Job Discussion Forums

Ladybug · Joined: 15 Dec 2003 Posts: 68

I'm just curious as to what everyone thinks of the Chinese food in Hong Kong. I'm looking at a website right now, which says that the food is the most common found in America, that is, when people think of Chinese take-out, what they are thinking of is the Cantonese style of Chinese food. So that sounds promising, but my friend who lives in HK swears absolutely against Hong Kong Chinese food, saying it's too bland and fatty. Maybe she just prefers Western style food, but what do you think? I know it's cheap, but is it tasty?

(By the way, I am of the opinion that I'll try anything once so I am not totally turned off to the idea of eating Cantonese food, but I just wanted to hear your opinions.)

Thanks!

mcNug · Joined: 12 Jun 2003 Posts: 83 Location: HK

Hi!

In my opinion, not trying the local food is like going to Disneyland and not going on any rides. I love Cantonese food and it's anything but bland. Chinese takeout in other countries is mostly based on Cantonese cuisine though of course it's not the same as real Cantonese food. One thing Hong Kong has is lots of wonderful food. In a city where every second shop is a restaurant there's certainly a lot of variety. My recommendations are don't eat at the "touristy" Chinese restaurants as you'll most likely have the same style of Chinese food that could have anywhere else. A lot of restaurants don't really have English menus, but if you're open minded, just point to anything on the menu and the chances are it'll be great. The big chains like Cafe De Coral or Fairwood (my favorite) have some wonderful food (not just Chinese, they have Japanese and "Western (which usually means a Chinese take on European food) food) and all their menus are in English.

Of course if in the end you don't like Cantonese food there is such variety of food here, that you won't have any problem finding something you like.

You see like an open minded person so I'm pretty sure when it comes to eating, you won't want to leave Hong Kong! Smile

foster · Joined: 07 Feb 2003 Posts: 485 Location: Honkers, SARS

LOVE it!!!!!!

People who move a to a new country and do not try the local food make me wonder....why did you leave home???

Joachim · Joined: 01 Oct 2003 Posts: 311 Location: Brighton, UK

There is a saying that the Shanghainese will say anything, while the Cantonese will eat anything!!

And it's very true. While some of the Chinese food I've eaten in Hong Kong is the most delicious I've ever put in my mouth, others are so repulsive that I can't beleive people would even touch them!

Keep an eye out for stinky bean curd, hairy crabs, eel, shark fin soup and run a mile!

Dim Sum is a glorious institution over here, and once you learn to ignore the garish lighting and excessive noise, you'll enjoy those meals too.

And when all else fails, remember that Hong Kong is home to the cheapest McDonalds in the world!!

Ladybug · Joined: 15 Dec 2003 Posts: 68

Not to mention if you want an Egg McMuffin at 2 p.m., you got yourself an Egg McMuffin at 2 p.m. Very Happy

once again · Joined: 27 Jan 2003 Posts: 815

Isn't saying that cafe de coral and fairwood is great food like saying that Mcdonalds or pizza hut , or tacco bell, or whoever, is great food? CDC and FW is just mass cooked rubbish that people on a low budget eat, or those looking for consistency of product. There is much better fare to be found in one off noodle shops and the like..great food, very tasty and very cheap.

To answer the OP, the Cantonese food may be very different in your own country as you may find in HK. I find the food here for many dishes to be so full of fat that in my home country they couldn't pass it off as meat. But that may be due to the cheapness of the eating places I have frequented.
It is generally true as a rule though, that any dish that you have tasted in your home country, purporting to be a foriegn dish, has been changed to suit local tastes.

The biggest example of this is mass market pizza anywhere!!!

My appologies to everyone here. I normally only eat from my local noodle shops or my wife cooks. And she is a really great cook of both cantonese and fujianese food.

Mark-O · Posted: Fri Nov 19, 2004 4:41 pm Post subject:

Simply put: Cantonese food in Hong Kong is the best I've EVER tasted; I've yet to try something I don't like. I'll vouch for the Hot Pot restaurants and Dim Sum - two of my personal favourites.

Travel Zen · Posted: Sat Nov 20, 2004 12:08 am Post subject:

I've been to HK some time ago, and the food was good. If you like plain food without spices and sauce, I wouldn't recommend eating out.

English Farce · Joined: 19 Nov 2004 Posts: 47

Yep, Hong Kongese food is the best in the world. It wasn't till I tried Chinese food in Hong Kong that I actually saw and tasted (what we in Canada call) 'Chinese food'. The grub up in Shenyang sucked big time. The rice would always be tasteless and full of stones. The food there is also very repetitive, dull, greasy, and heavy. What I loved about the food in Hong Kong was the sheer variety: Mexican, Indian, Thai, French, Greek, Italian, Korean, Japanese, etc. Their idea of international cuisine in Shenyang is MacDonalds and Pizza Hut.

travelem · Joined: 19 Nov 2004 Posts: 36

Chinese take-out is American style Cantonese food, not real Cantonese otr HK food. Even for resturants in Chinatown, they usually have two sets of menu, one for Chinese and one for American.

If you want to try local HK food, try congee, noodles, fish balls, beef balls, squid balls, beef brisket, egg tarts, HK style "tea restaurants", dai-pai-tong, chinese desserts, ....

www.foodeasy.com is a good start.

voodikon · Joined: 23 Sep 2004 Posts: 1363 Location: chengdu

during my brief visit to hk, i found the food not nearly as good as the food i've been having on the mainland. i simply attributed this to their years spent under british rule.

once again · Joined: 27 Jan 2003 Posts: 815

I would have thought that until recently the British would have been far too afraid of the local food to have had much influence on it. If they had of had so much influence, then it would taste just like the Cantonese food in the UK! Which it does not.

prplfairy · Joined: 06 Jun 2003 Posts: 102

Cantonese food is wonderful! There is great low end stuff like wantons, sui yok, cha sui, not to mention all of the buns and dim sum! Then there is great upmarket stuff too. Most people I know who don't like Chinese food in Hong Kong don't know what to order. They go with fried rice or some equal pedestrian choice and then wonder why the food is bland.

BTW Take away chinese food in the US and England is not real Chinese food. It's like wondering if Delifrance is french food. Things like Kung Pao Chicken and General Tsao and all the orange and lemon chickens are recent overseas creations, some of which have actaully migrated back here.