Divya Tourani is the founder of Casa Duniya, a portal for hand-selected home decor, accessories and gifts from around the world. She spoke to Andrew Sun.
My family is of Indian descent, but I was born and brought up in Panama. I’ve lived in Hong Kong for 23 years and love the food scene here.
My mother is an amazing cook – she was born in Vietnam. Growing up, she always loved trying new recipes and improving her cooking, so I was lucky to eat all sorts of cuisines.
However, I still love Panamanian dishes like empanadas, arroz con pollo, and ceviche de pulpo.
Divya Tourani is the founder of Casa Duniya, a portal for hand-selected home decor, accessories and gifts from around the world. Photo: Divya Tourani
In Hong Kong, I love the vibe at Yardbird (154-158 Wing Lok Street, Sheung Wan. Tel: 2547 9273). The food and drinks are always on point. I always feel like I am hanging out with friends there.
Samsen (23 Jervois Street, Sheung Wan. Tel: 2234 0080) is great for the way it reminds me of street dining in Bangkok.
Oyster chicken with sea salt skewers at Yardbird. Photo: K. Y.
Khao soi, curried chicken with fresh egg noodles, is Samsen Sheung Wan’s signature dish. Photo: Samsen
For fine dining with a relaxed atmosphere, LPM Restaurant & Bar (Shop 1, UG/F, H Queen’s, 80 Queen’s Road Central. Tel: 2887 1113) is one of my first choices.
General manager Romain Blanchard and his team always do an amazing job of making me feel right at home.
I enjoy taking visitors to Madame Fu-Grand Café Chinois (3/F, Barrack Block, Tai Kwun, 10 Hollywood Road, Central. Tel: 2114 2118) for dim sum. The food is great, and the Tai Kwun setting gives visitors insight into Hong Kong’s history.
Escargots de Bourgogne at LPM Restaurant & Bar. Photo: Instagram / @lpmrestauranthk
Crispy pork belly with home-made mustard at Madame Fu Grand Cafe Chinois, at Tai Kwun in Hong Kong. Photo: Xiaomei Chen
I also love taking visitors to the outlying islands for local seafood. My two favourite restaurants are Ming Kee Seafood Restaurant (Tai Wan, Po Toi. Tel: 2849 7038) and Fu Kee Seafood Restaurant (9-10 First Street, Sok Kwu Wan, Lamma Island. Tel: 2982 8516).
Apart from the seafood, Ming Kee’s fried chicken is one of the best in town.
It always amazes me how this tiny beach village restaurant cooks this dish to perfection every time.
James Lee of Fu Kee Seafood Restaurant on Lamma Island. He says the restaurant’s salt and pepper squid is its most popular dish. Photo: Kylie Knott
I love being spoiled at the Mandarin Grill (1/F, Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, 5 Connaught Road, Central. Tel: 2825 4004).
Every meal there has been flawless – from the freshest oysters to a quintessential smoked salmon and steak that is always cooked to perfection.
Unfortunately, I have always struggled to find good Latin food in Hong Kong, and there are no Panamanian restaurants. But there is a small private dining establishment in Kennedy Town called Muchachos (Flat B, 1/F, Yiuga Factory Building, 62 Victoria Road, Kennedy Town. Tel: 6339 7954) that makes excellent empanadas.
I highly recommend giving them a try.
Wellington Steak at the Mandarin Grill. Photo: Mandarin Grill & Bar
My mom now lives in Madrid, so I spend a lot of time there. There is a little paella restaurant called Casa Benigna (Calle Benigno Soto 9, 28002 Madrid. Tel: +34 914 13 33 56) in a residential neighbourhood that I visit every time I go.
It has a cosy, homely feel and the owner is usually there to share fun stories about the restaurant and its beginnings some 30 years ago.
Like many Hongkongers, I enjoy spending long weekends in Bangkok or Phuket. In Bangkok, I try to make time to visit one of the branches of Coffee Beans By Dao (various locations including Room G12, Siam Paragon Building, Rama 1 Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330. Tel: +66 2 610 9703).
It may sound odd, but it does excellent Thai food, from the simplest of dishes like pad krapao to my personal favourite, yum pla duk fu, which combines crispy catfish with the perfect balance of sourness from a green mango salad.
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