I am finally back from all my travels, and am going to recap some of my favorite eats over a few installments, starting with our stopover in Hong Kong!
We spent a whirlwind 2 days in Hong Kong on our way to Vietnam, just enough time to get a feel for the speed of the city. It is truly a unique place with the contrast of it’s corporate big business area and its bustling old Chinese streets rubbing up right next two each other. (Seriously there is an entire Armani mall, it’s 3 floors.) It was also enough time to eat some truly fabulous food. With only 2 days we focused on inexpensive tasty eats, and here are a few fun things we found.
Noodles for Breakfast with Deep Fried Bean Curd, Lettuce and Chicken's Feet
One day for breakfast we found a simple noodle place that let you design your own bowl. First you picked your noodle variety from a selection of two yellow noodles, one flat and one thinner, and two rice noodles. The noodle lady quickly dumped your choice into boiling water and if you wanted vegetables, she tore up some lettuce and added it in as well. After a quick 30 second jolt, the noodles and lettuce are tossed into your bowl and you have the option of an array of toppings, finished off by some fish and pork broth. I chose chicken’s feet and bean curd. Pay the lady, cash of course, garnish with some hot chili sauce and slurp it back. Eating chickens feet for breakfast? Not a problem. Spitting little ankle bones onto the counter? I need to work on being more comfortable with that.
BBQ Goose and Pork on Rice (aka the Shiny Meats)
For lunch we sought out a place to hide out from the rain and eat some shiny meats. I say shiny, because the people working in these barbecue goose, duck and suckling pig shops are always wearing rubber boots and laying down new cardboard to keep from slipping. This is a meal that will stick to your bones for awhile. That said, the char siu (roasted pork made from the belly) and roasted goose rubbed with soy, sugar and spices is truly something to try. Shiny meats for all!
Har Gow at Tim Ho Wan
Of course, when in Hong Kong yum cha (or dim sum) should be on your must list. I found a little tiny (10 table) cafe, Tim Ho Wan, with a michelin star, rock bottom prices and the best Har Gow(pork and shrimp dumplings) I have ever had. The tables were squeezed together so tight 4 people had to move to let me out when we left. (This was a place for iphone photos, there was no room for my big camera.) Oh, and just the bbq pork buns are reason enough to go back. The beef rolls and turnip cake were no slouch neither. The total bill for two of us was $66HK, or about $8.50.
Beijing Style Dumplings
Other memorable eats were some tender and simple Bejing dumplings (mutton and green onion or pork and cabbage), and roasted duck congee with lots of chinese donuts for dipping. If you aren’t familiar with congee it is a soup\stew made from rice and stock that is eaten for breakfast – very wholesome comfort food.
Salt and Pepper Shrimps at Temple St. Night Market
Lastly, some of our favorite meals were eaten sitting under tarps, sharing small tables with locals and sitting on little plastic stools on Temple St. We scarfed down claypot rice, fried whole crab, and salt & chile shrimps that appeared to be a cross between a lobster and a prawn.
…It is a very good thing that travelling involves so much walking. Up Next? Some eats from Vietnam. More posts in this series:
Pt2: Vietnam – Noodle Soup for Breakfast
Pt3: Vietnam – A Country of Foodies.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I can’t believe you ate chicken feet, but then I can eat prawns no problem and that would probably puzzle some people – I suppose its all a matter of what you are used to. !!
mmm shiny meats!! My mouth is watering. The teeny dim sum place sounds like a reason to return to Hong Kong – if only to eat there!
@Candy it wasn’t my first time. And if you like chicken wings (mostly skin) then you would enjoy well cooked chicken feet.
@L – yes we talked about trying to make it work during our layover, but nottt quite.
Why tempt us without letting us print out a few of these mouth watering recipes from Vietnam? Our son introduced us to a place (very small and family run) in Ct that serves wonderful soup and spring rolls. I’d love to try to make some street foods recipes, but you’ve left off the recipes. Ouch!!!
Hi Lura, sorry that you are disappointed to not have recipes, but I don’t have them either. Writing and travelling and seeing new food helps me come up with recipes and that inspiration has been interesting to some readers.