Hoping to be back in Hong Kong at the end of the month.
Would like to fill some of the gaps from my visit last year, and revisit some of the foods that I enjoyed then.
Advice and suggestions from locals or familiar visitors would be much appreciated!
Things I didn’t get to last year that I wanted to:
– Cuisines: Shunde, Chiu Chow
– Dishes: Clay pot rice, Hotpot (wrong season for both, I guess), beef noodles, crab noodles
– Dai Pai Dong / hawkers / night market
– Islands / Seafood excursion
– Traditional dim sum (last time we went to Forbidden Duck, which was great, but fancified)
– Physical visit to a cha chaan teng (last time my friends brought a bunch of food home from several) – maybe
Want to revisit / try other sources:
– Roast goose, fatty char siu
– Wonton noodle soup
I’m there for another celebration, so some of the meals are already set:
– Banquet at Mott 32 (I know, I know, don’t @ me )
– Cruise (this was the worst meal last year, but what a fabulous view)
– Bar-hopping & bites in Soho
Hong Kong doesn’t have a night market eatery culture like Taipei. There is temple street for buying stuff, and there are eateries next to the night market, but they aren’t temporary stalls. I guess there are dai pai dongs that operate at night outside.
Hawkers are all in stores now, rather than in pushcarts.
Tai O on Lantau for Islands, but its really far.
Seafood in Sai Kung. Or, Ap Lei Chau cooked food market with seafood from the wet market downstairs (get a local). Or just go to Star Seafood and order from the tanks.
Do the vendors downstairs tend to rip people off? I’ve been seeing a lot of YouTube videos about this specific wet market/ cook upstairs combo looks awesome.
I actually went last year, and it was wonderful. But I got caught between a deluge and needing to get back for an evening event, so didn’t have a chance to grab more than a snack on Tai O.
I remember you mentioned Star Market last time as well. Ap Lei Chau is quite convenient from where I’ll be staying on the south side of the island, so I may float that again with my hosts. The other guests are more adventurous this time, so I may have some more takers.
I thought the escalators were very cool.
Coming down was a bit trickier – esp in the heat.
Two places in the vicinity I didn’t try last time were Hotal Colombo (closed at lunch) and Chilli Fagara (I went to Basehall for char siu and goose when some went here for lunch) – will see if I can work them in.
I will make a list of places I want to go back to as well, those are in my head, need to write them down so I don’t forget!
One thing you can consider also is the wall villages in the New Territories. These are villages that has existed for at least hundreds of years, since Hong Kong was a sleepy fishing village. I don’t remember which ones I went to before. But the ones i went to were well served by the KCR train line. So I strung a few together in one day, and its an interesting glimpse into Hong Kong’s past.
Dependent on where you are staying in the Southern District, here are some potentially interesting places:
Aberdeen Harbor. if you go to Ap Lei Chau Cooked Food Centre, you can take a sampan back to Aberdeen and check out the harbor. This used to be a fishing village, where many Tankan people lived on boats. Many still did until the last 20 years or so.
For the wholesale fish market, there was an attached restaurant that just used seafood from the market. i am not certain of the current status, however. it may be closed. I also haven’t heard much about the quality of the cooking after it changed hands ~8 years ago. But people used to get quality cheap seafood cooked there. For the wholesale market, I am not actually sure if its open to the public but you can take a peek from the outside.
Stanley. A bit touristy, but could be interesting way to spend an hour before taking the minibus back to the North side of the Island.
Ocean Park- amusement park, the gondola is not to be missed, especially when the weather is dramatic.
The beaches at Repulse / Deep Water Bays, and a bunch of other beaches on the southeast side.
Shek O village. Probably pick either Stanley or Shek O.
A bunch of hikes all over the Island, including up the peak.
Thanks for all this. The walled villages look fascinating.
I looked at the calendar, and though I’ll be there almost as many days, the long weekend of celebration-related things is smack dab in the middle, so it’s less “free time” than last year, when I had several days open before the scheduled stuff started. So I’m noodling a bit on how and what I’ll be able to squeeze in.
We spent an afternoon around here last year, and there’s a lunch plan around it. I’m trying to add Ap Lei Chau + sampan, might have some takers in the other guests (a more adventurous / exploring group this time).
I went a couple of times because it’s very close to where I stayed. Love the market, will be back.
Yes, I remember you mentioned this last year. I loved the cable car at Lantau, and had made a mental note to take the ride up to Ocean Park, so I will try to do that as it’s pretty close, and I think I’ll have takers among the other guests too.
Even though I’m not a beach person, we did end up on the beach one evening after Stanley Village last year, unscheduled. It was just lovely, perfect water, and really nice facilities. So I’m guessing we’ll be back to one of the many nearby options, as someone else is always excited about a beach!
We did the drive last year, but not the village. I think this could be added as a stop with the group too, as my friends love it themselves.
Reviewed my notes and added suggestions from above.
More ideas, edits, suggestions all welcome!
Sightseeing:
– Auction house galleries (Sotheby’s was amazing, apparently Christie’s, Phillips & Bonhams also have massive, brand new spaces)
– Che Lin nunnery / botanical garden + Cattle depot art village
– Ap Lei Chau seafood + sampan
– HK museum of history
– Tai Ping Shan / Sheung Wan / Lascar Row – wasn’t completely open when I went.
– Ocean park gondola – for views, at sunset or otherwise
– Shek O village – maybe before sunset, and then the drive at sunset
Food
– Cuisines: Chiu Chow (braised goose – where?), Shunde (where?)
– Hawker stalls / market – not a priority, but might be fun
– DIshes: clay pot rice (???), beef brisket noodles (Kau Kee), crab noodles (???)
– Places: Hotal Colombo, Chilli Fogara – not a priority, but folks seem to love both
– Added by friends: Japanese korean bbq, hot pot (eg Lau Ha)
Revisit:
– Roast goose (Yat Lok) & fatty char siu (Kam) (@peech I will not leave without eating the fatty stuff this time!)
– Wantun mien – maybe somewhere new (went to Tasty last year and loved it)
– Basehall 02 had many good things in 1 spot (incl Kam, liangpi, cold salads)
– Dim sum – carts not a priority, @Google_Gourmet recommended Imperial Treasure, Lin Heung recently reopened
– Stanley village
– Bakeries – sponge cake and more (ideas for other places like Happy Bakery?)
Fell off the posting wagon while I enjoyed my visit without the stress of wanting to do and eat everything that I had last time
Tonight’s dinner was a selection picked up from the airport on my way out: Mushroom E-Fu noodles (with the appropriate quantity of mushrooms @small_h – think they were boletus) and Chicken and Egg “home-style” Ho Fun from Duddell’s, and Hainanese chicken and rice from Moon Thai (I wanted some from Putien too for comparison, but it was sold out).
Both noodles were delicious, though I was surprised the ho fun used no soy sauce. The chicken was just lovely, perfectly cooked and very flavorful.
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– esp in the heat.
