Sun Hon Kee Restaurant — Restaurant in North District

We made the trip to Fanling in Hong Kong’s New Territories for lunch at Sun Hon Kee, a well-regarded spot for Hakka cuisine with a modern twist. Chef-owner So Wai Hon has built a reputation here, attracting everyone from locals to A-listers like Chow Yun-fat and even some high-profile politicians.

Hakka cuisine, rooted in southern China, is all about hearty, bold flavors—perfect for enjoying with rice. Signature dishes often feature braised meats, stews, and preserved ingredients. At Sun Hon Kee, you'll find elevated takes on classics like mui choi kau yuk (braised pork belly with preserved mustard greens) and oyster pancakes made with fresh, local oysters.

The star for us was the Hakka salt-baked free-range chicken. It was beautifully tender, with just the right amount of chew and natural sweetness. Needless to say, the Braised Tofu & Eggplant with minced pork and dried shrimp is umami-filled. And if you're looking for something to go with a cold Tsingtao, try the pan-fried whiting fish cake (自家製九棍魚餅) made from lizard fish, also known as Bombay Duck. It's freshly prepared to order, and the crisp, savory flavor pairs perfectly with a beer.

Sun Hon Kee is great place for lunch or dinner after you wander Lung Yeuk Tau Heritage Trail, a collection of remaining ancient Hakka walled villages, with some dating back...

Not and NEVER will be The Chairman. Located in Fanling and famous in Hakka cuisine, however, this is just a disappointing experience.

The restaurant has to do reservation, hardly do walk in. Each dining session will only be 90 mins, even if you come with family in 5.

Overall price is higher than expected given the dining experience, decoration and location, you would find much better option in KLN and HK island definitely.

After order, your dishes will be served within 10 mins, portions are little, you will understand you can actually leave in 60 mins when all dishes arrived in 5 mins.

Chicken is overcooked, only seasoned the outer layer, there's no flavor inside the meat. The soup is totally bland and salty, even your mom would have better fish soup than them. No other dishes is surprisingly tasty, you will find many restaurant better than this.

Please don't advertise this is The Chairman in New Territories anymore, if this restaurant want to improve their overall rating, they should be mindful of their food quality, the chef should go back to the kitchen and monitor overall quality than walking around and chit chat with old customers, make sure the waiters are well-trained so they deserve to charge the diners...

In a city of super expensive fine dining and food transformed into theater, who does not long for a return to fundamentals and to the roots? So this hakka restaurant in remote Fanling holds a lot of promise. And it has lots of favorable online reviews.

But...

The restaurant was half full at dinner. OK, it was a Monday evening. No lines outside, may be. Half empty?

The three of us order four dishes, at a total price of HKD $960. No service charge but we can't add the tips to the credit card.

Local free range chickens has chicken taste, which is not your supermarket frozen stuff. And which is what people ordering them would expect. The trade off is the chicken is a bit tough. Simply steamed and served cold, with a dipping sauce of chopped spring onion and ginger in oil.

The fish that was cooked with bitter melon was quite good, but the bitter melon had no taste and no character.

The mustard greens poached in stock with salted pork bones. Well, tasteless.

The braised belly of pork with salted preserved vegetables was just horrible. Dry and tough, and fairly tasteless.

So, no,...