The Various Eats in Hong Kong

Hong Kong has amazing Chinese food ranging from street stall vendors to Michelin star restaurants. Hong Kong is famous for amazing dim sum (Tim Ho Wan, the world’s cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant), Hong Kong style milk tea, and egg tarts. I was in Hong Kong for 2 nights and 2 full days, so this isn’t a comprehensive list of things to eat in Hong Kong.

Introduction to Taipei, Hong Kong, and Tokyo
LAX Airport Korean Air KAL Skyteam Business Class Lounge
EVA Air LAX-TPE 777-300ER Economy Class
Taipei Garden Hotel Review
Sheraton Grande Taipei Hotel Review Part 1
Sheraton Grande Taipei Hotel Review Part 2
The Westin Taipei Hotel Review Part 1
The Westin Taipei Hotel Review Part 2
W Taipei Hotel Review Part 1
W Taipei Hotel Review Part 2
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The Sights and Sounds of Taipei 101
The Sights and Sounds of Shilin Night Market in Taipei
The Sights and Sounds of Shida Night Market in Taipei
The Sights and Sounds of Liaoning Night Market in Taipei
The Sights and Sounds of Tonghua Night Market in Taipei
The Various Eats in Taipei Taiwan
Taipei Airport Cathay Pacific First and Business Class Lounge
Cathay Pacific TPE-HKG A330-300 Business Class
TurboJet Ferry Hong Kong International Airport to Macau
The Westin Macau Resort Hotel Review
Scam City: Macau Edition
TurboJet Macau Outer Ferry Terminal to Kowloon Hong Kong
W Hong Kong Hotel Review Part 1
W Hong Kong Hotel Review Part 2
Le Meridien Cyberport Hong Kong Hotel Review
The Sights and Sounds of Kowloon Hong Kong
The Sights and Sounds of the Star Ferry in Hong Kong
The Sights and Sounds of Central Hong Kong
The Sights and Sounds of the Mid Levels in Hong Kong
The Sights and Sounds of Victoria Peak in Hong Kong
The Sights and Sounds of Lan Kwai Fong in Hong Kong
The Various Eats in Hong Kong
Hong Kong Airport Cathay Pacific The Wing First Class Lounge
Hong Kong Airport Cathay Pacific The Bridge Lounge
Hong Kong Airport Cathay Pacific The Cabin Lounge
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The Sights and Sounds of Harajuku in Tokyo Japan
The Sights and Sounds of Shinjuku in Tokyo Japan
The Various Eats in Tokyo Japan
Narita Airport Main Building JAL First Class Lounge
Japan Airlines NRT-LAX 777-300ER First Class

On my first full day in Hong Kong, I started out my adventure in the Kowloon area in search for the famous Hong Kong style milk tea with tapioca balls (Boba). I thought it would be easy to seek out the famous drink from a street stall vendor, but it was actually tough to find (unlike Taiwan where Boba shops are in almost every corner). I had to look at the menu from various local sit down restaurants and most of them didn’t even have milk tea with tapioca. Eventually I found one from a Hong Kong café and it felt like finding a needle in a haystack.

I had a Chinese egg tart pastry from a hole in the wall bakery called Bakery King which was hot, flaky, and delicious.

For dinner that night, I found a street stall vendor selling duck and chicken combination plates. I had chicken with rice and vegetables along with soup for 15 HKD ~ $1.93 USD. Seating was in a nearby alleyway with makeshift tables.

The next morning, I headed down to the Star Ferry Pier to catch a boat from Tsim Sha Tsui to Central, Hong Kong Island. While waiting for the ferry, I stopped by a bakery called Arome which sold pastries and drinks. Unfortunately there was no Boba milk tea, so I had to settle down for a red bean coffee drink which was delicious.

The Star Ferry boat landed near the IFC mall where I had lunch at Lei Garden. My friend highly recommended this place for authentic high quality dim sum (albeit pricey) in a fine dining restaurant.

I didn’t want to eat too much (because I was saving room for snacks and dinner), so I ordered three dishes from the menu.

I started off with a complimentary cup of tea.

I had har gow (shrimp dumplings), xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), and char siu bao (steamed barbecued pork bun).

The har gow was delicious and the soup dumplings reminded me of eating in Shanghai. The BBQ pork bun was out of this world and everything was perfect about these three dishes. The damage with tax and tip came out to 140 HKD ~ $18.05 USD which wasn’t too bad.

After lunch, I headed to the Mid-Levels district to check out the famous Tai Cheong Bakery on Lyndhurst Street (recommended by my friend Katie who blogs La Jolla Mom). Tai Cheong Bakery is a Hong Kong Style bakery most famously known for their egg tarts.

It was probably the best egg tart I’ve ever had in my life and no wonder the line snakes out the door.

After the Mid-Levels district, I headed to Victoria Peak (The Peak) and had a Boba milk tea while gazing the amazing views of the Hong Kong skyline from Sky Terrace 428.

I couldn’t leave Hong Kong without trying Tim Ho Wan, the most inexpensive (cheapest) 1 Michelin star restaurant in the world. My friend who lives in Hong Kong took me out to Tim Ho Wan for dinner at the Wharf Road location near the North Point MTR Station.

Between the two of us, we ordered 8 dim sum dishes from the menu. We had har gow (shrimp dumplings), shu mai (steamed dumplings with pork and prawns), spare ribs, steamed meatball, Teochew-style dumplings (peanuts, garlic, chives, pork, dried shrimp, mushroom), spring rolls, sponge cake, and the famous Crispy BBQ pork buns.

The total with tax and tip came out to a little under $20 USD (150 HKD) which was a complete bargain for dinner for 2 at a Michelin star restaurant. I highly recommend going to Tim Ho Wan for dim sum if you ever find yourself in Hong Kong. It’s like leaving Paris without visiting the Eiffel Tower which is a shame.