Hong Kong is a favorite destination of ours, mainly because it's less than 2 hours away from Manila, and the food is always good and there is always something to buy.
We normally go in June, taking advantage of the June 24, Manila Day and San Juan Day holidays, which means Sofia and I can both go on vacation, and the flights aren't that expensive because it's not a holiday for everyone. However, this year I decided to skip it because I had a trip to Vietnam in the same week, and I have decided I am no longer shopping/ buying more crap.
Fortunately or unfortunately, my future sister in law, asked if I was willing to go to Hong Kong with her to help her plan their wedding. Since PAL flights were quite cheap even for next week flights, and because we didn't go in June, we decided it was meant to be for us to go.
I learned 2 new things about Hong Kong.
1. It is totally possible to do nothing but eat for three days.
At the end of the third day, I felt so sick already, I thought I was coming down with the flu from fatigue and over-eating, if that is even possible.
Looking at the bright side, this means I was able to stick to intention not to shop, especially for overpriced cute looking junk (my weakness...).
2. It is difficult to find a catholic church to get married in, if you a foreigner who isn't a member of the local parish. (But that isn't my story to tell)
This is our three day Hong Kong Food Trip Itinerary.
More details to come in succeeding posts for my favorite places, so treat this as a HK trip guide/ general overview.
THE USUAL FAVORITES:
1. Ebeneezers
This is our Go To Place for our first meal when we arrive on the midnight flight because it has branches that close at 5am.
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| and they have the Best Lamb Biryani (with extra Green Sauce) EVER! |
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| The Lamb Masala was also good, but if you are only eating here once, stick with the Biryani! |
2. Delicious Kitchen
No trip to Hong Kong is complete without their Pork Rib (or Double Pork Rib) and Pechay Rice!
3. Din Tai Fung
Since I am already on the topic of truffle Xiao Long Bao... let's move on to the next category...
5. Yatlok Roast Goose - 1 Michelin Star 2015 and 2016
6. One DimSum - 1 Michelin Star 2013
7. Tim Ho Wan - 1 Michelin Star
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| Happy to see they have a branch in Tsim Sha Tsui, on Ashley Road. |
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| Reena's first time, and she liked it so much she brought some home for herself and my fat brother. |
3. Din Tai Fung
Comfort food in any country. Though the first time I ate at Din Tai Fung in Causeway Bay I thought the quality wasn't as good as Singapore or Taipei. Nice to know that the branch in Mira Mall is okay.
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| We ended up at DTF because of our DimSum Icon Fail. We wanted to try the Little Twin Star x Dimsum Icon but it seems they change their featured partner and we refused to eat hideous Kobitos Dimsum. You can read Anna's post on LTS x Dimsum Icon here for what we missed. |
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| More Pork Chops and Egg Fried Rice with Xiao Long Bao But in Hong Kong... You can order the Truffle XLB (HK$188/6) |
Since I am already on the topic of truffle Xiao Long Bao... let's move on to the next category...
NEW MICHELIN GUIDE DISCOVERIES:
...and since I'm kuripot, these belong to the value for money (cheap) Michelin category
4. Cheung Hing Kee Shanghai Pan-fried (Soupy) Buns - Recommended as part of the 2016 Michelin Guide
It's the first time I tried Shanghai pan-fried buns, and it's not exactly like xiao long bao (the dough tastes more like pie crust than dimsum rice flour dough), but I couldn't resist this comparison.
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| Splurge or Steal Din Tai Fung Truffle Xiao Long Bao (HK$188++ for 6) vs Cheung Hing Kee Shanghai Pan Fried Soupy Bun (HK$15/bun - min of 2) Let me just say that they are both EQUALLY yummy!!! |
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| The Cheung Hing Kee Shanghai Pan-Fried Buns in Tsim Sha Tsui is just a counter so it's best to come here for a snack. |
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| They have different flavored soupy buns, but we only tried the truffle. More details soon. |
5. Yatlok Roast Goose - 1 Michelin Star 2015 and 2016
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| This totally unpretentious eatery totally deserves their Michelin Star for Roast Goose! |
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| This Roast Goose and Roast Pork Plate was another steal at HK$50! The goose is tasty and not too far so you can eat everything, while the roast pork with crispy skin complimented the goose really well. |
6. One DimSum - 1 Michelin Star 2013
One DimSum only had a star for one year, but it remained famous well after that. It may be because of their really (cheap) affordable dimsum prices while maintaining the good quality of their dimsum. Their prices range from HK$15-25! Seriously... a Michelin Starred Resto with Dimsum for HK$15!!! Even Tim Ho Wan is not that cheap.
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| Be prepared to line up and share a table with strangers. The food is worth the wait though. |
7. Tim Ho Wan - 1 Michelin Star
The Tim Ho Wan branch in Sham Shui Po has had 1 Michelin Star for several years now and believe me... the food from this branch does taste better than the more accessible IFC branch with no star. The good thing to note is this Tim Ho Wan branch is 8 minutes walking distance from One Dimsum so you can actually hit two cheap michelin dimsum places in one go. Let me give you a tip... they don't have Baked BBQ Pork Buns in One Dimsum, and the Radish Cake in Tim Ho Wan is still miles better. Everything else, you can order from the other place.
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| Be prepared to line up here as well. One cheat is to say you are only ordering Tapaw or Take Out (especially if you've already eaten at One Dimsum). This can still take upto 25-30 mins, but you can shop for toys or gadgets while you wait. Sham Shui Po is wholesalers heaven. Just remember to bargain. |
NEW DISCOVERIES
8. Australia Dairy Company
That is not a typo. It's really not Australian Dairy Company... it's Australia Dairy Company. Anyway, I've been reading and hearing about this place for ages - though it has very polarized reviews online. People either love their scrambled eggs - and they have been described as the best scrambled eggs ever, while some don't seem to understand what's the big deal. We finally had the chance to try it because it was very close to our hotel.
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| However, no matter what time we passed by for breakfast, there was always a line like this... which we weren't willing to stand in for eggs with very polarized reviews. |
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| Good thing the Tapaw hack also works for this place... |
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| We finally got to try the scrambled eggs (you can only order take away in sandwich form) and the cold steamed milk pudding. |
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| The scrambled eggs were really yummy, when you eat it hot, and season it with salt, pepper and chili powder. That's why I never leave home without my mini bottles. |
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| The Steamed Milk with Egg Whites (Cold) were also a refreshing dessert. Just be warned that it is much heavier, and tastes much richer than it looks. |
9. N1 Coffee & Co
If you're looking for a nice hispter place to have good coffee and western brunch in the Tsim Sha Tsui area, N1 Coffeee & Co is a good option.
12. Urban Bakery Works
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| You should come before 10am to get a table, as the cozy place gets really busy with the weekend brunch crowd. |
10. Yum Cha Dimsum
If it's important for you to visually enjoy your meal on top of how it tastes like, then you should visit Yum Cha Dimsum for cuteness overload. Just note that this was one of the pricier places we ate at (but that's mainly because the other places were really cheap!). Prices of dimsum here ranges from HD$50-60 per order (and some of them were better to look at than to eat).
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| You won't go wrong if you order the salted egg custard buns, the spicy pork dumplings, and the pineapple tarts. For the rest, just order what you want to take a photo of but don't expect a lot. Hahaha |
11. Chau Kee 周記點心 Salted Egg French Toast
Before the salted egg croissant was born, there was salted egg french toast, and if you love salted egg like we do, then you definitely need to put this place on your list!
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| While they are famous for their Salted Egg French Toast, you should also order their truffle and roe siomai! It was so yummy! Last orders are taken at 5:30PM so arrive by 5PM to make sure you catch them. |
12. Urban Bakery Works
Speaking of Salted Egg... did you know that THE ORIGINAL Salted Egg Croissant was from Urban Bakery? A salted egg aficionado like me couldn't resist trying it of course. I didn't get a chance to visit a real bake shop but since they have a stall at Jason's in Hysan Mall, I bought one to try.
THINGS TO SNACK ON
Seriously, we ate 5 times a day. I felt like I was channeling my French Self (Hoping that French Women Don't Get Fat would hold true for me), eating only small meals but quite often, but then not all our meals were small.
13. 7-11 finds (because we love 7-11)
If you don't always get to eat your veggies, Drink Yakult Hi-Fiber instead.
AIRPORT FAVORITES
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| The Croissant was definitely excellent... but after the French Toast we tried just really raised the bar really high. If you're a fan of Liu Sha Bao, then you will like this, but I prefer Antoinette's (Singapore) version more as it's more savory. |
Seriously, we ate 5 times a day. I felt like I was channeling my French Self (Hoping that French Women Don't Get Fat would hold true for me), eating only small meals but quite often, but then not all our meals were small.
13. 7-11 finds (because we love 7-11)
If you don't always get to eat your veggies, Drink Yakult Hi-Fiber instead.
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| Some 7-11 stores have a freshly baked bread selection, and the real winner is what they call Cheese QQ Bread. It is exactly the same consistency as Pao de Quiejo from Brazil (just a bit sweeter), they have a chocolate version too. |
14. Fresh Lychees
If you come during Lychee Season (normally late June to July) watch out for the fruit stalls you pass along the street. Lychees sold in Hong Kong are really sweet, with an exceptionally small seed. if you're unsure if they are any good, just buy a small bunch first to try, then come back for more if you like them. |
| This is so yummy, we always bring some home. |
15. Portuguese Egg Tarts
If you don't plan on visiting Macau (which has the BEST Portuguese Egg Tarts) there are some places you can get them in Hong Kong as well. You can get them the restaurant from the Hong Kong - Macau Ferry Terminal or from Macau Restaurant on Lock Road in Tsim Sha Tsui. (This place is right across Cheung Hing Kee - so you can again hit two places in one go).
16. Bake Cheese Tarts (from Japan)
The newest craze in Hong Kong are these Cheese Tarts from Japan that just newly opened in SOGO (Causeway Bay). If you remember how people went crazy bringing home Tim Ho Wan to Manila, this is the same thing all over again. I think half the people on our plane had paper bags of Bake.
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| Let's put it this way. It wasn't good enough for us to go through the hassle of bringing some home (we were on the other half that didn't have any) but it's good enough to deserve a separate blog post. |
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| So that concludes my 3 Day Food (Only) Hong Kong Itinerary. We did quite well... the only X is for Dimsum Icon. Hahaha. Plus we visited a lot of extra places to that were not on our list! |
AIRPORT FAVORITES
So what do you do when you are about to drop dead from three days of eating?
Eat some more... The airport is the best place to go for comfort food that you didn't want to spend precious tummy space in Hong Kong on.
Our airport favorites include Saboten (yes, it tastes better in Hong Kong) but I was too full for it on this trip, McDonald's for their McWings and Popeyes for their biscuits with honey, but Ady loves their mashed potatoes and fries... oh and the chicken is good too! It really just depends on how much you can still eat when you get to the airport.
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| Thank You very much Hong Kong! |
I honestly didn't expect to discover so many more new places to eat on this trip, but I guess that's what happens we you don't want to shop. Can't wait to go back in February! just saying.
Ebeneezers
3-7A Prat Avenue,
Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong.
Opening hours: 10am - 7am.
Delicious Kitchen
G/F 20-20A Ashley Road,
Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Din Tai Fung
Shop 4F, L4, FoodLoft,
Miramar Shopping Centre,
132 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
Cheung Hing Kee
48 Lock Rd,
Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Yatlok Roast Goose
34-38 Stanley Street,
Central, Hong Kong
One Dimsum
Shop 1 & 2, G/F, Kenwood Mansion,
15 Playing Field Road
Prince Edward, Hong Kong
Tim Ho Wan
G/F, 9-11 Fuk Wing Street,
Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong
Australia Dairy Company
47 Parkes St,
Jordan, Hong Kong
N1 Coffee and Co.
Shop G, 34 Mody Rd,
Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Yum Cha
3/F, 20-22, Granville Rd,
Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Chau Kee 周記點心
Shop H1, G/F, Tung Lee Mansion,
Water Street,
Sai Ying Pun, Western District
Urban Bakery
Jasons‧Food & Living,
B2/F, Hysan Place
500 Hennessy Road
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Macau Restaurant
Shop A & B G/F. Lokville Comm Building
27, 25 Lock Rd,
Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
BAKE Cheese Tarts
B２-16,B2, SOGO,
555 Hennessy Rd,
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
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