Hong Kong Food Guide: Cheap vs. Expensive

First, the airport. Hong Kong has one of the best airport food courts I've been to. I chose this noodle place for their beef brisket noodle, which is excellent, and the dry shrimp steamed rice roll, which I didn't like so much. They also have a variety of barbecue meats. Note, I stayed in Central and Hong Kong Island, so all of my choices will be in this area. One thing I really wanted to try was a dai pai tong, or these outdoor restaurants. Apparently, Hong Kong has stopped issuing licenses for these restaurants, so they are becoming rarer and rarer. I found this random place three minutes from my hotel. All the dishes were great and had good wok hei, even though they got one order wrong. Usually, you'll see one or two old guys cooking at crazy fast speed over piping hot woks. We ordered grouper in a clay pot, but it came with bitter melon. It was still good though. The stir-fry clams were the best dish, and I think every table ordered it. Great seasoning and wok hei. Don't expect a wide ranging menu, but all the dishes were made on the spot. They're also open for lunch. It was just fun sitting outside, drinking beer, and eating good food. Top points for atmosphere. Also nearby were two famous shops for wonton noodles. Both have received Michelin stars at some point. I liked sim chai cheese dumplings more, just because they were so juicy and packed with shrimp, but I had to share a table and felt rushed eating. The noodles were packed with shrimp and firm, but the soup could have been more peppery. Max Noodles is across the street and had much better decor and atmosphere. I enjoyed their soup and noodles more. Overall, a better experience. The texture on the noodles was excellent, and they also have noodles with dumplings with pork and shrimp. I couldn't sleep in the morning and was pleasantly surprised to find a dim sum place open from 6am, so off I went, wandering the streets alone to find Ling Heung, an old style dim sum restaurant. Incidentally, I visited this place about 10 years ago, but totally forgot my hotel was so close. At 7am, there were some other loners there as well. Ling Heung is famous for their dim sum carts that they push around. In the morning however, the food is brought to one cart and you have to go and check it out yourself. I didn't mind, although I think the food was not as fresh. One thing you're encouraged to do, even in Canada, is to wash your dishes and bowls in hot tea. I'm not used to this, but I followed the code. I didn't want to do the typical ha gau su mai combo, so I got tofu skin dumpling with pork. This was great, and healthy. I also couldn't resist getting feng jiao, or steamed chicken feet, a dim sum classic. The seasoning was good, but it could have been softer. I was pretty full, but couldn't help ordering another dish. These BBQ rice noodles were okay, but not that fresh. Overall, it was great to chill out by myself over a hot pot of tea. Dim Sum 1968 is a new style dim sum restaurant, but I found the menu to be not so innovative. The skin on the xiao long bao was too thick, but the shrimp dumplings and spare ribs were good. The shrimp dumplings had plenty of shrimp and texture, while the spare ribs were seasoned with garlic and had steamed rice rolls underneath. Something different. Overall, pretty average. I love roast duck and goose, and had to come here. I was so full, so I just ordered a duck, which made it more expensive. I should have ordered duck with noodles. It was busy and cramped, but great though. And I took the rest of the duck home that I couldn't eat. We were lucky to be taken to the Foreign Correspondents Club, which apparently is famous for their restaurant. Their menu is super international, with western, Indian, and Chinese dishes. The atmosphere is elegant and colonial. The food was good, but you need to be a member to get in. More dim sum. This is another new style restaurant that has original takes on dim sum classics. I expected it to be fancier, but it's just a restaurant inside a posh mall. I especially enjoyed the steamed rice rolls with Iberico pork chasu and the fried taro dumplings. Everything was great, although I'm not sure you need wagyu beef for the noodles. It was a bit too fatty. It's a good place if you want to have dim sum for dinner. Nice atmosphere, and a menu that's not too innovative, yet still interesting. Overall, highly recommended. The highlight dinner was at Mott 32, named after a street in New York's Chinatown. Located in the basement, it felt as if you were going into the Bat Cave. The atmosphere was dark and elegant, not what you expect for a Chinese restaurant. The star dishes were definitely the barbecue menu. The chasu was one of the best I've ever had. So tender and juicy. It seems like Iberico pork is big in Hong Kong, as I've seen it everywhere. They also have a dim sum menu, and we had more zhaolongbao dumplings. But the apple-aged wood-roasted duck was incredible. The condiments were on point, and the wrappers were paper-thin and soft. They cut the duck to separate just the skin, with parts that had skin and meat. The rest of the meat was later used for a lettuce wrap. The Australian spiny lobster was nicely seasoned with good wok hei. This is a place where you want to take your time, and pair dishes with wine. We had a chardonnay from China, which was quite good. Overall, a luxury dinner with some great wine. The final stop was a roof bar. Located on the 45th floor of Landmark Atrium, Cardinal Point has everything you want. There was a DJ, and a good variety of tables, counter seats and standing areas. But we came mostly to chill out after dinner, and that we did. So that's it, hope you can check out Hong Kong soon. See you next time.