There is so much good food in Hong Kong that you become spoilt for choice. Seriously, I could just simply eat all day from one place to another and do nothing else. Here are just some of the 大排檔 (roadside stalls) that we tried when we were there.
Temple Street (廟街), once notorious for its prostitution and triad activities, is now a tourist haven for dining and bargain hunting. The food was so inviting, we just had to sit down and try it. To find a seat during dinner time was not easy. The place was packed and we had to wait quite a while to get a table. Then we had to wait like almost an hour before we got our food.
But the beer was cheap and we had a couple of bottles while waiting. Also the braised goose meat and innards was not too bad. The claypot rice was not so good, probably because of the large number of orders, the rice was not properly cooked. The popular spicy crab was quite good, but I still like the black pepper version in Singapore better.
After dinner we had dessert at another nearby stall. The black sesame cream (芝麻湖) and the sweet beancurd (豆腐花) was very good. Nothing beats a piping hot dessert on a cold night.
Hidden somewhere in Central Hong Kong, at the junction of Lynhurst Terrace (擺花街) and Gage Street (結志街) is a small roadside cafe called Lan Fong Yuen that serves the tradition "silk stocking" milk tea (絲襪奶茶). This famous little stall has been patronized by many famous personalities and celebrities including Chow Yun Fatt, the Wynners, Huang Pin Yuan and DJ Ah So.
True to form, the milk tea here was smooth and creamy. And although the method for making the tea is the same as in the coffeeshops in Singapore, using a cloth sock to strain and filter the red tea, the texture and fragrance is so different.
Another hidden gem that we found, was within the maze of streets in the Tsim Sha Tsui area. In a side street named Hau Fook Street (厚福街), off Carnarvon Road (加拿芬道), is another small eatery that serves the most delicious glutinous rice roll (粢飯).
Wrapped inside the glutinous rice is a simple combination of preserved vegetable, fried meat and crispy deep fried dough. However, the combined taste was truly excellent. Every bite is a mouthful mixture of soft and chewy and crispy treasure trove of taste and texture. So difficult to describe but such a delight to savour. And you can wash it down with either the sweet beancurd soup or the salty version. I prefer the sweet version.
Other common and popular fare include the meatball noodles, wanton noodles, fishball noodles and beef tribe noodles, which can be easily found everywhere. There are some good ones and some not so good ones. We tried several different stalls, and most are mediocre only. The dish that usually stood out was the oyster sauce vegetables. The green vegetables are so fresh and cooked just right. It is a joy to bite into them.
A somewhat different dish that we do not usually get to eat is the braised pig trotters noodle (南乳豬手麵). The trotters were cooked till tender and the fermented bean curd added to the taste.
In North Point (北角) we found such a wonderful little eatery that I am certain I will go back there every time I visit Hong Kong in the future. Just round the corner on Electric Road (電氣道) at the end nearer to Victoria Park, there are 2 shops, both famous for their clear soup beef noodles. Both are popular with the locals and highly recommended. The one we tried was 華姐清湯腩. The shop just next to it is 大利清湯腩, which I will certainly try the next time.
I must say that the soup here is excellent. I have never had such delicious clear beef soup before. And the beef tribes, beef tendons and beef brisket are tender and tasty, by far the best I have eaten. If you are a lover of beef noodles, I strongly recommend this.
Just across the road from 華姐清湯腩, there is a stall selling fresh fruits. Just look how beautiful and inviting the fruits are. And they are so sweet. We bought a variety including the cherries and one that looks like a ripen dragon fruit, yellow in colour. So sweet and juicy. Simply loved them.
I hope that now you understand why I love going to Hong Kong. There is just so much to explore and discover, in terms of food I mean. And I am never disappointed.
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