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 102 times at 16 cinemas across 12 districts, from HK$60 to HK$125 depending on cinema and time. The cheapest seat is at B+ cinema MOKO (Mong Kok East) in Mong Kok, 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
102 screenings at 16 cinemas over the next week, from HK$60.
| Cinema | District | Formats | Screenings | Next | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PREMIERE ELEMENTS | Tsim Sha Tsui | — | 13 | Sat 13:45 | HK$60–110 cheapest |
| 黃竹坑 THE SOUTHSIDE | Wong Chuk Hang | — | 12 | Sat 09:20 | HK$70–120 |
| MONGKOK | Mong Kok | — | 10 | Sat 13:50 | HK$85–95 |
| 澳門葡京人 | — | — | 10 | Sat 21:40 | HK$125 |
| CINEMATHEQUE | Yau Ma Tei | — | 9 | Sat 11:50 | HK$60–95 |
| MOViE MOViE Cityplaza (Taikoo Shing) | Taikoo Shing | — | 8 | Sat 13:55 | HK$60–100 |
| 大圍圍方 | Tai Wai | — | 7 | Sat 12:55 | HK$70–120 |
| 將軍澳康城 | Tseung Kwan O | — | 7 | Sat 10:50 | HK$60–110 |
| 荃灣荃新天地 | Tsuen Wan | — | 6 | Sat 17:40 | HK$95–110 |
| B+ cinema apm (Kwun Tong) | Kwun Tong | — | 4 | Sat 13:05 | HK$100 |
| B+ cinema MOKO (Mong Kok East) | Mong Kok | — | 4 | Sat 09:45 | HK$60–105 |
| MY CINEMA YOHO MALL | Yuen Long | — | 4 | Sat 09:35 | HK$60–100 |
| TSUEN WAN | Tsuen Wan | — | 3 | Mon 18:00 | HK$85–95 |
| GALA CINEMA (Langham Place) | Mong Kok | — | 2 | Sat 11:45 | HK$60–110 |
| KWAI FONG | Kwai Fong | — | 2 | Sat 14:35 | HK$95 |
| PALACE ifc | Central | — | 1 | Sat 10:00 | HK$85 |
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.
