Eat Your Way Through Hong Kong in a Day

Taste Hong Kong: One-day journey through culinary diversity

Want to eat like a Hong Konger?

Hong Kong is one of the world’s great food cities and its cuisine is world-renowned for being incredibly rich, influenced by Cantonese, European, Japanese, Korean, and Southeast Asian flavors. There’s literally something for everyone, at any time of day.

Morning

As a business hub, Hong Kongers tend to be efficient and effective. In the morning, they prefer to grab a quick bite. There is a wide variety of quick and simple yet scrumptious dishes for a Hong Kong-style breakfast. The classic dish is omelette served with buttered toast. If you have a sweet tooth, a crispy condensed milk bun with a cup of Hong Kong iced lemon or milk tea is sure to entice.

Macaroni in tomato soup with egg and luncheon meat will warm up your stomach

For a savory breakfast, the macaroni in tomato soup warms the stomach and tantalizes the taste buds, especially topped with an egg and luncheon meat.

Too busy for a sit-down breakfast? Not to worry. Simply grab a bolo bun (pineapple buns) for a to-go option. These classic treats may look like a pineapple but don’t actually taste like pineapples at all.

Lunch

Hong Kongers are huge noodle fans as the dish seems to find its way onto every eatery menu, each with its own twist - from simple Wai Kee noodles to the famous Michelin street food guide-recommended Blk 18 Doggie’s Noodles and Man Kei Cart noodles. There are endless combinations of noodle types and toppings.

Wai Kee Noodle Café is famous for their pig’s liver noodles, which are simple but tasty. Despite its name, Blk 18 Doggie’s Noodles contain no dog meat but are rather topped with nutritious ingredients such as dried shrimp, mushrooms, and preserved vegetables. Doggie’s noodles, made from rice flour, are long and thick, similar to Vietnamese “banh canh”, and make for a satisfying meal.

Among the most popular types of noodles is wonton soup. This classic bowl is made of flavorful broth with shrimp and pork wrapped in silky wonton skins.

Craving fancier noodles? Check out Man Kei Cart noodles and try their signature bowl with Chu Hou beef brisket, Swiss chicken wings and a special chilli sauce made by the chef.

Late afternoon treats

Need a late afternoon pick-me-up? Hong Kong cuisine has all types of sweet treats and light snacks to boost your energy including egg tarts, tofu pudding, and sweet black sesame soup.

What comes to mind when asked about famous Hong Kong desserts is the famed egg tart. These glorious treats are slightly sweet with a crispy crust outside and a rich egg custard in the center. The most satisfying part of egg tarts is watching the creamy filling ooze out as you break the tart in half.

Hong Kong-style tofu pudding is quite similar to that of Viet Nam. A bowl of smooth, soft bean curd served either hot or cold is topped with brown sugar. Hong Kongers love this melt-in-your-mouth dessert for its lovely, silky texture just as much as the Vietnamese do.

It would be a mistake not to mention Dim Sum. Originally served at breakfast, Dim Sum has become a favorite for people of all ages for its sheer diversity of dishes. Served in small portions, dim sum spans an impressive array of seafood, meat, and vegetable dishes prepared in various ways: steamed, fried, baked, etc. The most iconic Dim Sum has got to be the steamed Siu Mai (pork dumplings), Har Kow (prawn dumplings) and Char Siew Buns (barbeque pork buns).

Dinner

When people finally have some time for themselves to sit back and relax, it’s time for the “big eat”. Topping the list of dinner favorites is a plate of roast meats, ready to be shared among family and friends: goose, duck, pork or chicken. There’s nothing quite like biting into a chunk of roast duck with beautifully colored, wonderfully crispy skin. Its succulent meat pairs well with rice or noodles, served with the chef’s secret recipe sauce.

If you are a rice person, you’ll have to try Hong Kong-style claypot rice. Claypot rice is a comfort food staple, especially during winter. Rice is topped with various ingredients like salted fish, minced meat, Chinese sausage, ribs, or even foie gras, then the entire clay pot is cooked over charcoal.

Eating is one of life’s great pleasures, breaking down barriers and bringing people together. Even if travel to Hong Kong is not possible at the moment, Vietnam has plenty of superb restaurants serving authentic Hong Kong cuisine.