"Hello Missy Sir! Handbag, copy watch?"
The cries of the street vendors follow me as I push my way through the throng of tourists crowding the ever-popular Temple Street Market in Kowloon. It’s a nightly draw-card for any visitor to Hong Kong and – together with the Ladies Market – is where you come to shop on a budget. A vibrant stew of stalls, restaurant and street performers, where confident bargaining and feigning disinterest in that fake-Fendi will quickly knock a third off the asking price.
Hong Kong is retail Shangri-la, but – as my wife will sadly admit – I am not a shopper. I am, however, a committed diner; and in a city that boasts over 11 000 restaurants it looks like I’ve got my work cut out for me.
It may sound daunting, but if you need guidance on your culinary adventure stop in at Kowloon’s Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin temple; famous for its fortune-tellers who will explain — through the telling of a fable — what your future holds. For me, a steamer or three of dim sum invariably looms large.
The kitchens of Hong Kong offer cuisine from across China, but these humble dumplings – usually served at breakfast or lunch – are far and away the favoured snack in the home of Cantonese cuisine.
For an easy introduction into the world of dim sum, head across Victoria Harbour to the suburb of Central on Hong Kong Island. The Star Ferry is the best way to get across the world-famous waterway, and a one-way coupon costs just HK$3. Make your way to the glitzy Times Square shopping mall, where you’ll find hundreds of happily munching diners at Super Star Restaurant. Through the glass-walled kitchen there’s an army of chefs steaming up the windows as they create heaven in a bamboo basket.
Super Star is also known for taking a comic look at this Cantonese treat, so don't be surprised if your Shrimp Dumpling comes out in the shape of Nemo. If you’re smitten, the branch in Tsim Tsha Tsui will even teach you the basics in a fun one-hour dim sum cooking course where you get to devour your ‘masterpieces’ afterwards.
If you’re after something more authentic, wander up the steep streets of Central to the rough-and-tumble Lan Fong Yuen for your baptism by fire into the frenetic communal tables of Hong Kong dining.
Little has changed since it opened in the 1920s: steamers full of freshly-made dim sum trundle through the restaurant on creaky trolleys, only to be whipped away by hungry diners. You’ll need to be quick to get your hands on the popular har gau pork dumplings, and don’t forget to let the trolley-pusher stamp your ticket with what you’ve taken.
Yum cha just wouldn’t be the same without a pot of aromatic green or jasmine tea, which usually arrives unbidden. When the tea runs out just leave the lid off to signal to the waiter that you need a top-up of boiling water. The leaves are good for at least five or six pots, so don't order a fresh pot each time. If you want to bring leaves home with you you’ll find excellent tea shops throughout Hong Kong, many of which offer guided tea tastings.
Out the door and across Gage Street, fill in the gaps with a freshly baked egg tart from Tai Cheong Bakery. A favourite stop for Chris Patten, the last British governor of Hong Kong, the flaky tarts with custard filling are rich, decadent and delicious. Enjoy one while you wander along to the historic Man Mo Temple, where clouds of fragrant incense billow out onto the street.
If it’s temples you’re after, hop on the MTR subway train to Tung Chung and grab a gondola on the Ngong Ping 360. The 5.7-kilometre cableway glides you gently up to the serene Po Lin Monastery. Here a 268-step climb leads you to, if not enlightenment itself, at least the foot of the world's largest outdoor seated Buddha. If you’re feeling peckish, the monastery offers a set-menu vegetarian lunch that’s easy on the pocket.
From Po Lin you can follow the winding road down to the long and laid-back Cheung Sha Beach for a swim. It's also not far to the tumbledown fishing village of Tai O, a rare surviving example of a traditional Chinese stilt-village built over the waters of the South China Sea.
By this time the sun will be heading westwards, and when darkness falls there’s only one place in town to see the remarkable cityscape; from the top of the famous Victoria Peak.
The Peak Tram runs from Central every 10 minutes, offering one of the most memorable views on earth as it scales the impossibly steep hills en route to the top. At the summit, the Peak Tower offers magnificent views of Hong Kong Island and across to Kowloon.
Feeling peckish again? Once you’ve soaked up the city lights it’s time to find some dinner. The tourist complex at The Peak has a range of restaurants with spectacular city views, but although they’re ideal for romantic dinners in most cases you’ll be paying a premium for forgettable food.
Rather head back into Central, to the famous Yung Kee Restaurant in Wellington Street.
Yung Kee’s signature Roast Goose has been drawing diners since 1942, when Mr. Kam Shui Fai's 'restaurant' was a humble cooked food stall in Kwong Yuen West Street. Today though it’s a regular stop for local celebrities and tourists in the know and while the dish that made him famous is the main draw card, the menu offers other Chinese delicacies for the daring diner.
Alvin Yeung Jr., on the other hand, is a man getting daring in the kitchen.
Sweeping aside age-old taboos, Leung has brought molecular gastronomy to Asia with his 'X-treme Chinese Cuisine'. Using his degree in science to the full, Leung’s menu follows the trail blazed by Heston Blumenthal and Ferran Adrià, picking apart the flavours of Chinese cooking and reassembling them in an unrecognisable, yet strangely familiar, form. The 'Chef's Menu' at his restaurant – Bo Innovation – doesn't come cheap, but for a gourmet adventure it's worth every well-spent dollar.
Another reliable bet is the tiny ‘Alcove’, clinging to the top of Peel Street in Central. Here the menu changes daily and the emphasis is on personal attention and an innovative look at classic Chinese dishes. Stir-fried Green Beans, Chinese Kale with Garlic Sauce and Scrambled Egg with Crab Meat are all favourites dished up with immaculate attention to detail. Dark wood panelling, jazz in the background and eclectic décor make this a far cry from the typically bright-and-brash Chinese restaurant, and the perfect romantic hideaway amongst the Hong Kong skyscrapers.
It’s just one of the many kitchens in Hong Kong offering up a mouth-watering range of dishes from all over China. Wandering down the streets of Central, my ‘shopping list’ of restaurants at the ready, I realise it’s no surprise why this city is known as the ‘fragrant harbour’. Despite three trips in four years, I’m still hungry to taste more of Hong Kong.
Travel Advisory
- The Hong Kong Tourism Board has an excellent website to help you plan your trip. Go to www.discoverhongkong.com.
- South African passport-holders do not require a visa for visits less than 30 days
- The Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) is roughly equal to the South African Rand.
- F&HE travelled to Hong Kong with Flight Centre, Cathay Pacific and the Hong Kong Tourism Board. To book a trip to this fabulous Far East destination contact Flight Centre on 0860 400 747 or visit www.flightcentre.co.za.
First published in Food&Home Entertaining magazine, March 2010
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