Hong Kong’s two-dish rice, but make it fancy
Can upscale versions of the city’s famous working-class comfort food succeed?
Last December, the food and drink column of a local newspaper caused a stir with this headline: “Two-dish rice for $75 attracts long lines in Central’s IFC! High-class ‘this-this rice’ that even foreigners are eating”.
Chapter, an upscale dining concept from Maxim’s, is far from alone in its interpretation of this salt-of-the-earth form of eating. Sister restaurant Kikusan has been serving two-dish rice at its Landmark location since 2022, while Wellwellwell, a Nelson Chow-designed, neo-Chinese restaurant in Pacific Place, has also drawn media attention with its choose-your-own “luxury bentos”.
It’s an amusing progression for two-dish rice, which for so many decades has been the near-sole domain of the working class. “When I was small, I lived in Sha Tin, where there were many two-dish rice places,” says Jacky Ng, co-founder of Foodtank Hospitality Group. “For many working-class people, especially in residential areas, two-dish rice has existed for a long time because it is a very affordable option for quick lunches or dinners.”
Eating at two-dish rice restaurants can even be cheaper than cooking at home, with lunchboxes starting from as low as HK$28. This led to a surge in popularity during pandemic-induced social distancing, with online groups recommending the best bargains.
As the economy has shifted to a post-Covid footing, however, lunch prices in office districts have risen again – leading even white-collar professionals to seek more budget-friendly alternatives.
