I'm sure all of you know that I've been to HK countless number of times cause well, my parents are from HK. Everytime I go back I have a list of places that I want to visit and as I grew older, that list have been expanding and growing. Now I'm trying to tick off the places that I've dined at in this little (or long) checklist of mine and I thought it'd be a good idea to share
with you these places.Going to start with a disclaimer first. These places are those that I really enjoy visiting. I am no food critic and I can't pinpoint what ingredients go into making these dishes served but overall, I had a really enjoyable time at these places and I hope that this list will be useful to you if you're visiting HK!
For a more detailed review of the place, just click on the name of the place(:
1. THE COFFEE ACADEMICS
As the name suggest, TCA specialises in coffee and what's so intriguing about this place to me is not only the fact that they serve a range of coffee inspired by all over the world, they also make it a point to come up with a drink of the month. That's always what I order because it is what's new and I love trying new things. Furthermore, I've received excellent service all 3 times I've been to TCA. Oh and their Famous Curly Fries are a must get if you're paying TCA a visit!
Note: There are 3 branches of TCA in HK (Tsim Sha Tsui, Wan Chai, Causeway Bay) but I'd suggest to go to the outlet at Causeway Bay because the atmosphere is the best there.
Address: 38 Yiu Wah Street
Directions: Take the Train to Causeway Bay MTR station (銅鑼灣) and it's about a 10mins walk from the MTR
2. 喜喜冰室
喜喜冰室 was quite a unique experience for me. Basically the reason why you should come here is because of the design of the place. It's like a 70s kind of cafe. Be prepared to see those diamond shaped tiles on the walls and set menus stuck on the wall and under the glass on the table. A must visit for the hipsters and those who likes to take photos of all things retro.
Address: Highland Mansion ground floor, 8 Cleveland Street
Directions: Take the Train to Causeway Bay MTR station (銅鑼灣) and walk for about 5 mins via Paterson Street
3. OZONE
Paying HK a visit? Well your trip wouldn't be complete without a drink at Ozone, the highest bar in the world. Ozone is located at the 118th floor which allows you to view HK at its finest. The outdoor area is free seating which gives you the opportunity to mingle with other tourists as well! Just note that if you're dining at Ozone after 8.30pm, there is a minimum charge of HKD $500 (~SGD$ 86) per person for a table. You can always opt to sit by the bar counter or outdoors where there are no minimum charge or leave before 8.30pm.
Address: The Ritz Carlton Hotel, level 118
Directions: Take the MTR to Kowloon station (九龍站) and take the exit that leads you to Elements. Then follow the signs that points towards Ritz Carlton Hotel. Ozone is located in that hotel.
4. 鴻星酒家
Hong Kong is the land of dimsum and in cantonese, dimsum literally means 'touch heart'. I guess that speaks for itself why dimsum places are on this list right? Haha! Honestly, dimsum are best when you're in a large group (probably your family) cause that means that you get to order more dimsum and have a bit of everything! 鴻星酒家 is on this list because they took the meaning of dimsum to a whole new level when they came up with cute characters for it such as the bear, penguin and bees. Furthermore, the service we received was amazing. We had this on the first day we were in HK and even though I can speak cantonese, I have a lot of trouble reading traditional chinese and it gives me a headache. That was when a waitress came over and explained to us what was on the menu, recommended what was famous, helped us plate our food nicely for a pretty photo etc. She even gave us directions after! Oh and of course the food there was pretty good as well.
Address: Moko, 6th floor, Prince Edward Road West
Directions: Take the MTR to Mong Kok East (旺角東) .and take the exit that leads you to the Royal Plaza Hotel. The restaurant is located on the 6th level of a mall next to the hotel.
5. 江順河鮮
This place is on the list because of its location and the fact that they serve pigeons. I know pigeons sound a bit odd but it's actually really nice and few restaurants serve it. I'd recommend to pay 江順河鮮 a visit to try pigeons. It's really quite good! Oh and 江順河鮮 is located on the 25th floor of Isquare which offers you a wonderful view of Hong Kong. Sit next to the floor to ceiling window for a good photo op!
Note: Dimsum are half price is you go after 2.30pm so it's a lot more worth it! Quite a few restaurants follow this practice and 江順河鮮 is one of those restaurants.
Address: ISquare, 25th floor
Directions: Take the MTR to Tsim Sha Tsui (尖沙咀) and take the exit that leads you to Isquare.
6. AUSTRALIAN DAIRY CO.
I'm sure most of you know of Australian Dairy Co. It started out as a regular 茶餐厅 (HK style cafe) and serves the typical HK food such as macaroni, sausage with eggs, toast, milk tea, but has now grown to one of the tourist must go places. No matter what time you go, there will always be a queue. Not to worry though cause it'll probably be your turn in 15mins. People there eat really, really fast. If there's a small group of you, you'd probably have to share a table with other customers as well. That's actually a common practice in HK so just bear in mind that it's quite normal to them. It's advisable to do a little research on what to order beforehand because the menu is in traditional chinese and the staff there aren't the friendliest per say. I always pay them a visit despite not receiving the best sort of service for their steam milk pudding (炖奶) because well, their milk is the freshest. The hot one taste a lot better than the cold one. A must get if you're visiting them!
Note: Honestly it's understandable why their service isn't the best because they always have a long queue and this isn't the best place (or a place at all) to sit down and chit chat. Expect stares from the waiters and the feeling of being rushed out after you're done eating. It's also closed every Thursday so don't make the same mistake as me and visit them on a Thursday hahaha.
Address: 47 Parkes Street, Jordan
Directions: Take the MTR to Jordan (佐敦) and exit from C2. Walk along Parkes Street to find the place!
7. 三圣村
Want an authentic HK experience? Well 三圣村 is the place to go. Basically, 三圣村 is famous for their seafood and many locals go to 三圣村 for the freshest seafood. Now what's so special about it is that you get to shop and handpick your own seafood. Yup, there are a whole row of seafood stalls in 三圣村 and basically, all you have to do is buy your seafood and bring it to the restaurant of your choice. From there, the restaurant will use the seafood you bought to cook it any way you want. Sounds a little complicated but just remember these 2 points.
1. You choose your seafood from any stall and pay for it there.
2. You bring it to the restaurant of your choice and pay for the cooking.
The seafood there are insanely huge and trust me when I say you're going to dine like a king.
Directions: Unfortunately, 三圣村 is a little harder to get to so I'd suggest you take a taxi. Alternatively, for the adventurous ones, you can take to any mtr on the West Rail line (purple line) with the 轻铁 sign and get off there. Then follow the directions to take the 轻铁 to 三圣村.
8. 金華冰廳
This place, as my sister calls it, is the legendary boluobao place. A visit there and you'd know why. In fact, there are newspaper cuttings stuck all over the place and it's ranked no.1 by the locals in HK. (Well, to my family too hehe) There is also a queue here most of the time and the chances of you sharing a table with other costumers is highly likely as well.
Note: Each costumer is required to purchase a drink. Somewhat like a minimum charge.
Address: 47 Bute Street
Directions: 金華冰廳 is located in between Prince Edward (太子) and Mong Kok（旺角) station so you can alight from either one of the MTR! Then you'd probably have to use Google Maps to navigate the small roads of HK.
9. AGNES B. CAFE
The reason why Agnes B Cafe is on my list is because they have the best Banana Chocolate Frap of all time. You just have to grab it either on the go or if you happen to dine at this cafe. The funny thing is during the winter season, instead of it being a frap, it's a hot version of the drink. Personally, I prefer the hot version but the cold one isn't bad either!
10. 一樂燒鵝
一樂燒鵝 is a must go for their goose. In my opinion, it's one of the best goose places in HK. It's life changing omg. Only down side is that it's insanely oily. The amount of oil is crazy. Hence don't bother going if you're health conscious hahaha.
Address: 28 Stanley Street
Directions: Take the MTR to Central (中環) and walk via Stanley Street.
11. ODDIES FOODIES
Oddies Foodies is a new kid in the block. It takes what is traditional and mixes it with what is modern. Kind of like a new meets old concept. Egglets (鸡蛋子) is a local snack which is quite common in HK and they're usually sold at street side stores. They used to be plain but now, you can find chocolate egglets, strawberry egglets, pork floss egglets etc. What's so special about Oddies Foodies is that they sell sesame egglets which you can't find at a regular street side shop. When you tear the egglet apart, you can see how the sesame sticks them together and with a bite, you'd know how chewy it is. Coupled with the green tea ice cream, it's perfection in a cup.
Note: You can take the Ding Ding Tram from a stop near Oddies Foodies to the Peak Station. Always fun to take a tram!
Address: 149 Wan Chai Road
Directions: Take the MTR to Central (中環) and walk via Hennessy Road, Fleming Road and Wan Chai Road. It's tucked in a corner so keep your eyes open!
12.翠华餐厅
翠华餐厅 is one of the long standing, established 茶餐厅 (HK style cafe) and you can find them everywhere. But what they're really famous for is for their 奶油猪. 奶油猪 is basically bread with condensed milk and it's the best thing that you can ever have. Honestly, I prefer it to boluobao and it's my favourite bread in cafes. 奶油猪 is sold in most cafes in HK but the best I've had is still from 翠华餐厅. Oh, just in case you're wondering, the reason why there's a 猪 (pig) in the name of the dish is not because there's pork but because the bread they use is the bread they normally use to make pork bun.
Note: 奶油猪 is hard to find in Singapore so do have plenty of it in HK!
"I love food and I love living."
Ali Landry
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