Kowloon Calling: Eat at these five gems next time you’re in Hong Kong

Located north of Hong Kong Island across Victoria Harbor, Kowloon encompasses 67 kilometers of land named after the mountains in the area, a transliteration of “nine dragons” in Cantonese.

A legit multicultural hotspot in an already diverse melting pot that is The Fragrant Harbor, some very strong cultural communities call the district home—from Thai migrants to Indian transplants. These many nationalities in a packed, densely populated space, often literally standing shoulder-to-shoulder during lunch rush, make for a very robust foodie scene. You can walk down any given city block and sample anything from British-era dishes to innovative fusion plates and not have to eat the same thing or dine at the same place for a week or two.

Add to that the plethora of galleries, museums, performance venues, temples, and parks in the area and the district is a tourist haven where you can immerse in the signature fast-paced, international vibe that Hong Kong is known for. If you can, try to catch the spectacular Symphony of Lights.

Here are five delicious places where you can have your fill next time you’re in the district.

Chadon

If you’re in the mood for old-school HK-style breakfast, visit Chadon. Karl R. De Mesa

A family owned restaurant with very cool British-era café interiors harking back to the peak of the HK neon signs age along busy Jordan Road. Serving broths, sandwiches, and local “Hong Kong taste”-style cooking, there’s a bar style counter for singles or longer trestle tables for groups.

With its very relaxed feel and a vibe that lets you eat unhurried (a rarity in the breakneck speed of HK life), we had breakfast here with the egg sandwiches and found that the Spam-style one was actually made with traditional maling meat (a pleasant surprise!) rather than the American canned meat version. The satay beef egg sandwich also had enough spiciness to pass for Indonesian fare.

If you like coffee or tea with your breakfast meal then this is the affordably-priced place for your caffeine fix. I don’t like coffee but my partner swore by theirs, saying it hit the local cha chaan teng culture spot where it’s served sans sugar.

For clarity, a cha chaan teng HK-style cafe (the equivalent of a greasy spoon diner to Westerners) melds the tastes of Western culture into an Asian framework, making the fast-paced cuisine that was introduced by the British affordable to locals.

Chadon is located at G/F, 7 Pak Hoi St, Yau Ma Tei.

Yung’s Roast Goose

Yung’s Roast Goose offers crisp and juicy goose you know you want.

Roast goose is just one of those local dishes that are ubiquitous but also quintessentially Hong Konger comfort food. Much like the Filipino chicken inasal, it can be anything from decently made regular workingman’s fare to a fussy, elevated dining experience.

Yung’s is a neighborhood eatery that definitely falls well above your average roast goose for taste and texture, yet it stays within the modestly priced range. Located in Jordan, one of Kowloon’s working class neighborhoods with an unpretentious air, the place almost always has a line outside and it was the same situation when we headed over there for dinner. It was a short wait of about five minutes to get inside, then we got our order within another five minutes after placing it with the Speedy Gonzales bustle of the wait staff. If you’ve never been to Hong Kong, this is the norm of local restaurants since space is precious and there are other diners waiting to eat after you.

You’ll know why this place is popular with the locals after that first bite of the signature goose. Crisp, juicy, tender, and has that sweet taste without much of the excessive fat that tends to crop up in less skilled cooks’ hands. Melts in your mouth? Check. Rich with flavor? Definite check. Perfect when dipped in plum sauce? Oh, yes. I may run out of exegetes but this is what Cantonese roast is all about. Yung’s is definitely an underrated gem worth the queue.

Yung’s Roast Goose is located at Vico Mansion, Nanking St, Yau Ma Tei.

Australia Dairy Company

Check out Australia Dairy Company if you’re craving breakfast milk dishes. Karl R. De Mesa

Are dairy-based dishes your thing? Look no further than the aptly named cha chaan teng restaurant with a definitive greasy spoon and packed dining experience. See, almost any cook can stir up an omelet but the Australian Dairy Company’s breakfast sets made with fluffy eggs and perfect toast are the reason there’s always a line outside (families as well as solo salary men are here) as early as 20 minutes before opening time.

Be prepared to fall into the fast-moving queue and peruse the menu on Google or the printed plastic one they hand out (don’t worry, there’s an English version) while you’re waiting so that you can hand your order right away when you’re seated. Be forewarned you’ll likely share a table as dining turnover is swift but your order will likely be on your table in less than three minutes!

The toast is thick and buttery, so is the scrambled eggs. In fact, anything with the eggs is superb as they’re fluffy and moist, the whole reason this place is as popular as it is. We had the corned beef and the French toast with the eggs and the portions were Western-sized, enough to get us through the rest of the morning.

Australia Dairy Company is located at 47 Parkes St, Jordan.

The Astor

The Astor offers an affordable buffet at a very cool hotel basement. Karl R. De Mesa

We stayed at the artsy and cool Eaton HK hotel and there’s a reason their buffet restaurant, The Astor, has been awarded “Best Buffet in Hong Kong” for quite a few years running.

Serving up a range of international cuisine, there’s up to seven live cooking stations during the lunch and dinner service (costing HK$388 and $658, respectively), but we opted for the breakfast service—the cheapest and most affordable at HK$128.

If you’re up for it, The Astor’s breakfast buffet combines an Asian hawker center’s dishes (like grilled meats and fish with rice) with regular Western breakfast dining (including cereals, toasts, and omelettes). The strategy here for any South East Asian looking to carb up for a long day is eating up slowly, starting from the salad bar and then working up to get your tummy’s fill of protein by heading to the Asian sections. There you have familiar meat options like char siu, longganisa-style sausages, fried fish, and a station where I even found a decent chicken adobo.

The Astor is located at the basement of Eaton HK Hotel 380 Nathan Rd, Jordan

The Delhi Club

The Delhi Club is a must-find Hong Kong curry institution. Karl R. De Mesa

Do you like curry? Do you love adventure? Then finding The Delhi Club and dining there are a must. Trust me, this’ll be one of those stories you’ll be telling your friends later on as an unforgettable dining experience.

Located at the third floor of Chunking Mansions along Nathan Road, this sprawling labyrinthine building out was made famous by Wong-Kar Wai’s 1994 art house crime romance movie “Chunking Express.”

It might be best to have a local friend or acquaintance bring you over as just getting to the resto is a challenge. The building is like a maze of residential and business units where a United Nations of ethnicities, mostly South Asians and Africans, live and work.

Chungking is 17-storeys tall and divided into five blocks: A, B, C, D, and E.

Chunking Mansions Karl R. De Mesa

To reach Delhi Club, you must get through the first floor, evading the loud touting, the aggressive hawking by the money changers and entrepreneurs. Then look for the correct elevator (or “lift” to locals) at Block C and get off at the third floor.

Alternatively, if you are brave and have any kind of decent cardio you can take the stairs (it’s just three floors up) as long as—THIS IS IMPORTANT—you are at the correct block: Block C. There are claustrophobic elevators that service only particular numbered floors (odd and even) as well as different bays specific to each block.

Be warned, if anyone at the ground floor tells you the place is closed down, shrug them off and proceed to the third floor. There is no other way: Do your research in advance or trust a friend to bring you there safely.

Once you’re at the resto though, you’ll likely be met by Mister Jimmy and seated at one of the clean and welcoming tables. This guy will greet you like a long lost friend and take you through the menu. Tell him what you’d like to order but, since this restaurant is a Kowloon institution, Jimmy will likely decide what you’ll end up eating.

Just tell Jimmy what you want anyway and indicate the spiciness grade you want. Be careful since everything is by default at a high level of hot (think the last two sauces of First We Feast’s Hot Ones). I have GERD (acid reflux) so I had to be sure I emphasized the spice grade adequately.

At the first bite though, you’ll recognize the silkiness and robust flavor as instantly authentic curry.

Get ready to be upsold but it won’t be by much. The amount is always tailored to the number of people on your table, too. We had the full-bodied Cheese Naan that came fresh out of the oven. The meats like the Fish Tikka and the Buttered Chicken Masala were incredibly hearty, coated the mouth like a kind of manna from heaven.

Incredibly, it was the Mutton Rogan Josh’s slow cooking and blend of aromatic spices from cardamom to cinnamon that impressed me. Even if it was still hot, already mild by local standards, I had to keep coming back to the chunky, tender lamb for seconds. Washing it down with Mango Lassi, that dinner meal was just fantastic and won’t be soon forgotten.

Another important caveat: Bring HK dollars, as the place only operates on hard cash.

The Delhi Club is located at 3/F Block C Chungking Mansions, Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui.

This article Kowloon Calling: Eat at these five gems next time you’re in Hong Kong was originally published in PhilSTAR L!fe