Favourite Hong Kong restaurants of Shirley Hiranand, public relations director

Gaia Ristorante’s an Italian comfort zone in Sheung Wan, Dragon-i is a well-kept secret for Chinese and Japanese, Sha Tin 18’s Peking duck is a winner and Chachawan in Sheung Wan saves you a flight for good Thai

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Shirley Hiranand knows where to go in Hong Kong for comfort food.

Published: 1:01pm, 14 Feb 2017Updated: 5:59pm, 16 Feb 2017

I am a vitamin freak so I don’t really eat fatty food, but I like comfort food and spicy things, especially on hangover days. The spicier the better. But there are places I always return to.

Gaia Ristorante in Sheung Wan. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Gaia Ristorante (Grand Millennium Plaza, 181 Queen’s Road Central, Sheung Wan, tel: 2167 8200) is like a home away from home for me. It’s my formal dining choice. It has impeccable service and there’s nothing better than a place where the chef knows your likes and dislikes. The atmosphere just feels good and the food is always consistent.

Another comfort option is Dragon-i (Podium, The Centrium, 60 Wyndham Street, Central, tel: 3110 1222). Few people realise they have amazing food. They know dim sum but have a great chef who serves really good Chinese and Japanese. It’s his take on it and that’s the nice part. It is one of the town’s best kept secrets.

Dragon-i in Wyndham Street, Central is one of Shirley Hiranand’s favourite places for Chinese and Japanese dishes. Photo: Herbert Tsang

They say home is where the heart is so in Kowloon, the Holiday Inn Golden Mile in Tsim Sha Tsui has two of my favourite restaurants. The hotel is owned by the Harilelas and they’re family. Osteria (M/F, 50 Nathan Road, tel: 2315 1010) has family-style Italian food with an amazing wine list. Loong Yuen (Basement 1, tel: 2315 1006) is the Cantonese restaurant and anything you want is amazing. I don’t know what I would do without those restaurants.