Marco Antonio Li Voti from Sabatini Italian restaurant talks about his preferred spots for Cantonese and Korean cuisine, as well as hotpot and post-work snacks.

Marco Antonio Li Voti serves as the head chef at the IFC Mall location of Sabatini Ristorante. He was interviewed by Andrew Sun.

I was raised tasting various types of cuisine. Since my mom has roots in Lebanon and Africa, and my dad is from Italy, our meals at home were diverse throughout my childhood.

This allowed me to develop an appreciation for various types of food from a young age, hence keeping my mindset open. It’s fascinating to observe links back to my roots and traditional dishes.

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However, I have adored pizza ever since my childhood days, having it nearly daily after school. To us in Italy, this is considered
merenda
During mealtime, or before dinner, I would visit my dad’s pizzeria after hitting the books.

Now my favourite lunch place is

Authentic Hilton Lamma Fishing Restaurant

(Lot 584, Sok Kwu Wan, Lamma Island. Tel: 2982 8220).

I always order the steamed scallop with vermicelli noodles and garlic, the typhoon shelter prawn and the fried pepper squid – and a grouper from the fish tank.

For dinner, I really like

Goshaku

(6/F, 1 Knutsford Terrace, Tsim Sha Tsui. Tel: 2687 6565). The restaurant offers a great variety of
sake
, very nice sashimi and yakitori, and the service is always excellent.

Another great choice for dinner is

Dong Lai Shun

(B2, The Royal Garden, 69 Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui. Tel: 2733 2020). It offers an exceptional blend of tradition and innovation.

It is renowned for authentic Inner Mongolian black-headed mutton hotpot. It’s a rich, flavourful experience. The broth complements the high-quality mutton.

I also like

Arirang

(3/F, W Square, 314-324 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai. Tel: 2506 3298) because I’m a very big fan of spicy food and the texture of its tteokbokki (rice cakes). The meat for the barbecue is also of very good quality.

For brunch, I’m good with a good panino al Lampredotto at

Florence Trippa

(39-41 Caine Road, Mid-Levels. Tel: 9662 0301) from my friend Claudio Conforti.

But the best late-night snack will always be either the
focaccia alla mortadella
or smoked olives at

Bar Leone

(11-15 Bridges Street, Central), the truffle macaroni and cheese here is a must-try.

The


Diplomat

(LG/F, H Code, 45 Pottinger Street, Central. Tel: 3619 0302) or grilled skewers at

Hidden

(Room D, 3/F, Prosperous Commercial Building, 54 Jardine’s Bazaar, Causeway Bay. Tel: 2504 1511).

I always take visitors to my favourite
dai pai dong
open-air food stall

Oi Man Sang

(Shop B-C, 1 Shek Kip Mei Street, Sham Shui Po. Tel: 2393 9315) and find yourself ordering more due to how tasty everything is. You get a chance to savor
the fire of the wok
.

Among my favourites is the black pepper beef tenderloin with potato and the black pepper pork knuckle, with a good side dish of stir fried
tung choy
(morning glory) with garlic.

My idea of a celebration meal would be going to

Dim Sum Square Kitchen

(LG/F, Tern Centre Tower 2, 78 Jervois Street, Sheung Wan. Tel: 3521 0868)

I enjoy visiting Japan, particularly Tokyo, because the culinary landscape and how chefs handle ingredients closely mirror the Italian approach, emphasizing tradition and high-quality produce.

However, there’s also innovation present. For instance,

Sezanne

(7F, Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo, 1-11-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo. Tel: +81 3 5222 5810). Each time I visit Tokyo, I make sure to stop by to witness chef Daniel Calvert’s progression and his path after departing from Hong Kong.

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