Hong Kong 2017

I had two goals for Hong Kong: to eat as much as I can, and to do some hiking.

When people think of Hong Kong, they think of a large, cosmopolitan city filled with skyscrapers. While this is all true, Hong Kong also has a lot of green space with great hiking trails and amazing views. I managed to squeeze in two hikes despite it being ridiculously hot and humid: Dragon's Back and Lion Rock.

I also spent a day in Sai Kung visiting my grandfather's grave and could not believe the view. I can't imagine a more beautiful or peaceful resting place.

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Here are some other memorable things that I ate:

Roast Goose Lai Fun Noodle Soup from Yat Lok

I've eaten a lot of roast duck in my life but not goose so I don't have a lot to compare it to; however, the skin and meat on the goose at Yat Lok was tasty. Get the goose over rice if you don't want the skin to become soggy, though noodle soup is my jam, as you can tell from this list...

Wonton Egg Noodle Soup from Mak's Noodle

The wonton itself was sort of mediocre but oh man, the broth and springy noodles made the bowl worth it. The portion was small, and I've read a lot of complaints about this, but it was the perfect for someone who was eating non-stop.

Beef Brisket Egg Noodle Soup from a shop in Tsuen Wan

I love braised beef brisket, especially when the meat is fall-apart tender, and this shop did beef brisket right. The egg noodle was also fantastic; there's nothing I hate more than soggy noodles.

Minced Beef Congee from a shop in Sha Tin

Hong Kong does minced beef congee the way I like it but rarely find in Canada: they mix the minced beef with deep fried vermicelli so that you get the contrast of texture in your congee. This shop was old school, where the congee was thicker and chunkier, my personal preference.

Asian Green Vegetables

As much as I enjoy eating local, seasonal Ontario vegetables, Asian greens are my first love. Look at the freshness and variety! Ong choy (a.k.a. water spinach) was in season when I was there and I ate my fair share of it.

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I had two disappointing, failed finds. The first was black sesame soup, which I had at multiple places, some highly recommended, all unimpressive. None of them had the strong sesame flavour I was looking for. Ironically, the best black sesame soup I've ever had was in Toronto. Tragically, that store has closed down.

The second failed find was a pancake slathered with peanut butter and condensed milk from my childhood. You used to be able to buy them from street hawkers, which no longer exists due to sanitary concerns. I found a stand that sold the pancake when I was in Hong Kong eight years ago, but they seem to only have a waffle version now. If someone (anyone!) knows where I can find the peanut butter and condensed milk pancake, please let me know! I'll put it on my list for my next visit to Hong Kong.