I am planning to visit Taiwan/ Hong Kong in March. My travel is usually heavily food-centric.
I have traveled extensively in Asia in the past, but it is my first time in this neighborhood.
Looking for credible websites for both locations. Everything I find seems to be rather superficial and generic. Michelin staff is decent, but not always to the point outside of France…
Better area to stay in Taipei? Does it matter at all? Transportation seems to be fairly easy…
Will probably spend a day/ night in Kaohsiung. Anything not to miss there food-wise?
Will probably spend one night in Taoyuan before flying. Is there any thing particular to look for? Hakka food?
In Hong Kong, Kowloon seems to be a better place to stay food wise?
Any food wise venturing outside of Kowloon/ Island worth the time and effort?
Macau appears to be pretty touristy. Any good locations to stay and eat? What not to miss there?
Any seasonal products for March in both locations?
Thank you.
I have used many meteo systems in E and SE Asian cities and Taipei’s is by far the most comfortable and easiest to navigate. If you stay somewhere fairly central getting around should be fairly easy. Dongmen station is on an interchange and is only one stop and two stops away , respectively, from the other 2 lines.
In Taipei slack season noodles,https://noodle1895.com/
The food courts are pretty good, i look for fresh hand made noodles or dumplings. In Taipei it would be criminal not to try the local high mountain teas (which I adore) also the Mao Kong Gondola to the mountains above Taipei (including glass bottom) up there you can have tea and street vendors sell sweet potatoes as well.
HK is small and the metro system (and bus/taxi too) is inexpensive and efficient. You will not have much of an issue getting anywhere, with the only problems during commuter hours. HK has your full spectrum of food options - from Michelin starred chefs to tons of fantastic street food, local food and specialty shops. I think HK and Taiwan are more iconic for the day to day street foods or local casual restaurants. My experience in Taiwan is more limited, but I loved the classic beef noodles, their fresh buns you can buy off the street, their breakfast wraps. If you like soup dumplings, you can go to the original Din Tai Fung. I love eating in Taiwan.
HK is very similar - super dense and packed with a lot of little foodie hidden gems. Maybe not like the super foodie option, but I still make point to get some curry fishballs from that stand that’s near Wan Chai. I usually try to snag at least one order of the egg waffles too when I go back, for nostalgia sake. Some may feel this is overpriced but if you visit some of the smaller islands, you’ll also find restaurants that offer the freshest of seafood. If you avoid the ones right at the pier, you’ll probably find better bargains.
Macau is similar to both. I’ve never stayed overnight, but you’re going to find what you find in HK in Macau. If you want something very unique try the Macanese dishes. Of course, if you like egg tarts or the Chinese take on pasteis de nata, then you should go to Lord Stow’s for a Portuguese style egg tart. They used to be closed on Wednesdays, so don’t go on a Wednesday like I did and get caught unawares. Check if their hours have changed.
I can only opine on Hong Kong. So, your question there is whether to stay in Kowloon or HK Island foodwise.
I’d say it doesn’t really matter. Both offer terrific options, but more importantly it’s so easy to go from one part to the other. Some people easily dismiss HK Island for not having a lot of authentic food places but nothing can be further from the truth. I tend to alternate between Kowloon (and then staying in Mongkok) and HK Island (prefering Sheung Wan and Central then).
My family used to always stay closer to Kowloon when we went back many decades ago. I think it’s because they liked staying at the Y in Tsim Sha Tsui. My later years, I’ve stayed with family friends in New Territories (Shatin, specifically) and then also with my sister who was an ex-pat there for almost a decade. We lived near Central. Honestly, you can’t go wrong in any of those locations in terms of accessing food or anything else you like. Each ‘neighborhood’ within HK has their own wet market, food shopping streets. Restaurants really are spread out across the city, and even going to the further ends of the New Territories like Yuen Long, have their own great foodie finds (the bakery there that is famous for their wife cakes).
Perhaps recency effect, but I’ve become quite fond of the Central/Wanchai/Happy Valley area since it’s been where I’ve spent my time the last few trips (admittedly, pre-pandemic). I spend my days all over HK using that area as a base, and it’s really easy.
Additional food recommendations - if you like roast duck, give roast goose a try. Bigger, a bit fattier… very tasty. I really tend to miss the every day foods when I’m not in HK. If you were going in the fall, I would say absolutely try the clay pot rice. If you like the items at Chinese bakeries, find the one closest to your hotel and head out at about 7am for buns hot out of the oven.
Goose definitely. I went to Kams but they were out of the goose leg when I went. I wanted it with the noodles. Still the goose and rice was great. I’d also second claypot rice and I also really enjoyed curry beef flank and rice.
One thing I would say is a must is a cha chaan teng. I’ve tried versions outside HK but it’s so of Hong Kong, probably very difficult to replicate.
I watch a lot of Lucas Sin videos on YouTube
( mainly on Food 52 channel) and he does a lot of stuff on Hong Kong dishes and their history and explains context and ingredient choice in a easily understandable way.
If you are trying to decide whether to base yourself out of HK Island or Kowloon, it doesn’t matter. I say it doesn’t really matter since going from HK Island to Kowloon takes such little time. And both HK Island and Kowloon has outstanding examples of just about every types of food you can find in Hong Kong. I lived in HK for more than a decade and also visited frequently as tourists afterwards. There are places where tourists typically don’t think about staying at, like the South side of HK Island. But even there it takes maybe 20 minutes to get to Yau Ma Tei in Kowloon and same to Causeway Bay/ Wanchai on HK Island. Which is a very long way to say that it doesn’t take much time to get anywhere at all.
I’d say you would want to spend time on both HK Island and Kowloon, versus one or the other. As to New Territories, it really depends on what you want to see/ eat. If you want to get away from the hustle and bustle, Hong Kong has a surprising amount of places where you can go to green / wide open spaces. You can see temples, old villages, hiking trails, that many Hong Kong locals don’t even go to. It also depends on how much time you are spending in HK total, since you have Taiwan and Macau as well.
If you have questions about where to find outstanding examples of xxxx type of food in Hong Kong, let me know. I can try to help.
This is so true. Earlier this year I stayed near the Mongkok metro station and wanted to go to Causeway Bay. I checked google maps, and in the end I just took one of the mini buses at Nathan Road and was at Causeway Bay within 20 minutes!
Lately I’ve been using the Octopus card for tourists which you can download as an app on your phone. You can transfer money digitally from your credit card to the app, and then use your phone for public transport - and even some taxis and shops accept Octopus.
One exception as for Kowloon vs HK Island. Late at night if you take a cab to go from one to the other it will cost more (I believe the trip was around 25 euro last time). So if you like nightlife it’s better to stay on HK Island.
As for wandering outside HK Island and Kowloon, depends on how much time you have and how well you know HK already. I once spent 5 weeks only exploring HK Island and Kowloon without even wanting to go outside the area, not even Macau. There is just so much to eat! I only went to New Territories once then. These days, knowing HK quite well, I’m thinking of venturing out next time but then all the way to Guangdong (Shantou, Chaozhou).
Openrice for Hong Kong. Use Google Translate. I’d say start with the types of food you want to eat first- dim sum, wonton noodle, congee, Chiu Chow, Shunde, dai pai dong, live seafood, soy sauce western etc. etc. then look for the good ones.
I eat street food and high end but mostly in the middle and love them all. You can think of them as complementary vs mutually exclusive. At the risk of generalizing, the level of cooking of good Cantonese outside of Asia is roughly equivalent to solid midrange in hk. You can find good high end Cantonese in Toronto but prob no where else in North America. High end has techniques and ingredients that others can’t mimic. But I’d absolutely skip places where they charge more because they use pricey ingredients that don’t add much eg shark fin. So I’d say mid-high is the sweet spot in value for dollar. Ultra high end you are paying for the view of the ocean, which you can get for almost free riding the star ferry.
I don’t know if that is still the case, but one used to be able to get Lord Stow natas in a Causeway Bay hotel once a day.
I love buying live seafood at a wet market like Ap Lei Chau and then asking the stalls/ restaurants nearby to cook them. Can’t get that experience anywhere else!
There is/ was a place on Lantau Island that makes them with charcoal. I never tried, but that’s like egg waffle upgraded.
Any favorites / recommendations for this category?
Making my first trip to HK in a month and following this thread closely because I have done zero research (aside from avidly reading along on every HK thread).
(I’ll start my own thread in a bit, but am less concerned bec the friends I’m visiting are as into food, and so I’m not as concerned about bad choices as I might otherwise be. But it would be nice to have a few places on my list, maybe they haven’t been there yet too.)
I don’t know if that is still the case, but one used to be able to get Lord Stow natas in a Causeway Bay hotel once a day.
I vaguely remember this too, but since a trip is planned to Macau, it would be more fun to visit the actual store. Plus if they run out, I assume there will be other options. I quite like the main street that runs through the city from the cathedral. It definitely gives you the feel of a small European street at winds down the hill to the plaza, and all the beautiful old Portuguese tile and mosaic work.
I love buying live seafood at a wet market like Ap Lei Chau and then asking the stalls/ restaurants nearby to cook them. Can’t get that experience anywhere else!
I’ve had a similar experience in Sai Kung. Tons of floating seafood markets there, and you pick your fish and take that to a kitchen for a meal. Lots of fun, and super fresh! Sai Kung is also popular for locals to go hiking and take in nature, so definitely a recommended spot for OP if he needs to get away from the bustling city for a day or two. The islands are a great escape for a day trip too.
There is was a place on Lantau Island that makes them with charcoal. I never tried, but that’s like egg waffle upgraded.
Ooh, I would have loved to try this. I always recommend the non-fancy vegetarian meal offered at the Big Buddha monastery (not the official name). It’s simple but tasty, and if you’re already there to see the sites, the meal isn’t an expensive add on to the ticket.
Not at this place, but there used to be an old granny who sold very famous tofu pudding on top of the 10,000 Buddhas monastery in Sha Tin. It was supposed to be fabulous, and even got the thumbs up from local super actor Chow Yun Fat. This was years ago, so I’m going to assume granny long gone. Maybe family has carried on her business?
I haven’t tried that. But my favorite, easily obtainable sweet tofu pudding (or anything tofu related) is Kung Wo in Shum Shui Po. I invent a reason every time to go to SSP to get those.
Check if their hours have changed.
I really tend to miss the every day foods when I’m not in HK. If you were going in the fall, I would say absolutely try the clay pot rice. If you like the items at Chinese bakeries, find the one closest to your hotel and head out at about 7am for buns hot out of the oven.
