You’ve just come home from work and you’ve got twelve minutes before you have to run out to meet a friend. One foot out the door, your stomach groans. It’s a scene so typical your life should be a commercial for ready meals. It’s time to revive whatever’s stuck to the side of your freezer, a move that usually comes with the requisite Lowering Of Expectations. But it doesn’t have to be that way. We’ve scoured the chilly aisles for the finest frozen dumplings and wonton around.
Join us as we search for the finest frozen dumplings (henceforth known as FroDo) that Hong Kong has to offer. By Sean Hebert and Adam White. Dumpling technician: Victoria Wong.
A group of us rolled into this Wan Chai mainstay on a Saturday for lunch. For a dim sum place, Che’s is on the classier side—you won’t see any trolleys jam-packed with bamboo steamers being pushed here, or waitstaff running around with giant trays shouting out orders. Instead, expect cushy chairs, pleasant décor, and—well, okay, one or two harried servers.
Throughout October
There’s breakfast, there’s lunch, and then there’s brunch—the meal of choice for the city’s hungover late-risers, of which there are many. There’s no shortage of options when it comes to picking and choosing where to go and what to eat, so here are a few newer options that you might not have tried before.
Keep It Flowing
Need some bubbly to liven up the meal? Look no further.
Getting tired of your usual eggs Benny weekend pitstop? Andrea Lo checks out the new brunch promotions doing the rounds.
With big international brands gobbling up our street-level storefronts, local shops and businesses have had to turn their gaze upwards to our skyscrapers—and down into their basements—in order to find decent, affordable retail space. We round up a few of the coolest places to shop, eat and play, just a mere elevator ride away.
With rising rents pushing businesses up into commercial buildings and down into basements, we take a look at the best venues above and below street level.
This yum cha destination’s name seems a tad redundant. But once you’ve partaken in Hong Kong’s quintessential brunchtime ritual there, you just may want to chant its name over and over again in awe.
Located on a nondescript street off of bustling Hennessy Road, this narrow, two-story restaurant is easy to miss. But once you make your way inside, DimDimSum Dim Sum Specialty Store (heretofore referred to as DDS) serves up steamer after steamer of excellently executed staples as well as traditional recipes with a modern twist.
Located on a nondescript street off of bustling Hennessy Road, this narrow, two-story restaurant is easy to miss. But once you make your way inside, DimDimSum Dim Sum Specialty Store (heretofore referred to as DDS) serves up steamer after steamer of excellently executed staples as well as traditional recipes with a modern twist.
Salad at a dim sum restaurant? You heard right! While you’re ordering up delicious dim sum, make sure to ask for the pumpkin with assorted fungus and vegetables salad from the light and healthy summer menu.
Excerpt from "Our Salad Days" by Jacqueline Garwood
Salad at a dim sum restaurant? You heard right! While you’re ordering up delicious dim sum, make sure to ask for the pumpkin with assorted fungus and vegetables salad from the light and healthy summer menu.
Located in the heart of Tsim Sha Tsui, Hotel Icon is a hotel designed by celebrated architects Terence Conran, Rocco Yim, and William Lim, known for its modern and international environment, open space, and its vertical garden. Above & Beyond, the Chinese restaurant of Hotel Icon located on the 28th floor, is particularly known for its panoramic view of the Victoria Harbour and the availability of private rooms.
Hotel Icon welcomes renowned Cantonese Master Chef Qui Wei Go from Guangzhou’s White Swan hotel to prepare cuisines for two weeks at its Chinese restaurant, Above & Beyond.
Dim sum is an inevitable strand of every Hongkonger’s cultural DNA. This age-old tradition of sharing bite-sized morsels family-style is as alive and well as ever, and har gow, siu mai and char siu bao are pretty much mandatory dining vocab for anyone who calls this city home. While the practice of yum cha (meaning to drink tea, a term that’s interchangeable with eating dim sum) itself has remained intact, it’s interesting to observe how the gradual evolution of dim sum etiquette over the years reflects the ever-changing values and needs of modern day diners.
Gold leaf-topped har gow? Low-cholesterol siu mai? Dim sum has come a long way from its humble origins as a simple teahouse snack.
Sportful Garden
Let’s get this straight right away: Sportful Garden has nothing to do with sports and everything to do with dim sum. To make sure you don’t get confused, you’ll see and smell a variety of freshly cooked dishes from the demonstration stands as soon as you walk through the restaurant. The crispy golden abalone pancakes are solid, and so are their deep fried tofu and cheung fun. Daily 8am-midnight. $$
Golden Centre, 188 Des Voeux Rd. Central, 2851-8013.
An updated list of our favorite lunchtime nibbles.
