february-2012

“Squid on a stick?” gasps a tourist at a food stand
in downtown Kowloon. “Is that actually possible?”
Yet when it comes to street food in Hong Kong, absolutely
anything is possible.
Th e city is famed for its fi nance, its fashion and its
fl amboyant fi lm industry, but the fabric that weaves Hong Kong
society together is undoubtedly the amazing (and oft en
outlandish) street food. Go to any district, and on any day on
any given street corner, you will fi nd an incredible array of
exotic and mouthwatering snacks.
Kowloon is one such district. Roaming around the colourful
back alleys behind the Peking Road and Nathan Road, you’ll
fi nd countless hawker stands selling the city’s most popular
street treats — curry-fl avoured fi shballs, stir fried beef noodles,
bubble-shaped waffl es and the legendary custard tarts.
Most snacks are cheap, sizzling hot and ready for immediate
takeaway, so be experimental with your choices.
30 Holland Herald
THIS PAGE
The ubiquitous
street food is a
common bond for
the city’s diverse
population
OPPOSITE
Young Hong
Kongers
Hong Kong is a city that has taken many diff erent styles
of Asian cuisine and made them its own by adding a Cantonese
twist, be it meat-fi lled French toast or a spicy Cantonese version
of Indonesia’s nasi kuning.
Hong Kong Island, and especially the tourist-friendly
districts of Central and Wan Chai, is usually a visitor’s fi rst
point of contact with the city’s iconic street food. Th e vertigoinducing
alleys and steep roads spill over with delectable street
snacks such as wonton noodles, baked pork skewers and
delicious, barbecued shellfi sh.
But for the adventurous, it’s well worth a quick ferry hop over
Victoria Harbour to Kowloon, where the real Cantonese classics
can be sampled.
Try One Dim Sum for some Michelin-starred dim sum
(known locally as yum cha, meaning aft ernoon tea). It’s
incredibly popular, so you’ll be waiting a while, but once you get
seated you’ll experience the best prawn and pork dumplings