In Singapore, the restaurants have switched buffet-style dining to a la carte, and diners can comfortably savour their favourite dishes from Jade and Town restaurants at home thanks to the takeaway and home delivery service.

Further steps are being taken to improve well-being more broadly. New plant-based items have been added to the menu such as Impossible meat, which contains more fibre, calcium and potassium than its animal-based counterpart, and contains zero cholesterol. OmniPork from Hong Kong is also on offer, with higher levels of calcium and iron and lower saturated fat than pork meat.

1. Tin Hau Temple

Begin with the scent of incense at Tin Hau Temple, which can be found just east of Victoria Park. The temple — or the temple bell, at least — dates back to 1747, and was constructed by the Tai clan from Guangdong to house an incense burner believed to have been delivered by Tin Hau, the Goddess of the Sea. The clan still manages the current iteration, built in 1868 and featuring intricate stone carvings of dragons, pearls and ceramic figurines referencing Chinese operas. Fisherfolk traditionally worship Tin Hau to seek protection from the sea, but other deities are also represented at the temple, with side altars for Tsoi San, the God of Wealth; Kwun Yum, the Goddess of Mercy; and Pau Kung, the Lenient Judge of the Underworld.

2. Electric Road

Vestiges of North Point’s history can be found in its street names. Electric Road is named after Hong Kong’s second power station — located at the intersection with Power Street — which serviced the city from 1919 until 1978, when it was decommissioned to make way for the City Garden development. Similarly, nearby Tong Shui Road (‘Sugar Water Road’) references Fujian-born businessman Kwok Chun Yeung’s idea to build a sugar factory in the area. The modern Electric Road is the site of much local infrastructure and points of interest, including Causeway Bay Market, the former Royal Yacht Club headquarters (see Oil Street Art Space below), vintage tong lau tenement buildings and the North Point Government Offices, all passed by the 1920s-style trams that glide through regularly.

The Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation has donated essential food items such as rice, noodles, hot meal coupons and drinks in collaboration with community partners, including the Society for Community Organization, Asbury Methodist Social Service, Christian Concern for the Homeless Association, St James’ Settlement, Kwun Tong Methodist Social Service and The Zubin Foundation. The NTFCF also engaged community kitchen Joyous Kitchen to use donated frozen food, rice and condiments to prepare nutritious hot meals. The NTFCF has donated around 40,000 meals through this programme.

In addition to abalone, Forum Restaurant has several signature dishes that keep loyal diners coming back. The lean and succulent sweet and sour pork with an innovative twist of dried tangerine peel is a firm favourite. Yat-gor has also perfected crispy fried chicken, made using a fresh whole chicken marinated and air-dried before having hot oil poured over it until tender and juicy inside and golden-brown outside. The braised oxtail, inspired by an oxtail in red wine dish, is made with traditional Chinese spices and chu hou paste, a flavourful fermented soya bean paste. For seafood lovers, each mouthful of the baked stuffed crab shells with dried scallops offers the sweetness of the crabmeat and the briny umami of the scallops. By listening to customers, Yat-gor perfects the dishes.

To Yat-gor, the recipe for his success is straightforward. ‘We always focus on the quality and freshness of our ingredients — we try to retain their original colour, taste and shape because we believe tradition can keep attracting customers’ appetites, and our service makes guests feel at home,’ he says. ‘We also try to personalise our services. After the meal, we record our guests’ preferences, and we prepare surprises for guests on special occasions.’

The culinary preferences of Hong Kong diners have evolved, and so has Forum Restaurant. With diners often letting the ‘camera eat first’ by taking photos to post on social media, the chefs put more thought into the presentation of the dishes. And with growing health consciousness, demand for vegetarian dishes, organic and sustainable ingredients has increased, so the Forum team has fine-tuned the menu while remaining true to its Cantonese roots.

Forum also continues to innovate and explore ways to bring traditional flavours to its expanding range of offerings. Abalones packed in tins and other vacuum-packed delicacies can be enjoyed at home or sent to family and friends around the world. As Yat-gor puts it, ‘Customers are not only able to taste our dishes in the restaurant, but are also able to share the delicious dishes with their families and loved ones.’

Forum Restaurant
1/F Sino Plaza
255–257 Gloucester Road Causeway Bay

At the Eat Zone on the upper-ground floor, shoppers can savour cuisine from around the world at one of the food stalls in Food Marché. Options include Nakayo, where grilled seafood from Japan is the specialty, 森果工房 (‘Senguo Gongfang’) for Thai pastries and glutinous rice cakes made fresh daily, and 巷口炸雞專門店 (‘Alley Fried Chicken’) from Taiwan serving its signature boneless fried chicken and other tasty snacks.

AEON Supermarket is also located on this floor, offering fresh food, produce and specialty food items sourced globally — for instance, wagyu beef from Japan, meat from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Spain and others — a deli section with Iberian ham, foie gras, cheeses, hand-churned French butter and more, as well as a seafood selection from around the world with a fresh oyster bar.

‘We have selected fresh ingredients, an excellent variety of groceries and a number of quality eateries for the Eat Zone,’ says Mr Isei Nakagawa, Managing Director of AEON Hong Kong. ‘We had two concepts in mind when we worked on the rejuvenation of this floor — “varied” and “delicious”, as we are keen to ensure there is something to satisfy every palate.’

AEON has taken into consideration Hongkongers’ busy schedules and quick pace in designing a suite of offerings that cater to those looking for a quick bite while providing options for those who want to enjoy a more leisurely dining experience. AEON’s own bakery, Cantevole, prepares freshly baked treats using Japanese flour and other quality ingredients — a feast for the eyes and belly.

On the ground floor is the Live Zone, AEON’s first furniture showroom in Hong Kong with everything needed for a home or give the current space a new look. The immersive shopping experience includes Living Plaza by AEON, which has reopened with a fresh look and a wide range of exclusive value products. The ground level is also home to HÓME CÓORDY, AEON’s own brand of quality home goods.

‘We would like to sincerely thank our customers for their continued support. We will continue to serve the community, and provide more quality lifestyle products and even better experiences for our customers. After 22 years, we look forward to many more to come,’ adds Mr Nakagawa.

Today, the foundation’s Youth Leadership Team, which includes students Alex Yu, Francisca Lam, Sana Khullar, Dickson Yau and Cissy Lu, is powering the organisation forward. The team has observed that students from less-resourced families tend to struggle with a sense of hopelessness, leading to a lack of enthusiasm for academics and increased disciplinary issues.

‘They may experience disruptive working environments at home, or have too many family commitments, such as taking care of younger siblings after school, that make it difficult for them to focus on learning,’ says Alex, the team’s President. ‘Also, they don’t have access to the educational resources such as English-speaking teachers, private tutoring and extracurricular activities that their peers in Band 1 schools or international schools have. All this exacerbates the education gap.’

The team designs the programmes themselves, and team members teach the curriculum themselves, which has the benefit of making the teaching more relatable. ‘Our students are extremely responsive to being taught by someone who can relate to their struggles. Our classes sometimes take the form of discussions, debates, games or activities to keep students engaged after a long day of school,’ adds Alex. ‘We rarely rely on rote learning — we instead assimilate students into an English-speaking environment, contextualising English through topics such as climate change or art history. Our volunteers also spend a lot of one-on-one time with each student, reviewing their work and giving them advice and suggestions.’

Ashley also takes inspirations from his surroundings, and has served a dish of local pork with a shrimp sauce inspired by the famous pork and shrimp siu mai, as well as beef tendon served in a beef broth with mussel custard. ‘I like pairing meat with seafood,’ he says.

As for customer favourites, Ashley and Sean name a few signature dishes, including the Irish soda bread — ‘everyone loves it’ — the truffle pudding (a savoury take on bread and butter pudding), the caviar-topped sea urchin custard, the apple tart (made of an Instagram-ready spiral of wafer-thin slices of apple) and the duck dry-aged for 14 days in-house.

It’s not only the food that provides the experience, however. ‘Dining at Roganic Hong Kong is a holistic experience. It’s a culmination of what we’ve seen here, our own experiences in the UK and our customers,’ says Sean. ‘Ultimately, we’re about good food and good fun.’

And the team is continuing to find new ways to create this experience. Its new initiative ‘Simon Rogan at Home’ comprises a unique three-course menu, which changes weekly, delivered straight to diners’ homes. It has become a popular service, and provides diners with a short video on how to plate their own meals just like the chefs — which is something that sounds like a lot of fun!

Roganic
UG08 Sino Plaza
255–257 Gloucester Rd
Causeway Bay