Hong Kong is a city of surprises. A place where food worship is akin to religion. Be prepared for every day spent in Hong Kong to be a culinary journey. If you like to try new things, you won’t want to leave the city because you’ll find an endless supply of amazing dishes.
In this blog post, I share 17 quirky and unusual foods in Hong Kong that you must try: crusty eggs, futuristic rainbow toast, bubble waffles, green matcha desserts and more. Ready to take a culinary trip to Hong Kong?
Want to save money in Hong Kong?
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● Free entry to Art Central, the highlight of Hong Kong Art Week. if you love contemporary art and meeting talented and interesting people, don’t miss this event.
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Hong Kong Food Guide: What to Eat in Hong Kong
The first thing that struck me in Hong Kong was that the locals love their favorite cartoon characters so much that they are ready to eat them.
As a result of this phenomenon, Hong Kong has become home to dozens of cartoon-themed cafes and restaurants: Hello Kitty Chinese Cuisine, Snoopy & Charlie Brown Cafe, Pop-up Cafe Pom Pom Purin, Gudetama Cafe, Ding Dong Restaurant, Moomin Bakery & Cafe, and Kumamoto Cafe, among others.
At these restaurants, you can enjoy some of the world’s cutest treats, including Kitty, Snoopy Cheesecake and Moomin Latte. What do you think of the menu?
Learn about these and other unusual restaurants (airplane-style restaurants, floating restaurants, fishing restaurants on shrimp farms) in the blog post.
“Hong Kong: 5 quirky restaurants and themed cafes to wow you.”
Must-try, popular, quirky and street food in Hong Kong
To start your Hong Kong culinary journey, head to the Mongkok area. Its streets hiss, jets and smoke, and street food is cooked on every corner, giving off a strong smell.
Popular with young locals, Mongkok is known for its authentic atmosphere and is the place to go for some of the quirkiest and traditional dishes in a city obsessed with food.
At night, the place is packed with people and bustling with activity. I lost track of time here and spent a lot of time going from one food stall or restaurant to another.
For iconic Hong Kong food in a verified location with Hong Kong people, I recommend you visit the Mongkok night market and sample the local street food.
Mongkok has an impressive selection of food.
I had an embarrassment of riches seeing all this colorful food. The explosion of mixed aromas made my head spin. If you are only in Hong Kong for a few days, I suggest you visit this area first to get a feel for the city’s atmosphere and try some of the most amazing Hong Kong food.
What unusual and delicious Hong Kong dishes have I eaten here?
1. Piyao Hong Kong
One of the highlights of my food tour in Hong Kong was the skinny eggs.
What is a century old egg? Some people love them, while others get sad at the thought of eating rotten eggs.
Puffed Egg Flavor
Personally, I can’t pass up unusual food. Although such an egg looked a bit unappetizing, I decided to give it a try. It didn’t taste as disgusting as I thought it would. The egg white turned into a dark brown jelly and the yolk turned into a swamp. The skinned eggs had a pungent ammonia smell and a strong sour taste.
How did the Chinese come up with the idea of eating rotten eggs?
According to legend, a farmer in mainland China found a nest of duck eggs in a muddy limestone swamp. He wanted to give it a try. The farmer was so impressed with the taste that he decided to preserve the eggs himself. Since then, it has been a favorite snack in China, Hong Kong and some countries in Southeast Asia for centuries.
How do you make the Century Egg?
To prepare this Chinese delicacy, Hong Kong people traditionally use duck eggs. Although, modern century eggs are usually made from eggs and quail eggs.
To make century eggs, strong black tea, salt, wood ash, lime and calcium oxide are poured into a large pot. The eggs are then soaked in this marinade. They are cured for 100 days, not 100 years, as the name implies.
How do you eat skinned eggs?
In Hong Kong, century-old eggs are served as dim sum or eaten by themselves. If you like to experiment with flavors, don’t miss the chance to taste a century-old egg.
Where can I eat skinny eggs in Hong Kong?
Yung Kee Restaurant – Address: Yung Kee Building, Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong
Lo Fu Kee Restaurant – Address: 140 Des Voeux Road Central, Hong Kong
Mui Kee Congee – Address: Shop 11-12, Cooked Food Centre, 3/F, Municipal Services Building, 123A Fa Yuen Street, Mongkok, Hong Kong
Ho Hung Kee Restaurant – Address: 1 Cheung Tin Road, Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong
Goose Manor – Address: Shop 29, G/F, Shop C, Kowloon Centaur, 39 Ashley Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
You can also learn more about pidgin and other quirky Hong Kong dishes to try on this Hong Kong food tour, of course.
2. Sweet Bean Curd – Bean Curd
Tofu has long since ceased to be an exotic product. Tofu rice noodles or tofu sushi would not surprise anyone. But if in the Western world tofu is usually salty and fried, they also like it sweet, and in Hong Kong tofu is used for dessert.
Tofu pudding is an iconic tofu flower.
It is also known as soy pudding or tofu brain. Tofu brain can be found in many restaurants and stalls in Mongkok and throughout Hong Kong.
Here are some restaurants that serve the classic bean curd recipe.
Kung Wo Tofu Factory – 118 Pei Ho Street, Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong
Sweet Auntie’s – 13 Ching Fung Street, Causeway Bay
Kung Woo Tofu Factory – 67 Fuk Lo Tsuen Road, Kowloon City, Kowloon
Dream Tofa – Shop 6, G/F, 1 Pendulum Street, Central, Hong Kong
My favorite on this list is Dream Tofa: it’s a cafe that specializes in everything tofu! There is a great selection of tofu desserts here.
Click here to get a free 10% off coupon for any tofu dessert or drink at Dream Tofa.
3. Hong Kong Style Stir Fry
Stir fry is what most people associate with Chinese food.
Stir-fry is also popular in Hong Kong, where almost everything is prepared in this way – from any type of meat to vegetables and complex dishes.
The technique itself is called “stir-frying”. The chef cuts the ingredients into equal-sized pieces, which are then fried in a frying pan, stirred quickly, and even tossed slightly into the air. The special feature of the stir-fry is that it is quickly baked at a very high temperature for about 5 minutes.
You can find stir fry in any restaurant in Hong Kong and the selection is wide.
My favorite stir-fries are.
Beef Stir Fry
Hong Kong style shredded chicken and rice noodles
Seafood Stir Fry Noodles and
Stir Fried Pork with Kale
Wouldn’t you like to not only try local stir-fries, but also learn how to make them?
To do so, take a Hong Kong-style cooking class and learn from a local chef how to cook 3 dishes: an appetizer, a main course (meat or fish with fried rice or rice noodles) and a dessert.
The master class includes a trip to the local food market with the chef, where he will explain how to choose the right ingredients. Afterwards, you will head to the cooking studio to embark on a real culinary adventure. You will be guided step-by-step by the chef as he prepares signature Hong Kong dishes, which you will then serve or take away.
