As Australia’s Neil Perry strides down the busy streets of Hong Kong’s Wan Chai district for the first time in six years, there’s a sense of nostalgia. This was the first city in Asia he ever visited, more than three decades ago, aged 34, two years after he opened Rockpool.

This time, he’s slightly more conspicuous, thanks to a scrum of Australian journalists trying to keep pace as he bounces from stall to stall in the bustling wet food markets along Cross Street and Wan Chai Road, pointing out the many varieties of fresh vegetables, meats and fish that have inspired so many of his dishes over the years.