I've been to Hong Kong a couple of times, probably my most visited country to date, besides Singapore of course. It's a great place for a short trip for the nice cool weather between Dec - Jan period, easily accessible with a well-connected MTR line, taxis aplenty and clear road maps. If you live to eat, Hong Kong is famous for dim sum, roasted meat, breakfast sets and many more. Densely populated and a concrete jungle like Singapore, it's awesome if you love to shop at big malls with international brands and affordable fashion street wear like Forever 21 and H&M. Before H&M came to Singapore, I always go crazy upon stepping into H&M and can stay up to 3 hours inside. If you have no interest in shopping, you can take a walk along Victoria Harbour, enjoy the breeze and rows of brightly lit tall office buildings. It's a place not to be missed.
Since Hong Kong isn't something new to me, this trip was a relaxed one, mainly to visit less-travelled places, new places which I have not been to, and to check out the protest which was recently cleared up.
Shall organise this travel post into different interest segments with additional tourist attractions which I've been to in previous trips to make it convenient for those who are looking at things to do at Hong Kong.
TO EAT
Breakfast
Hongkongers love their milk tea with toasts, Bo Luo Buns （菠萝包） and egg tarts. If you prefer heavier breakfast, try their macaroni or maggie mee which usually come with ham or luncheon meat. Most Cha Can Teng （茶餐厅） will serve all these among their long list of menu.
Kam Wah Cafe
47 Bute Street, Hong Kong
Nearest MTR station: Prince Edward
Tried Kam Wah Cafe （金华茶餐厅）which was recommended online. They are famous for their pineapple buns/bo luo buns which are freshly baked every morning. These taste good with a slab of cold butter, but it isn't much different from other buns which I've tried, or even those at Crystal Jade's.
Other recommended items are the egg toast with butter and egg tarts. The former is yums when eaten hot but is drenched in oil and I am no fan of flaky crust egg tarts, so it's a no for me too.
Australian Dairy Company
47 Parkes Street
Nearest MTR Station: Jordan Station
*Closed on Thursday
This is widely raved online and is famous for their steamed milk custard and scramble eggs. I rushed all the way here during the last few hours before I flew off during my last trip, just to get a taste of the steamed milk custard which everyone has nothing but praises for, but I was disappointed. Perhaps I'm not a fan of milky stuff, I actually didn't like it at all. D tried it this time and love it though.
A pity I didn't have apetite that day, we only had a scramble egg toast each on top of D's milk custard and a milk tea each. D love his iced milk tea without sugar, I added 1-2 teaspoon for some sweetness.
There were queues both times I went, but not to worry the queue moves rather quickly and food was served fast as well.
Lunch and Dinner
Yung Kee
32 Wellington Street
Nearest MTR station: Central Station
Recommended by my dad during my last trip, I am back for the Michelin-starred restaurant's famous roast goose at Yung Kee Restaurant!
Since D is a big eater, or so he says, we decided to order more than just roast goose.
Another of their specialty, century egg, which is unassumingly delicious!
Yummy, juicy and succulent Deep Fried Prawns with Mini Crab Roe. Comes with a rather exorbitant price tag but worth a try if you go in a group and has extra stomach space.
The legendary roast goose! I think this win hands down partly because of the specialty sauce which is poured over perfectly roasted goose. Crispy and melt-in-your-mouth skin, tender meat and flavourful plum sauce are my 3 main criteria for a good plate of roast goose and this is perfect!
I'm satisfied with just a place of roast goose meat and a bowl of noodles.
D insisted that he is hungry he can have another cow, so here's some beef tendon with boiled vegetables in a light broth.
Yat Lok Restaurant
34-38 Stanley Street
Nearest MTR Station: Central Station
For those who prefer a more pocket-friendly alternative to Yung Kee, you can head down to the next street for roast goose at Yat Lok.
A small cha can teng, it is filled with tourists and locals alike. Food was served swiftly and comes with a drumstick! Similar to Yung Kee, it meets all my 3 criteria of a good plate of roast goose. The only downside was that it was not served hot.
The way I like it, roast meat, boiled veg in oyster sauce and a hot bowl of noodles!
Fairwood Fastfood Chain
Fairwood is one of the largest fastfood chain in Hong Kong, so we decided to give it a try while we were in Shen Zhen. My verdict? I prefer food served by small, squeezy cha can teng as compared to fast-food style roast meat.
I can't believe I forgot to take down the name of this shop, I guess we were too hungry to do that. Oh wells. We were at Mongkok intending to dine at Tim Ho Wan, only to realised the outlet is no longer there! Went to Putien but there was a long queue so we landed up here.
Beef brisket noodles. again. Cos D is 'halal'.
D's favourite custard egg buns (流沙包）which was awesome when eaten hot, and my favourite har gao.
This was amazingly good! Chee cheong fan wrapped with crispy fried dough and prawns, drizzled with light soy sauce.
Sha Tin 18, Hyatt Regency Hotel
18 Chak Cheung Street, Sha Tin, New Territories
Nearest MTR Station: University Station
D's recommendation for good food, all the way at New Territories.
Enjoying his tea and scenery.
Braised scallop soup with pumpkin and cinnamon.
I never really had a liking for pumpkin, but this is delicious! A light paste soup with chucks of scallops. Creamy yet light on the palate and the cinnamon powder adds an extra flavour to it.
Braised beancurd, bamboo piths and dried shrimp roe.
Was a little skeptical when D ordered this bamboo dish, but loved it with first bite! I've eaten bamboo dishes elsewhere but didn't like it. This was different - tasted like sea cucumber. Beancurd was cooked nicely with fresh vegetables.
Their specialty Roast Pigeon.
Just like a skinny chicken, it was nicely roasted with crispy skin and a little salted to taste. The additional plate of salt was unnecessary as it was good on its own.
Wolfberries, osmanthus flower jelly.
One of my favourite chinese dessert, always help to end off a meal with this refreshing jelly. Instead of full wolfberries, they were made into a puree topped above. Heavenly!
Besides all these, another widely recommended dish is the Peking duck. Would love to try that if I get to visit here again the next time!
Hui Lau Shan
Franchised chain stores
My must-haves everytime I visit Hong Kong, all I craved are the chewy balls which are so Q I can never have enough! This is topped with generously serving of mango, their main ingredient and other refreshing fruits.
Here are some other food outlets worth trying while in Hong Kong:
- Tsui Wah Eatery 翠華餐廳
Multiple branches, do check out their website for the addresses: http://www.tsuiwah.com/en/business/restaurant/branches/#menu_hk
Typical cha can teng which is so popular that they have a few branches. For an affordable and safe choice of Hong Kong food, this is the place to go.
- Sweet Dynasty 糖朝
Shop A, Hong Kong Pacific Centre, 28 Hankow Road, Tsim Sha Tsu, Hong Kong
I love this place for it's typical Hong Kong food and dim sum, concept is similar to our Crystal Jade/Canton Paradise.
Do try their famous bean curd dessert which comes in a wooden tub!
- Cong Sao Star Dessert 聰嫂星級甜品/聪嫂私房甜品
G/F, 11 Yiu Wa Street, Causeway Bay
I have not tried this yet but heard raves about their desserts which explains the constant queue for these sweet treats.
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If you have any comments or recommendations on food in Hong Kong, do share!
And for those who are preparing a trip to Hong Kong, hope this post helps in your planning!
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