Hong Kong is a treasure trove of great dining places, be it for dim sum, roasted meats, wantan mee, or desserts. There are quite a few Michelin star restaurants that are very reasonably priced, and we had a really good time pigging out on our trip.
1. Ho Hung Kee
We made our way to Hysan Place for our first meal in Hong Kong, after accidentally going to the restaurant’s previous location, which C found online. It’s actually quite near the Causeway Bay MTR station, so you can pop by the restaurant before or after shopping at the many malls there. The restaurant isn’t very big, and you might have to share a table, but the food is served quite quickly. The queue moves pretty fast, so don’t get put off by it.
Ho Hung Kee is a one Michelin-star restaurant, and the first one that we’ve actually eaten at. Apparently, the soup wantan noodles are supposed to be excellent, but I tried the dry version instead, as they didn’t have a highchair for Noah, and I had to hold him with one hand. Eating out with a baby is really tough in Hong Kong, as not many places actually have highchairs. C had the fried beef kway teow, and because we were feeling hungry, we shared a selection of chee cheong fun too.
The dry noodles came with a bowl of soup, and a small dish of sauce, which I added to my noodles, because they were, erm, too dry. No I’m not Goldilocks. We thought the texture of the noodles was really good though! I enjoyed the fried beef kway teow too, but C found it a tad too bland for his liking. As for the chee cheong fun, we really liked the one with prawns and char siew. I regret not ordering the one with the you tiao inside though! They are apparently famous for their congee too, but we didn’t get to try it either.
Dry Wantan Mee
Fried Beef Kway Teow
Selection of Chee Cheong Fun
The tiffany blue theme of the restaurant was very pretty and reminded me of Royal China in Raffles Hotel. The booth seat gave Noah space to move around a little while we ate, so try to get one if you are eating there with a baby.
Smiles after our meal
Ho Hung Kee Congee & Noodle Wantun Shop Shop 1204-1205, Level 12, Hysan Place, 500 Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2577 6028 / (852) 2577 6060
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2. Yat Lok Restaurant
The other Michelin-star restaurant that we visited was Yat Lok Restaurant, and we had an early lunch there. The goose and roasted meat that we shared was the BEST we have ever had. I would even go as far as to say that this is the one restaurant that you cannot miss when you go to Hong Kong! We didn’t have very high expectations when we saw the shop, and because we were early, it wasn’t too crowded either. The place quickly filled up by noon, and we were glad we went early enough to get a table.
The floor of the restaurant was extremely oily and slippery, and initially, we didn’t know why. While waiting for our food, we saw the staff bringing out, at regular intervals, the roasted goose from the kitchen behind, all the way to the front counter, and the realisation that we were stepping on goose grease dawned on us.
The nondescript shop front
Roasted goose delivery!
The roasted meat literally melted in our mouths, and even though I don’t normally enjoy roasted meat, I ate a lot of it at Yat Lok. It’s so good that you don’t even need to drizzle any sauce on your rice when you eat. We ordered a plate of lettuce to go with the meal, in a pathetic attempt to balance things out a bit, and while it was nice and fresh, the meats really stole the show.
Best meal in Hong Kong
I had to hold Noah with one arm while I ate, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying my meal. (Pardon my unglam face. Didn’t know that C was taking a photo of me!)
Yat Lok Restaurant G/F, 34-38 Stanley Street Central District Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2524 3882 / (852) 9279 2388 Opening Hours: 730am to 9pm
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3. Chee Kei
If you are in the Mongkok area, you can visit Chee Kei for a meal. There was a queue when we got there, but like at Ho Hung Kee, the wait time wasn’t long, although we did have to share a table. It does take a little getting used to, especially when I have to stop Noah from disturbing those around us, but I think sharing tables is the norm in Hong Kong, and everyone just minds their own business in the restaurants.
C ordered the wantan noodles in soup this time round, while I stepped out of my comfort zone, and ordered erm, rice in soup. It was really good, and I was very pleased with my choice. I guess it’s a little like porridge, but not congee for sure. We shared a plate of fried wantans and something masquerading as fried fish balls, but I didn’t enjoy the latter. C also ordered a cup of iced milk tea, and it came sitting in a bowl of ice, so as not to dilute the tea. They really do take their milk tea seriously!
Wantan Noodles in Soup
Rice in Soup, with a side of fried wantans
Weird fried fish balls
Iced Milk Tea
We liked the food quite a bit, and decided to have dinner there the next night, because it’s in the mall linked to our hotel. This time round, I tried the steamed chicken rice, while C had rice with braised chicken wings. The chicken wings were well-seasoned and very tender, which explained why there was a plate of it on almost every table in the restaurant.
Steamed Chicken Rice
Braised Chicken Wings
Post-meal happiness
Chee Kei Level 4, Unit 10, Langham Place 8 Argyle Street, Mong Kok, Kowloon Tel: (852) 3514 4000
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4. Kam Wah Cafe
We had breakfast one morning at Kam Wah Cafe, which supposedly has the best Bolo buns in Hong Kong. C enjoyed the egg tart too, though the instant noodles he ordered were pretty ordinary. The cafe was packed with regulars, and the staff chatted easily with them. The chefs were two young, tattooed, shirtless men, and C remarked that if they were in Singapore, they would have gotten shut down by the authorities. No photos of them though, you’ll just have to make a trip there to see them for yourselves!
Egg Tart and Bolo Bun (We were sharing the table with the lady in the background)
Kam Wah Cafe 47 Bute Street, Mongkok, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2392 6830
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5. Tim Ho Wan
No trip to Hong Kong would be complete without a stop at Tim Ho Wan, the Michelin Star Dim Sum restaurant. The queue in Singapore is absolutely horrendous, and I was determined to see what the fuss was all about. We went to the branch at Hong Kong Station, and thankfully, the wait was only about half an hour, even though it was a public holiday. The staff was also kind enough to give us a corner table with a bench seat, which allowed Noah to sit beside me while I stuffed my face with the amazing char siew bao. We also enjoyed the har gow and siew mai in particular. Everything else was good, but not fantastic. Worth a visit, especially if you don’t want to queue for hours in Singapore for it!
The queue
Tim Ho Wan Shop 12A, Hong Kong Station Podium Level 1, IFC Mall , Central, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2332 3078
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Bonus Highlights: Ippudo, Greyhound Cafe, and Mido Cafe
We also visited a couple of other places, but because I don’t have photos for these restaurants, I’m not doing a very detailed write-up on them.
(A) Ippudo
If you love slurping the ramen at Mandarin Gallery’s Ippudo, but can’t always get a table there, you can try visiting the branches in Hong Kong when you are there. The same rule applies though: go early if you want to get a table! The branch we visited at Causeway Bay was pretty big, and can definitely accommodate more diners than the one at Mandarin Gallery in Singapore.
Ippudo (Four outlets in Hong Kong, visit the Ippudo website for other locations) 2/F, 8 Russell Street, Causeway Bay Tel: (852) 2892 2387
(B) Greyhound Cafe
On one of my solo shopping trips at Ocean Terminal, I chanced upon Greyhound Cafe, and remembered really liking the Greyhound iced milk tea when we visited it in Bangkok eons ago. I had a late lunch there, and managed to rest my aching feet while Noah napped in the Manduca. I had a simple ham and cheese sandwich, which was huge, and even though the fries it came served with were really delicious, I couldn’t finish either one. I did gulp down my iced milk tea, which was nice and thick.
Greyhound Cafe (Six outlets in Hong Kong, visit the Greyhound Cafe website for other locations) Shop OTG01, G/F, Ocean Terminal, Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui Tel (852) 2383 6600
(C) Mido Cafe
I particularly enjoyed the french toast at Mido Cafe, where we stopped for tea before walking back to our hotel. Initially, we thought that it was closed, but thankfully, we spotted an elderly man in the shop, and he directed us upstairs instead, where the crowd was. It’s a quaint little cafe, filled with locals, and worth a visit if you are in the area. Don’t forget to order the french toast!
Mido Cafe 63 Temple Street, Yau Ma Tei, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2384 6402
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Gosh, writing this post is making me hungry! I miss the food in Hong Kong already…
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