David Lai

Neighborhood, Hong Kong

A humble and well-loved local food cognoscenti

Described variously as “the worst kept secret in the Hong Kong culinary world” and “an unlikely gourmand’s destination”, chef David Lai’s restaurant Neighborhood has long been considered one of the city’s hidden culinary gems. But in 2022, it is its chef-restaurateur who gets the glory, with Lai’s peers in the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list voting him as the winner of the Inedit Damm Chefs’ Choice Award.

Hong Kong native Lai moved to the US in his teens to study Fine Arts and Art History at the University of California, Berkeley, but a part-time cooking job and the influence of Chez Panisse chef Alice Waters convinced him to set his sights on a career in gastronomy.

The young cook subsequently trained under such chefs as Sylvain Portay at The Dining Room at Ritz-Carlton as well as Julian Serrano at Masa’s, both in San Francisco, quickly mastering French and Mediterranean cooking techniques. In 2003 he returned to Hong Kong, where he helped open Alain Ducasse’s Spoon at the Intercontinental Hotel.

Having absorbed knowledge from his mentors, Lai set out on his own and opened a string of restaurants in the city, making his name first with Bistronomique, then with the now-closed Kushiyaki Beco and On Lot 10. Neighborhood came to life in 2009 in Hong Kong’s Central district and has been Lai’s favourite culinary playground ever since.

With a weekly-changing, super short menu of seasonal dishes, Neighborhood – like its chef – is all about simplicity and high-quality products. From Lai’s homemade pastas to his salt-baked chicken and selected French desserts, every dish speaks volumes about Lai’s infectious passion, which has seen him become one of Hong Kong’s best-loved local chefs.

If, with no website, marketing and even no Instagram account, the restaurant still books out weeks in advance, it is mainly thanks to its chef-owner’s undeniable charisma, well deserving of the Inedit Damm Chefs’ Choice Award.

Now read the interview with David Lai and watch the video:
 

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