Where a restaurateur goes in Hong Kong and Singapore for wontons, ramen and chilli crab

I have never not been a food person. My mother tells me that as a baby I would eat fistfuls of roasted salmon slathered in blue cheese and spinach cream. Food has always been my love language and my greatest connector to the world.

I grew up between two homes in America. My mother’s meals were direct lines to her French roots. My father’s southern heritage gave me comfort foods like shrimp and grits. Two very different tables, both formative. My relationship with food took on a whole new shape when I moved to Hong Kong in 2012.

Since then, soup noodles have been a deeply important part of my diet. I’ll never forget the first time I stumbled across the wontons at Tsim Chai Kee (98 Wellington Street, Central. Tel: 2850 6471). For nearly 15 years, I have been there almost every week.

For late nights, I’ve always been loyal to Ichiran (Shop H & I, Lockhart House, Block A, 440 Jaffe Road, Causeway Bay. Tel: 2152 4040) for their salarymen ramen. Yes, it’s a chain but some places get under your skin. I stopped apologising for that a long time ago.