[Hong Kong] A traditional Cantonese dessert shop in Jordan, Kai Kai Dessert 佳佳甜品 has been a hidden establishment among the locals in the area for almost 40 years – that was until Michelin stardom caught up with them.
Listed under the Michelin Hong Kong street food guide, this humble dessert shop is now an open secret among both tourists and locals alike.
From the photos displayed on their shop front, Kai Kai has been on the Michelin recommended list 3 consecutive years in a row and count Hong Kong celebrities like Chow Yuen Fatt and Mimi Chu as their customers.
(Just in case you are confused: Hong Kong has a special ”Michelin Street Food” listing unique to the city. The stalls featured are not “starred”, but “recommended”.)
However, when they were first listed in the Michelin Street Food Guide in 2016, the accolade came as a double-edged sword.
In a city with climbing rents, the landlord of the humble shop capitalised on their newfound fame and decided on a 120% rent increase, almost pushing Kai Kai to pack up shop.
Thankfully a loyal customer came to their rescue by offering a nearby unit at a slightly lower rent than their rental before.
There are many places that serve traditional Cantonese-style sweet soups but not many does them the way Kai Kai does.
Their ingredients are freshly prepared and carefully brewed to an ideal flavour and texture. I believe this is the main reason why locals keep coming back.
The Interior is basic, without frills but it looks updated, thanks to their recent move to this new location at Ning Po Street.
Serving items like Sweet Walnut Paste, Black Sesame Paste, Sweet Sesame Rice Ball in Ginger Sweet Soup, Mango Sago with Pomelo, Kai Kai’s recipes have been passed down from generation to generation.
I ordered the Chinese Almond Sweet Soup (cold) HK22 (SGD3.80) with an addition of 3 Sesame Rice Balls HK7 (SGD1.20). I had my fingers crossed, hoping it wasn’t going to be too rich and sweet since I just had a heavy lunch.
To my pleasant surprise, it wasn’t heavy at all but really light and the sweetness was very well balanced. I could have had another bowl.
The sesame rice balls were smaller in size compared to the usual store-bought rice balls and had a more delicate texture and flavour.
My friend tried the Stewed White Fungus with Papaya (cold) HK22 (SGD3.80) and it was really refreshing for the current heat wave here.
The fungus was stewed for hours to the right texture and it was a thumb’s up from both of us.
Kai Kai Dessert is also popular for their Black Sesame Paste, which I heard is a silky smooth paste made to perfection. And if ginger sweet soup is your thing, they make a very delicious version here too.
When you look around you and see retirees slurping up bowls of sweet soup on a lazy afternoon, you know you are in the right place.
For a taste of pure comfort, Kai Kai has definitely made top of my list for a light after meal dessert.
Kai Kai Dessert 佳佳甜品
29 Ning Po Street, Jordan, Kowloon Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2384 3862
Opening Hours: 12:00pm – 3:30am (Mon – Sat), 12:00pm – 12:00am (Sun)
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* Written by DFD’s Hong Kong Correspondent @kara_the_explorer, who is the Singaporean “tai tai” living the foodie dream in Hong Kong. Daniel’s Food Diary paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.
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