Finding authentic Hong Kong food in Beijing may be all about the chef. Those in search of this cuisine are frequently referred to the city’s slew of Cantonese restaurants. But the unique international influences that characterize the region also lend its cuisine a distinctive stamp. Hong Kong food critic Albert Wong, whose restaurant, The Gourmet House, just moved from Beijing to Chengdu, says chefs lend an innovative hand to traditional Cantonese cuisine.
"Hong Kong style food is essentially Cantonese," says Wong. But because of Western influences (e.g. the cooking with Western-type wines such as port, use of Western ingredients such as Foie Gras, and the Western cooking methods using baking), together with the highly competitive market that chefs need to excel by creating new dishes, Hong Kong food is more innovative in the way new (often expensive) food-stuff is used, and the way food is presented on the dining table.
On the other hand, Wong thinks Cantonese style is comparatively more traditional, although most chefs from Guangdong also make an effort to create new dishes.
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