Many Westerners living in a major city might think they know their way around a Chinese menu. From steamed dumplings, to barbecue pork… some may have even flirted with adventurous options like chicken feet! This however is just the tip of southern China’s contribution to world cuisine. A visit to Hong Kong, Asia's World City, allows you to experiencing these flavours and more. With so much food offered on street corners and restaurants, why not explore Hong Kong as a foodie? When it comes to finding a good restaurant, it’s hard to go wrong following the locals. Even this approach, however, can come up short if you don’t know what to order. Enter our Hong Kong Foodie on Foot tour. It's a fascinating afternoon spent roaming inner Hong Kong, sampling its culinary delights, while learning about the city’s architecture, history, and culture from an expert guide.
The tour starts with a late lunch, taken over the first two stops. Guests enjoy a delicious wonton noodle soup at an award-winning family restaurant (now in its third generation), before going on to sample Hong Kong’s most popular roast meats. These often aren’t the same flavours found in the west. Pork is a popular staple, but you can expect to see more duck than chicken on the menu, right alongside pigeon. You might even enjoy a look inside the kitchen to see how these succulent meals are prepared. A stop at a fresh juice shop refreshes both the palate and tired legs, before the tour takes a more cultural turn. Guests may be taken through an outdoor ‘wet market’, a rapidly vanishing style of market in Hong Kong where fresh produce, meat, seafood, and flowers are sold. Visit the famous Mid-levels Escalator, the world’s longest conveyor that carries downtown workers into Central every morning. The tour might also cover the history of Hollywood Road and Sheung Wan, as guests explore their streets, passing through worthwhile sights such as Cat's Alley, and the small but beautiful Man Mo Temple. A preserved fruit shop offers the chance to try some unusual local snacks, many of which are school lunchbox staples in Hong Kong. Some even play an important part in Chinese medicine. These treats are the perfect appetizer for some dim sum. You can find dim sum-style dishes everywhere in Hong Kong, from street vendors to Michelin-starred restaurants. But nowhere quite beats the value and intimacy of a family-run restaurant. Just be warned, after trying dim sum in its spiritual home, you may find nothing at home compares!
Piping hot egg tarts (very different from those made in neighbouring Macau) round out the tour, and visitors are then left to explore Hong Kong’s restaurants on their own. In a city famous for great eating, some expert advice and local knowledge gets that exploration started on the right foot.
By Christian Baines
Christian’s first globetrotting adventure saw him get lost exploring the streets of Saigon. Following his nose to Asia’s best coffee, two lifelong addictions were born. A freelance writer and novelist, Christian’s travels have since taken him around his native Australia, Asia, Europe, and much of North America. His favourite trips have been through Japan, Spain, and Brazil, though with a love of off-beat, artsy cities, he’ll seize any opportunity to return to Paris, New York, or Berlin.
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