Hong Kong Restaurants

Since 2000, The Bostonian has been included in the influential dining handbook "The Hong Kong Best Restaurant Guide" and has been a Hong Kong favourite for more than a decade. The menu offers a wide choice from its signature US Prime Rib and steaks to fresh oysters and Maine and Boston lobsters (available all year round). Creole dishes are also popular. The atmosphere is relaxed and quirky with each table equipped with crayons and paper tablecloths so diners can be creative while they sip their choice from an award winning collection of Californian wines. The Bostonian is tucked away in the basement of the Langham Hotel, with a bar upstairs serving lunchtime sandwiches and tapas in the evening. Bookings recommended for dinner.

Address: Langham Hotel, 8 Peking Road, Tsimshatsui, Kowloon; Tel: (852) 2375 1133

Apart from its vast and excellent international menu featuring everything from American beef steaks to freshly prepared sushi, homemade pizzas and Indian tandoori specialities, the appeal of the Café Deco is its location, occupying two high glassed-in levels of the Peak Galleria Mall overlooking the vista of Hong Kong. The Art Deco décor and stunning views make visiting this vibey restaurant, with its international chefs at work in show kitchens, a memorable experience. Café Deco is open for lunch and dinner daily, 365 days a year.

Address: Peak Galleria, 118 Peak Road (ride up in the Peak Tram); Tel: (852) 2849 5111

This friendly restaurant, where live Chinese music accompanies a range of mostly spicy dishes from the Hunan province, is conveniently situated in central Exchange Square, next to Hong Kong Station, making it a good spot for a business lunch. The dining room is spacious, bright in pink and green with the Hunanese lotus motif much in evidence. The food, liberally spiced with ginger, chilli and garlic, is a real treat, from the delectable soups through fish, chicken, meat and bean main courses. Reservations are recommended. Open Monday to Sunday.

Address: 3rd Floor, The Forum, Exchange Square; Tel: (852) 2868 2880

Dim Sum is a Chinese tradition: an array of steaming baskets of dumplings and other delicacies from which diners make a selection, usually for late breakfast or a light lunch. Dim Sum is one of the specialities for which the multi-award winning Yung Kee is famed, along with the restaurant's renowned Cantonese roast goose served up with sweet, tasty stewed beans, nick-named the 'flying goose' because so many visitors have insisted on taking a sample of this delicious dish home with them. Open Monday to Sunday; Dim-Sum dining from 2pm to 5.30pm Monday to Saturday, and from 11am to 5:30pm on Sundays.

Address: 32-40 Wellington Street, Central District (near Lan Kwai Fong); Tel: (852) 2522 1624; E-mail: info@yungkee.com.hk

East meets west in this vastly popular and elegant establishment atop the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Central Hong Kong. Dine with spectacular views of the harbour on sophisticated innovative Asian-inspired French cuisine prepared by renowned chef, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and Lee Tak Sum. Warm Valrhona chocolate cake or foie gras with gingery caramelised mango are some examples of the fare served up in style at this chic and lively venue. Reservations are essential. Dress smart-casual. Open for dinner daily and lunch on weekdays only.

Address: 25th Floor, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 5 Connaught Road, Central District; Tel: (852) 2825 4028

Those yearning for some real Italian fare to tickle their taste buds will find their hunger adequately satisfied at a reasonable price at the small but chic Baci pizzeria in the central district. The pizzas on offer are wafer-thin and dripping with delectable imported Italian cheeses. Among the most popular pasta dishes are roast pumpkin ravioli and shrimp spaghetti. Baci offers a set-price lunch at both its pizzeria and its restaurant, which is sited on the floor above the street-front pizzeria. Open for lunch and dinner Monday to Saturday.

Address: 1 Lan Kwai Fong, Central District; Tel: (852) 2840 0153

For a special gastronomic treat take a trip back in time to the age of colonial elegance at the Indochine 1929, where the setting evokes the breezy veranda of a Franco-Viet plantation house from that genteel era. Fringed lamps and gramophone music add to the ambience while diners tuck into the restaurant's signature dishes such as salt and pepper soft-shelled crabs or fried fish Hanoi style, or any number of other Asian delights. Reservations are recommended at this restaurant. Open for lunch and dinner Monday to Saturday and only for dinner on Sunday.

Address: 2nd Floor, California Tower, 30-32 D'Aguilar Street, Lan Kwai Fong, Central District; Tel: (852) 2869 7399

The Wyndham Street area close to central Hong Kong abounds in Indian restaurants. The one that claims to be the oldest Indian restaurant on Hong Kong Island is the Ashoka, which has been serving up mouth-watering northern Indian meals since 1973. The Ashoka is popular not only for its tasty, extensive menu but also because of its very low-priced set menus, available at lunch or dinner. À la carte specialities are also on offer. The restaurant is very small and close-packed and the atmosphere is relaxed and casual. Open for lunch and dinner daily.

Address: 57-59 Wyndham Street, Central District; Tel: (852) 2524 9623

Hong Kong's famous floating restaurant, gently riding the swells in Aberdeen Harbour, consists of three sections which are all brightly lit by a myriad of dazzling lights making a fairy-tale night-time spectacle for the thousands who come to dine here every week. Jumbo in Chinese means 'gem' or 'treasure', but the western meaning fits it just as well with its massive capacity for seating 2,300 diners simultaneously. The cuisine on offer is varied, but mainly seafood, which diners can pick out themselves from a selection swimming in a tank. Open daily for lunch and dinner.

Address: Shum Wan Pier Drive, Wong Chuk Hang, Aberdeen, Hong Kong. (Shuttle ferries depart from Shum Wan Pier and Aberdeen Pier); Tel: (852) 2553 9111; E-mail: sales-hk@jumbokingdom.com

Homesick Americans visiting Hong Kong will find solace in the generous beef burgers and rib racks served up at Dan Ryan's Chicago-style grill. Other specialities on the menu include some pasta dishes and thick satisfying soups served in bread bowls. The bar is also popular for its informal beer-swilling atmosphere. Reservations are essential for this taste of gratifying down-home cuisine. Open daily for lunch and dinner.

Address: 114 Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty; Tel: (852) 2845 4600