American architect, illustrator, and occasional stand-up comedian, Tom Schmidt is the founder of hospitality design firm Sepia Design Consultants, and author and illustrator of the award-winning Bumbling Traveller Adventure Series of graphic novels. He talks to Andrew Sun.
I tend to be a detail-oriented, analytical and visual person. I’m intrigued by the plating and presentation of foods, in addition to the process behind the preparation. When I travel, I keep a sketchbook to draw interesting foods and dishes I come across. It’s my alternative to food pics.
Hong Kong is truly a foodie paradise. I am constantly amazed at the variety available and love to try new cuisines. A new place I like is Musubi Hiro (37 Cochrane Street, Central, tel: 5597 6911), which revolves around art and graffiti and offers a new twist on traditional cuisine.
With a young daughter, one of our regular family restaurants is Dan Ryan’s Chicago Grill (Shop 311, 3/F Cityplaza, 18 Taikoo Shing Road, Tai Koo, tel: 2845 4600) since we can draw on paper tablecloths and play games while we wait for our food. There’s usually something on the menu that appeals to everyone, too.
If I’m eating on my own, I’m a regular at Frites Belgium On Tap (Oxford House, 979 King’s Road, Quarry Bay, tel: 2250 5188), as the pub atmosphere and music selection is very relaxing to enjoy nice Belgian beers and hearty solo meals.
For a visitor, if it’s a formal business meal with someone I don’t know well, I might bring them to a five-star hotel or to Yung Kee (32-40 Wellington Street, Central, tel: 2522 1624) to impart a good impression of our city.
For a more casual meal, I would head to the dai pai dong Sing Kee (82 Stanley Street, Central, tel: 2541 5678) for an authentic, down-and-dirty experience of fresh seafood, local veggies and cheap beer, while soaking up the ambience of a lively street alley with raucous diners.
I also enjoy Under Bridge Spicy Crab, which has just moved to a new location (Golden Jubilee House, 391 Lockhart Road, Causeway Bay, tel: 3619 7268).
Caprice (Podium 6, Four Seasons Hotel, 8 Finance Street, Central, tel: 3196 8860) is one of my favourites for a very special celebration. The food is always cooked to perfection and the service unparalleled. The stunning three-metre-long (10ft long) cheese board is worth the experience alone if you’re a cheese lover like me.
Once we’re all mobile again, I want to go to various Asian cities for street food, which might include Taipei (Shilin Night Market), Bangkok (anywhere in the city, especially along Rama IV Road) in Thailand, Penang (Presgrave Street Hawker Centre) in Malaysia, and Hanoi (Tong Duy Tan in the Old Quarter) in Vietnam.
I love those cities – to see everything prepared in front of your eyes while chatting with locals. The car exhaust from passing vehicles adds a unique smoky aroma.
I would also love to revisit Colorado, where I was raised, to enjoy a massive pizza from Beau Jo’s (1517 Miner Street, Idaho Springs, Colorado 80452, tel: +1 303 567 4376) that is sold by the pound. Everyone has comfort food; pizza is one of mine.
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