Hong Kong — Sometimes it takes a stranger to show you new things about your own city. That was what Hong Kong chef Christian Yang discovered when he was doing a food travelogue, A Taste of Hong Kong, with veteran travel host Ian Wright. “He (Wright) discovered a doughnut shop. And let me tell you — doughnuts, they don’t do well in Hong Kong,” revealed Yang about Wright chancing upon new doughnut shop Munchies at Sheung Wan. “But I tell you what, you sink your teeth into these doughnuts and it’s like eating little light, fluffy pillows. They taste so good — better than any other doughnut that you’ve ever eaten. It is so, so good. And he discovered it.” The father-of-two is just as excited about showing visitors a different side to his city. “It’s not going to be the same stuff that you see over and over again, eating what Hong Kong has to offer,” he promised. “Everything that we present is totally new and refreshing. And even if it’s done old, it’s done in a new way.”

Q: How did you end up doing A Taste of Hong Kong with Ian Wright?

A: I’m going to be honest with you. Discovery Channel thought it would just be funny if they put us two together, and they wanted to see what was going to come out of it. We had never actually met each other until the day that we started shooting — and it was love at first sight. Back in high school, I would go into the library and watch Lonely Planet. But I’d only watch his Lonely Planet episodes, because I thought he was a right laugh. I never thought in my career that I could work with the heroes of travel shows, like Ian. But he has never done a food show before. This is his first actual food show, which is hilarious. For him it’s just, ‘Oh, I’ve got to eat again?’.

Q: So Singaporeans are very familiar with Hong Kong and what it has to offer. How will A Taste of Hong Kong surprise them and clue them in?

A: Yeah, actually we were thinking about the traveller who has come for the third, fourth or fifth time, that they’ve already eaten the stuff that we’ve been flogging for the past 50 years. Everything that we present in these three episodes is new.

Q: Do you have any secret food places in Hong Kong that you don’t want anyone to find out about?

A: Never. Never ever. It is absolute bullsh** to tell people you want to keep your place secret. Those people have to work for a living, they have to pay rent. If you keep it a secret, it’s not like you’re going every day and paying their rent, is it? If it’s good, tell the world about it and help them out a little and, you know, help their business out a little. Don’t be selfish!

Q: What sort of vacation do you enjoy?

A: What I haven’t done in a long, long time is going on a beach holiday somewhere. I just want to go to a beach with the kids and my wife, flop on the beach, stay at a resort and do nothing.

Q: Kids can be hard to feed while on holidays. Any advice for that?

My daughter who's five-years-old is pretty basic. Just give her noodles, rice and bread. Don't bring your kids to fine dining places, because we tried that once.  We tried to bring our daughter when she was two to a fine dining restaurant with us, because we didn’t want to leave her alone. That was a big mistake; that was a terrible mistake.  We just didn’t enjoy ourselves and we were too – we were fussing over her too much and all that.  

THREE COOL PLACES TO TRY AS SEEN IN A TASTE OF HONG KONG:

1. The Chairman

Traditional Cantonese favourites with a healthy twist. The meats here are cured in-house, while the produce is from the restaurant’s very own organic vegetable farm.

2. Cong Sao Desserts

Think everything cool and sweet from shaved ice, cream custards, durian pancakes and watermelon sago.

3.Second Draft

Opened by May Chow of the insanely popular Little Boa, Second Draft is a gastrobar that takes its food as seriously as its brews.

A Taste of Hong Kong airs Friday, 7.35pm on TLC [Singtel TV Ch 254/StarHub TV Ch 427]