Cafe Deco

Peak Galleria, 118 Peak Rd, The Peak T2849 5111. Mon-Thurs 11.30am- midnight, Fri & Sat 11.30am-1am, Sun 9.30am-midnight. Exceptional views and a stylish Art Deco interior that extends through to the toilets. The menu includes pizzas, curries, noodles, grilled meats and oysters, or you can just have cake and coffee - there’s often also live jazz.

The location ensures relatively high prices. Book if you want window seats.

Chippy

51A Wellington St, entrance down the steps on Pottinger St; no phone.

Mon-Fri 11am-3pm & 6-10.30pm, Sat 11am-7pm. The last authentic British fish and chip shop in Hong Kong, whose tiny interior offers a couple of tables if you don’t want a takeaway. Fries are great, though fish is sometimes a bit mushy. A large plate of battered cod and chips costs $85.

Luk Yu Tea House

24-26 Stanley St, just west of D’Aguilar St T2523 5464. Daily 7am-6pm. A snapshot from the 1930s, with old wooden furniture and ceiling fans, this self-consciously traditional restaurant’s mainstay is dim sum. Despite its local fame, the quality of the food barely justifies the tourist-inflated prices. Upwards of $100 a head; reservations essential.

M at the Fringe

2 Lower Albert Rd T2877 4000. Mon-Sat noon-3pm & 6pm-12.30am, Sun 7pm-midnight. Stylish restaurant much favoured by the glitterati for its boldly flavoured, internationally influenced, health-conscious meat, fish and veggie dishes. Around $300 a head.

Man Wah

Floor 25, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 5 Connaught Rd T2522 0111. Daily noon-3pm & 6.30-11pm. Subtle and accomplished southern Chinese food at connoisseurs’ prices ($500 a head and up), though the view outperforms the menu.

The hotel’s Clipper Lounge is also a good place for a formal English afternoon tea.

Nha Trang

88-90 Wellington St T2581 9992. Daily noon-11pm. First-rate Vietnamese food, whose crisp, clean, and sharp flavours make a nice break from more muggy Chinese fare. The grilled prawn and pomelo salad, rice-skin rolls, and lemongrass beef are excellent, and two can eat very well for $200.

The Peak Lookout

121 Peak Rd T2849 1000. Mon-Thurs 10.30am-11.30pm, Fri & Sat 10.30am-1am, Sun 8.30am-11.30pm.

This place used to be famous for its views, but has been cruelly robbed of them by the ugly Peak Tower. The stone colonial building with raked ceilings retains plenty of atmosphere inside though, and the food, with an Asian-Indian slant, is still reasonable value for brunch or al fresco dining at night. Reckon on around $200 per head for a full meal.

Roof Garden

Top floor at The Fringe Club, 2 Lower Albert Rd T2521 7251. Lunch Mon-Fri noon-2.30pm. Bar Mon-Thurs noon-midnight, Fri & Sat noon-3am.

Attached to a gallery, this bar and buff et has rooftop tables, and offers vegetarian all-youcan-eat lunches for $65, and tapas from $20 in the evening.

Thai Lemongrass

Floor 3, California Tower, 30 D’Aguilar St T2905 1688. Mon-Thurs noon-2.30pm & 6.30-11pm, Fri & Sat noon-2.30pm & 7-11.30pm, Sun 6.30-10.30pm. Authentically spicy, complex flavours prevail at this much-recommended long-time favourite. They do standards like red curry and tum yam gaeng (spicy prawn soup) very well, along with more unusual dishes such as beef and mango. Upwards of $200 a head.

Tsui Wah

17-19 Wellington St; no phone. Daily 10am-8pm. Multi-storey institution serving a huge array of inexpensive Cantonese fast food, but fishball noodle soup is the thing to go for - the stock is very good quality - along with Hai Nam chicken or the very sweet deserts. Packed to bursting at lunchtimes.

T.W. Cafe

2-10 Lyndhurst Terrace; no phone. Not only do they serve fine coffee here, but also large set breakfasts of egg and toast, fried fillet of sole, or chicken steaks for around $25. Window bar for people watching.

Yung Kee

32-40 Wellington St, on the corner with D’Aguilar St T2522 1624. Daily 11am-11.30pm. An enormous place with bright lights, scurrying staff and seating for a thousand, this is one of Hong Kong’s institutions.

Their roast goose and pigeon are superb, and the dim sum is also good. Around $200 a head and highly recommended.

Zhong Guo Song

6 Wo On Lane T2810 4141. Daily 11.30am-10.30pm. Tiny, with absolutely no decor, but the straightforward, home-style Cantonese dishes are fresh, excellently cooked, and inexpensive.