THE DATING MENU
廚師發辦
- Released
- 20 Aug 2026
- Runtime
- 102 min
- Certificate
- Category IIB
- Original title
- 廚師發辦
- Language
- cn
The verdict
There are not yet enough audience votes to give this a reliable score. It is playing 23 times at 9 cinemas across 7 districts, from HK$60 to HK$128 depending on cinema and time. The cheapest seat is at Emperor Cinemas Tseung Kwan O (The LOHAS) in Tseung Kwan O, HK$60. Category IIB · 102 minutes.
What it is about
While trying to keep his struggling business afloat, a chef goes on a dating app in search of Zelda, his crush from his chatroom days as a teenager. For each Zelda he meets, he makes a tailor-made meal to fit their story. Putting a spotlight on the city’s struggling restaurant sector, indie filmmaker Amos WHY and his co-director Frankie Chung’s unconventional and bittersweet road movie follows a rootless man who turns to his memories to avoid confronting his unknown future. Is it better to drift with uncertainty, or to stay in your comfort zone whilst tethered to a sinking ship?
What to expect
A chef on the brink of losing his restaurant scrolls a dating app looking for Zelda, a handle he remembers from a teenage chatroom. Each woman he meets gets a dish invented for her story — the meals are the movie’s real set-pieces, and the kitchens and backstreets between them sketch a Hong Kong hospitality sector that is barely hanging on. Amos Why and Frankie Chung co-direct, keeping the tone dry and unhurried; the lead drifts rather than chases, and the movie is more interested in what he avoids than what he finds. It will try the patience of anyone after a rom-com, but it earns its 102 minutes with anyone who likes a drama that sits in a mood and stays there. Cantonese with English and Chinese subtitles. Rated IIB. Opens 20 August across 16 cinemas and 12 districts, standard format only, tickets from HK$60.
Cast
-
Lo Chun-Yip
Hark Lam - Lo Chun Yip
-
Renci Yeung
-
Rachel Leung
-
Crystal Cheung Man-Ka
Single Mother - Crystal Cheung
-
Kearen Pang
-
Wong Yat-Ho
-
Gloria Yip Wan-Yee
- Chan Lok Tim
- Gladys Yuen Monkee
-
O Sing-Pui
Taxi Driver - Adam Wong
Crew
- Director Amos Why
- Director Frankie Wang-Kit Chung
- Director Amos Wong
- Director Frankie Chung
- Writer Amos Why
- Writer Frankie Wang-Kit Chung
- Writer Kong Yu-sing
- Director of Photography Leung Ming-kai
- Editor Lai Kwun-Tung
- Executive Producer Amos Why
- Executive Producer Chen Pao-ying
- Executive Producer Teresa Kwong Pui-Sin
Where to watch it
23 screenings at 9 cinemas over the next week, from HK$60.
| Cinema | District | Formats | Screenings | Next | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B+ cinema apm (Kwun Tong) | Kwun Tong | — | 3 | Fri 13:00 | HK$90 |
| B+ cinema MOKO (Mong Kok East) | Mong Kok | — | 3 | Fri 13:15 | HK$100 |
| Broadway Mongkok | Mong Kok | — | 3 | Fri 13:55 | HK$80 |
| GALA CINEMA (Langham Place) | Mong Kok | — | 3 | Fri 12:25 | HK$60–70 cheapest |
| MOViE MOViE Cityplaza (Taikoo Shing) | Taikoo Shing | — | 3 | Fri 19:00 | HK$100 |
| MY CINEMA YOHO MALL (Yuen Long) | Yuen Long | — | 3 | Fri 13:25 | HK$60–100 |
| Emperor Cinemas Tai Wai (The Wai) | Tai Wai | — | 2 | Sat 10:50 | HK$70 |
| PREMIERE ELEMENTS (Kowloon Station) | Tsim Sha Tsui | — | 2 | Fri 12:45 | HK$60–128 |
| Emperor Cinemas Tseung Kwan O (The LOHAS) | Tseung Kwan O | — | 1 | Fri 12:40 | HK$60 |
Prices and times are as published by the cinemas and can change. Cinema names link through to the full timetable and booking.
Common questions
- How long is the movie?
- 102 minutes.
- What is the certificate?
- IIB – not suitable for young persons.
- What language is it in, and are there subtitles?
- Cantonese, with English and Chinese subtitles.
- Is it playing in IMAX or special formats?
- No, standard format only.
