Looking for authentic Hong Kong Street Food in Kowloon with a high standard of hygiene? Most importantly you also need a menu in English and helpful staff that don’t ignore you. IYKYK!
Our first meal upon landing in Hong Kong was at the ChorLand Cookfood Restaurant, Tsuen Wan. Just a few minutes walk from our hotel, my relatives took charge and reserved a table for us to enjoy a family reunion meal together after we’d traveled for 18 hours, door to door, from the UK.
Upon arrival at the airport, we were faced with a grumpy taxi driver as we ended up waiting at the wrong place for the lift. (Don’t let this put you off taxis in HK, it’s pretty standard taxi driver behaviour!) So once we checked into our hotel we headed straight out for a decent feed! What better way to start your City Break than eat traditional Cantonese style Hong Kong Street Food?
The Dai Pai Dong Experience
Going to a ‘Dai Pai Dong’ Street Food Stand is ubiquitous in the Hong Kong street food scene. You find street food stalls everywhere selling their specialist menus and everyone has their favourite food spots. The modern Dai Paid Dong restaurant is a far cry from the street hawker stalls found when I visited as a child in the 1980’s and early 1990’s. There are no longer masses of temporary stall setups on the side of the street with plastic stools and questionable hygiene practices, but their high-quality delicious food can still be found!
I have core childhood memories of eating a delicious meal during humid evenings, sitting on a stool on the side of the street, surrounded by neon lights, the sounds of woks banging, people gossiping, and the smells of the dishes being dropped at nearby tables. A similar experience can still be found, as many street-level restaurants have tables and chairs on the pavement. However, the pop-up markets and neon signs have all but disappeared to be replaced by modern shop fronts and air conditioning.
What We Ate, With Ratings
I have to admit that we left the ordering to my relatives as it was our first time there and we were pretty shattered from the journey so we left them to it. I come from a family of foodies, are there any Hong Kongers that aren’t?!) so they knew what was good.
They ordered a variety of dishes, and the food just kept on coming! Be mindful that the dishes don’t come all at once, they come as they are ready so there is little chance of getting a photo of the whole meal. Some highlights of the meal:
- Salted Egg Yolk King Prawns with Toasted Oats (9/10)
- Marinated Fried Pigeon/Squab (7/10)
- Braised Chicken with Fried Garlic and Chilli (7/10)
- Fish cakes with Lotus Root and Truffle (8/10)
- Steamed Rice with Lard Drizzle (their famous rice, you get the liquid lard in a small teapot and your mix it into hot rice for an indulgent side dish!) (8/10)
- Salted Egg Yolk Corn on the Cob (9/10)
- Stir-fried Morning Glory (9/10)
- Tofu and Fish Clay Pot with Belly Pork and Lettuce (8/10)
Other dishes came but I didn’t try them/forgot their names, so I haven’t mentioned them here. However, the overall meal was one of the best in our 3-week trip! And such a great first meal to be welcomed with.
Overall Food: 8.5/10
Value for Money: We didn’t pay, but menu prices are affordable.
Service: 8/10 (better than the usual HK standard!)
Atmosphere: 9/10 (No freezing aircon and neon signage for the win!)
This Cantonese Street Food Restaurant offers a delivery service, a loyalty points scheme, and a range of hot, cold, and alcoholic beverages. They also offer a cake-cutting service for people bringing celebration cakes. To be fair if I was local to this restaurant I’d be here building my loyalty points regularly!
Reservations, Opening Times, and The Menu
Make sure you reserve a table! This is a very popular restaurant so reservation is necessary unless you want to stand in the street and queue for a long time. You can do this directly by phone but they have 3 stores so make sure you’re booking for the correct branch.
Opening times are 5:30pm to 2am every day.
The latest menu can be found on their Facebook Page but I also found the English language menu on Open Rice so don’t worry about not understanding it!
Payment options: Both cash and card are accepted.
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