Hong Kong Food and Dining

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Hong Kong is one of the great centres for international cooking and the city is renowned for its exotic fusion of Eastern and Western flavours.

Hong Kong Food has a variety of authentic Chinese cuisine from all the regions of China. Good Chinese restaurants are found everywhere in Hong Kong. Some of the best can be found in major hotels and shopping complexes. Most specialise in one or more of the following: Cantonese, Chiu Chow, Hunan, Szechuan, Peking, Shanghainese or Chinese Vegetarian.

Hong Kong - Dining With Stars

Several cultures and tastes are represented in Hong Kong's international dining schene. Apart from Chinese food, which is superb, there are also a wide variety of culinary delights from Indian, Vietnamese, Filipino, Singapore/Malaysian and Thai restaurants.

Enjoy fine dining or casual family-style meals in some of Hong Kong's Eastern and Western restaurants. Chinese food may be sampled on a small sampan in Causeway Bay, on a floating restaurant at Aberdeen, in a Kowloon restaurant, in a street market or at a deluxe hotel.

Hong Kong's street food is one of the city's unique experiences. Find a list of the best areas to find some good quality Dai Pai Dongs and check out these Hong Kong mainstays.

Lan Kwai Fong is perhaps the most popular and well known area for a night out. Boasting numerous bars, pubs, clubs and restaurants, it is a popular choice for the well off locals, expatriates and tourists.

The high costs associated with the area makes this a relatively high classed area, although the quality and reputation of this area is obvious virtually everynight.

Go the south of Hong Kong island and check out Stanley bars and restaurants along Stanley Main Street where visitors can enjoy a variety of different foods (including French, Italian, American, Indian and Thai) or relax with a beer and soak up the friendly atmosphere in one of its bars, such as the Smugglers Inn - an English styled pub that's very popular with both tourists and expats.

Chinese Hong Kong Food

Some Chinese dishes are simple and others gourmet exotica, but all are designed to satisfy your senses. The most popular styles of Chinese cooking in Hong Kong are Cantonese, Chiu Chow and Shanghainese. Cantonese and Chiu Chow both originate from the same Chinese province of Guangdong but are vastly different in style and flavour. Many restaurants also specialise in vegetarian fare, famous Peking dishes and the zesty flavours of Hunan and Szechuan.

Northern Chinese Cuisine

The emphasis in Northern food is on bread and noodles, deep-frying and spicy sauces. Specialities include Peking duck and hotpot dishes. Beijing, which has developed from the Shandong school, is famous for Peking Duck, which is roasted in a special way, and eaten in a thin pancake with cucumber and a sweet plum sauce.

Another speciality of the North of China is Mongolian Hotpot, which is a Chinese version of fondue. It is eaten in a communal style and consists of a central simmering soup in a special large round pot into which is dipped a variety of uncooked meats and vegetables, which are cooked on the spot.

Southern Chinese Cuisine

Cantonese food is famous for being the most exotic in China. Cantonese is based on parboiling, steaming and quick stir-frying to retain natural juices and flavours. The food is not salty or greasy and seafoods are prepared especially well, usually served with steamed rice.

Specialities include Dim Sum (savoury snacks, usually steamed and served in bamboo baskets on trolleys). These include Cha siu bao (barbecue pork bun), Har gau (steamed shrimp dumplings) and Shiu mai (steamed and minced pork with shrimp).

Eastern Chinese Cuisine

Shanghai and Zhejiang cooking is rich and sweet, often pickled. Shanghainese food is diced or shredded, stewed in soya or fried in sesame oil with pots of peppers and garlic. Noted for seafood, hot and sour soup, noodles and vegetables.

Western Chinese Cuisine

Sichuan and Hunan food is spicy, often sour and peppery, with plenty of chillies. Specialities include barbecued meat, diced chicken stirred with soy sauce and peanuts, and spicy doufu (beancurd). Chiu Chow is served with rich sauces and Hakka food is generally simple in style with baked chicken in salt among the best dishes.

Western Cuisine - Hong Kong Food

French, Italian and German fare is widespread, along with Greek, Mexican and even California-style cuisine.

Take your pick of gourmet restaurants, pizzerias and American-style fast-food outlets. Check out thte latest chic cafes, intimate bistros, gourmet sandwich bars and delicatessens to relax and enjoy your stay.

Dine with memorable locations. Try Victoria Peak to enjoy your meal with a bird's-eye panoramic views of Victoria Harbour. Get an alfresco table overlooking a seaside fishing harbour. Go down to one of SOHO cosy downtown basements. Or pick out restaurants set trees and parks around the city.

French cuisine

Hong Kong's French cuisine features an art form with an emphasis on delicate flavours. Popular French restaurants combine traditional home-cooking, regional specialties and nouvelle cuisine with an enormous range of cheese and fine wines.

Succulence, texture and flavour of the gastronomy is foremost in the minds of Hong Kong's cordon bleus. French breads are readily available in many bakeries and cafes. Sample a crusty baguette or fresh buttery croissant - perfect with a steaming morning coffee.

Italian Cuisine

Given the similarity of some Italian and Oriental staples, it isn't surprising Italian food is so popular in Hong Kong. Pasta, rice-based risotto and seafood dishes are all widely available and extremely popular. The fascinating flavour and colour contrasts are evident in the subtly herbed Tuscan and Venetian dishes of northeastern Italy. Many regions or former city-states are immortalised in the names of classic dishes - Bolognese, Florentine, Milanese and so on.

American Cuisine

Enjoy New Orleans' Franco-Spanish heritage, from which the spicy Cajun and Creole dishes have evolved. The West Coast's flavours of mesquite wood grilling and American-accented new cooking style are also easily attainable. Be sure to top off your meal with one of the famous Napa Valley wines or salad selections.

Mexican influences on American cuisine in the form of Tex-Mex flavours are widely available in a spicy range of tacos and other meal-sized snacks. The Jewish and kosher cuisine of New York's delis have also found a home in Hong Kong.

Spanish Cuisine

Spain's culinary influences can be traced in Hong Kong's Philippine and Mexican restaurants. Rice-based paella dishes and fried octopus or squid rings are international favourites, and Hong Kong is no exception.

Mediterranean

Try the minced meat and aubergine moussaka of Greece and the eastern Mediterranean, famed too for stuffed vine leaves, skewered meat kebabs and savoury salad dips.

Asian Cuisine - Hong Kong Food

Try the spices of Thailand, the rich aromatic flavours of India, the delicacies of Japan and Korea or a whole range of Vietnamese cuisine. Asian cultures are well reprsented in Hong Kong where you can find every flavour and need.

• Japanese Cuisine is based on rice or noodles and usually dominated by fish, seafood, beef and pork. Try sushi, a slice of raw fish or seafood on an oblong of boiled rice is a particular favourite; tempura (deep fried vegetables and seafood in a batter), sukiyaki (thinly sliced beef and vegetables in a pan over a brazier), yakitori (meat barbecued on a bamboo skewer) and teppanyaki (tender beef, seafood and vegetables grilled at the table before diners)
• Korean Cuisine - marinated meats are grilled on tabletop hot plates and served with vegetables, pickles and the popular kimchi - spicy pickled cabbage; sereve with garlic, ginger and sugar, as well as the ginseng root. Try side dishes like tiny dried fish, bean sprouts and spiced cucumber. Comes with noodle or seaweed soups and plain rice.
• Thailand Cuisine - made up with all kinds of chillies, as well as basil, garlic, coriander, turmeric, pepper, lemon grass, coconut and numerous other tropical herbs and spices. Try spicy salads, soups, red and green curries (often with coconut milk), vegetables, grilled beef, pork and chicken, and rice. Add more spice with a number of condiments served on the side.
• Vietnamese Cuisine - classical deep-fried rice paper rolls filled with crabmeat, vegetables and egg are somewhat like egg rolls, only lighter. Pho is Vietnamese noodle soup that comes in many varieties; makes a delicious meal at any time of the day. Casserole dishes featuring pork, chicken, beef, mushrooms and vegetables are common.
• Indian Cuisine - Lunchtime curry buffets are popular. Try a traditional thali, a tray of house specialities, perfect for experiencing the overall flavours. Fresh ingredients and freshly ground spices ensure a wide range of curries. Find coconut milk, yoghurt marinades and tandoori dishes.
• Other Asian Cuisine - Hong Kong has an abundance of Burmese, Indonesian, Malaysian, Singaporean, and Filipino restaurants. Hong Kong is practically the culinary heart of Asia.
• Halal Food - Muslim visitors will have no difficulty in finding halal food but visitors are advised to enquire before patronizing.

Hong Kong Food - Tea or Snacks

Hong Kong teahouses are a fun way to dine, with a wide range of affordable snack food such as noodles, cakes, and desserts. Try yuen yeung, a 50-50 mixture of tea and coffee; bor law yau, a steaming hot sweet bun stuffed with melted butter, and daan tart, a tasty baked egg custard. Freshly cooked sliced fish or sliced beef congee, yau char gwai (a deep-fried dough), and wonton noodles are equally affordable local favourites.

Hong Kong Drinks

The Chinese do not usually order a drink before dinner. Popular Chinese wines and spirits are Zhian Jing (a rice wine served hot like sake), Liang hua pei (potent plum brandy), Kaolian (a whisky) and Mao toi.

One of the best-known national drinks is maotai, a fiery spirit distilled from rice wine. Local beers are of good quality, notably Qingdao, which is similar to German lager. There are now some decent wines, which are produced mainly for tourists and export.

Popular beers are the locally brewed San Miguel and Tsingtao (from China), with imported beverages widely available.

 

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