Five Hong Kong restaurant groups expanding in Asia and beyond

Hong Kong has its share of celebrity chef restaurants, from Joel Robuchon to Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay. But in the past two years, expansion has headed in the other direction with Hong Kong-based restaurants groups taking their brands abroad.

Three Michelin-star chef Umberto Bombana has set up in Shanghai, Beijing and now Macau; even no-frills dim sum eatery Tim Ho Wan boasts outlets in Kuala Lumpur and Sydney.

Other restaurant groups are spreading their wings, too, bringing foods such as gourmet hamburgers and modern Chinese to nearby cities such as Singapore and Manila, and as far afield as Abu Dhabi, Vancouver and London.

Opening restaurants in another country can be daunting; there are unfamiliar regulations to deal with, reliable new suppliers to secure and staff to recruit. Even with the benefit of a celebrity name, Mario Batali's Carnevino failed to gain traction in Hong Kong. But these Hong Kong-based restaurateurs believe they have the right strategies to establish themselves in new markets.

Perhaps the fastest roll-out comes from the two-year-old Butchers Club. The high-end Wan Chai burger joint was such a hit that the owners recovered their investment within two weeks of opening. Fuelled by this success, founder and managing director Johnny Glover plans to open nine restaurants abroad in 18 months. Its first outpost opened in Bali in December, followed by Singapore, Dubai and London.

"We had so many people come to Butchers Club Burger, enjoy the experience and then contact us about opening one where they live," Glover says.