There is certainly a lot to choose from: French, Italian, Thai, Mexican, British, Indian — you name it, we have it here. And when it comes to the local Chinese food, you can find all manner of unexpected delicacies.
There are steamed chicken feet, eggs that are 1,000 years old, and soups made from snakes. There are pig intestines, turtle jelly, beef offal and bird's nest soup.
As a seasoned resident of Hong Kong and a proud foodie, I no longer fall off my chair or spit out what I’m chewing when people tell me what has actually been served up on my plate. I’ve learnt to make peace with the food here and even grown to love the more exotic dishes.
But the same cannot be said for all my banker friends who come to Hong Kong for business — especially those who are not based in Asia but visit only once or twice a year. They often find themselves in a very unfamiliar world.
One of my mates who regularly travels from New York refuses to eat anything but burgers and pizzas. However, another lad, from London, amazed me when he feasted on the weirdest — and the most delicious — local food he could get his hands on, all on his first night in the city.
They say investment bankers are gamblers. I say we are risk-takers. And my London friend proved it when he simply smiled and acted knowingly after I told him he that had just swallowed some chicken testicles.