Jasmine Phun
April 12th, 2018
If you need a reason to go to Hong Kong, go there for the food.
It’s probably one of the biggest foodie destinations out there, especially for Chinese food. Cantonese, Hunan, Fujian–you name it. Sure, Hong Kong gives you the convenience of having all types of authentic Chinese food, but Hong Kong is more than just mere convenience. What I learned after coming back from Hong Kong is that it has some of the most innovative and authentic restaurants that you could ever find in this bustling city. One night I was at a 3-star Michelin restaurant in one of the nicest areas of Hong Kong. A day later, I was at a restaurant having one of the best meals of my life on a remote island. Below are some of my most memorable meals in Hong Kong.
Dim Sum at Jade Garden
It would be a sin to go to Hong Kong and not have dim sum there. Jade Garden is one of the many restaurants owned by Maxim’s Group, a leading restaurant group in Hong Kong. When my aunt and uncle got married in Hong Kong, they celebrated over an amazing dim sum lunch at Jade Garden, and since then they’ve been eager to go back. Ten years later, we’re feasting on shrimp dumplings, chicken feet, and, of course, the famous Portuguese-influenced egg tarts for lunch in Tsim Sha Shui with a beautiful view of Victoria Harbour.
Peking Duck at Peking Garden
When my aunt and uncle were at Jade Garden after they got married, they also ordered peking duck and claimed that it was the best peking duck they’ve ever had in their lives–even better than the duck in Beijing. As someone who has been to some of the most popular and expensive duck restaurants in Beijing, I had to see for myself.
And they were not wrong.
Peking Garden is another restaurant owned by Maxim’s Group, and there are various locations all over Hong Kong. Like Jade Garden, it also has a very spacious dining room and a beautiful view of the skyline.
Even when the duck came out on the cart and before the chef began slicing away, you couldn’t help but feel perverted for looking at its plump beauty. Warm, tender duck with glistening, crispy skin. Topped with fresh scallion and crunchy cucumber, all rolled delicately in a warm pancake. Oh. My. God. Make sure to order the spicy garlic cucumbers appetizer to cut the fattiness of the duck.
Bo Innovation
This was by far the craziest meal I’ve ever had in Hong Kong. Bo Innovation is a three Michelin Star restaurant owned by “Demon Chef” Alvin Leung, who describes his food as “X-treme Chinese Cuisine” and has two different sets of tasting menus: red and blue.
The chef isn’t kidding when he says he makes “X-treme Chinese cuisine.” To say that his cooking is creative is simply an understatement. We’re talking about dehydrated chicken feet. X-treme xiao long bao. Quail egg stuffed in a taro nest topped with caviar. And so much more.
However you want to imagine those dishes is up to you. In fact, to him, imagination is half of the fun. But if you absolutely have to see what the big deal is and are willing to pay a hefty price, by all means. Is it a restaurant that I’d go to on a regular basis for some comforting cantonese food? Probably not. But is it worth going for the ultimate gastronomic experience? Absolutely.
Rainbow Seafood Restaurant at Lamma Island
Less than twenty-four hours after our amazing dining experience at Bo Innovation, we had what was probably the best. meal. ever. in Hong Kong. After a long hike around Lamma island, we found this restaurant tucked away in Sok Kwu Wan village. Located right near the water, this restaurants offers the freshest seafood you will ever encounter in your life. We’re talking about the freshest crabs, clams, and fish with just the right amount of sauces and spices to enhance its already beautiful flavor. Chili fried crab cooked to perfection, steamed prawns topped with light garlic sauce, the freshest clams paired lightly with sliced scallion, and so much more. All of that paired with a beautiful white wine shipped from New Zealand. Bliss indeed. Oh my god part two.
Cheese Tea
So apparently there’s this new “cheese tea” that’s trending all over Asia. Yup, you heard that right. It is literally iced tea topped with cheese.
You might be wondering why I added this – Is this a lovely meal at an extravagant restaurant? No. But it is something that I’ve always wanted to try after seeing a Facebook video about the trend. One day when I was going back to my hotel after buying loads of fobby items at the Dragon Centre in Sham Shui Po (lol), I ran into this cafe that was advertising this new cheese tea, and I remember being like I NEED TO TRY THAT RIGHT NOW.
But before you guys start freaking out, I’m not talking about iced tea topped with cheddar cheese or cheese wiz. Oh jesus no. Honestly, the cheese is really just the same cheese that you’d find in desserts. Kind of like the cream cheese frosting you’d find on cupcakes. Or the cheese that’s stuffed in cannolis. Whether or not you like cheese in your desserts, it’s not like it’s an iced tea with a hunk of gouda on top so CALM DOWN.
Was it amazing? No. Am I glad I ordered it, though? Absolutely.
(Interesting thing is that I don’t even like cheese. Go figure.)