Favourite restaurants in Hong Kong of a hospitality lecturer to eat noodles, Indian food, cake, and fresh seafood

Hong Kong-born hospitality lecturer Samantha Tam learned how to cook Western food at school but leans towards ‘simple local food’ when in need of comfort

Her favourite restaurants in Hong Kong include a busy place for Chinese desserts, an Indian place popular with chefs, and an authentic Shanghainese restaurant

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Samantha Tam, a Hong Kong-born university lecturer in hospitality, shares her favourite restaurants in the city and beyond. Photo: Samantha Tam

Published: 5:15pm, 23 May 2024

Samantha Tam is a lecturer at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s school of hotel and tourism management and runs a catering workshop, Heimao Foods. She spoke to Andrew Sun.

I was born and raised in Hong Kong. My mom is Shanghainese and a terrific cook so I grew up watching her in the kitchen.

She did not grow up with Cantonese food but, being married to a Hong Kong man, she dutifully cooked Cantonese, learning much of it by watching local television.

I was exposed to non-Chinese foods during cooking lessons in school. I had a very good teacher.

Mrs Thomas was Scottish and she set a very good foundation for Western cooking, especially her focus on being organised, neat, tidy and clean. That is how I teach my students now.

Simple local food is my comfort food. I went to school around Kowloon City, so we often go for Chinese desserts at Tei Mou Koon Dessert (47 Fuk Lo Tsun Road, Kowloon City. Tel: 2382 5004). Now they are always busy. One night I took a taxi there – only to find everything was sold out.