Ho Lee Fook by Black Sheep Restaurants first opened back in 2014, and it was in late 2021 that Chef ArChan Chan took the reins, relaunching the totally refurbished Cantonese restaurant to cult-like status.
Chef Chan was born and raised in the 852 and then spent 13 years gaining her culinary stripes at some of Australia’s top restaurants. When she returned to Hong Kong to take over at Ho Lee Fook, she overhauled the menu, shifting to a focus on classic, authentic Cantonese flavours and techniques while retaining the restaurant’s most popular signature items.
Ho Lee Fook’s menu continues to evolve. Customer favourites remain, but Chef Chan is always mixing things up with new dishes to excite diners’ palates. We recently paid a visit to the eatery to indulge in both new and old, and we can attest that Ho Lee Fook is more craveable than ever.
Ho Lee Fook’s swanky dining room (to the tune of iconic 80s beats in the background)
Signature favourites
Salt-and-pepper squid (HK$168): you can’t go wrong with the classic dish of deep-fried squid prepared typhoon shelter style, heavy on the chilli and crispy garlic. Bet you can’t eat just one!
Steamed live razor clams (HK$268 for 2): a staple at seafood restaurants from Lamma to Sai Kung, we loved slurping up these razor clams topped with mounds of glass noodles, fermented garlic, soy and spring onion.
Kurobuta pork char siu (HK$268): charcoal grilled and honey glazed, this succulent BBQ pork simply melts in the mouth.
Pandan milk bread French toast (HK$118): calories be damned! This scrumptious dessert is a riff on the cha chaan teng fave of deep-fried French toast. Here, the French toast is made with pandan-flavoured milk bread, sandwiched with a layer of peanut butter in the middle. It comes complete crowned with a scoop of coconut ice cream and toasted coconut, plus sides of smoked maple syrup and condensed milk for drizzling to your heart’s content.
Recommended new dishes
Note that while the first three dishes pictured below are now available for your indulgence , they’re not officially on the à-la-carte menu just yet, so remember to pre-order in advance of your booking.
Chiu Chow-style marinated raw botan ebi (HK$128/piece): the naturally sweet flavour of these plump, silky botan shrimp are complemented by a light soy- and chilli-focused sauce.
Master stock pigeon (HK$388): we enjoyed gnawing away at this glistening roasted pigeon. Owing to being marinated in fragrant Chinese master stock, the bird’s flavour is even more intense than usual, especially when dipped into the accompanying spiced salt.
Steamed mud crab with crab roe and Chinese-style egg custard (HK$988): the textures and flavours of this dish are comforting to the max.
Stir-fry King (HK$188): this is an updated version of Chef Chan’s umami veg dish, now containing garlic shoots, yellow chives, peanut sprouts, abalone, sun-dried shrimp, crispy anchovy and chilli. Perfect with a bowl of steamed rice!
Verdict
Even during the darkest days of the pandemic, Ho Lee Fook remained packed on the daily, and this continues today. Chef Chan’s dishes are authentically Cantonese but display her own creative, elevated touches that make them stand out from the pack. Ho Lee Fook is a reliable favourite that never goes out of style.
Where: 3–5 Elgin Street, SoHo, Central
For reservations: phone 2810 0860 or book online
This write-up is based on a complimentary media tasting provided in exchange for an honest review and no monetary compensation. The opinions expressed here represent the author’s.
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