Best Local Breakfast in Hong Kong
- Melody Wong
- Dec 18, 2017
- 4 min read
Before you start your full-day adventure, get some local Hong Kong style breakfast! Here are 3 best breakfasts you can get here: Yumcha (Tea & Dimsum), Cha Chan Tang (local fast food restaurant) and Congee.
Yum Cha
If you are looking for a energy-rich breakfast and you have the time to slowly enjoy it, this is the best choice. Yum Cha translates as "drinking tea". Of course apart from the tea, we eat dim sum with it!
Since tea is such a huge part of Yum Cha, once you sit down, the waiter will definitely ask you what kind of tea you would like. Try to use Cantonsese to order your tea and I'm sure they will be shocked! The most popular choices are Pu-er, Shou-mei, and Lily.
Pu-er 普洱 (Cantonese: Po Lei)
This is a type of black tea. It has the strongest taste among the three. The flavor is rich and bitter.
Shou-Mei 壽味
It translates as "Eyebrow of an old man" due to its white color. It has a softer flavor and tastes fresh.
Lily 香片 (Cantonese: Heung Pin)
It is a blend of green tea leaves and fried lily flowers. It has the softest flavor among the three. It tastes a bit sweet with a soft aroma of fresh flowers.
As for the dim sum, the traditional way is that you have to take your receipt to order from dim sum carts that goes around the restaurant. The best dim sums are Har-gao (shrimp dumplings - top right), Siu-mai (fish dumplings - top left) and Cha Siu Bao (BBQ pork bun - bottom)
▶ Recommended restaurant
1. Sun Hing Restaurant
Opening at 3 am, you can have a really early (or late) breakfast at this traditional Sun Hing Restaurant. Favorite breakfast place of students from the nearby Hong Kong University.
Address: 8 Smithfield, Sai Wan
2. Chau Kee
Great dim sum restaurant with new renovation. Try the molten custard bun here!
Address: 1C-1K Water St, Sai Ying Pun
Cha Chan Tang
In a rush and want a really quick breakfast? Try getting it in a Cha Chan Tang (translates as Tea Restaurant). You will experience the full Hong Kong spirit here: everything is fast.
To make it an extra fast food experience, there are limited choices on the menu and they usually offer a few predetermined breakfast sets. Be ready to order once you sit down.
A common breakfast set usually consists of omelete, toast with butter, ham with noodles and a cup of hot milk tea. Sometimes you will get an extra sausage depending on the menu.
The milk tea is a huge part in the breakfast so don't miss it! Pro-tip: If you want some extra sweetness in your milk tea, try ordering "cha jau" 茶走 - milk tea with condensed milk.
To add some oomph to your breakfast, order an extra pineapple bun with fresh butter. The bun is not made with pineapple. It got is name from its pineapple-like appearance. The freshly baked bun is a perfect match with a few slices of cold butter.
▶ Recommended restaurant
1. Australia Dairy Company
The ultimate Cha Chan Tang in Hong Kong. Infamous for its speed and the intimidating gangster-like waiters. The food is good though.
Address: 47 Parkes Street, Jordan
2. Hua Li Dim Sum Restaurant
My personal favourite, largely because of their perfect pineapple bun. Opens 24 hours so you can have breakfast any time of the day.
Address: 48 Po Heung Street, Tai Po
Congee
It is the comfort food the locals love when we are sick. Hot congee (rice cooked with water) is usually paired with deep fried dough sticks and stir-fried noodles. This is the best local breakfast for winter days.
You can get congee with any ingredients you like. Classic combinations are:
- Congee with preserved duck egg and pork 皮蛋瘦肉粥
- Congee with fish and peanut 柴魚花生粥
- Congee with seafood, pig's skin and beef 艇仔粥
Don't forget to order the side dishes as well. Deep fried dough sticks come in two flavours: the savory one 油炸鬼 (Right - Cantonese: Yau Jar Gwai, meaning deep fried ghost) and the sweet one 牛脷酥 (Left - Cantonese: Ngau Lei So, meaning cow's toungue pastry, though it is completely vegetarian).
▶ Recommended restaurant
1. Fat Kee
My go-to place for congee breakfast. Huge pot of hot delicious congee at a very cheap price. My advice is to order 1 pot of congee and other side dishes to share between 2 people.
Address: 67 Kin Yip Street, Yuen Long
2. Mui Kee Congee
Located in a cooked food centre, the congee shop is always busy. Try the fish congee and order deep fried fish skin as the side dish!
Address: Shop11-12, Cooked Food Centre, 3/F, Fa Yuen Street Municipal Services Building, 123A Fa Yuen Street, Mong Kok
What more do you want to know about Hong Kong? Tell us in the comment!
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