A wine-loving friend who lives in Hong Kong’s Central district kindly organised a dinner for my wife and me at The Chairman, following our participation at the recent Hong Kong International Literary Festival.

The meal involved considerable planning. Discussions with Danny Yip, The Chairman’s restaurateur, and Kwok Keung Tung, its chef, started a week before the event, but the dishes were finalised only a couple of days ahead, once the kitchen had been assured of what was freshest in the market. The fried rock lobster meat with snap beans and peas was the highlight of a consistently excellent meal.

When our friend asked where else I was planning to eat during my stay and I replied Deng G in Wan Chai, she confessed that she had never eaten there. This surprised me, since it is renowned and nearby. But it is true that most of us tend to use a small number of restaurants; Bill Granger, the highly successful Australian chef/restaurateur believes that most people frequent no more than six — these are places where we feel particularly welcome.