Traditional Chinese bakery Eight Angels Cake Shop has a wide variety of treats to enjoy. Photo / Samuel Sherry
Discover the hidden flavours of Sham Shui Po, where Hong Kong’s locals choose to eat, writes Samuel Sherry.
Skyscrapers and bright lights won’t be found in the nearly 10sq km neighbourhood of Sham Shui Po, but classic restaurants and cafes line the streets serving up some of the most delicious Hong Kong food.
Located in the northwestern part of the Kowloon peninsula, this under-discovered neighbourhood has seen plenty of new eateries spring up since the pandemic and scores of young locals now spend time here.
This is clear inside the cafes and restaurants as most are almost exclusively Cantonese speaking, but English is creeping in to the menus and pictures of best-sellers can help the small number of tourists get by.
Breakfast
Head to Kowloon Restaurant on Yu Chau St for its famous giant pineapple buns and Hong Kong-style milk tea.
The pineapple buns don’t actually contain any of the fruit, but take their name from the look of their mixed sugar, flour and egg topping which resembles a pineapple.
The giant buns absorb the sweet flavour of the topping and are well complemented by the fluffy insides, while the milk tea, made from Ceylon black tea and evaporated milk (and a bit of sugar if you want to sweeten it up), enhances the baked good for a very filling breakfast.
Something lighter can be found around the corner at Hop Yick Tai on Kweilin St, where traditional rice rolls are available.
The rice rolls themselves are fairly small and bland, which makes the sauce important.
Diners lather the rolls in hoisin sauce, peanut sauce and sesame seeds so the diverse flavours can be absorbed and a tasty breakfast enjoyed.
These filling meals can be digested while walking around Sham Shui Po’s street markets. Here, there is a particular focus on electronics, ranging from second-hand radios to modern phones.
For traditional pawn shops, look for the iconic red symbol of a bat holding a coin.
Lunch
For lunch, head to Yuen Fong Dumplings on Fuk Wa St, where diners can watch the small dumplings being wrapped by hand at the back.
The dumplings are typically filled with a mixture of pork and cabbage, watercress or leek; boiled or fried versions are available.
The fried dumplings are typically bigger than their boiled counterpart and pair well with chilli sauce provided at the table. The heat most patrons need to worry about comes from how quickly the dumplings are transferred from the pan to the table, and not the spice.
The boiled dumplings might be smaller, but still pack a flavourful punch and take on the taste of the fish broth they’re cooked in.
The fish can certainly be tasted, but it doesn’t overpower the pork filling.
Many locals can be seen taking uncooked versions to freeze at home for a later date.
A1 Tofu Company on Kweilin St offers a tofu dessert that will keep your energy up well into the afternoon.
Like the rice rolls, much of the flavour of the dessert comes from the added toppings, which include ginger syrup and sugar – a simple sweet treat which leaves customers satisfied.
Dinner
Step into local history by visiting Fuk Wing St’s Lau Sum Kee Noodle, which has had its doors open for six decades and operates under third-generation owner Lau Fat-cheong.
The family tradition of kneading the noodle dough with a bamboo pole is continued and rarely found in other restaurants.Customers are rewarded with a unique texture combined with toppings.
The egg noodles with shrimp roe is a speciality for the restaurant and served with soup on the side.
It’s important to stir the bowl before eating so the fresh vegetables can mix with the dense nest of dry noodles.
There are also pickled radishes on each table, kept in large jars - another recipe that has been passed down between generations.
The radishes can only be tried inside the restaurant (for free with a meal), because the owners do not sell them separately.
To end a day of high-quality Hong Kong food scoffing, the Eight Angels Cake Shop on Nam Cheong St provides a wide variety of sweet(ish) treats.
The traditional Chinese bakery offers high-quality almond, sesame and walnut cookies which crumble in your mouth upon first bite.
These items do not have the same sweetness as their counterparts in Western bakeries because desserts in Hong Kong don’t cater to a hugely sweet tooth.
Sham Shui Po might be well-known by locals, but hordes of tourists haven’t made it here just yet. If you’re searching for a more traditional Hong Kong area filled with great-tasting food, then this small corner of Kowloon serves up a treat.
The journalist was hosted courtesy of Hong Kong Foodie Tours.