Hong Kong Foodie*

Location - Hong Kong, China

Photos by - Me

During my long stay in the Philippines I took a quick trip out to Hong Kong for three days. I know it seems short, but alot was seen and eaten for that matter! It was very easy to navigate and commute in Hong Kong. Thank God for the tourist friendly MRT and trams that was very similar to the public transport in London. I love Chinese food, so I was very excited to eat something authentic. Walking towards our hotel in Kowloon, we passed a WHOLE street of delicacies like, meat on a stick, bowls of congee, dumplings, dim sum and other things I honestly could not identify. I could not wait to get my hands on something to eat!

I found that I liked the local the food better. I had really salty and unpleasing meals in the more expensive places and did not enjoy them as much as the street food and local restaurants. We went to Ladies market and after all that shopping and haggling we was absolutely hungry and ended up eating a yummy cheap meal in one of the outside restaurants. Language was a barrier, so I just pointed at a picture and hope for the best. I also went against my travel rule and went to a McDonalds on our last day! I must say, compared to the ones in London...they are so much more better tasting. I advise that you try the Shogun Burger with egg and this teriyaki type sauce. The Street and hawker food was everywhere. In Kowloon you will find many "hole in the wall" type street food, being a Bubble tea enthusiast and addict I went straight to the juice and dessert bars that sold jelly drinks as well as red bean and coconut milk desserts. I had the best strawberry and coconut water tapioca drink! It was so good, I had two that day.

I had two memorable meals whilst in Hong Kong. Once of which was the world famous Jumbo Floating Restaurant. It was part of a sight seeing tour around the Hong Kong Islands. It was very exciting having to ride a rickshaw to get to the restaurant on the Harbour for lunch. The elegant and traditional decor made me feel like I was in a palace. The food was delicious, especially the fresh dim sum and hand made noodles. They had hot pots of stewed beef and steamed baskets of Charsiu buns. Unfortunately I didn't take pictures of the food as I was starving and just tucked right in. They even served coconut jelly and warm puff pastry custard tarts with a constant flow of Jasmine tea. Considering the place was full of tourists, the food was far from the western version of Chinese food we all are familiar with. I would definatley go there again if I had the opportunity to.

Another favourite meal I had was in Lantau Island, home of the Tian Tan Buddha. Ngong Ping village was breathtaking. We took the Ngong Ping Sky rail which lasted 25 mins crossing over beautiful hills and water. I was so ecstatic to see the big Buddha in the distance as we drew closer. When we arrived, we walked through the village and also visited the Po Lin Monastery which had its own vegan restaurant ran by the monks that lived there and maintained the monastery. The main attraction was the Big Buddha and to get close to him, we had to climb 268 steps. Naturally after climbing that amount of steps, we was hungry and luckily the village had several cafes, restaurants and traditional tea houses. I had the most amazing Ramen at Zen Noodle Cafe. Hand made udon noodles with an aromatic broth along with sliced peking duck. The portions are huge and very similar to the ramen bowls in Wagamamas. I even had a side of grilled pot stickers that was stuffed with pork and shrimp. It was a satisfying and peaceful meal in such a beautiful setting.

I know three days is not really enough time to really explore Hong Kong. However I do feel that I did manage to see alot of it in those three days. I'd like to go again soon and maybe do a little more shopping and eating!

Jumbo Floating Restaurant

Shum Wan Pier Drive, Wong Chuk Hang, Aberdeen, Hong Kong.

Jumbo Website

Ngong Ping Village, Tian Tan Buddha and Po Lin Monastery

Ngong Village Food and Beverages