8 Cantonese Fusion Restaurants

Fusion cooking is an exciting way for chefs to take their passion and love from various countries to create unique and interesting offerings. Whether its inspiration from their families or travels, these dishes remake classics with different ingredients and flavour pairings. Taking Cantonese spice, street food staples and fundamental ingredients, try one of these original dishes that might become a new found favourite.

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Little Bao

May Chow, Asia’s Best Female Chef of 2017, opened Little Bao and plays around with the east-meets-west cooking style. The restaurant features a range of dishes but its true showcase is the iconic fluffy Cantonese bao. A modern and fusion spin on the classic Cantonese bun comes in forms of a fried chicken, fish tempura and teriyaki chicken bao. Chow also incorporated sweet international flavours with a green tea and salted caramel ice cream bao.

Little Bao, G/F, 9 Kingston Street, Causeway Bay, 2555 0600

Lee Lo Mei

This retro Cantonese restaurant takes its inspiration from the 1960’s to create nostalgic food that represents Hong Kong and its fun atmosphere. Its menu takes street food staples and creates a menu to recreate Hong Kong cuisine. Try the black truffle fried rice for a luxury version of the everyday staple. Its reinvention of a classic cheeseburger is pimped up with Iberico pork and slices of pineapple. Local flavours are again included through its wide range of creative cocktails such as a jasmine tea, salty lemon jam and a yakult fizz concoction.

Lee Lo Mei, 8 Lyndhurst Terrace, 2896 7688

NINETYs

A local coffee roastery takes Australias cafe culture and embeds it into its creative menu to meet all taste palettes. Try brunch classics with a fusion twist like the piggy piggy that pairs Mangalica char siew on a Scottish bap. A traditional potato cake gets Hong Kong flavours with xo sauce and spring onions. The Hong Kong favourite of salted egg yolk is added to hollandaise and topped with Canadian lobster for an international eggs benedict.

NINETYs, multiple locations across Hong Kong

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Roots

This French-Cantonese bistro was opened by Stephanie Wong and her desire to recreate foods from her childhood family memories. The use of seasonal and local ingredients is an principal factor in this restaurant to showcase the best of Hong Kong with a creative twist. Lotus chips are paired with soy guacamole, beef tartare with XO sauce and local clams are served with a black bean chive oil. Homemade char siew is added to scrambled eggs and served with parmesan scones for a brunch dish filled with flavour.

Roots, 7 Sun Street, Wan Chai, 26239983

Happy Paradise

A hip bar come eatery makes Cantonese food and drinks with a fun and exciting remake. Try the iconic street food, egg waffles, in a new way with the sourdough egg waffles served with Bottarga whip and chives. Fried chicken gets Asian heat with Szechuan spice and pickled daikon. Cantonese inspiration is again added to its cocktails with a Hong Kong lemon tea, Chinese five spice gin and tonic and a chrysanthemum margarita.

Happy Paradise, UG/F, 52-56 Staunton Street, Central, 2816 2118

Ho Lee Fook

Inspired by old-school street food vendors known as dai pai dongs or cha chaan tengs, this restaurant takes Chinese flavours to reinvent classic dishes. Some of its signature dishes include the Wagyu short ribs that takes inspiration from the iconic charred meats of Hong Kong and the chongqing chicken wings with sichuan peppers. A sweet dish takes a trip to old Hong Kong with horlicks flavoured ice cream served with cornflake honey joy, dried longan and cocoa coffee crumbs.

Ho Lee Fook, 3-5 Elgin Street, Soho, 2810 0860

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Man Mo Dim Sum

This contemporary restaurant marries Western and Cantonese cuisine by wraping different flavours and ingredients into fusion dumplings. Taking the sharing style of tapas to create a modern dim sum service. Some of the dumplings include a truffle brie, tom yum xiao long bao and a French Peking duck. Sweet options include a Hong Kong egg lemon tart, kung fu créme brûlée and spicy chocolate mousse.

Man Mo Dim Sum, 40 Upper Lascar Row, Sheung Wan, 2644 5644

Second Draft

A local gastropub brings fusion to both its food and drinks, with 26 taps serving cold ales and brews. Line your stomach with its upscale comfort food with bar snacks, bigger plates and a brunch menu on weekends. Ma La seasoning is added to classic bar nuts to give them the sought after numb feeling and burrata gets an Asian take over with a pork mapo ragout. Its take on a French dip sandwich combines shred ale braised pork leg, Swiss cheese and pickled cucumbers in the Shanghai dip.

Second Draft, 98 Tung Lo Wan Road, Tai Hang, 2656 0232