The most romantic restaurant in Hong Kong, best Thai kway teow noodles and juiciest vegetarian dumplings – a cookbook writer’s favourite places to eat

Simran Savlani, restaurant consultant and cookbook author, would start an 18-hour food date in Hong Kong with an Indian breakfast in Tsim Sha Tsui

A sunset walk up to The Peak and ‘the most romantic restaurant in town’ would finish the day – with cheese naan and a glass of Chianti wine

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Mysore masala dosa ingredients at Sangeetha Vegetarian Restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, Simran Savlani’s go-to place for an Indian breakfast. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Published: 5:15pm, 5 Jan 2022Updated: 6:43pm, 5 Jan 2022

After working in media for seven years, Simran Savlani went to Paris to study restaurant management at Le Cordon Bleu. She returned to Hong Kong as a restaurant consultant, and created Spark, a line of home-made Asian sauces, and a cookbook, A Spark of Madness. She speaks to Andrew Sun.

I am a curious vegetarian. There is nothing I dislike and too many things I like. I don’t eat at fixed times, preferring to eat when hungry. I do look for the perfect bite of sugar, spice and salt.

If you were to spend 18 hours with me, this is how I would plan our food date. First, we’d go to Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon for breakfast at Sangeetha Vegetarian Restaurant (UG/F, Shop 1-5 and 31, Wing On Plaza, 62 Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, tel: 2640 2123) for a gunpowder dosa.

Gunpowder is one of the best spice mixes from India, combining dried chillies, lentils, sesame seeds, cumin and coriander, and each South Indian family has their own recipe mix.

Dosa from Sangeetha Vegetarian Restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Simran Savlani enjoying Sijie cold noodles. Photo: courtesy of Simran Savlani

Then, we go Sheung Wan on Hong Kong Island for coffee at Halfway Coffee (several branches, including Tai Shing Building, 12 Tung Street, Sheung Wan, tel: 2606 1160). Not only do they have excellent coffee, it is bang in the middle of the antiques area and is great for people watching. Did I mention, they also have the coolest coffee cups?