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Beaching, hiking, eating – Sai Kung is the ideal spot for a sunny day out. Here's our pick of the best restaurants in Sai Kung.

One of the most picturesque places in Hong Kong, Sai Kung is full of sprawling beaches, beautiful waters and surroundings, and great food. There’s always something to do – hiking, watersports – and something to eat! With so many places to choose from, we’ve rounded up the very best.

Seafood

Probably the busiest spots in Sai Kung, Seafood Street is a true treasure trove, with plenty of Michelin star-boasting places serving fishermen’s fresh catches of the day.

Chuen Kee Seafood Restaurant

This Michelin-star establishment has two family-run restaurants - just two minutes away from each other. Situated on the waterfront promenade, choose a table on the balcony (Man Nin Street) or opt for one on the rooftop terrace (Hoi Pong Street). Full of brimming tanks of fresh seafood - cuttlefish, crab, lobsters, shrimp, molluscs, etc. - you can literally take your pick and get it steamed, fried, poached to your heart's content. We like a classic steamed fish topped with sweet soy sauce, ginger and spring onion and the deep fried mantis shrimp with salt and pepper.

Chuen Kee Seafood Restaurant, 87–93 Man Nin Street, Sai Kung, New Territories, 2792 6938; Chuen Kee (Hoi Pong Street), Hoi Pong Street, Sai Kung, New Territories, 2791 1195

Sing Kee Seafood Restaurant

Known for its wide variety of abalone dishes, this sprawling eatery has three stories with plenty of rooms, alfresco areas on the patio and private dining rooms available to book. Also Michelin-recommended, its lovely gold and red storefront is a feast for your eyes too. Make sure to try an abalone dish - we like it deep-fried with salt and pepper or stewed in oyster sauce.

Sing Kee Seafood Restaurant, G/F, 33-39 Sai Kung Tai Street, Sai Kung, New Territories, 2791 9887

Loaf On

This Michelin-star joint is not to be missed. From its signature chilli pepper crispy skin chicken (which needs to be pre-ordered!) to minced fish in pumpkin soup, and mantis shrimp with chilli and garlic, the traditional home-developed dishes at this restaurant are impressive and lovingly prepared with fresh produce. Ask a chef for a recommended dish based on your preferences!

Loaf On, 49 See Cheung Street, Sai Kung, New Territories, 2792 9966

Cafés, bakeries and dessert places

Little Cove Espresso

This Melbourne-style coffee shop has clean, minimal decor and delicious, healthy and Mediterranean inspired dishes that will fit perfectly on your Instagram feed. If we say so ourselves, Little Cove Espresso is a contender for one of the best brunch spots in Hong Kong - which is something in this food city. Settle in with a breakfast smoothie bowl or a heavenly topped sourdough (with everything from organic scrambled eggs to smashed avocado and smoked salmon). We especially like the look of the shakshuka and the beef ragu pappardelle.

Little Cove Espresso, Shop 1-2, G/F, Siu Yat Building Block A, Hoi Pong Square, Sai Kung, New Territories, 6397 0875

Sai Kung Cafe & Bakery

A classic Hong Kong bakery, this longstanding cafe-bakery is known for its pineapple buns and egg tarts. An extremely popular eatery, you'll want to make your way early to get ahead the regular line - it's worth it for one of these freshly baked hot pastries.

Sai Kung Cafe & Bakery, G/F, 6-7 Kam Po Court, 2 Hoi Pong Square, Sai Kung, New Territories; Sai Kung Cafe & Bakery, G/F, Shop 6-7, Jinbao Court, No. 2 Praya Plaza, Sai Kung, New Territories; 27923861

Ali Oli Bakery

This family-run bakery and cafe was established in 1986, serving European and Western baked goods for over 30 years! With high-quality ingredients and no preservatives, it's no surprise its hearty products are fresh and tasty. The café serves all-day breakfasts, pasta, rice bowls and more. Make sure to try out one of its kombuchas.

Ali Oli Bakery, G/F, 11 Sha Tsui Path, Sai Kung, New Territories, 2792 2655

Honeymoon Dessert

You've probably seen this iconic dessert place all over Hong Kong - but did you know Honeymoon Dessert's first establishment was in Sai Kung? Founded in 1995, pay a visit to the original and pick something from its extensive dessert menu: we're talking mango, durian, matcha, taro and so much more.

Honeymoon Dessert, Po Tung Road, Sai Kung, New Territories, 2792 4991

Restaurants

Saigon Pho

Specialising in piping bowls of pho, Saigon Pho serves fresh Vietnamese fare with nineteen varieties of pho and plenty of tasty sides. With flavours including beef brisket, roasted chicken, and deep-fried shrimp cake pho, you're bound to find your best no-frills bowl of pho to date. Also try out the shrimp salad rice paper rolls and crispy fried soft shell crab.

Saigon Pho, Shop 2 & Shop 16, G/F, Sai Kung Building, 42-56 Fuk Man Road (King Man Street), Sai Kung, New Territories, 2788 2028

2084

This plant-based restaurant and bar promises to satisfy even the toughest non-vegetarian in your life. With fusion tapas that borrow inspiration from all over South, East and West Asia - you're definitely spoilt for choice. Try the mushroom choila (with oyster mushroom, Kashmiri chilli, fenugreek, mustard oil and garlic with puff rice) or the Peking tacos (crispy Peking oyster mushrooms with cucumber, spring onion, and hoisin).

2084, 5 Sha Tsui Path, Sai Kung, New Territories, 6420 8456

WA Theater Restaurant

WA Theater Restaurant at the Pier Hotel is a treat for all your senses. This Japanese fine-dining establishment offers exquisite dishes including premium-grade seasonal sashimi, A5 wagyu steak, gourmet sushi, and more for you to revel in overlooking blue waters.

WA Theater Restaurant, G/F, Pier Hotel, 9 Pak Shan Wan Street, Sai Kung, New Territories, 2779 7797

Thai Dao

Located right on the coast of Sha Ha Beach, and a brisk walk away from town, Thai Dao is the perfect restaurant for that right-by-the-shore holiday-feel meal you've been craving. With a stunning view of sand and waves, enjoy northern Thai speciality fare complete with the sound of water and sea salt air.

Thai Dao, 9 Sha Ha Village (Beach), Tai Mong Tsoi Road, Sai Kung, New Territories, 2792 6189, 2792 4990

Bakso Flagship Store

This little Indonesian store is easy to spot - with a funky moustache sign opening into a laidback eatery. Named after the Indonesian meatball, Bakso serves Balinese fare including a famed beef ball and rice noodles in beef broth, a grilled pork jowl with noodles, chicken sate and smoothie bowls.

Bakso Flagship Store, G/F, 9 Wan King Path, Sai Kung, New Territories, 2720 3168

Padstow Restaurant & Bar

This restaurant and bar has something for everyone: big screens and craft beers (and artisan gins and fine wine) on the relaxed waterfront ground floor, a more formal space with chef-prepared gourmet meals on the first floor, and an alfresco space on the roof terrace. Serving British fare, Padstow Restaurant & Bar is the ideal place for a quintessential English by-the-beach meal.

Padstow Restaurant & Bar, 112 Pak Sha Wan, Sai Kung, New Territories

One Thirty One

One Thirty One is a true luxe experience, serving sumptuous contemporary French cuisine in a beautiful three-storey Mediterranean style building. Guaranteed to transport you to the European countryside, this is an ideal place for a picturesque date night nestled in green with blue water views.

One Thirty One, 131 Tseng Tau Village, Shap Sze Heung, Sai Kung, New Territories, 2791 2684

Zeugma Mediterranean Food Bar

This small eatery serves healthy and hearty Mediterranean fare - with all your favourites: hummus, chicken donor, falafel, halloumi and more. With only a few informal tables for seating, its simple and straightforward nature adds to its charm - don't miss picking something up.

Zeugma Mediterranean Food Bar, 74 Fuk Man Road, Sai Kung, New Territories, 2706 0622

(Hero image courtesy of Bakso Flagship Store)

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Morgan Bourc'his traded free diving for a few months of swimming with whales to shoot a new documentary, The Quest for Nature, which highlights the precarious relationship between man and marine life. The Tudor ambassador reflects on this once-in-a-lifetime experience with Prestige.

The world champion first worked with Tudor in 2014 to film a promotional feature film for the Pelagos watch. Released in 2012, the Pelagos derived its name from the Ancient Greek word for “open sea” and is the more contemporary and advanced of the brand’s two dive collections. Whereas the Black Bay leans towards a more vintage aesthetic, the Pelagos is robust and functional – at the time of its launch it was the only timepiece from either Tudor or Rolex to be encased in titanium; it also features a helium escape valve that enables it to attain a 500-metre depth rating. It was also one of two Tudor watches (the other being the North Flag) to debut Tudor’s first in-house calibre, the MT5612, signifying the importance of this collection to the brand.

Soon after the launch of the Pelagos, Bourc'his was appointed a Tudor ambassador. His values are clearly so closely aligned with the brand’s that he unfailingly wears his blue Pelagos to this day, taking it with him on many of his record-setting dives in some of the most beautiful and untouched locations around the world. But Bourc'his also had a dream – one that had little to do with freediving: he dreamt about swimming with orcas and whales, in frigid waters off the coast of northern Norway, far from the balmy Mediterranean.

Tudor, like its big brother Rolex, has historically supported adventurers who dare to go beyond their own limitations to explore Earth’s uncharted territories, a tradition that’s been passed down from its founder Hans Wilsdorf. Bourc'his’ dream to swim with whales and produce a documentary film called The Quest of Nature, which would chronicle his adventure and draw awareness to the negative impact humanity has had on, is exactly in that pioneering spirit.

Here Bourc’his talks about his ambitions, and how he shot the documentary with friend and director Jean-Charles Granjon, who wrote, directed, and produced the film, as well as the thrill of diving with the giants of the sea.

You were a swimmer first before you discovered freediving. What attracted you to freediving?

I was a swimmer between the ages of 6 and 12. At that time, I used to practice apnea during my holidays by the sea with my parents. A way to explore the seabed and discover this new universe. I was introduced to sport apnea as I practice it today when I was a 21-year-old student in the faculty of sports science. I then discovered a discipline based on gliding, permanent self-control, and at the same time a total letting go, and the possibility of going even further and deeper in the discovery of the marine environment. Of course, the performance also interested me otherwise I would not have participated in all these competitions. But it is really the sensations lived under the water that attracted me. Abandoning the surface, letting yourself be caught in a three-dimensional universe. And it is within everyone’s reach to experience these unique sensations, no need to be a champion!

You first worked with Tudor in 2014 to film a promotional feature film for the Pelagos line. Did you know much about the brand and watchmaking before that?

Before our collaboration for this promotional feature film in 2014, I was completely foreign to the watchmaking world. Of course, I knew the name of certain brands and a few historical facts, especially with the other company from the same group, Rolex: its participation in an expedition on the Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary and in the deep dive at the Mariana Trench for Jacques Picard and Don Walsh aboard the Trieste. But I didn’t imagine such an exciting world and the pioneering role of Tudor. When we started working together, TUDOR opened its doors to me to discover a world of history and prestigious traditions. I learned about the brand’s highlights, technological innovations, historic partnerships. I am very honoured to play a role in this prestigious house.

How was your meeting with David Beckham, and how do you think he did in the freediving challenge?

It was an incredible meeting. Everything was very well thought out, and I was able to have simple and courteous exchanges with one of the biggest icons of the sport. I still can’t believe it and I thank TUDOR again for making it happen. David enjoys the ocean but had no diving experience. After an excellent session of static apnea in the pool, we went to the sea. There were many waves, we navigated long to reach our dive spot. It wasn’t easy, the boat pitched a lot during the crossing. David really took it upon himself to do the session at sea. I really congratulated him because the conditions were really complicated. It was not easy to do our exercises, and he worked on them with courage. I would have liked to have more calm conditions to initiate him, but who knows, we might have another opportunity in the future!

Your documentary The Quest for Nature shows a different kind of diving. What drew you to work on The Quest for Nature?

Jean-Charles made his first trip to Norway in 2016, where he encountered cetaceans for the first time. After that trip we had several discussions about diving and meeting cetaceans in the cold sea. The idea of a documentary came gradually. He’s always kept me on track about his projects, his narratives, his various missions around the world.

Norway is probably the only place in Europe where humans and cetaceans share so clearly their environment. Fishing activities are an economic mainstay, but whale-watching activities are also another one. It’s resulted in a coexistence and a sharing of fishing resources between fisherfolk and cetaceans. We wanted to explore how it works, and we wanted to dive with the giants of the sea.

Which part of the filming was your most memorable one?

The underwater scene with the two humpback whales ascending from the bottom, with gaping jaws, is going to live a long time in my mind. We were above a herring school, which should be avoided as far as possible. I had many thoughts during our session, whether humpback whales could unexpectedly appear. If so, we shouldn’t be in their path!

I felt that something was happening. The fish was quite turbulent, but it must be noted that they thought they were being hunted by killer whales! And then the two humpback whales appeared just below us, with their huge mouths open. We were in their path, and there was nothing we could do. They gently changed direction to avoid us, but they were so close! We just waited, wide-eyed and breathless for 15 amazing seconds.

What does Tudor’s support mean to you on this journey?

The support of my partner was essential. It’s very simple: without Tudor, the film couldn’t have been made. But beyond that, it’s above all a sign of the trust and recognition that the brand has shown me. Since 2014 we’ve been working together on the creation of various projects, activities, and events. I’m a friend of the brand and the Pelagos watch is the greatest companion in my professional life, but also in my daily private life. When I spoke about the film that Jean-Charles wanted to make, the management team was immediately seduced and agreed to be part of this adventure. For me, it means a lot and this perfectly represents the relationship of trust that we’ve had all these years.

How does the brand’s motto, Born to Dare, resonate with you?

To me, it means that people should try to be as creative as possible. In 2019, when I became world champion for the third time, I really applied that slogan, deciding to train exactly as I wanted, innovating and daring things that I didn’t have a clue about. I completed my final preparation for the last two months by dry training and simulating high altitudes with a machine. There are protocols for endurance training for ultra-trail, for example, but no one knows if these are relevant for deep apnea, or how to do it. I tried the experiment, so is that why I became world champion? There are other factors, of course, but I believed in what I was doing.

In the last scene of the movie The Quest for Nature, we went into the water at night among killer whales and beside a fishing boat in action. No one told us how to do it, but we went anyway, believing in our action plan. And it worked! So Tudor’s Born to Dare spirit accompanies me in all my projects.

Could you tell us a bit about the watch that you wear on the adventure?

I was wearing my Tudor Pelagos in blue, the one I received as a present from the brand’s management team in 2014 for the filming of the advertising. It never faltered of course! It was my first real mechanical watch and I felt so proud! Today, even if I own different Tudor models, I have a personal relationship with my Blue Pelagos due to this special gift and moment. I am personally connected with this watch. I wore it every day above and underwater with its rubber strap and extra extension when needed. I am very proud to have been part of that tradition of divers using a Tudor watch to assist them in their adventures on unbeaten tracks. The brand has always been connected with the underwater world. So I feel I am part of a long tradition, that of Tudor diving watch and their fabulous underwater history.

Tudor has traditionally equipped professionals and major navies with watches, and have traditionally taken into account their feedback and comments to develop their watches. Do you share your thoughts with Tudor as well in this regard? What are the things you find the most important in a good diving watch?

The Pelagos is a successful model, it is the fruit of several decades of innovation through the various underwater models of the brand, the famous submariners dating back to the 1950s. This model is 100 percent reliable, I couldn’t have hoped for a better companion. My role is to share feedback on my uses. But I was able to do shock tests at my level like wearing it in apnea at -100m, or using it in water at 1°C, which is not very common!

I think that a good diving watch should be easy to use and especially very reliable. It also has to be robust, because we used heavy equipment sometimes, we are on a boat, it can fall during handling or undergo a shock with the different equipment. And in the case of the Pelagos, you don't have to ask yourself any questions when you dive with it in the water.

(Header image: Tudor ambassador Morgan Bourc'his (Image: Franck Seguin))

This story first appeared in the July issue of Prestige Hong Kong.

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We talk to Australian chef Shane Osborn about the launch of his new restaurant group, the Arcane Collective, and the philosophy behind it.

Since arriving in Hong Kong in 2012, chef Shane Osborn has established himself as one of the most recognisable figures in the local hospitality industry, a status that was uplifted after his participation in Netflix’s global culinary competition, The Final Table, in 2018. Previously, while working in Pied-à-Terre in London, he’d become the first Australian chef ever to win one and then two Michelin stars.

Osborn's Central restaurant, Arcane, which opened in 2014, has won multiple awards and currently holds one Michelin star. His cuisine, which focuses on fresh and environmentally friendly modern European dishes, is also at the heart of Cornerstone, the casual trendy eatery he opened two years ago on Hollywood Road. Recently, Osborn announced the launch of The Arcane Collective, a family of talent-driven restaurants that carry the DNA of Arcane. He tells us about the group’s upcoming new restaurant, positivity and Australian food.

How did The Arcane Collective originate?

I started Arcane in 2014 with my business partner, Nick, with the long-term vision of growing organically and slowly, with the talent that came through Arcane. Not to build concept-driven restaurants, but talent-driven restaurants with the chef, the sommelier, the waiters and the waitresses.

Great restaurants take a long time to develop – it’s just having a long-term vision. That’s why we opened Arcane and then, six years later, Cornerstone. Now, we’re ready and stable enough to open the third restaurant.

During your career you’ve always championed sustainability. Have you thought of opening a vegan or vegetarian restaurant?

That all depends on the talent – if we got a chef coming through who cooks only vegan or vegetarian food, we’d consider opening that restaurant. The market’s changed a lot, especially over the last year, with Covid – people are really looking at their diets and the way we’re eating and how we’re affecting the planet, so I think that that market is only going to grow over time.

The new restaurant is going to be run by Mike Smith, who’s my chef de cuisine here, and that restaurant came around because he stopped eating meat about a year ago, so we started talking about a concept that’s built around that. It’s going be 70 to 80-percent plant-based, and 30 percent of the menu will be sustainably sourced seafood.

As group, we’re always looking to evolve and improve our offering, whether it’s the food or the drinks, not just in quality but also in the choices that we make in our sourcing. I think we’re all aware of what’s happening to the planet and that we all need to start taking a bit of responsibility. We’re not a 100-percent sustainable restaurant – we’re far from that – but we’re trying to make as many choices as we can to improve, day-by-day and week-by-week. It’s a hard process but it’s something we’re committed to.

How does it feel, expanding during a pandemic? Did you think it was going to be possible?

I’m a bit of an optimist. Life has to go on and the world’s been through far worse things. Covid – and the protests before that – have been very difficult for all of us, but I think that we’ll get through this – and that’s what we keep telling our team, that life will improve. We’re planning for the future. There are good opportunities as well at the moment – landlords are being a little bit more forgiving on the rent, so if you have the right idea and you’ve got the financial support it’s actually a good time to start looking to expand.

Tell us about Moxie, the new restaurant opening soon at Landmark.

It’s going to be an all-day venue, for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and there’ll be light snacks in the afternoon. In the daytime, you can come in for a salads and there’s a great coffee offering – obviously with takeaway services as well.

The design is very contemporary, very clean lines, following the Japanese and Scandinavian aesthetic. We’re really excited for this restaurant and Mike is an outstanding chef. He’s worked with us for almost five years and we’ve been working quite heavily on the menu for the last couple of months. This is the style of food that I like: more casual, plant-based and healthy.

It’s hard to define the cuisine, because I’m Australian but I worked in London and Scandinavia, and my family and I live between here and France. We call it Modern European, because it makes sense – there’s a lot of French techniques and then we have a lot of local produce, particularly for the new restaurant. It’s all about the product.

You opened Arcane in 2014. How has your approach to food evolved since then?

As a chef, if you don’t evolve, your restaurant will have a short life – particularly in Hong Kong, where people always want to know what’s new. You need to constantly evolve, you need to be pushing forward, otherwise you become stale. And food has evolved massively over the past seven years.

You said the Arcane Collective will be Australian in spirit. What’s Australian cuisine to you?

We’re Australian in attitude. In Australia, there are no rules when it comes to food – you know you can do a beef dish with an Italian pasta. When I went to England at the age of 20, everything was very regimented – you can’t mix this with that. In France it’s sacrilege to alter some things and the same in Italy – they’re very traditional about how they do everything. In Australia, we don’t have that long history of food culture, so we can come up with our own interpretation. It’s also such a multicultural country with so many different cuisines that we borrow and steal from. It won’t have its true identity for maybe another decade – or even 20, 30 or maybe 50 years. That’s Australian-style cuisine.

Have you noticed an evolution in the Hong Kong dining scene since you’ve been here?

Over the last eight or nine years there’s been more local talent coming out, with independent smaller restaurant groups, which is great. Before, when I arrived in 2012, hotels had a monopoly of all the good restaurants. Now you’re seeing a lot of cool new restaurants opening up and there needs to be more of that.

How did you become a chef? Did you ever think of doing anything else?

My mum was a caterer and a cook in Australia, so at the age of 13 I used to help her during the weekends to wash dishes, and peel onions and carrots. That’s how I got into it. I just knew straight away I wanted to be chef de cuisine. There were no celebrity chefs back in those days and many people discouraged me from choosing this career.

You gained a lot of fame after competing on Netflix’s The Final Table and many call you a celebrity chef. How do you feel about it?

I don’t see myself as a celebrity chef. Before doing the Netflix show, I actually turned down so many television things in the UK. I think the celebrity-chef culture has changed the industry quite a lot. We now get a lot of young people wanting to come in, which is a good thing, but also people think it’s really easy. So they come into the industry and their dreams get shattered because they don’t realise how hard it is to become a chef. At first, you work for lot of hours and it’s poor pay and a long journey – you have to have perseverance and patience to make it.

(Hero Image: Arcane’s Hokkaido scallops with coconut and coriander cream, courgette, capsicum and pomelo)

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