VEA

Few restaurants are as fascinating as VEA, where chef Vicky Cheng’s high-end gastronomy melds with a respect for Hong Kong’s local, seasonal ingredients and food traditions. Pair that with an intriguing cocktail pairing programme by Antonio Lai, and the dining experience is rather special. Cheng’s Hong Kong and Shanghainese upbringing has created highly original homage to familiar dishes such as Cantonese ‘white cut’ chicken; the chef chooses prized local yellow chicken for the dish, which is fashioned into a contemporary rendition paired with a scintillating scallion and ginger oil and a side of poached Chinese cabbage draped with sheer Iberico pork lardo. A read of the menu will reveal a global outlook, with ingredients ranging from longan (to add sweetness to raw shima aji) to cordyceps (featured in Cheng’s signature roasted sea cucumber dish). We find some of the cocktail pairings on the sugary side, so if a touch of sweetness is not your jam, we recommend the more traditional wine pairing option instead. The service is expertly judged, ticking along like clockwork. There is attention to detail everywhere, from the comfortable curve of the bar seats that allow you to sit back and relax, to the rectangle of fabric for your phone to rest upon.

Vea’s curved chef’s table allows full view of the action Serge Et Le Phoque’s location in the heart of Wan Chai’s wet market is a telling representation of how the restaurant shakes up the idea of fine dining