1. Egg Tarts at Shan Dao Eatery (Wanchai)
Having read about this eatery's famously fragrant egg tarts in several guide books, we decided to give it a try ourselves. Indeed, the egg tarts far exceeded my expectations with their airy, wafer-thin crust and the creme brulee-like texture of the egg yolk filling. Importantly, the flaxen filling was not overly saccharine (the cardinal sin that most egg tarts commit), making it unparalleled in texture and taste.
The golden gleam of the tart shines forth
2. Chee Cheong Fun
Whilst most of us in Singapore have grown accustomed to the usual prawn or char siew (roast meat) renditions of chee cheong fun, I had the opportunity to sample two rather unusual kinds of chee cheong fun containing beef and fish. While I was thrilled by the prospect of having beef and fish slices paired with silky, translucent flour skins, unfortunately, my excitement was met with slight disappointment as the meat within had been chopped and had lost its flavour.
Chee Cheong Fun
3. Beef Soup
Of the cornucopia of delicacies that we had, one of the better ones would have to be the beef broth with beef innards (including the gut, tendon, and meaty parts). While the chefs had put a dash too much of salt, the beef soup was tasty and care had been taken to ensure that the meat had not been overcooked. Overall, it made for a pretty hearty meal, especially since it warmed us up on a rainy day.
Beef Soup
4. MacDonald's
Whilst some may cluck in disapproval or cast a judging glare when it comes to dining at MacDonald's when vacationing in a foreign land, I maintain that eating at foreign fast food chain restaurants does give a glimpse into the local food culture (as well as MacDonald's brilliant strategy of high adaptibility and crafting dishes to suit local palates). Indeed, dining at MacDonald's served to reinforce this opinion of mine, for lo and behold, we discovered dishes such as macaroni, korean beef wrap, beef with rice and a german chicken wrap - dishes that we had not seen before in other MacDonald's elsewhere! Although the macaroni soup was rather briny, I enjoyed the beef bulgogi wrap for the beef was well-marinated and served in generous portions. At the end of the day, when it comes to multinational fast food chains, perhaps we should also acknowledge that these fast food chains adapt to cater to local tastes instead of single-mindedly lamenting the cultural homogenisation that seems to be the only result of penetration of such international firms into the global market.
MacDonald's
5. Xiao Chi
Aside from the usual wanton mee and dim sum, a melange of snacks are also peddled along the streets, including exotic items ranging from shellfish to innards (e.g. pig's intestines) as well as post-dinner treats like the ji dan zai (Egg-shaped waffle).
Local Delicacies found along the Streets
Ji Dan Zai
6. Pig's blood Porridge
One of the best meals that I had reflecting Hong Kong's local cuisine would be the pig's blood porridge. Having been an avid fan of congealed blood cubes for a while (and having previously tried turtle and cow blood), I decided to give pig's blood a try this time. While the blood had formed gelatinous cubes of coppery-brown goodness that were silky and smooth (even more so than tofu), pig's blood stood out in that it bore a slightly heavy taste that was redolent of its porcine origins, whereas the kinds of animal blood that I had tasted previously were less strong on the tastebuds. Hence, while I thoroughly enjoyed this dish, a note of caution to less adventurous eaters as the porcine flavour could be off-putting to some.
Pig's Blood Porridge
In a nutshell, dining in Hong Kong was an experience and made for some firsts - including the first time I had dined at Michelin-starred restaurants, my virgin attempt at tasting snake soup as well as my maiden encounter with pig's blood. What a journey!
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