Where a family man in Hong Kong goes to eat good-value, high-quality meals

Patrick Wang is Asia Pacific general manager of Vita Coco.

With three children, my wife and I tend to gravitate towards family-friendly restaurants. Except for special occasions, we do prefer less formal atmospheres. Quality and value trumps prestige and reputation. Also, after living in the US, Japan and Switzerland, the Hong Kong characteristic we most appreciate is the breadth of choice.

The one place we’ve kept going back to repeatedly over the years is Kenjo. Sadly, Kenjo-san recently retired, so fingers crossed that the restaurant’s long-time staff can uphold the excellence as it is reincarnated as Senpachi. It will apparently open on August 18.

For comfort foods like pizza and fresh pasta, my top choice is Ciak – In The Kitchen (Shop 327-333, The Landmark, 15 Queen’s Road Central, tel: 2522 8869). I’m not a big meat eater, but occasionally I get a craving for their pizza norcina with home-made sausage, mushrooms and mozzarella.

For a cosy, sophisticated meal with friends, I recommend Neighborhood (61-63 Hollywood Road, Central, tel: 2617 0891). Last time we were there, chef David Lai concocted a wild grouper paella that I cannot forget. I was fortunate enough to chat with him and was impressed with his breadth of knowledge, depth of curiosity and scope of imagination.

As Hong Kong hops on the healthy bandwagon, more vegetarian and vegan restaurants are popping up.

I’m a big fan of the tried-and-true Grassroots Pantry (108 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan, tel: 2873 3353). They’re always focused on quality ingredients.