One of the best ways to consume a culture is to literally digest its contents. Hong Kong is a gastronomic heaven only matched by its diverse atmospheres. With over 14,000 eateries from traditional dim sums, 1950s cha chaan teng diners, traditional tea houses, speak-easy style finds, sharing mezze platters, pasta plates and hawker stalls, to a fine diners’ paradise with more than 61 Michelin-starred restaurants and Chinese banquets at elegant tycoon restaurants to chose from, you’ll never be disappointed or go hungry.
The blending of two cultures is evident in the daily meals, which average five a day. Here eating shifts from pure consumption to deeper investigations into where food comes from and the cultural and geographic factors that influence it.
Days begin with traditional Yum Cha, with afternoon tea enjoyed at 3pm in salute to the city’s colonial past and Chinese Sui Yeh, eaten anytime from 9pm. In between, the many hawker stalls that line Hong Kong’s streets cater for smaller meals and Sui Yeh, while the main evening course can be at a world-famous chef Michelin-starred venue providing the ultimate food lovers’ paradise, thanks to fine ingredients, vintage wines and outstanding cooking techniques.
Excellent dining can be found just about anywhere in the city, and you can literally eat and drink your way around Hong Kong. In these following foodie neighbourhoods, the business of cooking and eating takes precedence.