Plates at the ready

Quail with smoked grapes at Blue Butcher restaurant.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Hong Kong is a competitive marketplace for restaurants trying to make a name for themselves. As Restaurant Week starts its fourth season in this diner's paradise, Donna Mah takes a look at how it works.

The Restaurant Week concept is a simple one. Twice a year, participating restaurants offer a prix fixe menu for lunch and/or dinner to a limited number of guests each day for a week. In a city filled with dining options, where foodies can pick and choose from a vast array of cuisines, price points, and locations. Restaurant Week is a chance to sample some signature dishes at multiple eateries. The meals are considered to be value for money. In Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou the event is organized by DiningCity.

"Restaurant Week is attractive because there are many restaurants to choose from, for a fixed and lower priced special menu than their regular menu," says Synthia Liem, general manager of DiningCity in Hong Kong.

"For example FoFo by El Willy offers a six-course dinner menu at HK$438 ($57), which normally would be priced over HK$700. All restaurants created a special Restaurant Week menu that is great value for money. It is a way for guests to try many new restaurants during Restaurant Week."

Onno Schreurs, managing director of DiningCity for China, says it's hard to get a table in Hong Kong. The restaurants he is referring to are often on the high-end and are booked up weeks in advance.

Schreurs notes that "business is good" for restaurants in Hong Kong.

But why is that so?