By Andrew Sun

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As managing director (food) for DFI Retail Group, Darren Chan is in charge of upscale gourmet store Oliver’s The Delicatessen, which recently relocated to the third floor of Landmark Prince’s in Hong Kong’s Central neighbourhood. He spoke to Andrew Sun.
I literally grew up in a Chinatown kitchen in Melbourne, Australia.
My father was a Hong Kong chef who immigrated to Australia in the 1970s, and my mother was from Saigon, Vietnam, so we were very fortunate to be exposed to multiple cuisines and flavours.
My Sunday ritual is a family lunch, as that is when my father had his day off while I was growing up.

We like 10 Shanghai (Shop B01-B10, Lee Garden Three, 1 Sunning Road, Causeway Bay. Tel: 2338 5500). A staple order is the crispy tea leaves smoked chicken.
I also remember, as a young boy, my father teaching me about flavour while he made his signature Hong Kong-style stir-fried beef noodles.
I still love that dish and have not found a place that does them as good as his. The closest may be Tasty Congee & Noodle Wantun Shop (various locations including Shop 3016-18, IFC Mall, 8 Finance Street, Central. Tel: 2295 0101).

There are two other classic childhood dishes that I still eat regularly. One is silky egg and beef rice at Kam Ka Lok Restaurant (12-18 Tai Tsun Street, Tai Kok Tsui. Tel: 2396 5567). The restaurant’s classic, local teahouse vibe really provides the perfect setting to enjoy this dish. Not many places put the effort into getting the beef’s texture right, but here the egg sauce is not too runny or too thick – it is just right.
The other dish is baked pork chop rice. While there are many great options for this iconic Hong Kong dish, I love going to Kam Shing Restaurant (Shop 3, Eastway Towers, 59-99 Shau Kei Wan Main Street East, Shau Kei Wan. Tel: 2513 1936).

I would take visitors to Hong Kong to Yardbird (154-158 Wing Lok Street, Sheung Wan. Tel: 2547 9273). My wife and I have been going there for more than 10 years, and we love both its food and energy. There are not many restaurants where I can go and order the same dishes every single time. A favourite is the chicken oyster paired with the whisky lemonade.
A celebration meal would be at home with truffle salami from Mercato Gourmet (several locations, including 3-11 Wing Fung Street, Wan Chai. Tel: 2511 1252) along with some Iberico ham, artisanal cheese and fresh fruit.
Then, I would get one of our signature Oliver’s roast chickens and some Japanese A5 Wagyu beef steak from the upgraded Butcher’s Table at Oliver’s.
Lastly, I would ask DFI Retail Group’s wine manager, Wilson, to recommend a red from Tuscany or Burgundy.
Lastly, being from Melbourne, avocado toast and coffee are something I always look out for. Fineprint (various locations, including 38 Peel Street, SoHo. Tel: 5503 6880) does a great job at it.

My order is always a three-quarters oat milk flat white with an extra shot, along with its signature avocado toast served with lemon, basil, sea salt and olive oil.