Cuisine of Hong Kong

Hong Kong, the melting pot of the Asians, has developed an eating habit that incorporates all the major Asian and Western cuisines, Chinese being the main. Reputed as the "gourmet paradise", you will get a flavor of Japanese, Korean, Indian, Thai, Vietnamese and other Asian food in Hong Kong. Most people serve Chinese cuisine at home, which is usually a mixture of traditional regional meals.

Traditional Hong Kong style dishes include Poon Choi prepared mainly during festivals. Breakfast and lunch in Hong Kong usually consists of Dim Sum. Assortments of Dim Sum are available in Hong Kong such as Cha Siu Bao (BBQ pork bun), Ha Gao (shrimp dumpling), Pai Gwut (pork ribs) and Fung Jou (chicken feet). Traditional breakfast consist of Congee and Yau Cha Kwai (literally oil-fried ghosts). These days, however, bread, butter, egg and sausages are more popular in Hong Kong.

The seafood of Hong Kong is popular among tourist for its freshness. Therefore, if a customer orders a dish prepared with seafood, he can check the freshness and size of the item before it is sent to the kitchen for preparation.

Instant noodles, wonton noodles, beef brisket noodle soup, vermicelli (rice noodles), fried eggs, rice dumplings and congee are among the inexpensive foods of Hong Kong. Lai Cha, also known as milk tea brewed with silk-like cotton bag filters having a mixture of several types of tealeaves and mixed with evaporated milk before serving, is a fascinating fusion of cultures. And Yuan Yang is a special Hong Kong concoction of milk, tea and coffee.

The areas well known for culinary specialties are the Causeway Bay, Kowloon City, Lan Kwai Fong, Tsim Sha Tsui and Soho. Stanley is known for many seaside pubs and European restaurants. Sai Kung, Lamma Island, Lau Fau Shan and Lei Yue Mun specialize in seafood. Old fishing towns such as Cheung Chau and Tai O also have many authentic restaurants. Most of the pubs and bars are at Lan Kwai Fong, Lockhart Road and Jaffe Road of Wan Chai; Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui east and around Prince Edward MTR station in Mong Kok. Oktoberfest, food fest held annually by Marco Polo Hong Kong hotel on Tsim Sha Tsui Road, since 1992 is a much awaited event in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong's most celebrated chef, Yeung Koon Yat, developed his celebrated "Ah Yat Bao Yu" (Ah Yat Abalone). He has, in a way, helped to put abalone into the limelight of Hong Kong cuisine. Considered the most expensive food items in the territory, each abalone costs almost thousands of Hong Kong dollars in his Forum Restaurant. Large abalones are a delicacy in Hong Kong.