Where to brunch in Hong Kong: morning rooms worth the queue.
Where to brunch in Hong Kong. the morning rooms worth the queue, and the kitchens still doing it right at noon.
Bakehouse Wan Chai serves a pastry led brunch from 08:00 daily with sourdough egg tarts, croissants and small breakfast plates, a Hong Kong queue line you should time correctly.
Order: Sourdough egg tart with a flat white.
Tip: Arrive at 08:00 sharp or after 14:30; the dine in counter has limited seating.
Mott 32's weekend dim sum brunch in Central runs in a Joyce Wang basement room, with the modern Chinese kitchen turning out signature char siu Iberico and har gow set menus.
Order: Char siu Iberico pork and shrimp har gow.
Tip: The free flow option turns brunch into a long sit; the standard set is the speed move.
Ho Lee Fook on Elgin Street runs a modern Cantonese weekend brunch under chef ArChan Chan, leaning on Black Sheep's signature char siu and cheung fun rice rolls for the set.
Order: Char siu Kurobuta pork and steamed rice rolls.
Tip: Book the chef's counter to see the wok station; brunch tickets often sell out by Wednesday.
The Cupping Room on Queen's Road Central runs Australian style brunch with single origin filter coffee, the specialty coffee operation's full breakfast service running through to mid afternoon.
Order: Avocado on sourdough with poached egg and a V60.
Tip: Weekday morning is calmest; weekends after 11:00 queue 20 minutes.
Duddell's Sunday dim sum brunch in Central is a Michelin starred Cantonese tasting set with crispy skin chicken, hand carved roasts and trolley dim sum across the Andre Fu redesigned dining rooms.
Order: Crispy skin chicken and trolley dim sum.
Tip: The cocktail brunch upgrade includes a Champagne pour; book the second sitting at 13:30 to avoid the lunch run.
The Aubrey on the 25th floor of Mandarin Oriental runs a Japanese izakaya weekend brunch with harbour views, free flow Champagne and a rotating robata grill of seasonal seafood.
Order: Wagyu sando and yuzu sake tasting.
Tip: Book the harbour facing window two top; Sunday brunch is the better seating window.
NOC Roastery's all day brunch on Des Voeux Road West in Sai Ying Pun pairs Hong Kong's strongest specialty coffee programme with Australian style smashed avo and shakshuka in a Western District flagship.
Order: Smashed avocado on sourdough with poached eggs.
Tip: Visit on a weekday morning; the cafe is calmer and the kitchen can run the slow cooked eggs in detail.
Winstons Coffee on Queen's Road West in Sai Ying Pun is a British founded specialty shop with a weekend brunch of bacon rolls, shakshuka and Hong Kong's reputedly best flat white in Sai Ying Pun.
Order: Bacon and egg roll on house brioche.
Tip: Order coffee inside and take the bacon roll out to the bench across the road; the cafe is small.
Summer Palace at Island Shangri La runs the city's most refined Sunday dim sum service, with hand carved Peking duck, lobster dumplings and trolley dim sum below the hotel's crystal chandeliers.
Order: Two course Peking duck and dim sum platter.
Tip: Pre order the Peking duck a day ahead even for brunch; the carving course is the table's centrepiece.
Kam's Roast Goose on Hennessy Road in Wan Chai is a one Michelin star Cantonese roast shop, with quarter goose plates over rice that make a lunch destination just before the queue builds at noon.
Order: Quarter roast goose lower thigh over rice.
Tip: Walk in before noon and ask for the lower thigh; the queue for two starts at 12:30.
The Baker & The Bottleman on Lee Tung Avenue in Wan Chai is Simon Rogan's bakery by day and wine bar by night, with a daytime brunch of sourdough flatbreads and biodynamic wine pairings.
Order: Sourdough flatbread with cured ham and natural wine.
Tip: Visit between 11:00 and 13:00 for the pastries plus a glass of orange wine; the by glass list rotates weekly.
Yat Tung Heen at Eaton HK in Jordan holds a Michelin star for refined Cantonese cooking, with a dim sum lunch service that has run from the same Kowloon basement since 1990.
Order: Steamed seafood dumpling and barbecued duo.
Tip: Ask for the off menu seasonal soup; the kitchen rotates double boiled tonics with the calendar.