch in Tokyo.

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Din Tai Fung

Helen Yuet Ling Pang

La Frasca (Italian) - Frascati, Italy

8.5/10

What a shame we only discovered this little gem on our last day in Frascati, after not being terribly adventurous during our week-long stay there. We would have eaten here every day if we had found it earlier!

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La Frasca

Helen Yuet Ling Pang

Trattoria Terazza sul Lago (Italian) - Nemi, near Frascati, Italy

7.5/10

Lake Nemi (Lago di Nemi) is situated in the Alban Hills, about 25 km southeast of Rome, and a short, picturesque drive from the town of Frascati. After a walk around the little village which is built high up around a spectacularly clear lake, we came across, quite by chance, a romantic little Italian restaurant, which looked perfect.

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Trattoria Terazza sul Lago

Helen Yuet Ling Pang

Pasteis de Belem (Bakery and Cafe) - Lisbon, Portugal

9/10

Open since 1837, this famous, bustling pastry shop and cafe churns out its heavenly speciality, Pasteis de Belem, a custard cream tart with a slightly burnt crust on top, sprinkled with cinnamon (made from a secret recipe). A tip: they taste best warm, but you'll still want to take some home with you (they come in nicely packaged tubes of multiple pasteis at the counter).

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Pasteis de Belem

Helen Yuet Ling Pang

Churrascaria Porcao (Brazilian steakhouse) - Rio, Brazil

9.5/10

This small chain of churrascarias (Brazilian steakhouses) is pure carnivorous heaven! Open since 1975, there are even branches in New York and Miami now. A relatively expensive (by Brazilian standards) 'all you can eat' restaurant for a fixed price, there is a vast selection of buffet food, including many amazing salads (including palm hearts!), fish, sushi, amazing desserts and feijoada (the national Brazilian dish of meats, black beans, rice and greens), but the main reason to visit Porcao is to feast on the succulent cuts of barbecued meat.

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Churrascaria Porcao

Helen Yuet Ling Pang

Vegetariano Social Clube (vegan) - Rio, Brazil

7.5/10

During our last trip to Rio, this was recommended by Brazilian friends connected to the owners of the restaurant (friends can take turns being chef there). This isn't just a vegetarian restaurant, which is already quite unusual in Rio, the food is both vegan and 100% organic.

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Vegetariano Social Clube

Helen Yuet Ling Pang

A Polonesa (Polish) - Rio, Brazil

7.5/10

This traditional, old-fashioned Polish restaurant in Copacabana is popular with my husband and his Brazilian friends, who are regulars. It's one of the better restaurants in the area, yet reasonably priced. I have eaten here several times too and enjoyed it very much.

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A Polonesa

Helen Yuet Ling Pang

L'Osteria del Generale (Italian) - Sao Paulo, Brazil

7/10

A friend of Italian descent living in Sao Paulo took us to her local - an unfussy, low-key, family-style Italian restaurant in the trendy Jardins district. Football shirts hung from every inch of the ceiling, providing a colourful interior. The waiters were friendly and jolly, while the atmosphere (at both lunch and dinner) was buzzing but not loud, so that we could have a proper conversation (so important in restaurants!).

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L'Osteria del Generale

Helen Yuet Ling Pang

Restaurant Florent (French diner) - NYC, United States

8/10

Open 24 hours, 7 days a week, this is THE place to eat in Manhattan when you're hungry any time of the day, but particularly late at night or in the early hours of the morning.

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Restaurant Florent

Helen Yuet Ling Pang

Dok Suni (Korean) - NYC, United States

8/10

This is one of my favourite Korean restaurants in New York (and that's saying something, given the great choice there), but be warned, it's small, constantly busy and they don't take bookings (or at least they didn't when I lived there). Everyone I have taken there has loved it, which is always a good sign.

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Dok Suni

Helen Yuet Ling Pang

The Grain Store (Scottish) - Edinburgh, Scotland

9/10

Several weeks before my last trip to Edinburgh, I spent a good many hours online researching restaurants to visit over the long weekend. The Grain Store was on the top of my list as I'm a big fan of restaurants that use fresh, seasonal local produce.

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The Grain Store

Helen Yuet Ling Pang

Restaurant Martin Wishart (French) - Edinburgh, Scotland

8.5/10

With its Michelin star (I think it was the first restaurant in Edinburgh to be awarded one) and trendy location in the port of Leith (a taxi ride from the city centre), this was a real treat, particularly as I was also staying at the superb Scotsman Hotel (on company expenses!).

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Restaurant Martin Wishart

Helen Yuet Ling Pang

Barrafina (Spanish tapas) - London, England

9/10

I only went one week ago (exactly), and I've been dreaming about returning ever since. That's how sublime the experience was.

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Barrafina

Helen Yuet Ling Pang

Yauatcha (Chinese) - London, England

9/10

Yauatcha and Hakkasan (previously owned by Alan Yau) are currently the only two Chinese restaurants in the UK with Michelin stars. Unique in terms of cuisine and stylish interior design, I can honestly say that Yauatcha is my favourite Chinese restaurant. I have yet to experience bad service, having eaten there numerous times over the last few years.

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Yauatcha

Helen Yuet Ling Pang

The Wolseley (Modern European) - London, England

8.5/10

Located just across the street from The Ritz on Piccadilly, The Wolseley is opulent with its high ceilings and art deco interior, but not at all stuffy or overbearing. As I was the first to arrive, I was asked whether I wanted a newspaper to read while I waited, then shown to a very good table. The service from various waiters and waitresses was superb throughout the evening, and not once were we reminded that we had to vacate the table after two hours.

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The Wolseley

Helen Yuet Ling Pang

Vrisaki (Greek Cypriot) - London, England

8.5/10

What a gastronomic treat this is! The shop front resembles that of an ordinary kebab shop, which is a bit off-putting if it's your first visit, but once you go through to the back of the shop, you enter a completely different world - a huge, atmospheric dining space, full of Greek Cypriot families and other large groups, where all the waiters are middle-aged to elderly men who are all friendly (with the exception of one!). The décor is basic 1970s, but the food is incredible. I have lost count of the number of times I have eaten here over the last few years, but we always have the same, meze, which is priced at £18.00 per person.

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Vrisaki

Helen Yuet Ling Pang

Golden Hind (fish and chips), London, England

8.5/10

This is a fish and chips restaurant located in the heart of Marylebone. Dating from 1914, it has been run by only a few owners (Italian and Greek) in the last 90 odd years. Popular with both locals and tourists, it serves superbly fresh fish and is one of the best in London, if not the country.

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Golden Hind

Helen Yuet Ling Pang

Koba (Korean) - London, England

8/10

This is still my favourite Korean restaurant in London. It has a sleek chocolate brown interior and none of the unpleasant greasy layer of cooking oil that covers the furniture of older Korean restaurants. The ventilation system works rather well too, so diners are not left sitting in a smoky environment. When I have lunch here, I usually choose from a selection of 7 or 8 dishes on the set lunch menu. The vegetarian bibimbap is one of my absolute favourites.

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Koba

Helen Yuet Ling Pang