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Thursday, 10 March 2016

10 Delicious Food You must try in Hong Kong

Here are some of the recommendations


1. Dim Sum

Dim sum are traditional chinese snacks or refreshment.
I consider this a must eat whenever I am in Hong kong. This is suited for the whole family as there are steamed and fried items, savory and sweet items. There is something for everybody. And the Dim Sum is better quality than most Singapore resturants

There are available at all sort of price to suit different budget and preferences



Tim Ho Wan. The cheapest Michelin restaurant, most people will visit it as it is also wallet friendly.
Lin Heung Tea House, which is in a more traditional settings. You may have to share tables, and you see Hongkongers reading the papers and enjoying their breakfast or tea. The dim sum are serve in trolleys and it gets a bit challenging to order as the staff speaks cantonese and are really fast in showing or explaining to you about the items
For more on Lin Heung Tea house,




Luk Yu Teahouse 陸羽茶室, the oldest tea house in Hongkong. It is also a traditional dim sum place with pushcarts. Compare to Lin Heung Tea House, the food are more expensive but you can a quieter and organised environment. There is no sharing of table. 
地址:香港島中環士丹利街24-26號
交通:中環站D2出口


2. Mango Desserts


There are  a lot of shops selling mango desserts in Hongkong and several of them opened branches in Singapore. For example, Lucky Dessert and Honeymoon Desserts. I feel that they just taste better in Hong Kong.
The reason of its popularity is its generous servings of mango and also the mango are sweet and not sour.  The Durian desserts are also quite popular.

Lucky Desserts
Great place to eat after shopping at Mongkok.

許留山Hui Lau Shan
Lots of branches especially at Mongkok .
One of the most famous branch.
Best for summer, a refreshing mango drink on the go


Cong Sao Dessert 聰嫂私房甜品
My latest finding. This place is quite small and cramped. Expect to queue and share tables.
To me, the desserts are on par or better than the Xu Liu Xiang. The mango ice has a strong mango flavour, must try for mango lover. The durian pancakes was creamy and delicious.
I will definitely visit this place again. 
11 Yiu Wa St Causeway Bay
Walking distance from Times Square at Causeway Bay MTR
Hours: 1230pm to 12am.


3. Wanton Noodles


The differences between Singapore and Hongkong WAnton Noodles.
 Wanton is Hongkong wanton are big and filled with prawns and meat, Singapore one is small and compact with pork only.
Hongkong Noodles are not more chewy and tougher.
More efforts are put into the soup base for Hongkong Wanton Noodles as it is usually eaten with soup.
Singapore Wanton Noodles have Char Siew (pork slices) and vegetables, Hongkong ones only have Wanton and spring onions.

My vote definitely goes to Hongkong WAnton Noodles, even though is pricey than Singapore Hawker Version. I like the fat juicy Wanton with the springy and chewy noodles. 

A Must try.






4. Milk Tea/ Yuen Yang/Toast ( Food at Cha Chan Ting)


Cha Chan Ting is the Hongkong Traditional cafe. For cafe hoppers, you can try Cha Chan Ting hopping. There are some Cha Chan Ting with very nice interiors.
Different Cha Chan Ting are famous for different food items.  
The famous food at Cha Chan Ting includes their milk tea, Yuen Yang (coffee+ milk tea), egg tarts, polo buns. Not one Cha Chan Ting serves everything so you do have to make a few visits to different places to enjoy all the delicious foods.

For example, Lan Fong Yuen for their milk tea but their food taste great too which is one of my favourite. 
KAh Wah Cafe for their polo baos which is my sister's favourite.
NOte: you may have to share tables at Cha Chan Ting and their menu seems a bit confusing at times.
Ding Ding mian means instant noodles. 
Yuen Yang (coffee+ milk tea)





The Famous Lan Fong Yuen










5. Desserts (High tea)


Hongkong has a wonderful selection of Hotels providing high tea. After the Cha Chan Ting hopping, go for some small and delectable desserts.
I have not been to a lot of high tea in HongKong due to time constraints, but if you try googling. There are so recommendations of interesting and delicious hight tea in Hongkong. Sometimes they work together with brands like cath kidson or laudrees to create an more interesting concept and yummy food.



6. Porridge


Hongkong is famous for their porridge too. Their porridge are thicker, full of flavour and lots of ingredients. It taste more like the Sin Heng Kee porridge and Hugange.



The photo does not do justice to the porridge and the ingredients (pork) is really a lot.

7. Street Food

  Hongkong has its own unique version of street food.
The most famous or infamous will the stinky tofu. You can smell the distinctive smell even when you are steps away. Try it if you dare. I tried but it is not something to my liking
The one that kids will love will be the egg waffle or ji dan zan, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. It is sweet and fragrant.
The other famous street food includes the curry fishball and the fried intestine. There are stalls selling them around Hongkong. You can find most of them at Mongkok..
The grilled squid is something I don't see around Hongkong but the one at Mongkok taste real good.Worth trying.



8. Roast Duck, Roast Pigeon, Roast Goose, Roast Pork and Soup

 Hongkong is also famous for their roast delicacies. Definitely must try unless you are very health conscious, then just have the soup. I love the roast delicacies, I usually don't take too fatty roast pork as it has a weird taste but the roast pork here just taste too good to resist.
There are many shops selling the roast food items. The most famous is the Yung Kee at Lan kwai Fong, which is slightly pricier. I havebeen there, did not leave an impression.
There are a lot of shops in Hongkong selling at a reasonable price.


My favourite is Keung  Kee as they also serve delicious soups. The photo below is the hk$64 set meal, ordered 3 sets but is enough for 4 person.



9. Claypot Rice

Hongkong is famous for their claypot. The most famous one I know about is Hing Kee the temple street, it is moe like eating on the street.. The trick to eating claypot rice is to wait for no one, just add the sauce and stir. Don't add too much as the taste is irreversible  and if you wait too long to stir, the sides will be very burnt.


10. Pastries/bread/cakes

Hongkong great bakeries too. The most famous will be for their Lao Po Bin and Po lo Bao.
However, that is not the only thing that is nice.
I like Maxim chiffon cake, a soft but not heavy texture.
Their cakes are pretty and delicious too, bought one random and not very expensive cake for a birthday celebration. Everyone enjoy the cake. 
Some random bakery at Sham shui Po
A cool and modern cafe which sells breads and cakes. 
Traditional pastries.

Other than Lao Po Bin, they do have other pastries at the local bakeries.





If you are in Hongkong for a stopover and you can only eat at one place, I will recommend Sweet Dynasty.
There serve Dim sum, porridge, Wanton Noodles, desserts.
The standard may not be as good as places specializing in each of the food but is above average and you get to try almost everything. 










There are still a  lot of interesting food to try in Hong Kong, their milk desserts or their Bi Feng Tang crabs. The 10 items are just some of the delicious food that I will try to have every time I visit Hongkong. I may not go to the same shop for the food every time as I do want to try something new and explore new food. Even the Macdonalds, yoshinoya and KFC serve different food items that is worth trying.
Hong Kong is a food heaven, it is very difficult not to bring back extra weight.
Hope this help in planning a faboulous food trip in Hong King.






Tuesday, 23 February 2016

Hongkong free and easy : Lamma Island


How to get there:
Took a train to Central and walk to the ferry terminal.
Take the ferry from Central Pier 4
The frequency of the ferry is between 20 minutes to 40 minutes
The fare is hk$17.10  for adults and hk$8.60 for children and senior citizens from Monday to Saturday.

The fare is hk$23.70  for adults and hk$11.90 for children and senior citizens on Sunday.
Better to go on weekdays as it is less crowded and cheaper. 


The map at the merry terminal. The ferry will bring you to Yung Shue Wan


Reach Lamma Isalnd. Weather was a bit dull that day, but the good thing is that the weather is very cooling and not sunny. 

We turn right as there is the direction where everyone is going.
That is the side with more attractions and eateries.

 You can grabsome local produces and maybe some fruits to eat along the way





We went into a Cha Chan Ting that was quite crowded. I think it is a safer bet. The restaurant is famous for red bean dessert drink and the rice with fried fish and bean curd skin. This is the first time I seen this kind of rice set on a menu, the food was quite delicious. My mum ordered fried noodles, Singapore style, which means with fried noodles with curry powder. The red bean dessert drink is a must for anyone who love red beans, look at the amount of red bean. 

If you are into cafe hopping, there are also a few cafes for you to choose from.




There is a lot of eateries at Lamma Island, not just seafood restaurants. If you are worried about being overcharged at seafood restaurants or you are allegeric to seafood. There are a few cha chan ting and cafes, even shops selling pastry. Don't have to bring much food but do bring water. However, do control your water intake as toilets are not all over the place









Good Place for the ootd or for instagram








We walked from from Yung Shue Wan ferry Terminal to Sok Kwu Wan Ferry TERminal. and took the ferry back from Sok Kwu Wan Ferry termainal.
We skipped the Lamma Power station because it seems too far and the slope looks steep. 
The walk or trek has ups and downs (slopes). Wear good walking shoes as it takes around 4-5 hours from Yung Shue Wan ferry Terminal to Sok Kwu Wan Ferry TERminal.


Time table for ferry from Sok Kwu Wan to Central


Some one decide to set up a stall at a junction selling batik shirts. Hope his business is good. 

There are starfruit trees, banana trees around the island. Great place for city kids who does not have a chance to get close to nature.







There pit stops along the way. That was toilet and sell some light refreshment. This was somewhere before Hung Shing Yeh Beach. I think they are famous for their soya bean curd.  I only tried the grilled sweet corn. They used pearl corns,  the corns are a mixture of white and yellow. This type of corns is sweeter and more expensive.


View from the pavilion



 The rafts


Some tips:
Try to go early if possible and finish the walk around early afternoon before it gets hot and sunny.
Apply sunblock and also bring a cap and sunglasses if possible.
Check the weather before you travel if there is forecast of heavy rains, will need to postpone the trip.
If you someone who may get seasick and will vomit out your breakfast, you can grab a heavy brunch here before setting off for the walk. Then eat some snacks along the way. I don't see as much eateries at Sok Kwu Wan. And after the trek, can head back to Central for a early dinner.
Bring water but do not overdrink. I only know toilets are available at the beach and near the ferry terminal.
Good walking shoes are a must.
If you intend to hang around the beach till evening, then bring extra attires
There are quite a number of slopes, not for elderly who can walk long distances. There is no turning back so once you set them on the track, they have to keep walking. That is the case for my dad. He have to force himself to continue walking because we are somewhere along the middle when he felt like giving up. It is around 7km. We do not mean to torture him, we did not know there was so much slopes. He did receive a lot of support and love.





Sunday, 14 February 2016

Hongkong free and easy : What I ate

This time round, my food journey is different as my brother who goes to Hongkong to work at times is the suggestion places to eat.


Big signboard. Quite easy to spot



The famous Tim Ho Wan. 添好運The cheapest Michelin restaurant.

We went to branch at Sham Shui Po. 
We went around 2pm. There was no queue at all. We had to wait for around 5 minutes as we had to wait for a big table to accommodate all of us. We spend hk$437 for 7 hungry people. The food was good and reasonably priced. I believe the reason why some people are disappointed is because they have really high expectations or very good tastebuds. We had it around 2pm, a very late lunch. We were hungry and our judgement may not be perfect. We enjoyed the meal, no queue, price was reasonable. I definitely don't mind making a trip again if there is no long queue and on the way.


G/F, 9-11 Fuk Wing Street, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon
Nearest MTR station: Tsuen Wan Line, Sham Shui Po, Exit B2 ( 10 minutes walk)
Opening hours: 8:00 am-9:30 pm daily





Cong Sao Dessert 聰嫂私房甜品

Everyone loves dessert. My 7 year old niece's eyes light up everytime I mention desserts. My brother recommended this place. This place is quite small and cramped. Expect to queue and share tables.
The desserts are better than the Xu Liu Xiang. The mango ice has a strong mango flavour, must try for mango lover. The durian pancakes was creamy and delicious.
I will definitely visit this place again. 

11 Yiu Wa St Causeway Bay
Walking distance from Times Square at Causeway Bay MTR
Hours: 1230pm to 12am.



何洪記粥麵專家 ho hung kee congee&noodle

Another Michelin starred resturant
The differences between Hongkong Wanton noodles and Singapore
1. There is no Char Siew 
2. They prefer they noodles slightly harder and more chewy
3. Their wanton are bigger and there is big proportion of prawns inside.
For those who love small wanton and Mee pok, this may not be the must try for Hongkong trip.
I love big and juicy wanton and chewy noodles, so Wanton noodles are a must eat for my trips.
I can't really tell the differences of this from the other famous Hongkong Wanton noodles except that it is just as good. There was not queue when I went there around 9pm. We had to wait for 5 to 10 minutes for a big table to accomodate 7 people. 
A small bowl of Wanton noodles cost HK$38 and a big bowl is HK$54.
 I will not make a special trip to eat this again. If it is on the way, I may have this again.


Hysan Place, 500 Hennessy Rd, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

MTR station : Causeway bay







Disneyland food. Average.



海皇粥店 ( Hai Wang Zhou Dian) 
Was looking for a place for supper after a long day at disneyland. Famous Porridge place near Yau Ma Tei near my Hotel.
I just can't find the photo of the porridge.
A decent Porridge place, nothing bad. Nothing special, nothing bad.

They have a lot of branches so is quite convenient. They sell other food, not just porridge. A good place for breakfast if you prefer porridge and noodles for breakfast.

生記粥麵 

This little eatery is just opposite the hotel I was staying in ( Cityview Hongkong). My parents discover this place by accident.
This place is actually quite famous for their porridge. (google results).  The porridge is a bit salty to me. The serving of the porridge is quite big. One bowl of porridge plus a side dish will be  will be just nice for 2 person. The porridge is smooth and silky. They are very generous with their ingredients ( for my case is the pork and century egg), is definitely value of money.


Yau Ma Tei MTR
Exit A2. walk straight and then turn right. ( not a need to cross any road)
Hours: 11am to 10pm




HuiI Lau Shan aka Xu Liu Xiang


The famous HuiI Lau Shan aka Xu Liu Xiang. A good place for desserts.They are famous for their mango desserts. Definitely worth a try especially during summer. However, this is slightly pricey. The cost of drink is around hk$30, but they use fresh fruit so we can just persuade ourselves that we are being healthy

Lots of outlets especially at Mongkok








金記冰室 (Kam Kee Cafe)


We wanted to eat claypot rice nearby but it was closed. We loiter around Sai Wan 西環 and found this little cafe or cha can ting. For those who like cafe hopping or maybe to take photos. This place is very  instagrammable as the menu, cups and interior are quite interesting. The food did not leave an impression or maybe we have no idea what to order and some of things are not available as it was tea time. Good for cafe hopper and instagram lovers. After doing some research at open rice, i realise I really order the wrong food, not the highlight of the restaurant. Will make another trip there to try out the delicious food recommended by the other reviewers the next time.

香港西營盤德輔道西213號地下


MTR Sai Ying Pun Exit B2
Mon-Sun: 
7:30 am - 9:30 pm 





风味园 (風味園)


One of the main reason we choose this place is it is hard to find a place to have dinner at 9pm and we wanted to eat claypot rice. If you are looking a place to have a very late dinner or supper at Mongkok, this is not a bad place to go. I forgot the price of the food, but is quite reasonable.
We ordered some claypot rice as shown and a plate of vegetables. The claypot rice was fragrant, not as oily as the one at temple street. The serving is quite generous, even for the proportionate of meat. 
I will prefer this and not the one at Temple street. Slightly drier but suit my tastebuds more.


旺角通菜街110號
MOngkok MTR: D1
11:00am-03:00am
110 Tung Choi St, Mong Kok, Hong Kong



Hongkong Street food. 

This little shop at the edge of Mongkok, near to watsons.
They have the famous curry fishballs and the internal organs. I am a fan of neither.
They sell something not found at other stalls,  grilled squid and fried squid. Although it is a bit salty, the squid is delicious. I ate it two nights in a row. All squid lovers should try this. 



Paper Stone Bakery

We passed this nice little Bakery at Sheung Wan. Too bad, we did not have time to try the cake. They look so good. Can give it a try if happen to pass by it. They have a cafe setting, they are seats for you to enjoy the pastries and cakes.
Hongkong cakes seems to be of better quality than Singapore. We bought a simple cake at the bakery store at the MTR station for my dad birthday. Everyone,  the young, the old, picky eater all enjoy the cake.

Shop 4-5, G/F, FWD Financial Centre, 308 Des Voeux Road, Sheung Wan
上環德輔道中308號富衛金融中心地下4及5號舖
MTR: Sheung WAn Exit B
Mon-Sat: 07:30-20:30
Sun & PHs: 09:00-19:00


強記飯店 Keung Kee Meat shop


For the last day of my trip, we wanted to eat roasted meat. We went back to Keung Kee Meat Shop as it was nearby and I love the food there.