Yes it was quite surprising for me to see those signs essentially kowtowing to the Chinese at the Melbourne airport just past immigration when I went there last month. And strangely after that, customs treat people like semi criminals by lining them up and setting the sniffdog on them, albeit a cute one. I had difficulty reconciling the two.

In terms of local food, I think both SIN and HKG have strong offerings that are must tries, although I'd say the hawker centers in the former offer a more affordable, authentic experience (avoid Newton that's always mentioned in tourism brochures as it's become a tourist trap).

As for fine dining/celebrity chef restaurants, some can be found in both cities but it depends on whether you like the kind of food being offered. Some try too hard in my opinion.