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Lisa Cam

There is a saying among chefs: if you can make it in Hong Kong, you can make it anywhere.
Hong Kong has one of the highest densities of restaurants per capita in the world. And according to the 2019 Time Out Index, 92 per cent of people had dined out in the week leading to their participation in the survey, a far higher proportion than in other major cities such as New York, London and Tokyo.
Hong Kong was also one of the first cities in Asia to get its own Michelin guide, making it easier for restaurants, as well as their chefs, to get recognised on the world stage.
While Hong Kong’s bars and restaurants have hit a rough patch recently, a number of chefs are seeing their success before Covid translate into opportunities and results in neighbouring Taiwan.

Ten years ago, Olivier Elzer made a splash in the Hong Kong scene with his Causeway Bay restaurant Seasons, which earned a Michelin star within a year of its opening in 2014.
Elzer went from strength to strength, opening L’Envol, which earned two Michelin stars within three years of opening, and then launching his own restaurant, Clarence, in Central.
Seasons closed in 2018. Now, he is reviving the concept in Taipei.
Just a stone’s throw from the Taipei 101 tower, Seasons by Olivier E has opened on the 10th floor of the W Taipei next to the hotel’s popular swimming pool. With a lofty, wood-panelled interior and foliage accents, the restaurant exudes casual elegance; its mood is more chinos and loafers than three-piece suits and dress shoes.

Elzer admits that adopting a more casual approach to dining was an intentional contrast to the original in Hong Kong.
“I think the trend of what people want to go to is fun and casual concepts,” Elzer says. “If you look at Taiwanese food it’s so yummy and reasonably priced, and people might not want to spend crazy numbers at a Western restaurant.
“Taiwanese people are a bit more laid back and I wanted to show that French cuisine isn’t just for the elite and that French food can be popular, reasonably priced and delicious as well.”
The menu at the new Seasons restaurant features classic French bistro fare such as onion soup and beef blanquette. To give the menu his signature touch, Elzer has added French pizzas with toppings including escargots and French ham.
The thread that led to Seasons reopening in Taipei began with Bastian Giannetti, the general manager of W Taipei, who was a regular at Seasons in Hong Kong.
Elzer reunited with Giannetti to reopen Seasons for the Taiwanese market, and was recently appointed culinary director of W Taipei.

James Sharman is a chef following a similar trajectory.
He became known for One Star House Party, a series of pop-up restaurants around Asia.
In Hong Kong, his casual British diner The Leah opened in 2019 and actually took over the space that was vacated by Seasons. While the restaurant closed in 2022, Sharman, like Elzer, has also found fortune in Taiwan.
“Covid claimed both my restaurants in the UK and Hong Kong,” Sharman says. “However, the concepts in Taiwan managed to keep going.”
He opened Fermi Pasta in Taipei in 2021, which makes pasta from wheat freshly ground on the premises every day; and Rou x James Sharman in 2023 – a hearty steakhouse that also serves as a retail space to sell meat and other gourmet items, in a mall connected to the Taipei Marriott Hotel.












View this post on Instagram























A post shared by Rou x James Sharman (@ourbrunchmenu)



Sharman believes his experience in Hong Kong provided much more than just opening the doors to investors in the region.
“Hong Kong was definitely the beginning of all that, but it’s also the customers as well, because there is no other city that has a more international base,” he says.
“I would be working on a pop-up restaurant in a place like Mumbai and customers would tell me that their friend from Hong Kong recommended they come. I think the craziest place where that happened was Nairobi.”
The opportunities in Taiwan are not limited to chefs specialising in European fare. Chef Cheng Kam-fu, of The Demon Celebrity in Hong Kong’s Central business district, opened restaurants in Taiwan on the back of earning a Michelin star in 2010 for another restaurant, Celebrity Cuisine. The restaurant gained a second star in 2011, which it held until 2017, dropping back to one until it closed in 2021.
“We got a lot of attention after we gained our first star,” Cheng says. “Half my clients were from Taiwan.”

However, unlike Elzer and Sharman, who are taking a more casual approach to European cuisine to match the laid-back vibe of the Taiwanese, Cheng feels that diners are willing to spend more for high-end Cantonese cuisine.
“I have clients ordering 13-head abalone and four-head fish maw,” Cheng says, referring to the weight of the individual ingredients. In Hong Kong, such ingredients can cost more than US$1,000.
Whether expanding their casual concepts or chasing after a high-end clientele, it seems that for these chefs, making a name in Hong Kong gains them a lot of recognition in Taiwan.
“Even though I have several restaurants in Taiwan, a lot of patrons say they want to come to Hong Kong to try The Demon Celebrity,” Cheng says.
“Getting the stamp of approval in Hong Kong goes a long way in Taiwan at least, even though they have their own Michelin Guide now.”


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Food and Drinks

How running successful Hong Kong restaurants set these chefs up for fortune in Taiwan

Olivier Elzer in Hong Kong. The French chef opened Seasons by Olivier E, at the W Taipei hotel in Taiwan, in 2023, after running successful restaurants in Hong Kong. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Wagyu tartare with caviar at Seasons by Olivier E, in Taipei, which chef Olivier Elzer opened in 2023 after running restaurants in Hong Kong. Photo: Lisa Cam

The interior of Seasons by Olivier E, in Taipei. Photo: Seasons by Olivier E

Chargrilled rib eye steaks at Seasons by Olivier E. Photo: Lisa Cam

Chef Cheng Kam-fu. Photo: The Demon Celebrity

The Hong Kong fine-dining restaurants serving cheaper, casual menus to draw new customers

What do Hong Kong fine-dining restaurants like Auor (whose laksa lunch offering is pictured) and Charles Darwin have in common? They both believe in adapting to survive. Photo: Auor 

Chef Edward Voon has launched a new programme called The Laksa Club Lunch at Auor. Photo: Auor

Chef Jaime Ortolá made the switch to an à la carte menu at Fireside to draw more patrons. Photo: Fireside

Vinny Lauria is the culinary head of the Red Sauce Hospitality group, behind venues such as Fini’s and Franks in Hong Kong. Photo: Vinny Lauria

6 restaurants in Shanghai serving international cuisine, from tapas to Thai to brunch

Popular options at Maybe Tapas include its signature mixed platter, Mediterranean salad, fruity soufflé and a selection of cocktails. Photo: Xiaohongshu

Food at Maybe Tapas, a newly opened Spanish restaurant in Jingan, Shanghai, and one of six in the city we recommend for international cuisine away from the crowds. Photo: Xiaohongshu

Bonica is a Mediterranean restaurant specialising in seafood, grilled meats and pastas. Photo: Instagram

Hu Care’s most popular dishes are the beef rib finger, served with onion sauce and multigrain rice, and its demi-glace selection, available with beef, steak, chicken or prawns. Photo: Hu Care

Popular cafe chain Brut Eatery’s wine-and-dine spot boasts a splashy yet comfortable interior.

Maybe Tapas is a newly opened Spanish eatery in Jingan. Photo: Xiaohongshu

ANDet is a popular fusion bistro on Shanghai’s Huaihai Road, with live DJ sets on select days. Photo: Cyril Ip

Kooriya Shark’s shaved ice comes in a variety of flavours, including salted caramel (pictured). Photo: Cyril Ip

Hong Kong noodle history and the different noodle styles explained

Shrimp roe thick noodle lo mien from Kwan Kee Bamboo Noodle in Hong Kong. Photo: Llewellyn Cheung

Roast goose with lai fun rice noodles from Yung Kee in Hong Kong. Learn about the different kinds of noodles served in the city, how they are traditionally made, and the foods they are typically paired with. Photo: Llewellyn Cheung

Wheat noodles originate in Northern China, while rice noodles have Southern Chinese origins, says Dr Siu Yan-ho, a lecturer in Chinese language and literature at Baptist University. 

Marco Li Ka-chi of Kwan Kee Bamboo Noodle balancing on a bamboo pole to make noodles. Photo: Llewellyn Cheung

Shrimp roe thick noodle lo mien at Kwan Kee Bamboo Noodle. Photo: Llewellyn Cheung

 Cheung Wing Kee started making noodles in the 1950s, producing small quantities using labour-intensive methods.

Roast goose with lai fun rice noodles. The thicker, neutral-tasting noodles are perfect for absorbing the flavours from the roast goose and broth. Photo: Llewellyn Cheung

Lifestyle

Food & Drink

Three chefs reveal how running successful restaurants in Hong Kong put them on the path to further achievement in Taiwan’s capital Taipei


Three chefs reveal how running successful restaurants in Hong Kong put them on the path to further achievement in Taiwan’s capital Taipei.


Hong Kong chefs

Taiwan

Hong Kong Fine Dining