WHAT CULINARY PARADISE claims more Michelin stars than London or New York, in fact more than any other municipality worldwide besides Paris and a trio of Japanese cities?

I recently ate and drank my way through Hong Kong in the company of a group of chefs and travel writers on a gastronomy tour taking in top-ranked restaurants, street-food shops, and heritage clan houses, plus even dumpling factories and fermentation centers. How refreshing for me, who lived in Hong Kong for nearly a decade, to reconnect with all that makes the SAR such a dreamy dining destination. It was also illuminative of how the city has evolved, because, while for years, the non-stop shopping, conferences and nightlife kept Hong Kong atop all the world’s tourist lists, the long covid lockdown forced a rethink, and some reinvention.

Tasty reinvention, I’d say.

Here, six highlights from some of my memorable most-recent meals:

Flowery Crab
The Chairman

We start at Michelin-star The Chairman, which in 2021 became the first Hong Kong restaurant ranked No. 1 by Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. Owner-chef Danny Yip regales us with tales of fermentation and serves a feast of his famed dishes. The Flowery Crab in aged Shaoxing wine, fragrant chicken oil, with rice noodles is a creamy and colorful grand slam. thechairmangroup.com

Tea-Smoked Pigeon
Vea

At Vea, chef Vicky Cheng offers elegant modern Chinese cuisine. Each dish is a sculpted artwork, on gorgeous platters and colorful porcelain. Everything rocks, but Vea’s pigeon is on another level, rich and juicy on the inside, perfectly crispy outside. Utterly addictive. vea.hk

Truffle Pudding
Roganic

A farm-to-table restaurant in this intensely urban metropolis, Roganic proves a delightful surprise. There is a rooftop garden, and meticulous recycling: table scraps power kombucha in various flavors, a refreshing change from wine pairing. Every dish is a hit. I am blown away by the starters, especially truffle pudding with local honey, topped with cheddar cheese. roganic.com.hk

Caldoso Rice
Ando

Emphasizing that Hong Kong isn’t just an Asian-food mecca, we have paired meals at two classy Latin restaurants. Ando chef Agustin Ferrando Balbi offers Argentinian treats such as his signature Caldoso Rice. A tribute to his grandmother, this version is five-star Hong Kong congee, packed with Hokkaido scallops, clams, squid and spicy chorizo. andohk.com

Corn Arepa
Mono

Like Ando (above), Mono is near food and nightlife center Lan Kwai Fong. Here, chef Ricardo Chaneton explores flavors of South America at Mono, dishing up a yummy Corn Arepa, a snack from his homeland of Venezuela. mono.hk

Roast Duck
Xin Rong Ji

There is duck and then there is Xin Rong Ji, an iconic chain claiming a dozen Michelin stars among eight locations in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing. The bird is meticulously roasted to remain succulent, so it melts in your mouth. Insanely awesome, a standout in this quack-crazed city. 138 Lockhart Rd., Wan Chai

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