Retail dreams - Top 5 Artisans & Food Retailers in Hong Kong

Moving Coffee / CENG [photo by Edmond Keung of Moving Coffee]

Recently in my guest blog for HK Tatler Dining, I talked about 5 top food artisans (I cheated and added 1 retailer) in celebration of Island East Markets' first birthday. In case you're thinking that I was mean and chose ones exclusive to IEM, I didn't - these all have other outlets, either brick and mortar, online or other markets around Hong Kong. If you're into things that are truly unique, independent, and are backed by a real story and real people, I recommend that you check them out. I've posted direct links to their businesses below.

Levain
The Conservancy Association
Chopsticks (Connoisseur Groceries)
Sour Times Dairy Company
CENG

Saturday Farmers' Market at Crossroads, Tuen Mun

Roselles (aka hibiscus), leaves intact

The weather in Hong Kong has been beautiful these couple of weeks. Crisp, sunny, temperatures hovering below 20C...  The perfect kind of weather for market-going.

Keep it simple - Fusion Gourmet

Back in the day when Hong Kong magazines were still considered part of a relatively healthy media diet, I read an article by the celeb Singaporean Chinese food authority-slash-writer-slash-notorious old flirt Chua Lam, who said that his ideal restaurant would be one that served high quality fresh produce cooked simply, but expertly and without fuss - perfectly grilled steaks, skillful stir-fries, controlled pan sears etc., in a utilitarian environment of marble-topped tables (chosen for their easy-wipeness and durability rather than 'prestige' as a material - much like the marble-topped tables in kopitiams in Malaysia/Singapore), decent lighting and so on.