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Christina Ko

Eating healthy sometimes get an unfair reputation for lacking in flavour or style – but this is only true for the unimaginative.
Below, seven fashion influencers in Hong Kong recommend their stylish eats both locally and around the world when they want to stay healthy without compromising on taste.
1 and 2. Alex Li and Jacqueline Au: Daylesford Organic and Como Point Yamu

This fashion power couple are as dedicated to health and fitness as they are to their careers. Alex Li is chief retail officer of Hongkong Land, and Jacqueline Au is the founder and creative director of wedding boutique The Loft Bridal, as well as her newly launched eponymous label for wedding essentials.
Au’s favourite spot in the world for healthy eating is London’s Daylesford Organic: “I love that everything is sourced from their own farm. I’ll get their mushrooms on toast for breakfast, and then pick up a loaf of their fig walnut sourdough to have throughout the week – perfect with butter and marmalade. It’s also nice that they put the nutrition value of all the food on the menu so that you can make informed choices.”
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As for Li, to power his workouts when he’s training for Ironman Triathalon races, he likes the “real toast” they serve at one of the couple’s favourite holiday destinations, Como Point Yamu in Phuket: “It’s a dehydrated nut, seed and vegetable bread with avocado, cucumber and tomato salad. It’s pure goodness that fuels you have a hard VO2 Max workout – and gets you ready for the afternoon cardio!”
3. Olive Wong: Nanzenji Harada

Olive Wong, the founder of I Never Use Foundation Breakfast Club, loves Nanzenji Harada (南禅寺 Harada) in Kyoto, which, according to Wong, is “an intimate restaurant serving only one group a day, personally prepared by Harada-san. He doesn’t like to be called ‘chef’ since it’s too uptight”.
What makes the spot so special is that this dining experience is created “without using a single drop of seasoning – so literally no salt, no soy sauce, no miso, no mirin, nothing”, she says. “Every single dish is seasoned only by dashi, traditional Japanese stock soaked in kelp or kombu, and thin tuna shavings or bonito.
Dashi is known to be an excellent source of iodine and vitamin K, for thyroid and bone health. Kelp is also a powerful antioxidant that helps with anti-ageing and reducing inflammation of the skin and body.
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“He makes it interesting by experimenting with various kinds of kelp and soaking times to create different layers of umami flavours for all the dishes,” Wong adds. “He soaks and prepares his dashi every morning, and picks the vegetables from his home farm for the dinner of the day.”
4. Michelle Lai: Barbounaki Kolonaki

A seasoned entrepreneur as well as a domestic goddess, Michelle Lai used to be known as the founder of Mischa handbags, but now wears hats as a management consultant and the main mind behind All Great Minds, a wellness and hypnotherapy outfit. She can whip up a healthy Chinese dinner in a hot minute at home, but also loves an Instagrammable hotspot on her European travels: one of her latest finds is Barbounaki Kolonaki in Athens.
“Tucked away on a sunny street corner in the neighbourhood of Kolonaki, it features a modern twist on the Greek staples and seafood dishes. The ingredients are super fresh and locally farmed or caught,” Lai said. “You can hit all your food groups, fill up on omega 3s, antioxidants and guilt-free natural orange wine. My must-orders: marinated anchovies, tarama (turns out real tarama isn’t supposed to be pink!), grilled red mullet and stuffed vine leaves.”
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5. Arnault Castel: Roganic Hong Kong and Rose Bakery in Paris

The founder of the new retail and brand consultancy Affinités believes that good health comes from good vibes: “When I decide to eat out, I usually want to treat myself. I need strong, good taste. Food needs to make me happy, and I am healthier when I am happy. Of course, it’s also important to know where the ingredients come from, and whether they come from local sources too, preferably.
“That’s why my healthy choice is Roganic Hong Kong, or its sister restaurant, The Baker and the Bottleman. When I’m in Paris, I recommend Rose Bakery – there’s only one location, but they also recently opened several tea rooms in some of my favourite museums there. Feeds your soul, and your tummy at the same time.”
6. Brenda Leung: Sanchon in Seoul

The owner of Zeva Hair Spa, Brenda Leung recently opened at Yun Wellness at the Island Shangri-La. Leung launched her business after beating breast cancer in 2014, so health is of paramount importance to her – even while travelling, when most people forget about their diets. “In the quest for a wholesome and planet friendly dining experience, I have always tried to seek out vegetarian restaurants whenever I dine out,” she adds.
“Sanchon in Seoul is a hidden gem that offers an exceptional vegetarian dining experience. They’re committed to using only natural ingredients and eschewing cultivated or synthetic meat. The menu is a testament to the culinary creativity and skills of the chefs – to make traditional Korean dishes using only plant-based ingredients. It was a refreshing and guilt-free indulgence that left me feeling nourished and satisfied!”
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7. Emma Maclean: Fresca

The founder and creative director EM Bespoke has worked on hospitality, restaurant and spa projects for hotels and private clubs, putting her interior-design thumbprint on The Fullerton Hotel Ocean Park and Xiao Ting restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel Macau Cotai Strip. Running her boutique practice means many a grab-and-go lunch, and the spot of which she never tires is Fresca, the vegan salad shop she loves so much, she’s been known to go there twice in a day when working late on projects.
“I get the small salad box: half brown rice, half mixed salad – with this bean curd side, and roasted vegetables, maybe a Korean curry on top. On the side, you can have infused teas with strawberries or ginger, or a passionfruit smoothie. My all-time favourite is the gluten-free pancake with banana and peanut butter, it’s delicious.”


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Food and Drinks

Where to eat healthy while travelling the globe: 7 Hong Kong wellness influencers’ restaurant recommendations for your bucket list, from London’s Daylesford Organic to plant-based Sanchon in Seoul

Alex Li and Jacqueline Au recommend their favourite healthy spots to eat out in London and Phuket. Photo: @aujackie/Instagram

Fashion power couple Alex Li and Jacqueline Au love London’s Daylesford Organic and Como Point Yamu in Phuket. Photo: Handout

I Never Use Foundation Breakfast Club founder Olive Wong recommends Nanzenji Harada, an intimate restaurant in Kyoto, Japan that uses no seasoning. Photo: Handout

Mischa handbags founder and All Great Minds main consultant Michelle Lai loves the olives, tamara and stuffed vine leaves at Barbounaki Kolonaki in Athens. Photo: Handout

Arnault Castel, who founded Affinités, recommends Roganic Hong Kong or The Baker and the Bottleman. Photo: Handout

Brenda Leung, who recently opened at Yun Wellness at the Island Shangri-La, calls Sanchon in Seoul a “hidden gem”. Photo: Handout

Emma Maclean of EM Bespoke turns to Fresca in Hong Kong for her grab-and-go lunch. Photo: Lydia Cheng

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Travel & Hotels

Olive Wong of the I Never Use Foundation Breakfast Club favours Nanzenji Harada, a Kyoto spot that uses zero seasoning – only dashi and bonito
Mischa founder Michelle Lai recommends Barbounaki Kolonaki in Athens, while Affinités’ Arnault Castel goes for Roganic Hong Kong and Rose Bakery in Paris


From Barbounaki Kolonaki in Athens to Roganic Hong Kong, eat healthy without compromising on flavour with this list of recommendations by 7 Hong Kong wellness and fashion figures
