Where to eat and drink in Hong Kong

I love Hong Kong! I love the endless supply of delicious food, great drinking spots, and practicing my rusty Cantonese. During my recent trip to Hong Kong, I made an effort to try as many recommended foodie spots as possible. This list sets out my favourite places.

Dimdimsum Dimsum Specialty Store

Dimdimsum Dim Sum Specialty Store is a neighbourhood dimsum store. It was really crowded with people from the area and the dimsum was honestly good! I was especially fond of the cheong fun wrapped around deep-fried crispy prawns and the steamed pork ribs. The steamed pork ribs were so juicy and tender! The pig-shaped custard buns were cute but they weren't exceptionally delicious. The shrimp dumplings were super good too with the thin skin and fresh crunchy prawns.

Jordan: 21-23 Man Ying Street, Jordan, Kowloon (Tel: 27717766)
Mong Kok: 112 Tung Choi Street, Mong Kok, Kowloon (Tel: 23092300)
Wan Chai: 7 Tin Lok Lane, Wan Chai, HK (Tel: 28917677)
Shatin: Shop 108, 1/F, Citylink Plaza, Shatin (Tel: 22858149)

Australian Dairy Co

Be prepared to queue, eat quickly, and get out of Australian Dairy Co the minute your are done. But the awesome scrambled eggs more than make up for the long wait, the non-existent service, and having to squeeze into booth seats with fellow customers. Frankly, the scrambled eggs are to die for!

47 Parkes Street

Tsim Chai Kee Noodles

Tsim Chai Kee Noodles is a Michelin-starred cafe serving wanton noodles. Oh my, the wanton noodles was super awesome! The noodles were so springy and the huge wantons were filled with large crunchy prawns. This is definitely one of the best wanton noodles in Hong Kong. 

98 Wellington Street 

City Hall Maxim's Palace

City Hall Maxim Palace is a good place to have dimsum in a slightly more posh environment, and ordering your dimsum dishes from traditional pushcarts. Be prepared to shell out more money for this exquisite experience though.

3 Floor City Hall, 5-7 Edinburgh Place, Central

Lin Heung Tea House

Lin Heung Tea House embodied the traditional Cantonese tea house absolutely. We ordered Braised Pork Belly, Spinach with 3 eggs, and Pipa Tofu. All the items were homely and happy food! Come for their cooked dishes in the evening or their traditional dimsum in the day. 

160 - 164 Wellington Street

Ozone Bar

If you have time for only one drinking spot, Ozone Bar is the one watering hole you should not miss. I swear it is way better than Lan Kwai Fong. Situated on 118 floor of the Ritz Carlton, Ozone Bar offers a breath-taking view of the city below. The outdoor area was completely al fresco so the chilly night wind enveloped the area in its cold arms. The area was circled with high glass windows with a row of chairs facing the glass windows so you could sip your drinks while enjoying the marvelous view below.

International Commerce Centre (ICC)/the Ritz-carlton Hong Kong, 1 Austin Rd W, Hong Kong

If you are interested in my full foodie itinerary, feel free to drop me an email at toseetofeeltoeat@gmail.com and I will forward my itinerary to you!

Check out Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, and Day 5!

Two Blur Guys, Orchid Hotel, Tanjong Pagar

Two Blur Guys is situated at Level 1 of Orchid Hotel, around the corner from Keisuke Ramen. I've strolled by a couple of times whilst walking to and from Duxton, and always wanted to try it. The opportunity presented itself one evening after work when I met my boyfriend for dinner.

It was surprisingly empty in the evening. In fact, we saw only 2 other customers (one of whom turned out to be a friend from law school) in the whole hour we were in Two Blur Guys. Two Blur Guys has a very causal vibe, with the open concept kitchen just behind the counter, and a row of tables in front of the counter. We ordered quickly as we were famished.  

The boyfriend ordered the Beef Burger which I could not try, but he said it was good.

I ordered the Pulled Pork Burger, with its delicious marinated pork, gruyere cheese, and honey mustard. The burger was kind of small, but it was packed with awesomeness. The melted cheese with slices of pulled pork went very well with the soft bun. I also liked the potato salad that came with the burger. Very tangy and refreshing.

My only grouse is that the burger was served kind of cold. My pet peeve is lukewarm food and sadly, the burger at Two Blur Guys triggered this pet peeve.

I liked the burgers at Two Blur Guys but I don't think the burgers are anything worth writing home about. The lukewarm burger was also a disappointment. Furthermore, the open concept kitchen meant that your hair and clothes would end up smelling like the food after a short meal in Two Blur Guys.

#01-13 Orchid Hotel

8 Korean BBQ Restaurant, Central Clarke Quay

The weather had been nice and cooling the past few weeks, ideal for a nice cozy meal of BBQ meat. We were craving pretty badly for BBQ meat during lunch one day and decided to check out the newly opened Eight Korean BBQ Restaurant in Central. It was situated on the second floor of the easily accessible Central, which was close enough for me that I did not really mind braving the rain for it.

The restaurant was dimly-lit, with large television screens dotting the sides showing MVs of Kpop. We browsed through the menu and quickly decided on the 4 colours set.The 4 colours set meant we could choose 4 types of marinated pork which also came with a large seafood stew and the usual set dishes. We chose miso, wine, garlic, and smoked pork.

The seafood stew was large! It was tasty but not anywhere as good as the usual stews that I am used to at Togi. The soup base in 8 Korean BBQ Restaurant was milder, less robust, and without the sweetness of fresh seafood.

The BBQ pork belly was another thing altogether. They were marvelous. The waitress set out the thick slices of pork belly on the grill and doled out large portions of kimchi and beansprouts beside them. She proceeded to grill the pork for us patiently, flipping them around and making sure that they were grilled evenly to crispy juicy slices.

Once the pork belly was ready, she cut them into smaller slices and arranged them neatly into 4 neat piles. The kimchi and beansprouts were also nicely heated up by that time. I have to say, the kimchi at 8 Korean BBQ was delicious. It was the most yummy, fragrant, and crunchy kimchi I've ever tasted. The pork belly was fantastic too. Slices of thick juicy cuts, extremely well-marinated, and grilled to perfection. I am particularly fond of the garlic flavour because it was the tastiest and most fragrant marination of the 4 types we ordered.

The pork belly cuts were as good as those at Ju Shing Jung. However, the marination was definitely better at 8 Korean BBQ Restaurant. The flavour was fully absorbed in all slices and the meat was incredibly tasty. Service was excellent and the waitress made a good effort to ensure that our slices of pork belly were evenly grilled. They also came to our table to check on us often. I would be back!

#02-79 The Central

Tim Ho Wan, Plaza Singapura, Singapore

Finally, finally, finally. I managed to get myself down to Plaza Singapura to try the Tim Ho Wan in Singapore. After eating Tim Ho Wan in Hong Kong thrice, I was looking forward to the Singaporean branch for a really long time. But the crowd was insane when they first started, and I was no longer young enough to waste a couple hours queuing for food. So I waited a long time before checking out Tim Ho Wan in Singapore. 

My parents and brother were already in Plaza Singapura to run some errands and they asked if I would like to join them for dinner after work. I was really tired that day and I wanted nothing more than to grab a quick dinner, take a nice long shower, and crawl into bed for some much-needed rest. But I found out that the hawker centre nearby was closed! So I decided to go down to Plaza Singapura anyway.

The queue moved very quickly and we were inside within 30 minutes. There were chairs outside the restaurant so we could sit while waiting. Great for tired legs. The restaurant is small and cramped with many small tables placed very close to each other.It was very crowded, bustling, and noisy.

Century Egg Congee was silky smooth, creamy and typically Cantonese. Cantonese congee is always smooth and creamy unlike their Teochew counterparts and that is how I like my congee. However, this bowl was served cold (my pet peeve) so I was rather disappointed. I like my food piping hot.

Nice juicy prawns wrapped in thin "skin". This prawn dumplings were good. The prawns were crunchy and the skin was so thin it was almost non-existent.

Not a fan of vegetable dumplings and I cannot remember why we ordered this. Not fantastic but I guess that could really be because I was never fond of them.

Shrimp rolls wrapped in bean curd skin. This is my ultimate favourite dim sum dish. Few dim sum restaurants have this so I'm always very happy to find it. The shrimp rolls absorbed the delicious sauce and was really tasty.

The deep fried spring rolls were nice but average. The skin was golden and crispy, signs that the rolls were fried for the right amount of time. However, nothing very spectacular. Or maybe it's just because I am not a fan for fried stuff.

Siew Mai was pretty good, soft fresh pork, and nice minced prawns.

Deep fried shrimp rolls in bean curd skin. Oh I loved this too! Nicely crispy, juicy shrimp, and delicious filling. These rolls were served right out of the wok and piping hot!

This was the ultimate highlight. The special oven-baked char siew bao. Freshly baked with a nice thin crust and lots of delicious char siew filling. We were so hooked that we ordered 9 char siew bao!

The glutinous rice in lotus leaf was average though. Sticky glutinous rice which sadly was not too fragrant and some meat filling. The meat was not too delicious either. I would pass on this the next time I visit Tim Ho Wan.

Pricing in the Singapore Tim Ho Wan is definitely higher than its Hong Kong counterpart. I prefer the Tim Ho Wan in Hong Kong because of the better pricing. In terms of food, I think the oven-baked char siew bao was better in Hong Kong. However, I prefer the steamed shrimp rolls wrapped in bean curd skin in Singapore.

#01-29A Plaza Singapura

Pasta Brava, Craig Road, Duxton and drinks at Blue Mist

Stef and I wanted to check out Duxton at night since we were usually only there for brunch. After spending some time on Google Maps, we decided the fastest way from City Hall was to take a bus instead of the customary walk from Tanjong Pagar MRT. So we hopped onto a bus in front of the Supreme Court and alighted one stop after Maxwell Food Center. Crossed the street, walked along the shop houses and found ourselves in the Duxton area. We took a nice evening stroll around the Duxton area before eventually settling down at Pasta Brava for dinner.

Pasta Brava was extremely crowded for a weekday night. In fact, it was so crowded that we were settled outside in the single al fresco spot beside the door. Thankfully there was a ceiling fan providing a weak breeze throughout the night which alleviated much of the heat. Reservations are strongly recommended if you are intending to have dinner at Pasta Brava.

Pictures are horribly dark since I was taking them with my Samsung smartphone in a dimly lit area. We ordered an Eggplant Parmagiana (oven-baked eggplant with cheese), Vongole Spaghetti, and Squid Ink  Seafood Risotto.

The Eggplant Parmagiana was heavenly. Deliciously fragrant, soft, and coated perfectly with the right amount of melted cheese. It went perfectly with the rocket leaves and was a fantastic starter. I've always liked  Eggplant Parmagiana but this was definitely one of the better ones so far. 

The Vongole Spaghetti was done al dente, nice and springy, with a very generous amount of clams. The clams were fresh, juicy and so yummy. My only grouse was that the Vongole Spaghetti was, for some reason, served cold. It was not hot or warm, but really cooled. We joked that the staff might have taken awhile to find us since we were sitting alone outside the restaurant. The spaghetti must have cooled while they were walking around trying to find us.

The Squid Ink Seafood Risotto might not look much since it seems all black and gooey in the lousy picture below but it was very good. The dish was served piping hot (yay!) with thick squid ink, fresh juicy seafood, and well-cooked risotto. Will definitely return for the Squid Ink Seafood Risotto.

Ended the night with drinks at Blue Mist, a bar beneath the HDB block opposite Orchid Hotel. Blue Mist was very crowded with many office workers having their after-work drinks but it was just a nice laid back bar with nothing much special.

Pasta Brava: 11 Craig Road
Blue Mist: #01-03 Tanjong Pagar Plaza

Where to eat in Hong Kong Day 5: Mak's Noodles, Mak Man Kee Noodles, Chung Kee Dessert, Duddell Street Starbucks

Last day in Hong Kong. We woke up late as usual, packed hurriedly, and checked out of the apartment at noon. We rolled our luggage to the nearby Kowloon MTR Station where the in-town check-in was located. In-town check-in was the most convenient facility ever provided! After checking in, we decided to complete our foodie list and decided to start with those near us at Jordan.

Mak's Noodles and Mak Man Kee Noodles were both wanton noodles stores located along Parkes Street, near the Jordan MTR Station. We couldn't decided which one we wanted to try so we decided to share one bowl at each shop. Mak's Noodles were good; delicious juicy wantons and springy noodles. However, the portion was generally quite small and the wantons were especially small. It left me feeling unsatisfied.

G/F, 55 Parkes Street, Jordan

佐敦白加士街55號地下

Mak Man Kee Noodles had bigger wantons, a more fragrant soup base, and equally springy noodles. I found that Mak Man Kee Noodles served better wanton noodles than Mak's Noodles in general. However, after we finished the bowl of wanton noodles, we began to realise why it was so tasty. There was a lot of MSG in the noodles!

In essence, after trying three famous wanton noodles in Hong Kong, I found that Tsim Chai Kee Noodles was definitely the best.

G/F, 51 Parkes Street, Jordan

佐敦白加士街51號地下

After our wanton noodles, we walked down Parkes Street to Chung Kee Dessert for some desserts. Parkes Street was really lined with all sorts of yummy food! I ordered the double-boiled soup with papaya,white fungus, and almonds. It was super yummy and nourishing!

Shop 23, Parkes Street, Jordan

We roamed around aimlessly after filling our tummies. We went over to Tsim Sha Tsui and took the Star Ferry to Central. After walking around a bit, we started to feel a bit thirsty so we went to the Duddell Street Starbucks at Central. This Starbucks was really unique, and decorated like a traditional Chinese tea house (Bing Sutt). I loved the interior design here! Apparently, many couples liked this place too since we spotted three couples having their pre-wedding photoshoot at Duddell Street.

If you would like to have the usual Starbucks drinks at a special location, look no further than Duddell Street Starbucks for something different!

Check out Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4!

Diandin Leluk, Golden Mile

We wanted to have Thai food and my friends suggested Diandin Leluk at Golden Mile after some research. There were many food blogs that strongly recommended Diandin Leluk so we decided to head over after work for some authentic Thai food.

One of my friends was intending to have a feast so we ordered way too much. Frankly, I did not think we were going to be able to finish everything we ordered when I heard the list and sure enough, we failed to do so.

Fried vegetables were very average and normal, nothing to write home about.

The pineapple fried rice was not bad. However, there weren't much ingredients inside despite the sliced prawns sitting on top. We were mostly eating plain yellow rice.

The phad thai was pretty tasty and sweet, but sadly, it was also way too wet. I do prefer the phad thai to the pineapple fried rice though.

The clear tomyam soup was very spicy, but sadly not too fragrant. The pot was filled with seafood though and it was a very hearty pot of tomyum soup. Sadly, not the best tomyum I've tried before.

The oyster egg was not too good. The egg was not crisp and turned out really lumpy. The egg was also really bland and tasteless.

The steamed fish was one of the better dishes. The fish was soft, fresh and absorbed the sauce nicely. The sauce was slightly lemony and spicy and went very well with the steamed fish.

Some desserts to wrap up the meal at Diandin Leluk. We had Red Ruby and Luk Chup, both of which were pretty average.

I would not recommend this place to anyone. You could get much better Thai food at Ah Loy Thai for the same reasonable price.

#01-67/68/69 Golden Mile Complex 5001 Beach Road