The food scene in Hong Kong reflects how international the city itself is – you can find everything here. Mainly influenced by Cantonese cuisine, Hong Kong food also has a great deal of other Asian and Western influences. Some of my favorite food here can be grouped into two categories: dim sum and desserts.
Dim Sum
While I have had dim sum on a regularly basis in North America at some very authentic restaurants, I still think the dim sum in Hong Kong is unbeatable. Not only are the classic dishes better, each restaurant has their own special offerings. Plus you get the crowded and loud atmosphere that dim sum is known for.
DimDimSum
Dim Dim Sum was a place in Mongkok (thanks Susan, Mandy and Christy!) that we went to for dinner – I’ve never had dim sum for dinner! Their specialty is a honeycomb cake – the inside of the cake is shaped like honeycombs and the cake tastes sweet and a bit sticky like honey. They also had really cute piggy-faced custard buns. Unfortunately I did not take many pictures of the food there (which I really regret; it was the first day), but we did snap a shot of the piggys with our phone:
Tim Ho Wan
Tim Ho Wan is the world’s cheapest Michelin-star restaurant. The wait was over an hour, but worth it. All of the classic dim sum dishes were delicious – I think it tasted better than your average dim sum restaurant, but maybe it was all in my head (or I was really starving after waiting for more than an hour). Their signature dish is a variance on the bbq pork bun – Baked Bun with BBQ Pork – the bun itself is nicely baked and crusty. I made up for not taking pictures at DimDimSum by taking lots of pictures at Tim Ho Wan – here are a few:
Desserts
The desserts I love in Hong Kong are a tad different than the ones I’m used to at home. They are more fruity and healthy in general (or so they seem), and not so sweet.
Hui Lau Shan
This is my favorite dessert store in Hong Kong since the first time I visited four years ago. They sell fruity drinks with actual small pieces of fruit along with jelly. Mangos are featured prominently in many of their desserts, though other fruits such as melons and berries are included as well. Not only is it a nice cold drink on a hot day, I feel great about ingesting real fruit at the same time.
Honeymoon Desserts
This was my first time trying Honeymoon Desserts (thanks Jannelyn!) and I would definitely go back! They offer 160+ styles of desserts in 300+ stores across Asia. Carlos and I each got a different dessert. I particularly liked the dragonfruit eyes in mine, while the green tea ice cream in his was yummy.
Chung Kee Desserts
Also my first time trying Chung Kee Desserts (thanks Vicky!). The mango shaved ice was definitely my favorite – I have had shaved ice before but forgot how good it was! Shaved ice is made of finely crushed ice with sweet flavoring. I think it tastes like ice cream without the cream. We also had fruit, tofu and sago drizzled in mango sauce.
I’m hoping I haven’t gained any weight amidst all the delicious food so far because 1) it’s only one week into the trip and 2) Taiwan is next and everyone pigs out there!