I have noticed a lot more when I travel, I decide to take tours. Not the bus ride ones or the historical tours but walking tours about food and other things that interest me like street art.  I had read in numerous travel articles in newspapers and magazine articles , a must things to do when you are in Hong Kong is a food tour. Even though I have been to Hong Kong numerous times, I thought why not and see what places they take me to.  I suppose the advantages are;

  1. You get to sample different places all in a short period.
  2. There is a lot of information given to you that you may not know if you went by yourself.
  3. There is a lot of walking involved.
  4. All the food and places they take you to have been vetted and have some significance.
  5. The food also must be good.

I know that point four and five could be questionable. However, with the help of tripadvisor and other forums you can clearly see which tours are good ones and which ones are not.

I arrived at the agreed meeting place at 2pm with a set off time at 2.15pm. The tour leader Lilian introduced herself and also talked to me about my food allergy and that everything should be fine except for one place which is the candy shop we will visit. I had four other people on the tour a couple from Melbourne, but originally from South Africa and a couple from Toronto.  A weird thing though that the guy from Toronto also had the same first name as me and was also left handed.

Overall the walk was very easy even though Sheung Wan and Central are both very hilly. Also was very interesting to see a wet market on the streets of Sheung Wan and also seeing the process of them disappearing as the area is being gentrified and taken over by hipster coffee shops, bar and eateries.

Tim Chai Kee Noodle

These were really nice actually some of the best wonton I have eaten. They are also nicknamed ping pong wonton due to their size, which is a common term for eateries that serve big wonton. I will definitely go back and write a more thorough review later.

Address; 153 Queen’s Road Central, Central

Dragon Restuarant

Here we got to try some BBQ meat.  They gave us some char siu; BBQ pork.  The char siu was very nice and succulent and not dry like other places that I have tried it at. It had a good flavor and the outer meat had a slight crispness. I did find out when cooking char siu there needs to be some fat on the meat to keep it succulent when you cook it, which is logical. This place was chosen as they cook their own meats on site, which apparently is not as common as it use to be because of high rents and shortage of space.  Some places will just buy it from a mass factory that produces roasted meats. Also we had the opportunity to go into the kitchen which was interesting as the floor was really slippery.  Inside the kitchen we saw a succulent pig, duck, and cuts of cook being prepared before it wa put in the massive cooker.

Address; 12 Queen Victoria Street, Central

Kung Lee Sugar Cane Juice

This is another place that makes their own product and on site.  This place is has been in the same family for four generations and is still run by the same family. I am not entirely a fan of sugar cane juice. I found it too sweet and also has a grassy earthy flavor to it. Yes it is rather refreshing but not really my thing.

Address; 60 Hollywood Road, Central

Wong Wing Kee

This candy store has been in the same family since around 1901.  They make a lot of different candies. I am not really a fan on Chinese sweets which include; dried lemon, dried ginger, dried peaches, faw flakes, dried lotus seeds and many other things.  It really remind me of my grandmother and the things she use to eat. 

Address; 52 Jervious St, Sheung Wan

Dim Sum Square

Here we got to sample Har Gao; shrimp dumpling, Siu Mai; pork dumpling, deep fried spring rolls, and Char siu bao; crispy BBQ pork bun.  Everything was really nice. I did learn a few tricks when eating yum cha.  Wait until you see no steam coming from the Har gao and then it is easier to pick up and the filling won’t separate from the skin.  You should only use chilli when the food is not fresh to hide the taste.  However, I do not agree with this. The highlights were the Char siu bao and the surprisingly the spring rolls which was filled with strips of thinly cut port, vegetables and quite a bit of garlic.

Address; G/F, 27 Hillier St, Sheung Wan

Hei Lee Cake shop

Here it is where we tried some Daan taat.  They were really nice. The fillings was warm and had good consistency with a good taste and not too sweet. The pastry was a short pastry and nice and firm.

Address 3 Hillier St, Sheung Wan

Overall a good tour. It is not entirely cheap, however, you get to sample,different types of food in a short time frame.

Website; Hong Kong Foodie Tasting Tour