The Golden Leaf Restaurant & Pub in Sheung Tsuen, Hong Kong.We started off with homemade Borscht which had generous chunks of vegetables and a tangy tomato taste. We also had some creamy fish soup which was light and refreshing. Then came some stuffed chicken wings. I’d never seen stuffed chicken wings before but these were great. They came stuffed with a meat mixture, a sweet chilli dip and a fruity salad - ideal for a starter or snack.By now we were getting pretty ravenous and couldn’t wait for the next dish. It was exciting not to know what was coming next but we’d been told that the restaurant was known for their steak so we could guess what one of the dishes would be.

The steak came out and it was a mountain of meat. Not just one slab like most western steaks but large chunks which had been marinated in, isn’t it always, the chefs secret marinade and coated with an interesting gravy. I couldn’t place the taste that was in the background, either ginger or ginseng but it was a different, Asian, slant on the gravy we were used to. Mashed potatoes and steamed veg of the day sat on the side-lines along with a Yorkshire pudding no less, while we made space on the table for the next dish. They sourced steak from New Zealand but when the price of beef rocketed recently they started ordering from the US which, I think, is a better option in terms of flavour.A slow cooked pork knuckle arrived, very German! When we were in Munich for Octoberfest we tried a few pork knuckle dishes that sat upon mounds of fried potato slices but none were as soft and meltingly tender as this. The knuckle itself was monstrous, it would feed 2 easily and it came with mash and steamed veg. We were also served a dish of fried aubergine with a cream and spinach sauce called Portuguese Style Aubergine. The flavours of this dish were great, the cream wasn’t too heavy and the flavours from the spinach were soaked up by the lightly fried aubergine.The restaurant wasn’t busy but there were about 4/5 tables of punters. They mixed eating lots of smaller dishes with trips to the stage to sing karaoke, yep that’s right a restaurant where you’re serenaded by your fellow diners. That’s a clever move, making your customers provide the entertainment and the other diners seemed to love it. After every rendition a cheer and round of applause went up then everyone went back to eating before the next wannabe star hit the mike.I was surprised to find out that there was only one chef and an assistant and even on weekends they only have an extra body in the kitchen. For a sizeable and diverse menu like theirs that’s impressive. I did think that they could eliminate some of the lesser popular menu items in order to give the kitchen a slightly easier job and concentrate on the popular dishes. However, I was told that they don’t have any dishes that aren’t ordered regularly.

On top of this all their deserts are homemade! We got to try the Lemon Cheesecake which was light and zingy. It was more like a torte though as it had a sponge base and a mousse topping. A perfect desert to the colossal meal we’d just polished off.

We really liked the homely, local feel to the restaurant. It wasn’t pretending to be anything other than a down-home eatery where people can come for a relaxed meal and some fun entertainment. They also have a bar area and outside terrace in case the karaoke gets too much.

During our first few weeks in HK, our friends took us to try private dining at White House in Causeway Bay. Since we have never tried this type of dining experience before in HK, we were intrigued.

Having climbed a few flights of stairs, we entered into a spacious and softly lit room. It had a very cosy and intimate feel – a stark contrast to the noisy and chaotic battleground that is typical of many Chinese restaurants in HK.

We relaxed and chatted over a glass of wine before our first course arrived which was Bruschetta with cherry sauce. It was a very refreshing dish; the tomatoes were sweet and the cherry sauce accompanied it well.

Next Phil and I shared a Duck liver terrine salad and Dutch veal salad with tuna sauce. Both dishes were exquisitely presented and our host took great pride in describing the dishes to us.

The veal was delicately sliced and the texture was very tender and sweet. It was so good on its own that it didn’t need the tuna sauce, although it was an interesting combination. The duck liver was indulgently smooth against the crunchy toast, and the cherry sauce added sweetness to the dish.

We were then served Spaghetti with prawns tossed in garlic olive oil. The spaghetti was cooked to perfection and was fragrant with the garlic olive oil. The prawns was dusted with chilli which added another dimension to the dish.

Phil and I shared the fourth course as you get a choice of Sirloin steak, Rack of lamb or Pork ribeye, all served with vegetables. We couldn’t resist the steak and lamb.

The sirloin had a great flavour and the lamb was juicy and delicious. The vegetables complemented the meat well. We had purple sweet potato mash, babycorn, carrots and aubergine (we don’t have purple sweet potato in the UK and we love it!).

We finished the marathon of courses with a refreshing mixed fruit jelly and chunky chocolate brownie – what a night!

We really enjoyed our evening; we were made to feel very special as our attentive host took time to explain the dishes and kept our glasses topped up. The atmosphere at this private dining was very warm and relaxed. The quality of the food was excellent, the presentation well thought out, and the portion size was just fine. We chatted to the host and the chef afterwards and it was amazing what they achieved within a confined kitchen.

I would definitely recommend this place – take your friends so you can try their dishes too!

We have been totally obsessed with the Xiao long bao for a while now and Phil even replaced my picture on his phone's wallpaper with an image of the humble dumpling.

Back in the UK, we searched high and low for the perfect Xiao long bao and surprisingly found it outside of Chinatown and based in Camden, London. Naturally we would want to find the best Xiao long bao in HK and I think we've found it...

Shang Shang Shanghai looks like it's another chained restaurant but I assure you that it's not. The kitchen has glass windows so you can watch the chefs busy making all your noodles (lai mein) and buns from scratch. The restaurant itself is decorated tastefully and the service is swift and attentive; we didn't have to wait long before we were seated.

The steamed Xiao long bao is heavenly; the wrapping is so delicate and almost transparent, and contains so much hot tasty soup whilst keeping the pork filling really juicy. We didn't think much of the vinegar sauce which is a shame. Another thing you must try is the fried dumpling; incredibly crispy on the outside whilst maintaining the juiciest tender filling inside - just mind when you first bite into it that you don't accidentally squirt your fellow diner with the juice!

I wouldn't bother with the sweet & sour pork or fried pumpkin cake either - both were decent enough but it's the dumplings here that outshines the rest. We ordered so many bamboo baskets of these dumplings that we didn't have room to try the noodles (which were present on every table) so I'm guessing that's good too! We'll go back for it I'm sure.

Prices are good for the quality you get - definitely recommend this place!

If you think you have found a better Xiao long bao place, please let us know and we'll go and try that too.