Carla Martinesi is the Swiss-Chinese co-founder and CEO of Chomp, a food-saving app offering real-time discounted leftover produce and food from hundreds of shops and dining outlets across Hong Kong. She spoke to Andrew Sun.
I was born in Hong Kong. My mum’s a local foodie and my dad is half-Swiss, half-Italian, so it was a funky food mix at home.
Both my parents worked in the food and beverage industry, with my mum being a pastry chef and my dad in food engineering. Plus, my Italian grandma wrote a cookbook on her southern Italian recipes, so it was only natural for me to follow in their footsteps.
For lunch, I like to go to An Choi (15-17 Mercer Street, Sheung Wan. Tel: 5286 1517) for a surprise banh mi or Heaven or Hell by Healthy Chicken (82 Stanley Street, Central) for a hearty salad.
I also like Chaiwala (Basement, Yu Yuet Lai Building, 43-55 Wyndham Street, Central. Tel: 2362 8988) for their brunch. Go in hungry as you’ll be eating for hours.
A place for a good late-night snack, hands down, is Beyrouth Bistro (Shop A, 39 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central. Tel: 2480 5338). Ask for the kibbeh (ground meat with bulgur wheat) and the arayes (meat-stuffed pitas).
I love sharing plates for dinner so my best choices are Francis West (42 Peel Street, SoHo) or Brut! (Shop C, 1 Second Street, Sai Ying Pun. Tel: 3460 5863).
I would definitely take visitors to Maxim’s Palace (2/F, City Hall, 5-7 Edinburgh Place, Central. Tel: 2521 1303), one of the last few white tablecloth dim sum restaurants that use the traditional carts. It’s perfect for lunch, and you can also step outside onto the Central harbourfront for a post-lunch stroll.
For a celebration splurge, PDT (Please Don’t Tell) (Lobby, The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, 15 Queen’s Road Central. Tel: 2132 0110) is more of a cocktail bar but I absolutely love the New York/Asian fusion twist they do on their bar snacks. A must-order is the Thai tots with their custom-made tom yum kung mayo, which is so good.
Outside Hong Kong, I would definitely eat Middle Eastern mezze in any of the countries that make up the region. Being partly Italian, of course, I would also head to Puglia in the south of Italy, specifically for fresh seafood and their handmade pasta.
I spent most of my childhood in Vevey, a small town in Switzerland. By the lake is a small traditional restaurant that seats only 15 people. Les 3 Sifflets (Rue du Simplon 1, Vevey. Tel: +41 21 921 14 13) serves the best moitié-moitié fondue, with the incredible experience of the waiters bringing in an oversized pepper grinder and wearing old-fashioned war helmets and caps to “bless” your fondue.
Be sure to order the meringue double crème for dessert as it’s one of their greatest sources of pride.