Top Ten Local Eats

Hong Kong's local specialities are more than just “Chinese” food. They are the result of a mix of cultures, with some dishes born out of necessity, and all simply too good not to gain city-wide devotion. By Vanessa Ko

With five unofficial meals per day – breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner and midnight snack – food is always on the minds of people in Hong Kong. It makes sense that the city is reckoned to have the most restaurants per capita in the world. While any kind of cuisine can be found here, visitors should take the time to savour some of Hong Kong’s very own food, mostly created right here in the city and eaten by locals on a daily basis. Here are some pointers for your gastronomic adventure.

	Mango and pomelo sago Sago or tapioca desserts originate from Southeast Asia and are favourites in Hong Kong. The chilled, creamy, soup-like sago cream with mango is especially popular. Several years ago, the chef at Island Shangri-La’s Chinese restaurant (Shang Palace, 5th Floor, Pacific Place, Central) created the brilliant sago cream with mango juice and pieces of pomelo, or Chinese grapefruit, which has since been copied by restaurants throughout the city. Hui Lau Shan, a Hong Kong dessert haven with many branches, serves a version of this and other sago desserts and is a great place to stop for a snack while navigating the city.
	Typhoon-shelter crab This style of crab takes its name from Hong Kong’s historic typhoon shelters, which used to serve as shelters for fishing boats during typhoons. A certain type of cuisine evolved around the 1940s when fishermen from countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines congregated at the shelters and combined their cooking cultures to create what is now known as “typhoon-shelter cooking”. The dishes are characterised by their strong flavours and spiciness, using ingredients such as garlic, hot peppers and lemongrass. Hee Kee (379 Jaffe Road, Wan Chai) is especially known for its typhoon-shelter crab.
	Pantyhose milk tea What’s so special about tea with milk? The English have been drinking it for centuries, and as a former British colony, Hong Kong has adopted the tradition but with added twists. Instead of regular milk, evaporated milk is used, which gives milk tea its creaminess. A cloth sack that resembles pantyhose is used to filter the tea leaves to make the tea extra smooth, so the term “pantyhose milk tea” came about to describe the Hong Kong-style drink. This tea, which comes hot or iced, is available at almost every low- to mid-range restaurant and dai pai dong (open-air food stall). One renowned dai pai dong – Lan Fong Yuen (2 Gage Street, Central) – is famous for its smooth milk tea.
	Egg tarts These custard tarts, created in Hong Kong about half a century ago, consist of an outer pastry case with an egg custard filling and are available at many dim sum restaurants and bakeries. The most common type has a flaky puff pastry crust, and they are best eaten fresh out of the oven. Hong Kong’s last British governor, Chris Patten, was known to be especially fond of the egg tarts at Tai Cheong Bakery (35 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central). This celebrity accolade has brought the small bakery much fame, long queues of customers and new branch openings over the years.
	Cart noodles The word “cart” refers to the original selling method of these noodles, which were sold out of a push cart at cheap prices to poor immigrants in the 1950s. This native Hong Kong food was originally sold on the streets but has moved into indoor establishments over the years, although licensed street vendors still exist. The way it works is the customer creates their own soup noodles by selecting the type of noodles and the toppings. There might be anywhere from 20 to 30 toppings to choose from, including beef brisket, fried tofu, pig intestines, fish balls and vegetables. The price goes up by the number of toppings – three toppings is about standard.
	Hong Kong-style French toast The city took the Western breakfast favourite of French toast and added more grease and sugar to create a snack so low in nutrition and high in calories that it might be the Hong Kong version of an American doughnut. To make Hong Kong-style French toast, peanut butter or other sweet fillings are spread between two slices of bread. The sandwich is then dipped in an egg batter and deep fried in a vat of oil. Golden and crisp toast emerges, which is then served with butter and syrup. This afternoon snack is available in many cafes.
	Roast pork bun Steamed cha siu bao, a perennial favourite of locals and foreigners alike, can be found at any restaurant serving dim sum. Hong Kong is known for its roasted meats, and this roasted pork with sweet barbecue sauce inside a fluffy white bun is one of the most typical Hong Kong foods. Just remember to remove the square of paper on the bottom. You definitely do not want to go home without having tried it.
	Curry fish balls When a Hong Kong person goes overseas and gets homesick, these are what they dream about. Curry fish balls are sold from carts on the street and are one of the most popular street snacks. While neither fish balls nor curry originate in Hong Kong, the combination that is curry fish balls are a speciality of the city. Sliding each one off a wooden skewer, you will find that they have a rubbery texture, often fried on the outside and with hardly any real fish taste. Street corners in Mongkok and Causeway Bay are the easiest places to find this favourite food.
	Roast goose The taste of the oils running out of the skin of a roasted goose might be the highlight of your trip to Hong Kong. The popular dish – consumed by locals regularly for lunch or dinner – is created by roasting a goose at high temperatures in a charcoal furnace. For the best of the best, try Yung Kee Restaurant (32-40 Wellington Street, Central) which is legendary on an international level for its roasted goose, done perfectly with crispy skin and juicy meat. To achieve consistency and the utmost excellence in its signature dish, the restaurant is choosey about its geese and only uses the best birds of a specific weight.
	Sampan congee Plain congee, the city’s comfort food, barely differs from watered-down rice and is often prepared for sick people and babies, but many order it with added ingredients ranging from pig’s skin to fish belly to frog meat. Sampan congee, consisting of peanuts, fish meat and other seafood, was created by Hong Kong fishermen and sold in fishing villages, often in small boats (or "sampans") converted into floating restaurants. Other dishes are ordered to go along with congee for breakfast, especially deep-fried dough sticks, which are specifically for complementing congee. Most Chinese restaurants serve congee around breakfast time, but small eateries that specialise in it serve it all day.