tanyoto (wan chai)

As a general rule of thumb, I don't enjoy restaurants that make you cook your own food. If I were good at that, I would probably be at home now making something delicious, instead of spending money to overcook thin steak and lamb in a bowl of boiling water. That said, hot pot is fun when I'm not prohibitively lazy, but that doesn't mean I won't overcook all my food for fear of food poisoning.

We split our hot pot in half, with one spicy soup on one side and a chicken broth on the other side. The flavor of the soup and the garnish mixture were ultimately customizable, so with the right amount of adjustment, anyone should be able to find the flavors that make their tongue sing. The dishes are all good quality, in particular the hand made dumplings are excellent.

Tanyoto is a lot of fun with a few people, and it's probably a must-do thing for guests visiting from other countries. It's kind of like dim sum in that it doesn't really change with time, and it's still such a part of Hong Kong's family eating culture. Since it's the only hot pot I've had recently in HK, it's hard to give it a relative thumbs up or down, but it's pretty darn good, especially if you're as afraid of food poisoning as the average westerner.

4 of 5, for classic Chinese eating.

tanyoto

1/f-3/f tung hing building

129-135 johnston road

wan chai

2893 9268

il bel paese (wan chai)

Finally an Italian deli/grocer worth mentioning! There used to be only two sandwich places that I knew in HK, and one of them was subway. Subway is not a bad deal in the States, but here it costs the same, which means it costs more relatively than normal food.

I was ecstatic to walk into Il Bel Paese and see a glass case full of meats, cheeses and pre-made salads and pastas. There was so much to choose from, and that was just downstairs! However, when we looked at the menu I was very disappointed to see such simple sandwiches. Their menu only had about five sandwiches on it, and they were no more complicated than a single meat and a single cheese. The best Italian grocer I've ever been to (Bay Cities in Santa Monica) had about as many sandwiches to offer, but each came standard with onions, tomatoes, peppers, cheese and multiple meats--I don't think I could even name all the toppings on the Godmother. That said, I kind of had to a be a pain in the guy's ass when I ordered. He took out pen and paper and wrote down all the things I wanted, things that I thought were pretty standard like mayo, mustard, onions, etc.

They were very accommodating to my sandwich demands and even with everything it was only 40HKD. You can upgrade the meat on the sandwich, which you then would pay for by weight, same deal with the cheese. They brought the sandwiches to us upstairs and my friend added a Moretti (for only 15HKD). Upstairs there was a whole wall of wines and full shelves of olives and jams.

On top of having decent sandwiches and great selection, it's a beautiful space, with tables made on barrels and pretty decorations on the walls. What's keeping Il Bel Paese back from greatness is the lack of a signature sandwich and salad. It needs a trademark meal to offer its overstimulated customers, that would be awesome.

4 of 5

il bel paese

25 queen's rd wan chai

www.ilbelpaese.com.hk

wing wah (wan chai)

For living in the dim sum capital of the world, we don't eat it nearly enough. I think it's because my friends and I are usually too tired and too lazy to get out before 1 on the weekends. On top of that it's also just not a good meal for less than three, which makes planning it a deal breaker for us foreigners.

Wing Wah is an old, and very traditional yum cha franchise. It's not fancy or nice looking, our table cloth didn't look clean, but it's cheap and it's full of real Hong Kong people. Old guys and families, and grandparents. That's part of the beauty of it here; a restaurant like this doesn't ever feel the need to change. Its people and its food retain a younger Hong Kong. It's not a time capsule, it's just that Hong Kong really hasn't changed.

There is definitely better dim sum to be found, but Wing Wah is definitely good enough for my tastes. Because reading Chinese is something I was born bad at, I can only go here with literate Chinese friends. One of my life's biggest challenges though has always been understanding the translated definitions of Chinese foods. Most illiterates like myself, I'm sure, only recognize the names of dishes by their sound. So when I read "pork barbecue cake," I have absolutely no idea what that might be. So look at the pictures.

3.5 of 5, food deserves better, but dirty table cloths aren't cool just because they're in time machines.

wing wah

89 hennessy road

wan chai

2527 7476

$50-$80 per person