Restaurants and Bars

Feeling peckish after that three-hour business meeting? Fancy a drink after a tough day at the office? Need a romantic place to wine and dine a loved one? Well, look no further. Here is the comprehensive, nuts and bolts, all-seeing, all-dancing guide to what is cooking and brewing in Hong Kong.

Lan Kwai Fong: Starters

As the old Cantonese saying goes, "Bankers drink in Lankers."

Where else? Also know as LKF, the Fong, or as an expensive-but-ever-so-popular-place-to-titilate-the-tastebuds, this is where trendy restaurants and chic bars unite in a bustling bonanza under a common theme: indulgence.

Friday night in front of California is where powerbrokers, media executives and lawyers discuss stock options, fuelled by bottled beers and cigars, while the beautiful people recline elegantly outside La Dolce Vita. A few feet away, despite the thumping guitar chords of a live band blasting out of F-Stop, limp lovers dine in the romantic seclusion of Cafe des Artistes and Va Bene. Meanwhile, on the terrace at Bit Point heavyset soccer fans debate the merits of the sweeper system.

Chinese, Thai, Indian, Mediterranean, German, American and even British cuisine, from the outrageously expensive to the moderately inexpensive, populated by glamorous starlets and grungy students, Lan Kwai Fong has it all.

Wanchai: Main Meal Typical battle cry of marauding Mongolians in the 13th century: "Wine, Women and Wanchai!"

Weekend Wanchai warriors are spoiled for choice in this down-to-earth, rowdy part of town. Delaney's warms a warrior's heart with creamy real ales and wholesome Irish stews, and Dusk till Dawn allows the local Knights and Damsels to entertain an all-night vigil.

Bars like the Devil's Advocate and Chinatown, spring up regularly and chaotic nightclubs slither to the hypnotic twists and spins of the house DJ. Nevertheless, the history of Wanchai remains untouched by trends and passing fads, a story as established as the Old China Hand, where the saintly Suzie Wong dreamed away her future, and as timeless as the Belle Inn, run by the oldest bartenders in town.

Wanchai—Hong Kong's past, present and future—for warriors only.

Tsim Sha Tsui: Dessert Try saying Tsim Sha Tsui after five glasses of house red. A hodgepodge of pubs and dives in the nethermost regions of Nathan Road caters to the whims, woes and wishes of the international drinker. From Britpubs such as the Stag's Head to wild Chinese bars like Chemical Suzy, beer is consumed in great quantities and with great gusto. Quieter evenings can be spent along Knutsford Terrace, but the adventurous will hit up the bars along Chatham Court.

Cheese and Biscuits Old saying often heard on the Mid-levels Escalator: "If you wish to dine in Soho, don't come looking like a hobo."

A quieter, more sophisticated landscape for eating and drinking, this area south of Hollywood Road deserves polished shoes, pressed trousers and freshly laundered dresses. To order a drink in a place like Club 1911, wearing jeans and sneakers would insult the Gods of Etiquette.

Causeway Bay and Admiralty: Coffee and Liqueurs

A place where sailors roll with a nautical gait, especially after a few beers. For literally a taste of Hong Kong, check out Sorabol Korean Restaurant, or La Cite. We are talking international, global, comprehensive, all encompassing, diverse, wide-ranging, far-reaching and, most of all, spectacular food.

If it can be planted, grown, harvested, washed, cooked and served, you will find it in the Bo Kong Vegetarian Restaurant, and if it can be reared, fed, (humanely) slaughtered, grilled and served, you will find it at W's Entrecote. And anyone who has just made a mint on the NASDAQ should celebrate at Petrus or Cova Ristorante, two classy diners east of Central.

Other Places: Digestion

Another old Cantonese saying, "Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow you're on the morning flight home."

Eating in Hong Kong is a taste sensation. One of the best places in the world to satisfy gastronomic urges. Where else can you dine on evening Harbour Cruises against a dramatic skyline? Or take a ferry out to one of the Outlying Islands and eat fresh seafood? Or order cocktails at sunset in rural Shek O or Sai Kung? Or breakfast on Victoria Peak watching the sun rise over Victoria Harbour?