How Hong Kong is wooing Muslim tourists with halal menus

Bangkok Post

3 days ago

At Chinesology restaurant in Hong Kong, culinary director Saito Chau creates char siu with Wagyu beef instead of pork, and uses "a secret sauce" to replace the rose cooking wine in the glaze. For him, the dish is not just another modern spin on a classic dish - it represents an opportunity for cultural exchange.
When Chau visited Dubai last January, he saw Chinese restaurants catering to a predominantly Muslim clientele who, due to religious dietary laws, were unable to enjoy dishes such as char siu. This is because the dish uses pork, which is non-halal and therefore forbidden. He was moved to create a Muslim-friendly version.
"I hope that friends who can't eat pork can enjoy the irresistible sweet-savoury allure of this 'char siu', so that more people around the world can experience this piece of Chinese food culture," he says.
Since Chinesology continues to serve pork, the process of setting the kitchen up to offer halal dishes was somewhat complicated. The kitchen had to be deep cleaned and sectioned off to create a dedicated halal cooking area, which needed new refrigerators, kitchen utensils and cleaning supplies. Ingredients, including sauces, are kept separate, and halal dishes are prepared by dedicated chefs.
The kitchen team strictly vets all suppliers, working with halal-certified farms and distributors for meat, sauces and even spices, and keeps detailed records to ensure traceability. The team works with multiple suppliers to avoid shortages without compromising on standards.
Chinesology now offers 20 halal Chinese dishes, a six-course halal-friendly lunch tasting menu and an eight-course halal-friendly dinner menu. Last November, the establishment became the first high-end Chinese restaurant in Hong Kong to achieve halal-friendly accreditation from the Incorporated Trustees of Islamic Community Fund of Hong Kong, joining almost 200 other dining establishments across the city that have been given halal status.
The move to expand Hong Kong's halal restaurant options is part of a drive by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) to boost the city's appeal to Muslim tourists, especially those from South and Southeast Asia, as well as from the Middle East.
In his policy address late last year, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said the government would actively encourage various sectors right across the tourism industry to create a friendly environment for all Muslim visitors.
During a visit to a Tsim Sha Tsui hotel earlier this month, Lee spoke with an Indonesian tourist, saying, "I have made it a very clear policy that we should make Hong Kong a Muslim-friendly city because we welcome you. We want everybody to come to Hong Kong and feel, first of all, appreciated and respected."
HKTB is promoting the city as a Muslim-friendly tourist destination "to capitalise on the vast potential and spending ability of the Muslim consumer segments", says Becky Ip, deputy executive director at HKTB.
Halal-certified restaurants must adhere to Islamic dietary laws. The restaurant must only use halal ingredients, and exclude pork, alcohol and other prohibited substances. Meat and poultry must be sourced from animals slaughtered according to specific Islamic rites, and the restaurant's kitchen and preparation areas must be carefully managed to prevent cross-contamination with any non-halal ingredients.
For some restaurants across Hong Kong, the accreditation process has been simple. For others, more challenging.
Mustafa Temir opened Kimchi Korean Fusion, Hong Kong's first halal-certified Korean restaurant, on Kimberley Road in Tsim Sha Tsui in 2021. As he already ran a halal-friendly Turkish kebab shop, making sure his Korean kitchen met with the standards was straightforward.
"We're Muslim, so already know the relevant suppliers in Hong Kong and how to prepare halal food," he says. "Our halal Korean restaurant has given many Muslim people their first taste of Korean food. We've had thanks from Hong Kong people and Singaporeans, Malaysians, Muslim Chinese and tourists from other Muslim countries, too."
It was also plain sailing for Prem Bahadur Thapa, owner of Basmati Taste of India on Connaught Road, Sheung Wan, which does not serve any pork dishes. He applied for halal certification to reassure his Muslim guests.
"Because Chinese people eat so much pork, Hong Kong and mainland China aren't seen as Muslim friendly," he says. "I wanted to ensure that everyone at my restaurant feels welcome and confident in the authenticity and quality of our ingredients and preparation methods."
While Thapa says that accreditation has had no impact on earnings at the restaurant, he will continue to renew it as long as he runs the restaurant.
Portuguese gastropub Flaming Frango on Elgin Street, Central, is another establishment that has long been halal friendly, opening a decade ago with halal-certified chicken on the menu. Owner Vinay Kapoor says he received a significant number of queries about his restaurant's food being halal, and that after doing market research, he found there were limited options for halal food in Hong Kong at the time, mainly consisting of Indian restaurants and kebab shops.
"That's when we decided to create a halal menu offering more than just flame-grilled peri-peri chicken. We added [halal] fajitas, burgers, pasta and other dishes, and applied for halal certification, which was a fairly simple process," Kapoor explains.
While the accreditation has not had a significant impact on revenue, Kapoor hopes this could change. "Hopefully, with the amount of promotion the Hong Kong government is doing to attract Muslim visitors, the numbers may grow," he says.
"You can't measure the impact [of these new policies] month by month," says Chaster Tong of Islam Food, which has been serving customers in Kowloon City for 40 years. "But the initiative definitely helps by making Hong Kong's halal dining scene more visible to visitors."
"The important thing is that when the government promotes Muslim-friendly dining, it raises awareness," Tong continues. "Before, many visitors didn't realise Hong Kong had proper halal options beyond vegetarian restaurants. Some might even hesitate to try local snacks like egg waffles because they weren't sure about the cooking oil used, as they didn't know if pork oil was used or not.
"Halal isn't just about ingredients; it's about clean, wholesome food that's good for both body and faith."