From Tiffany Lo's Comeback to Two Star Chef-Led Chinese Restaurants in Central: Hong Kong's Nine New Openings in September
French-trained chef Tiffany Lo returns to the table as a consultant six months after closing her restaurant, while Central and Sheung Wan each welcome a modern Chinese restaurant led by a young star chef this same month — here's the full list of Hong Kong's September openings.
It's been six months since Tiffany Lo shuttered her Wan Chai bistro jean may. The French-trained chef hasn't stayed quiet for long — she's now joined Silver Spoon Restaurants as a consultant, opening the Parisian bistro-style Bistrot's Suzette in Kai Tak. The menu carries forward what she calls "modern bistronomy," using seasonal ingredients for classic bistro dishes: country pâté (HKD188), French onion soup (HKD158), steak frites (HKD358), and duck confit (HKD238), with both indoor and outdoor seating available. Address: Shop G02, G/F, Cullinan Sky Mall, Kai Tak, Kowloon Bay. Tel: 3188 8896.
The same month sees two young award-winning chefs take the helm in Central and Sheung Wan respectively. In Central, the newly opened QUAN is led by Justin Yang, winner of the Michelin Guide Chengdu Young Chef Award 2024, who previously honed his craft at one-star Chengdu restaurant Hokkien Cuisine. Part of the Lei Garden Group, QUAN specializes in Fujian cuisine, with dishes conceived around the Five Elements — gold, wood, water, fire, and earth. Dinner set menus start at HKD1,880 per person, with iced mantis shrimp with sea urchin and lotus seed glutinous rice with flower crab as standout dishes. Address: 5/F, China Construction Bank Centre, 3 Connaught Road Central.
Sheung Wan's Yun takes an even more elevated approach, with an open kitchen helmed by Taiwanese chef Shih Ching-Hui, formerly of the two-Michelin-starred Taipei restaurant Yu Kapo. The lunch and dinner set menus run 2.5 hours and cost HKD2,000 per person, featuring top-tier seafood. Reservation policies are notably strict: guests must accept seafood-based dishes, deposits of 50% are non-refundable, and bookings are limited to once every three months — despite this, the restaurant is already booked through November. Its wine list is unusually refined for a Chinese restaurant. Address: G/F, Wah Koon Building, 183-185 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan.
Familiar Teams, New Signage
Central's IL PRESIDENTE comes from the same team behind Wan Chai's popular Italian eatery Trattoria Felino. Restaurant owner Félix De Arriaga Balanzat and chef Marcello Scognamiglio bring a bold 1980s-90s aesthetic this time, with a strong bar presence. The menu spans braised tripe as a starter (HKD178), mixed fritti (HKD198), spinach and cheese ravioli (HKD218), and pan-seared veal chop stuffed with smoked ham and fontina cheese as the signature sharing dish (HKD588). Address: Shop M2, M/F, Baskerville House, 13 Duddell Street, Central.
Change is also underway on the 29th floor of One Peking in Tsim Sha Tsui. Aqua Restaurant Group has closed its Italian restaurant Vista in favor of Canton Library, a new concept focused on contemporary Cantonese-region cuisine spanning Guangdong, Guangxi, Chaoshan, Hakka, Hong Kong, Macau, Hainan, and southern Vietnamese culinary traditions. Executive chef Junno Li, who also oversees The Chinese Library at Aqua Group's Tai Kwun outpost, brings his seafood expertise to the menu, while dim sum is helmed by chef Leung Kwok-wa. The restaurant is slated to open in the second week of September. Address: 29/F, One Peking, 1 Peking Road, Tsim Sha Tsui.
New Faces Between Fusion and the Everyday
Kennedy Town's CHIU San is Hong Kong's first restaurant to put Chaoshan cuisine and Japanese cooking on the same menu, built on the shared emphasis both cuisines place on umami and the natural flavors of seafood. Set meals are wallet-friendly: salt-grilled yellow croaker with house-made miso sauce is HKD138, and stone-grilled beef short ribs with Chaozhou satay sauce is HKD158. Small bites include pomegranate-shaped chicken dumplings (HKD28) and matcha crystal desserts (HKD18), with graffiti art installations decorating the walls. Address: G/F, Kin Leung Building, 16 North Street, Kennedy Town.
AOI by KAIYŌ, located in K11 MUSEA in Tsim Sha Tsui, is a younger sibling concept to KAIYŌ within the same mall. Despite its compact footprint, the menu spans 20 categories and over a hundred dishes, covering sushi, sashimi, stone-pot rice, tempura, and teppanyaki. Standout visually-driven dishes include the elaborately styled caviar jewelry box (HKD198), the layered seafood crystal cup (from HKD128), and the sushi Napoleon stacked with sea urchin, caviar, and tuna (HKD138).
Causeway Bay's COMMUNE MAISON brings the mainland's popular all-day dining concept COMMUNE to Hong Kong, with a spacious venue serving from breakfast through late night. Two-hour free-flow craft beer, cocktails, and wine is HKD298 from Sunday to Thursday, and HKD398 on Fridays, weekends, and public holidays. Address: Shops G11-G15, G/F, Lee Garden Three, 1 Sunning Road, Causeway Bay. Meanwhile, Mei Foo's Backyard Bistro has opened inside the Jao Tsung-I Academy, run by the team behind Kowloon City's Nan Kok café. Three-course all-day set menus start at HKD128, with dishes like fermented bean curd pasta paired with pan-seared scallops and Sichuan pesto roast chicken offering a Western-local fusion twist.
All prices and addresses listed in this article are based on information published by the respective brands. Some restaurants may require reservation confirmation by phone or WhatsApp.
