Elizabeth Ward has been Australia’s consul general to Hong Kong and Macau since 2020. Prior to the appointment, she also played a key role in negotiating the Australia-Hong Kong Free Trade Agreement. She spoke to Andrew Sun.
As a career diplomat, I have travelled and lived all around the world.
Sharing meals, and the stories behind them is the ultimate way to connect.
I’m an enthusiastic home cook and take recipes home from every overseas assignment. I am happy to experiment and try any dish at least once.
Hong Kong is one of the world’s ultimate foodie cities, so choosing favourites is a difficult task.
Some top picks include the shengjian bao pork buns from Cheung Hing Kee Shanghai Pan-Fried Buns (various locations including 48 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central. Tel: 2690 0725). You can’t beat that soupy, crispy combination.
My local is the Thai restaurant Coconuts (2/F, Beach Building, Deep Water Bay Beach, Island Road, Deep Water Bay. Tel: 2812 1826). Eating some delicious papaya salad, sticky rice and Isaan-style barbecue chicken here while watching the sunset is a magical way to end the day.
Nove At The Fringe (1/F, The Fringe Club, 2 Lower Albert Road, Central. Tel: 2130 6546) serves mouthwatering dim sum. I love the classic Cantonese loh bok goh radish cake.
The Fringe has been a vital space for cultural exchange and collaboration for four decades, welcoming countless Australian artists and nurturing local creatives.
I’m also partial to the rava masala dosa at Sangeetha Vegetarian Restaurant (Shop 1-5 & 31, Wing On Plaza, 62 Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui. Tel: 2640 2123).
It takes me back to when I lived in India as an exchange student. The whole menu here is outstanding.
One-Michelin-star Arcane (3/F, 18 On Lan Street, Central. Tel: 2728 0178) by Aussie chef Shane Osborn is my go-to place for fresh takes on Australian seafood. The menu is seasonal and always changing.
Chiu Chow dishes, private chefs: Slow Food executive’s Hong Kong food picks
Fineprint (various locations including 38 Peel Street, SoHo. Tel: 5503 6880) is another of my favourites, for a casual Aussie-inspired brekkie and a great flat white.
The smashed avocado on sourdough toast here is delicious, as good as at Bills – the Sydney institution that created the dish back in the early 1990s.
My top food pick in Australia’s capital and my home, Canberra, is Yarralumla Turkish Halal Pide House (47 Novar Street, Yarralumla, Canberra. Tel: +61 2 6281 1991) for the best-ever stuffed pide, delicious kebabs and flavoursome dips.
Onzieme (5/35 Kennedy Street, Kingston, Canberra. Tel: +61 424 894 763) is a new restaurant in town with a Parisian vibe. It’s funky, fresh and all about sharing, and serves incredible Australian natural wines.
Finally, Dickson Asian Noodle House (4/29 Woolley Street, Dickson, Canberra. Tel: +61 2 6247 6380) is a Canberra Chinatown classic, and still serves my favourite combination laksa after 40 years.
