- UNITE Editorial
Food Review: Hong Kong Edition
“Kowloon Hong Kong
We like Hong Kong
That’s the place for you!”
As the 1960 ditty by The Reynettes suggests, Hong Kong is the place for everyone! In June, I headed to Hong Kong, my favourite city, for the third time with my family. Despite the humid summer weather (think three times hotter than Singapore’s weather), I fell deeply in love with the place and my heart sank when I checked out of my hotel and headed to the airport. I had stuffed myself silly during my ten days there and probably gained a couple of kilograms but it was worth it! I tried most of the food recommended by food bloggers and here are my favourite few:
1. Mum’s Not Home (Address: 1/F 302 Shanghai St, Yau Ma Tei)
Of all the food places I visited, this quaint café stole my heart. The café is located in an old run-down resident building. It is very easy to miss it if you are not sharp enough as the only indication of the café is a poster pasted outside the building. The café opens precisely at 2pm (we arrived at 1.45pm and were turned away) and gets crowded very quickly so be sure to arrive on time! To enter the café, you need to press the doorbell and someone will open the door for you, making you feel like you are entering a friend’s home.
And if you are obsessed with having a cool Instagram theme, this place is a dream come true! Everything is extremely ‘Instagram-worthy’. The owners are very creative too because the menu (there is only one giant menu shared by all the customers so you need to take turns) is hand-drawn. Besides selling food, they have other knick-knacks (vintage clothes, hand-drawn cards etc) up for sale! And if you need a hair-cut, the café provides such service too.
When I visited the café, they only sold no-bake cheesecakes (many unique flavours like dragonfruit cheesecake) and drinks (you have to try the sweet potato latte) but the food was so good. The cakes were not overly cloying and the cold drinks were a perfect respite from the weather. Service was impeccable and I felt truly at home.
2. Oldies Foodies (Address: 45 Gough Street, Central HK)
Hong Kong is well known for their uniquely shaped beehive waffles or eggettes. And combining the piping hot waffles with ice-cream is a match made in heaven! The shop, Oldies Foodies, is located at the top of the hill so be prepared to walk a lot to get to the sinful dessert. But it will be all worth it if you plan to consume that many calories in one seating! The ice-creams are made from scratch and so deliciously creamy. And if you plan to order the eggettes, expect to wait at least 20 minutes because it is made to order. Prices are not the cheapest but it is worth every bite.
3. Australia Dairy Company (Address: 47 Parkes St, Jordan, HK)
I am sure you have heard of this Hong Kong style café since it is the must visit spot on every Singaporean’s list. When I visited the café, I had extremely high expectations but was left slightly disappointed. Service was poor but this is common in Hong Kong. As space is limited, be prepared to share a table with other people or squeeze into a very tiny booth table below the stairs. And if you are a slow eater, I would recommend that you do not patronise the café because the staff would hurry you to eat so that the next customer gets a spot.
Unlike what everyone raved, the ham and macaroni soup was mediocre. It did not blow me away. Similarly, the scrambled eggs and toast were only decent and not fantastic like every food blogger said. However, the saving grace was the milk pudding and the bottled milk. The pudding and milk was creamy and I still salivate each time I think about it.
This concludes my mini food review on Hong Kong’s food! If you are pressed for time and only have time to visit one place, I would definitely suggest ‘Mum’s Not Home’ because the café felt like a home away from home! :)