Five Local Restaurants Not To Miss For Your Next Trip To Hong Kong

Breakfast at Australia Dairy Company

Try a typical Hong Kong-style western breakfast at this quintessential cha can teng (which means tea restaurant in Cantonese) - Australia Dairy Company (ADC) that is hugely popular with locals and tourists alike. Its only outlet is located in Kowloon near Jordan Station exit C2 (Address: 47 Parkes Street, Jordon, Kowloon. Phone: +852-2730-1356). ADC opens early at 7.00 am daily to cater to the morning crowd and indeed its loyal fans queue up diligently every morning for a fix of its famous scrambled eggs in the breakfast set (28 HKD, 3.60 USD).

There are a few configurations of how you can create your breakfast set, revolving around the signature eggs, toasts and macaroni. The set may look plain and unappealing, but trust me, you will be pleasantly surprised by how tasty the macaroni soup with ham can be. Opt for the scrambled egg and not the oily fried egg you see above. The set also comes with a choice of coffee or tea. Try the local-style milk tea here and I bet you will be in love with their rich and aromatic tea.

Oh, if you still have a teeny bit of space left after eating this scrumptious breakfast set, don’t forget to grab a hot bowl of highly-recommended steamed milk pudding (23 HKD, 3 USD) as a dessert. You will love this double-boiled milk dessert if you enjoy milk-based products.

Lunch at Tim Ho Wan

What’s a trip to Hong Kong without sinking your teeth into the most well-known Hong Kong cuisine – dim sum, a type of Cantonese snacks prepared in small bite-sized portions traditionally served in small steamer baskets? There are numerous traditional dim sum restaurants in Hong Kong, but make sure you visit Tim Ho Wan, reputed as the cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant in the world.

Head to the outlet that earned one Michelin star for Tim Ho Wan near Sham Shui Po Station exit B2, four stops north of Jordan on the red Tsuen Wan Line (Address: G/F, 9-11 Fuk Wing Street, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon. Phone: +852- 2788-1226). Expect to join the usual long queue outside the small restaurant, but great food is worth the wait! You can have a look at the menu while queuing and decide what to order so as to shorten the wait for the food when you get a table.

You are strongly recommended to order the “Big 4 Heavenly King Dim Sum”, namely the BBQ pork baked bun, pan-fried turnip cake, steamed egg cake and steamed rice rolls stuffed with pig’s liver. My personal favourite is the BBQ pork baked bun that comes in 3 pieces per plate (19 HKD, 2.45 USD). It’s so fluffy and crusty with flavourful but not overly sweet BBQ pork filling, that the plate of 3 will be consumed in no time.

Afternoon tea at Kam Wah Café

The Hong Kong people love to sip over a cup of tea and enjoy a light snack in the afternoon. Go with the flow and join the locals at this cha can teng located near Prince Edward Station exit B2, two stops south of Sham Shui Po MTR on the red Tsuen Wan Line (Address: G/F, 47 Bute Street, Prince Edward. Phone: +852-2392-6830).

Kam Wah Café is known by the locals as serving the best pineapple bun, known as Bo Lo Yau to the locals in Hong Kong. Before you think that the bun contains pineapple, nope, it doesn’t. It is so named because the soft fluffy bread with a sugary crust resembles the shape of a pineapple. The Kam Wah version serves it with a piece of butter stuffed into the middle of the bun. The pineapple bun is really delish, with a lightly toasted till crispy crust, soft and fluffy fragrant bun and butter of perfect texture. Pair it with a signature cup of hot coffee, milk tea, or yuan yang (coffee mixed with tea) for a heavenly combination of the Hong Kong-style afternoon tea!

Dinner at Chopsticks Kee

Hop over to Hong Kong Island for dinner at this small quaint shop – Chopsticks Kee, which serves unique local fare, something similar to the cart noodles, called che zai mian locally where you get to choose the toppings you like. To get to Chopsticks Kee, exit at D2 at Central Station on the blue Hong Kong Island line and the shop is about a 6-minute walk away (Address: Shop A1, Khuan Ying Commercial Building, 85-89 Wellington Street, Central. Phone: +852-2854-9969).

This small shop is popular with the locals and office crowd in the area for its economical yet delicious bowl of noodles. You can choose the dry or soup version, select the toppings you like into your bowl of noodles, and finally the type of gravy to go with your noodles. The plate of dry thick noodles with the recommended Cantonese-style satay gravy and four toppings: kai lan vegetables, curry fish balls, bean curd and large intestines you see in the picture will cost you 37 HKD (4.80 USD) with a soft drink. This is a large portion and you will feel so full and satisfied after finishing the big plate of yummy noodles.

Supper at Cong Sao Star Dessert

Yes, I know your stomach probably can’t take in anymore food having eaten so much in a day. But surely you don’t want to miss the famous Hong Kong desserts? Besides, Cong Sao Star Dessert is voted as the best dessert shop in 2015, known for its large variety of dessert choices and the generous ingredients used for making desserts. They have three branches in Hong Kong and you can proceed to the branch near Causeway Bay Station exit A, three stops east of Central Station on the Hong Kong Island line (Address: G/F, 11 Yiu Wa Street, Causeway Bay. Phone: +852-2278-2622).

Opened till 12.30 am daily, it means you can drop by this dessert shop late at night when you no longer feel full from dinner. Cong Sao is well known for its outstanding mango desserts from 20 HKD (2.60 USD) a bowl. As with all good food in Hong Kong, do expect to join the long queue of customers craving for a good bowl of dessert like you.