The Taste of Hong Kong

Discover true, local Hong Kong cuisine! With the ubiquity of Chinese food throughout the world, many people believe they’ve experienced true Cantonese cuisine outside of China. This is rarely the case!

We at This is Asia Tours are truly the best people to get you acquainted with Cantonese cuisine–we grew up on it and we know the best spots in town to get authentic dishes. Along the way, we’ll tell you all about Hong Kong’s cafe culture, introduce you to the HK style bakery, pop into local markets, and learn how

locals prepare food. We hope you’re hungry!

Join us on a food tour to experience what makes Hong Kong’s Cantonese cuisine so special! Taste local specialties, visit markets, learn about HK cafe culture and gain an understanding of local culinary practices.

Check out our list of the 18 must-eat foods in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong Food Tour

Pineapple Buns

Mostly served in bakeries and cha chaan tengs, the pineapple bun is a soft, fluffy roll blanketed in a crumbly, sweet

craquelin-esque top.

Sink your teeth into one and you will be

greeted with a glorious medley of textures– think crunchy bursts of lightly caramelized sugar crust between bites

of warm, comforting bread.

Zhu Cheung Fun (Rice Rolls)

Zhu cheung fun (also known as cheung

fun) are steamed rice rolls you can often find as street snacks or at dim sum parlors.

When made well, these rolls are silky smooth, not at all gummy, and have a wonderful aroma of freshly steamed rice.

Have them with lashings of seasoned soy sauce, sweet sauce, sesame sauce, and a

dollop of chilli sauce on the side for a spicy kick.

Milk Tea / Yin Yang

Hong Kong-style milk tea is completely different from other Asian milk teas– and dare we say its on a league of its own.

An earthy blend of black tea and evaporated milk, some even strained

through silk stockings for the silkiest mouthfeel, Hong Kong-style milk tea is the epitome of the city’s East-meets-West

culture.

Tofu Dessert

The tofu dessert is perfectly suitable for both vegans

and vegetarians.

Also known as tofu fa or tofu pudding, this dessert is

smooth like the best panna cotta and slides onto your tongue effortlessly.

Tasting only of soybeans, the pudding is the perfect vessel for the light syrup and crunchy red sugar

crystals often offered by tofu dessert vendors.

Have the dessert served warm in the frosty winter air,

or enjoy it cold when it’s blazing hot in summer.

Dim Sum

Literally meaning “touch the heart”, these little morsels originated in Guangdong as delicious accompaniments

to tea at tea houses.

Must-trys include har gow– steamed dumplings of firm, fat shrimps enveloped in a translucent, chewy rice wrapper; siu mai– open-faced pork and shrimp

dumplings wrapped with a thin yellow sheet; cha siu bao– fluffy white steamed buns stuffed with sweet and

savory chunks of barbecued pork; and spring rolls– a variety of meat and vegetables rolled within a thin, crunchy pastry, served with Worcestershire sauce.

Hong Kong-style Egg Tarts

There are two distinct varieties of egg tarts: the shortcrust egg tart, and the puff pastry egg tart.

Both are equally as good, but we think the

classic will always be the shortcrust pastry egg tart.

Best served piping hot and with milk tea on the side!

Wonton Noodles

Top-notch wonton noodles consist of thin, springy egg noodles cooked al dente, perched

atop shrimp and pork dumplings and lifted by a spoon to keep them from turning soggy, swimming in an umami-packed broth and topped with yellow chives.

Some spots boast of their shrimp-only dumplings, but purists will claim that only wontons that contain pork are the real deal.

Eat the noodles first (with a bit of soup and chives in every bite) so they don’t go soft!

Siu Mei (roasted meats)

(cha siu)– juicy cuts of pork slathered in a

gravy of spices, wine, maltose and soy sauce, roasted in a cylindrical oven until the maltose caramelizes;

roast goose (siu ngo)– roasted until the skin is bronzed and crisp, seasoned with an aromatic

mix of five spice powder and wine, and served with a sweet, tangy plum sauce that cuts through the richness.

Egg Puffs

Curry Fish Balls

Golden, deep fried spheres of fish paste,

bathed in a spicy curry broth and served on skewers– this classic street snack has been around for decades and is here to stay.

Each store claims to have their own secret blend of curry spices, so definitely try as

many as you can until you find your favorite.

Beef Brisket Noodles

Beef brisket noodles consists of tender

chunks of braised brisket and springy egg noodles (or our personal favorite– chewy, spongy e-fu noodles), served in a flavorful

beef bone broth and topped with a handful of spring onions.

Some spots also serve a curried variety of the soup for those who prefer more intense flavors.

Fresh Seafood

For Hong Kongers, freshness is first priority

when it comes to seafood, so rest assured that your meal will be as fresh as you can get.

Must-trys include steamed grouper with springy, tender flesh, topped with a

mountain of spring onions and doused with seasoned soy sauce, and stir-fried mud crabs with ginger and spring onion, piping

hot and bursting with the complex, smoky aroma of wok hei.

French Toast

Peanut butter sandwiched between two slices of bread, dunked in egg and deep

fried, this snack is an addictive, carby square of evil goodness.

Claypot Rice

A winter favorite, claypot rice (bo zai fan) consists of a variety of fresh and cured

meats cooked over rice inside a claypot, over a gas or charcoal stove.

As it cooks, savory juices from the meats coat each individual grain of rice, turning the humble ingredients into pot of gold.

Hot Pot

Hong Kongers love gathering their friends and family around a boiling vat of

seasoned broth, then dipping thin slices of raw meat, fish, or vegetables into the broth until they’re cooked, with a lot of chatting in between.

Mango Pomelo Dessert

Invented in the 1980s by famous restaurant chain Lei Garden, this dessert consists of mango chunks, pomelo segments and

pearls of sago swimming in a sweet soup of mango puree, evaporated milk and coconut milk.

Always served cold, this childhood favourite is super refreshing and perfect for sweaty

summer days.

Fried Beef Noodles

A true test of skill for any Cantonese cook, fried beef noodles (gon chau ngau ho) is

an aromatic dish of flat rice noodles tossed with soy sauce, tender slices of beef, crunchy bean sprouts and spring

onions over an extremely high heat for that quintessential wok hei.

Sweet and Sour Pork

If there’s one dish that reminds all Hong Kongers of their childhood, it would be sweet and sour pork.

This Cantonese classic can be found in Chinese restaurants across the globe but we are adamant that the best can only be

found in Hong Kong.

THIS IS ASIA TOURS

+852 2363 4833 thisisasiatours@gmail.com

Website: https://www.hongkongprivatetourguide.com/