Eating Through Hong Kong

There are two major problems with travelling. The first is when you’re abroad, you miss the food at home. The second is when you go back home, you miss the food abroad.

I was drinking an iced lemon tea with dinner today as usual and I sent a photo of the tea to my boyfriend. The picture looked amazing. As I admired my obviously exceptional photography skills, I caught myself thinking “I’m really gonna miss this when I’m back in California.” That was a sad moment, so I figured I’d write about my food because a blog post will last longer. Below are are several of my favorite snacks and drinks in Hong Kong! Enjoy :)

“Dong ling cha,” here’s to you.

Iced Lemon Tea (“dong ling cha”)

Being the poor college student that I am, I usually opt for water when eating out. This has proven difficult in Hong Kong. Most restaurants have add-ons deals for entrées, so when you eat out here, you see many patrons sipping on milk tea, Chinese soup, etc. with their meals.

An interesting difference between Hong Kong and the US is that many places charge you extra for cold drinks, not hot drinks, in Hong Kong. The idea is that most drinks (e.g. milk tea, lemon tea) are hot to begin with, so refrigerating them or adding ice to make them cold is an added cost. Even so, add-on drinks are no more than $1 USD.

One of the most popular drinks, and my personal favorite, is dong ling cha, or iced lemon tea. The refreshing, lightly sweetened beverage comes with several slices of tart lemon. You poke the lemon pieces with your straw or spoon to infuse your tea with tangy citrus goodness. Yum!

Egg Waffles (“gai daan zai”)

Egg waffles, or “gai daan zai,” have been a popular street food item in Hong Kong since the 1950s. Traditional egg waffles are made with a sweet, eggy batter poured into two irons with semi-spherical molds. They are best eaten hot and usually served plain. The first bite of egg waffle is bliss; lightly crispy on the outside and soft and warm on the inside.

Over the years, vendors have become more creative with their offerings. Egg waffles now come in a variety of flavors like green tea, chestnut, and chocolate. You can also choose to have toppings mixed into the batter, so when you bite into each egg puff, you can have warm chocolate chips melting in your mouth. One unusual addition I tried was a Chinese sausage egg waffle from Oddies Foodies, and it was really good! While the waffle was cooking, the pork fat melted into the batter, giving the waffle an unprecedented depth and richness. The taste of the sweet Chinese sausage also complemented the sweet waffle, and I thoroughly enjoyed this sweet and savory treat.

Besides savory egg waffles like kimchi or ham and cheese, Oddies is better known for its Instagrammable egg waffle desserts. Each dessert is basically a meal in and of itself. Oddies fills a cup with a whole egg waffle and thick gelato and creamy panna cotta and chocolatey brownie bits and more! I have yet to try it, but it’s on the bucket list before I leave Hong Kong.

Last but not least, the Golden Lava Bun (“liu sha bao”)

I used to get dim sum with my family every weekend in California, but I had never heard of liu sha bao until I got to Hong Kong. Researching the origins of this bun was difficult; it appears that golden lava buns are a twist on the traditional steamed custard buns (“lai wong bao”), which have a firm, sweet custard filling. Most likely, the golden lava bun is a recent and local development. I haven’t seen it overseas in Southern California but I’ve heard that it’s quite popular in other places outside Hong Kong.

In any case, golden lava buns are a beloved dim sum item in Hong Kong. Directly translated from Chinese, “liu sha” literally means flowing sand. It’s not hard to see how these buns got their name. Once you take a bite, the hot liquid rapidly flows into your mouth and coats your tongue with sweet and savory goodness. The creamy and runny egg custard filling is made from milk and salted egg yolks, which give the filling its exceptionally golden color.

One of the best parts of Hong Kong is that dim sum can be found at all hours of the day. If you’re ever in Hong Kong and you’re jet-lagged, hungover, and/or want food, there’s a great place called Sun Hing that opens at 3 am! Customers fill the tables before then, drinking hot tea as they wait for the food to come out. Sun Hing still makes its dim sum traditionally by hand as opposed to in the factory. And of course, it makes delicious liu sha bao as well. My first time there, my friends and I arrived at 2:30 am to secure a spot. We were already hard-pressed to find an empty table by that time. Because of the limited space in Hong Kong, it is not uncommon to have to share a table with strangers if there are still empty seats at a table. But a lack of personal space is more than compensated by the great food in Hong Kong. Cheers!