‘Stunning’ Chinese fine dining, plant-based Japanese – vegetarian’s Hong Kong food picks

Christina Dean, founder of sustainable-fashion NGO Redress and a vegetarian from birth, shares her go-to places for noodles and celebrations

Food and Drinks

Andrew Sun

Published: 11:15am, 17 Jul 2024

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UK-born Christina Dean is the founder of Redress, an NGO that promotes sustainability in the fashion industry, and chief executive officer of upcycled fashion brand The R Collective. She spoke to Andrew Sun.

I have been a vegetarian since birth, thanks to my slightly hippie parents, so my entire culinary journey has revolved around vegetarian cuisine.

I’m usually the first to decide what to order at restaurants since there are typically fewer vegetarian options available.

The Redress offices and our permanent second-hand clothing store, The Redress Closet, are located in Sham Shui Po.

UK-born Christina Dean is the founder of NGO Redress. Photo: Joakim Blockstrom

There are a couple of spots in the area we return to for team lunches. The first is Treasure Vegetarian Restaurant (Shop 85, G/F, Man On Building, 79-85 Tai Po Road, Sham Shui Po. Tel: 2708 2728), which we love for its budget-friendly, delicious Chinese vegetarian menu.

It has a section dedicated to clay pots, but you can’t go wrong with the noodle dishes.

Local organic cucumber avocado salad at Years. Photo: Instagram/years.hk

Another spot we often visit as a team is Years (Shop 1, G/F, Fuk Lung Building, 191-199 Fuk Wah Street, Sham Shui Po. Tel: 6338 3719), a restaurant offering plant-based Western- and Japanese-style set meals in a minimalist setting.

It serves everything from salads to udon to risotto, and the coffee is excellent.

If I have a vegetarian visitor in town I take them to Veggie Kingdom (7/F, VIP Commercial Centre, 120 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui. Tel: 2366 0336), which does a creative interpretation of vegetarian Cantonese cuisine.

Otherwise, there’s Luk Yu Tea House (G/F-3/F, 24 Stanley Street, Central. Tel: 2523 5464). Luk Yu is one of the oldest tea houses in Central, and maintains its classic aesthetic despite the bustling surroundings.

Tea and dim sum at Luk Yu Tea House. Photo: Shutterstock

The triad-related murder – a businessman was fatally shot in the teahouse in 2002 – associated with it often fascinates visitors, and the food is consistently excellent. The sometimes surly service is part of the charm.

There is a lovely vegetarian restaurant in Tai Kwun called LockCha (Shop 01-G07, G/F, Headquarters Block, Tai Kwun, 10 Hollywood Road, Central. Tel: 2276 5777). The restored Central Police Station compound is a great setting for an authentic teahouse experience.

After dinner, I might take guests on a neighbourhood exploration, visiting galleries and antique shops, and then end the night with a drink at Ichu (3/F, H Queen’s, 80 Queen’s Road Central. Tel: 2477 7717). The Peruvian restaurant has a delightful outdoor space.

The interior of Ichu. Photo: Yik Yeung-man

Yuan (Shop 2, G/F, Chinachem Hollywood Centre, 1-13 Hollywood Road, Central. Tel: 2728 7278) is the ultimate destination for an indulgent splurge or celebration.

It serves modern Chinese fine dining with seasonal tasting menus. The dishes are delicious and visually stunning, often incorporating unusual ingredients such as prickly water lily and zucchini flowers.

Outside Hong Kong, The River Cafe (Thames Wharf, Rainville Road, London. Tel: +44 0 20 7386 4200) is my favourite spot for a treat in London. You can watch the Thames traffic, from rowers to barges, drift by while eating Italian food so incredible you’d be forgiven for thinking you were in Tuscany.