[Hong Kong] Hong Kong is known as a Food and Shopping Paradise with a classic slogan “Mai dong xi, Chi dong xi, Mai dong xi, Chi dong xi” which means “Shopping and Eating” repeatedly.
From cartoon-inspired “Har gow, siew mai, lor mai gai” (Hong Kong dim sums) to hipster, trendy and… Instagram-worthy food, evident in the emergence of multiple cafes in recent years.
10 Must Visit Hipster Food Places Unique To Hong Kong. And Very Instagrammable
Little Bao
G/F, 66 Staunton St. Central, Hong Kong
Opening Hours: 6pm – 11pm (Mon-Fri), 12pm – 4pm, 6pm – 11pm (Sat), 12pm – 4pm, 6pm – 10pm (Sun)
https://www.facebook.com/littlebaohk/
Serving Asian style ‘burgers’, Little Bao could be ‘little’ in terms of size, but bao (fulfilling and rewarding) in terms of its explosiveness of taste. Good things don’t come easy and we were glad we took the effort to climb the long stretch of steps at Sheung Wan just to get there.
Filling varieties include Beef (grass-fed organic beef), Slow-Braised Pork Belly, Szechuan Fried Chicken, Fish Tempura, and Taiwanese braised shiitake tempeh – which they cleverly named ‘Sloppy Chan’.
Try spotting owner Chef May Chow, who was recently aired as one of the judges in the finale episode of MasterChef Asia with short-cropped hair in boyish fashion.
Oddies Foodies
1st outlet: Shop 1F, GF No. 149 Wan Chai Road, Wan Chai, Wan Chai
2nd outlet: 45 Gough St, Central, Hong Kong
Opening Hours: 1pm – 10pm (Tue-Sun), Closed Mon
https://www.facebook.com/oddiesfoodies/
“We make Odd Food”, as their name implies, being creative with different food combination.
The iconic traditional Hong Kong eggettes gai dan jai with trendy hipster softserve: Odd combination, but Unique taste. Odd looking, but Uniquely Hong Kong.
Their strong identity carried them far, to their 2nd outlet that opened at Sheung Wan earlier this month, offering a wider selection of unique gelato: Dark Matter (80% dark chocolate, chocolate frecks, fudgy brownie) and Interstellar (Mango gelato, black pepper, strawberry balsamic coulis, salted cashew nuts).
Dim Sum Icon
L308, 3/F, The ONE, 100 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Opening Hours: 11am – 11pm (Mon-Sun)
https://www.facebook.com/DIMSUMICON/
This is the world’s first dim sum restaurant with yellow lazy egg character Gudetama trapped in dim sum baskets. You cannot find this anywhere else, but Hong Kong.
Photos and videos of diners ‘torturing’ and giggling at Gudetama chocolate buns while squeezing ‘poop’ of chocolate sauce from its butt have went viral. Mummies say “Don’t play with food”, but some items are too cute to resist.
Hello Kitty Chinese Cuisine
Shop A to C, Lee Loy Mansion, 332 – 338, Canton Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong
(Turn left at end of Bowring Street, 15 min walk from Jordan MTR Station Exit C2 or 5 min walk from Austin MTR station)
Tel: +852 8202 8203
Opening Hours: 11am – 11pm Daily (Queue tickets issued till 3:30pm and 9:30pm. 4pm cleaning hours. 10pm last order)
The world has seen its FIRST Hello Kitty Chinese dim sum restaurant in Hong Kong. News has gone viral, cute photos have surfaced, and queues have formed… to EAT buns modeled after the world’s most famous cat.
There were 6 Hello Kitty themed dim sum and 6 almost-Kitty inspired Chinese dishes available. The Hello Kitty faced Liu Sha buns (HK$62, SGD$10.60, USD$8) were adorably cute, we could imagine some fans couldn’t bear to chomp them down.
Chau Kee 周記點心
Shop H1, G/F, Tung Lee Mansion, Water Street, Sai Ying Pun, Western District (HKU MTR Exit B1)
Opening Hours: 6am – 5pm (Tue-Sun), Closed Mon
https://www.facebook.com/周記點心-茶餐廳-1503763389872117
This combines two of Hong Kong’s favourite food items – salted egg custard buns and thick toast. And you get thick toasts filled with hot, flowy liu sha.
Located near to Hong Kong University is this traditional-looking cha chan teng (HK style coffee shops you see in Hong Kong dramas), serving not-too-traditional signature toasts such as Shrimp Toast with Sesame (HK$26, SGD$4.90), Golden Lava French Toast (HK$22, SGD$4.20) and Matcha French Toast (HK$26, SGD$4.90).
A delectable sensation when the crispy, eggy toast was generously dipped in the thick, buttery, slightly saltish flowing lava with bits of salted egg within it.
Via Tokyo
Shop 1A & 1B, G/F, Lei Shun Court, 106-126 Leighton Road, Causeway Bay
Opening Hours: 11am – 10.30pm (Sun-Thu), 11am – 11pm (Fri-Sat)
https://www.facebook.com/viatokyocafe/
Matcha desserts are THE MOST IN thing for Hong Kong cafes these one or two years. Interestingly, the very popular Via Tokyo is from Hong Kong, not Tokyo.
Being one of the most searched dessert place on OpenRice Hong Kong at one point of time with their range of green matcha desserts, their Hojicha flavour desserts which were only available on Wednesday (known as Revese Tokyo) are our favourite.
Rich, milky with distinct hojicha taste that lingers on our tongues.
Moving on, they opened their 2nd outlet at Tsim Sha Tsui this month and expanded on their cakes selection such as Uji Matcha Cheesecake and shaved ice Uji Matcha Espuma Kakigori.
Fatina & Chefo, Eat & Play
Shop S112, 1/F, Staunton PMQ, 35 Aberdeen Street, Central
Opening Hours: 4pm – 9pm
Fatina and Chefo are friends who live in a fantasy world Mushroom Room, under the Chocolate Rain brand created by the talented and award winning artist Prudence Mak.
Prudence grew up in Hong Kong with limited means, and turned her imagination and creativity to drawing.
Therefore, you will find Eat & Play at PMQ rather girly on the outside, but with interesting joyful finds. The meals and desserts created are said to be based on a story, experimental and full of fun. A high tea set looking like a doll-house, is at HK$348.
Caffe HABITU
Shop L608, The ONE, 100 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
Tel: 3572 0622
Other concepts available at Hutchison House, Gloucester Road, Cityplaza, Polytechnic University, Queen’s Road East, Miramar Shopping Centre, Leighton Centre, Lan Kwai Fong, Hysan Place, Olympian City, Tuen Mun Town Plaza
Before The Coffee Academics (known to be one of the 25 coffee shops around the world you have to see before you die), there is Caffe HABITU – a lifestyle-driven Italian café founded in Hong Kong back in 2013. You can find Caffe HABITU almost everywhere in Hong Kong, branching out to a more contemporary restaurant concept ‘the table’ and ‘Ristorante’.
House favourites include Monkey Business (HK$80) – sticky toffee, banana and date pudding with ice cream, and All Day Luxury Breakfast (HK$112) where the baked beans are Italian borlotti beans, and Cappucino Brulee (HK$46) where velvety cappuccino with topped with crackly caramelised sugar.
Sinmei Tea 川善茶居
5/F, CS Tower, 50 Wing Lok Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong (Sheung Wan MTR)
上環永樂街50號昌盛大廈5樓
Tel: +852 3690 8238
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 7:30pm Daily
A modern Chinese tea house serving a wide range of Chinese Tea and Japanese Matcha and homemade dessert. (There is a shop in Shanghai, but it’s not quite the same.)
You would be surprised at how eclectic this café is: Traditional Chinese dark wood furniture and potteries on one side, along with a mixture of Western style (flimsy) chairs. Yes, an East-meets-West café selling Japanese desserts.
Sinmei Tea does a fascinating repertoire of tea drinks, such as Matcha Mojito (matcha + lime + soda, non-alcoholic), Matcha Yin Yang (matcha + coffee), and Matcha Snow White (matcha + milk + vanilla ice cream). Iced Moroccan Mint Tea? That is Chinese Tie Guan Yin tea with mint.
The must order dessert is a Matcha Sizzling Brownie (HKD$78) with ice cream with matcha sauce poured over, all on a hot iron plate.
Bing Sutt – The Starbucks Concept Store
Shop M2, Mezzanine Floor, Baskerville House, 13 Duddell Street, Central (10 walk from Central MTR),
Tel: +852 2523 5685
Starbucks? Yah. If you are looking for the most characteristic and photogenic Starbucks in the world, you may want to make your way to Hong Kong’s Bing Sutt at Duddell Street.
After all, this Starbucks which pays homage to the 1950s Hong Kong arts and culture, is a collaboration with Douglas Young’s unique concept store GOD.
Over the top décor, tiled floors, signatures in traditional Chinese writing, fake bird cages on the ceiling, old toys in the glass cabinet, retro movie posters, and wooden sitting booths like how a traditional Hong Kong café looks like.
All while you have having Hong Kong Polo Buns with Starbucks Frappuccino.
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Read more about what to Eat & Drink in Hong Kong at Discover Hong Kong .
* Written by Nicholas Tan @stormscape and Daniel Ang @DanielFoodDiary . This post is brought to you by Skyscanner and Discover Hong Kong .
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