Food fads to follow

Donna Mah, food reviewer in Hong Kong

The Spanish/Mexican/Peruvian invasion continued in 2013 with the opening of a number of restaurants, many offering more casual tapas dining experiences and a few with high-end fine-dining. They all entered a competitive arena where the food not only has to be good, but the ambiance must be welcoming.

Quality and authenticity continue to be important, and diners are now more conscious about where their food comes from.

Menus often specify where the produce is grown, that meat is grass-fed and hormone-free, and that seafood comes from sustainable sources. Diners, chefs, and restaurant managers are much more aware of the need to use natural, safe and healthy ingredients.

Some restaurant locations have been "reinvented", moving from fine-dining to casual, cool and fun. Many Hong Kong diners are looking for places to enjoy good food, good company, and not having to spend a fortune for the privilege. This is something we look forward to seeing more of in 2014.

Trending in 2014

Relaxed dining with quality ingredients from reliable sources will continue to attract diners this year. Less formal dining rooms around town will be packed with groups chowing down on food that isn't fussy.

Rebecca Lo, food reviewer in Hong Kong

The past year cemented the dominance of the independent restaurant. It started with the highly anticipated opening of Catalunya, then the quieter dishes at French-Japanese fusion Serge et la Phoque. With no signage and right in the heart of Wanchai's wet market, Serge's inventive menu made us reconsider the definition of umami.

The 2014 Michelin Guide agreed, as four out of their five three-starred restaurants - Bo Innovation, 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo, Sushi Shikon and L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon - are independent.

In the end, it is the hole-in-the-wall places with no publicity department that offered the best eats in town. This is the year when comfort food dominated the stage.

It was often a matter of good timing: cheap rent, word of mouth and social media.

Metropolitain for bistro fare, Awakening Cafe for Reuben sandwiches, Chicken Hof & Soju for Korean fried chicken, Cafe Malacca for laksa, Shou Lamian for hand-pulled noodles, Teakha for chai and Ka Kee for homey Cantonese are places that I still return to because they are consistent and delicious experiences. In the end, that's what great dining is all about.

Trending in 2014

Celebrity chefs will leverage their stardom with additional outlets in key Chinese cities - such as Umberto Bombana's plans for Galaxy Macao. Comforting food in hidden corners of the city will underscore memorable dining adventures.

Lin Baiyu, food reviewer in Shenzhen

'One more?" The waiter of a Hong Kong-style restaurant asked me politely as I finished my last mouthful of the wonton noodles, the most traditional of Cantonese staples.

There are 1,000 variations and even more ways to cook this classic dish, and every one has his or her personal favorite.

It is the taste of childhood, and reminds the diner of home and hearth.

A wise reviewer once said: The simplest is the hardest. China's migrant population, such as those in Shenzhen, often misses the taste of home.

As I come out of my reverie, I look up at my waiter still standing there.

"Please, another bowl."

Trending in 2014

Many restaurants and food stalls will focus on the simplest dishes that try hardest to replicate the tastes of various regional cuisines.