A Mexican Revolution 墨西哥菜：从街头小吃到高档美食

It is a blisteringly hot day in Oaxaca, the gastronomic capital of southern Mexico, and the brightly hued streets are quiet with lazy dogs and closed shutters. However, Pitiona, a smart but simple restaurant located in a restored colonial house on 5 de Mayo St., is still abuzz from a late-lunch crowd. Bottles of aged mezcal are lined up behind the bar─this is the home of the distilled, smoky agave spirit after all─and some are being passed around.

Run by chef José Manuel Baños Rodríguez, who worked at El Bulli in 2007 before returning to his hometown, Pitiona (www.pitiona.com) takes traditional Mexican dishes and adds its own modern refinements, while also incorporating pre-Columbian ingredients.

Small ceramic spoons carry delicate foam that conceals ants lightly fried in chili. A salad arrives smoking, with the curls forming around crisp lettuce leaves and tomatoes. The aroma of chipotle emanates from a steaming bowl of black-bean soup, as spheres of string cheese explode in the mouth. Pork comes with a rich chichilo mole, in which the sauce ingredients have been gently charred, lending it an earthiness. For dessert, a chocolate tortilla comes cigar-shaped, concealing xoconostle (a type of cactus) marmalade.

While Mexico is famous for its sensational street food and home cooking, it is only relatively recently that chefs, like Mr. Rodríguez, have been adding a gourmet touch to the traditional cuisine.

'We have the best ingredients around the world. Now we can lead the revolution with great restaurants,' says Mr. Rodríguez, who plans to open a similar restaurant in InterContinental's Presidente hotel in Mexico City in June. 'We are now able to prepare food a little more technically, more sophisticated,' he continues. 'We need to show the world that it is more than just home cooking.'

In Mexico City, at Azul Condesa (azulcondesa.com), in a converted house in the hip neighborhood of Condesa, the power dinner is in full force. Every time a new group enters, it takes them a good 15 minutes to get to their table, once the full rounds of air kissing have been completed. It isn't just the social hub; the food is outstanding.

Ricardo Muñoz Zurita, one of the country's most famous chefs, has spent the past 20 years trying to change the way Mexican food is perceived. His first restaurant, Azul y Oro, which opened 12 years ago in a culinary school, was one of the first gourmet Mexican restaurants in the country. Now, with Azul Condesa, which opened in 2011, and Azul Histórico (azulhistorico.com), which opened in January, he spends months trawling the far reaches of the country, researching regional dishes and bringing them, along with the local ingredients, back to his own restaurants.

Presentation is key. Here, a ceviche is served in a perfect circle, topped with diced avocado, framed with a delicate soy, lime and orange-juice sauce. Organic hibiscus-flower enchiladas are served with a gloriously pink tomato and smoky chipotle sauce. A little pillow of sea bass comes with a delicious pumpkin sauce, offering a little kick at the end thanks to a habanero chili. Dessert is a delectable soursop mousse, with black sapote and raspberries. Exotically named fruits, vegetables and spices jump at you from every menu page.

'In the past when you studied cooking here, it was all international cuisines, but now things have changed a great deal and they are finally teaching about Mexican food,' Mr. Zurita explains, attributing the revolution in gourmet cuisine to the metamorphosis in Mexico's cookery schools. 'This means that now there is a new generation of chefs in the country who are educated in the ways of Mexican cuisine and it is changing the scene.'

Changing that emphasis has allowed chefs to rediscover the diversity of local ingredients, such as chili, which don't have to be hot to be tasty. 'We have to give the chili a chance to perform,' Mr. Zurita says. 'A lot of people think chilies are only hot and spicy, but they have wonderful flavors and some are very mild. Unfortunately, the image of the country is that we are eating chilies all the time.'

To prove his point, Mr. Zurita spotlights a different ingredient or dish each month, from mole to mangoes to food from a specific region, such as the Yucatán or Tabasco.

Different is also what customers get at chef Enrique Olvera's gourmet restaurant Pujol (pujol.com.mx), in the smart neighborhood of Polanco, where the dishes are works of art. Here, the prosperous and international set arrive in dresses and vertiginous heels; hair is big and wallets are bulging.

The meal starts with an earthenware pot with hickory smoke pouring out of the top. Inside, beautiful, smoked mini-corns bathe in coffee mayonnaise and ant powder. Tasting menus come with Mexican wines or mezcal and beer. In the seafood tasting menu, a shrimp taco appears as a paper-thin layer of avocado wrapped around a spiced shrimp interior. An oyster is served topped with a rosemary flower and a gentle foam of vanilla. A lemony tortilla comes with thin slices of chili-marinated snook (a type of white fish) and topped with pineapple salsa; it is a posh take on street food, and eaten in the same way─with the fingers. Some of the dishes are traditional Mexican with a twist; others are international cuisine with a Mexican spin.

Nearby, inside boutique hotel Las Alcobas, chef Martha Ortiz is causing something of a stir with her gourmet restaurant Dulce Patria (dulcepatriamexico.com), where dishes showcase the diversity of the country's huge array of ingredients.

Her restaurant is feminine and flooded with light, with pretty arrangements of gladioli and cacti on the tables. Squash-bloom soup comes with toasted almonds, poblano chilies and turmeric cream. Duck is served in a rich mole negro, with a banana leaf and corn-flavored rice. Not for the fainthearted, a grilled red and green salad comes with Oaxacan string cheese, epazote (an herb native to Mexico) and a liberal sprinkling of grasshoppers. Desserts are equally inventive: A creamy mamey (a Mexican fruit) custard features gold leaf and red carnation preserve.

'It has taken a long time to get to this stage,' says Ms. Ortiz, who was born into a family of artists and intellectuals, and first studied political science before realizing her passion lay with food.

'We didn't have Mexican restaurants before,' she says. 'We had cantinas and international restaurants. Until recently, it was a poor country.'

Across the board, these chefs say the national psyche has shifted. 'Everyone used to cook, but now it is a working society more than ever, so people won't go home for lunch,' Mr. Zurita says. 'And when you go out, you don't want that food. People want something different.'

Ms. Ortiz agrees. 'People here have started feeling very proud, as food is culture,' she explains. 'My dream is that now people all over world will start recognizing the prestige and beauty in our food. It is Mexico's time.'

JEMIMA SISSONS

Best Dim Sum in Hong Kong - WSJ

 

City Hall Maxim's Palace is a ballroom-like restaurant decorated with crystal chandeliers and white carved-wood screens─not the most obvious spot for breakfast, yet totally in character for dim sum. I arrived relatively early, hoping to beat the Sunday morning rush, only to find the enormous room already full of eager diners.

I was, after all, in Hong Kong, a city where eating ruffled siu mai dumplings, pork buns and meatballs early in the day is as much of a way of life as having an afternoon cup of tea is in Britain. As I waited (and waited) for a table, I could hear though the open doors the clinking of china and the chatter of families enjoying brunch.

Finally, I was seated at a linen-draped table. As I gazed out at the boats crossing Victoria Harbour, a waiter appeared with a silver pot of jasmine tea. More servers came, pushing steaming carts piled with baskets of plump har gow, shrimp dumplings in delicate wrappers; cheong fun─tender rice-noodle sheets─tucked around minced beef flavored with scallion and preserved orange peel; and fatty, sweet spare ribs. I grabbed a helping of everything that looked good, savoring a meal that seemed to capture the very essence of the city.

Maxim's is arguably the most famous dim sum spot in town, a 32-year-old restaurant in the middle of packed Central district that serves classic Hong Kong-style dishes to locals and visiting dignitaries. It's far from the only place to find traditional bites: Dim sum is served in upscale hotels and back-alley tea shops, in tourist traps overlooking the harbor and the basements of shopping malls. But in Hong Kong little stays the same for long, and in recent years chefs have begun taking fresh approaches to native-style dim sum, bringing a dash of extra excitement to a meal that wasn't exactly lacking in popularity in the first place.

Dim sum as we know it developed in Guangzhou, the cultural and commercial center of southern China, in the 18th and 19th centuries, said Maria Tam, an anthropologist at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Back then, businessmen would meet in teahouses in the late morning to yum cha (drink tea). The restaurants originally served up simple snacks, but as the city grew, they began competing for customers by improving the variety and quality of their dishes.

The practice also became popular in Hong Kong, where chefs followed Guangzhou's culinary lead. In the 1940s, when mainland China closed itself off from the rest of the world, chefs in British-controlled Hong Kong began developing their own dim sum styles. They emphasized smaller portions, lighter ingredients and more elegant presentations. They also incorporated Western techniques such as baking, developing now-classic dishes like baked pork buns and sweet egg tarts. Over time, chefs began to include dishes from other parts of the country. (Shanghainese soup dumplings, for instance, were popular with émigrés who had fled the communist revolution.) They added foods associated with holidays and festivals, like rice and meat wrapped in lotus leaves, part of the early summer dragon boat festival, said E.N. Anderson, author of 'The Food of China.' Along the way, dim sum evolved into a family affair, becoming popular for breakfast and brunch.

Though dishes like shrimp dumplings and egg tarts are what most Westerners think of as dim sum, many locals still enjoy the old Guangzhou style, which is served at a number of restaurants. The oldest and best of these is Lin Heung Tea House, which opened in 1923. The restaurant is packed every day with locals reading the newspaper, drinking astonishingly strong pu'er tea and eating dishes heavy with roasted, fatty meats.

'Dim sums used to be bigger, heartier dishes that people ate to keep them full for a hard day of work,' explained Amy Ma, a local food writer and former Wall Street Journal staffer, when she introduced me to the restaurant. Dishes like pork and shrimp dumplings topped with a hard-boiled quail egg are so popular that diners will crowd around as soon as carts enter the dining room.

'A handful of high-end restaurants have been incorporating top-shelf ingredients, including foie gras and morel mushrooms.'

Some chefs have begun reviving old techniques, creating updated versions of the kinds of dishes offered by Lin Heung and its peers. Chef Pui Gor of Tim Ho Wan, a cheap, hole-in-the-wall, dim-sum-only restaurant with a cult following, makes a contemporary version of a bean curd skin roll, filling it with light shrimp rather than the traditional fatty minced pork. He nods to the past with a dessert called 'chicken oil pancake,' which uses lard and evokes old menus that often used 'chicken' in the names of dishes (even meatless ones) because it was considered a delicacy.

A handful of high-end restaurants have also been incorporating top-shelf ingredients, including foie gras and morel mushrooms. One of the best examples is Lung King Heen, the Michelin-starred restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, where chef Chan Yan Tak has added duck liver and black truffles to pork dumplings, and invented new dim sums, like abalone baked in a cup of flaky puff pastry. The dish is so popular, he said, that he hasn't been able to take it off the menu since he opened six years ago.

Most of these restaurants have made another big change in how dim sum is eaten: They've done away with serving trolleys, mainly to give chefs more control over cooking and presentation. 'Already steamed dim sums that were put on a steamer to keep warm would end up overcooked,' Mr. Chan explained.

With the quieter atmosphere that has resulted, Hong Kong's businessmen have rediscovered the joy of making deals over dumplings. Dim sum has become popular for business lunches again, bringing the tradition back to where it started.

The Classic

City Hall Maxim's Palace

The glittering ballroom at Maxim's, with its view of Victoria Harbour, is a timeless place to experience trolley dim sum. This is the spot for familiar dishes like fried shrimp wontons, baked buns stuffed with sweet roast pork and steaming bowls of congee (rice porridge). Be prepared to wait for a table, and leave plenty of time for a leisurely meal so you can try a little of everything. City Hall Low Block, 2nd Floor, Central; 852-2521-1303

The Empire Builder

Mong Kok Lei Garden Restaurant

This restaurant boasts branches across Asia, but the original location, a cozy space with brick walls and thick carpet on the Kowloon side of the city, is still the best. It provides an elegant, traditional meal, despite the absence of trolleys. Try the turnip-filled pastry puffs, which is one of the best dim sums in the city, as well as the excellent Shanghai-style soup dumplings and smashed cucumber in garlic sauce (pictured). 121 Sai Yee St., Mongkok; leigarden.hk

The Old Faithful

Lin Heung Kui

This utilitarian eatery, crowded with glass-topped tables and low stools, is an extension of a Hong Kong favorite that has been around for nearly a century. The real treats are old-fashioned Guangzhou specialties like dan siu mai (a dumpling topped with a boiled quail egg) and ma lai gao, a lightly sweetened steamed cake made from a yeast starter that the restaurant has been cultivating for decades. 2-3/F, 46-50 Des Voeux Rd. W., Sheung Wan; 852-2156-9328

The Ugly Duckling

Fu Sing Shark Fin Restaurant

It's a favorite of local expats despite (or maybe because of) its kitschy light fixtures and gift-wrap-like wallpaper. Fu Sing offers Cantonese twists on old dishes, like taro-filled spring rolls with a clove-scented dipping sauce and soft cubes of tofu topped with minced melon and shrimp. (Deep-fried bean curd pictured.) 1/F Sunshine Plaza, No. 353 Lockhart Rd., Wan Chai; 852-2893-0881

The Posh Plate

Lung King Heen

The logic behind this restaurant's three Michelin stars is evident in everything from the delicate china and attentive wait staff to the jewel-like quality of each dumpling. For the best experience, ask for a table overlooking Victoria Harbour. Try one of everything on the short menu, focusing on innovations like steamed lobster and scallop dumplings (pictured), and finish with a sweet snack from the dessert list. 4/F, 8 Finance St., Central; fourseasons.com/hongkong

The Holdout

Luk Yu Tea House

Seventy-nine-year-old Luk Yu retains the elegance of an old Parisian brasserie, and its food is equally old-school. Skip the recognizable dishes, which can be poorly prepared, for traditional recipes like the hearty steamed chicken bun, crispy fried dumplings with sweet-and-sour sauce and sponge-like fish balls topped with chicken and crab roe. 24-26 Stanley St., Central; 852-2523-5464

The Divine Steal

Tim Ho Wan

Often referred to as the 'world's cheapest Michelin meal' for its one star awarded in 2009, this tiny dim sum specialist filled with laminated tables is so popular that guests often wait upward of two hours to order the flavorful turnip cakes and superb fried roast pork buns. Dishes are served on red-and-black plastic dinnerware and cost as little as $1.50. Luckily, the restaurant has opened two new branches, in Central and Sham Shui Po, where most of its signature dishes are also available. 2-20 Kwong Wa St., Mongkok; 852-2332-2896

BITE CLUBS: A sprinkling of great dim sum joints across the U.S.

Atlanta

Canton House

It's a bit out of the way in North Atlanta, but Canton House wins local devotees with its wide variety of dishes and solid service. 4825 Buford Highway, Chamblee; cantonhouserestaurant.com
Houston

Fung's Kitchen

A more upscale dim sum restaurant─no snap-to-separate chopsticks─with a selection fans say is fresh, hot and delicious. The roasted duck is especially beloved. 7320 Southwest Freeway #115; eatatfungs.com
New York

Jing Fong

Expect to use your fingers here─not to eat, but to point, since English is not the dominant language at this massive Chinatown establishment. 20 Elizabeth St.; jingfongny.com
San Francisco

Ton Kiang

This spot isn't the cheapest or most adventurous dim sum restaurant in the Bay Area. But it makes up for that by serving dim sum all day long. 5821 Geary Blvd.; tonkiang.net

GEORGIA FREEDMAN

香港最佳點心 The best Hong Kong dim sum

Dim sum for VIPs. For your cheap relatives. For cabbies. Our best-of list has you -- and Hong Kong -- covered
http://www.cnngo.com/hong-kong/eat/best-hong-kong-dim-sum-restaurants-674709?page=0,0
 

By Christopher DeWolf, Doug Meigs, Zoe Li, Hong Kong Editor, Hiufu Wong 3 October, 2011 
 
Best after hours: San Hing (新興食家)
10 Hau Wo St., Kennedy Town, +852 2816 0616. Open daily, 3 a.m.-4 p.m.

Best VIP treatment: Fook Lam Moon
35-45 Johnston Rd., Wanchai, +852 2866 0663. Open daily, 11:30 a.m. - 3 p.m., 6 - 11 p.m.

Best rural experience: Choi Lung Restaurant (彩龍茶樓)
2 Chuen Lung Estate, Route Twisk, Tsuen Wan, +852 2415 5041. Open daily, 5 a.m.-3 p.m. 

Best value: Tim Ho Wan
9-11 Fuk Wing Street, Sham Shui Po, +852 2788 1226. Open daily, 10 a.m. - 10 p.m.

Best way to get fat: Tai Wing Wah
2/F, Koon Wong Mansion, 2-6 On Ning Road, Yuen Long, +852 2476 9888. Open daily, 6:45 a.m.-11:30 p.m.; dim sum till 4:15 p.m.

Best 'hot, noisy' atmosphere: Lin Heung Teahouse
160-164 Wellington St., Central, +852 2544 4556. Open daily 6 a.m. - 4 p.m. for dim sum; 5 -10:30 p.m. for dinner.

Best unpretentiously posh: Lei Garden
Multiple locations. See www.leigarden.hk for details

Best cinematic backdrop: Luk Yu Teahouse
Luk Yu Teahouse, G/F-3/F, 24 Stanley Street, +852 2523 5464. Open daily, 7 a.m. - 10 p.m.; dim sum is available until 4 p.m. 

Best hole-in-the-wall: Saam Hui Yaat (叁去壹)
11 Pokfulam Road, +852 2547 3917. Open daily, 5 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

Best vegetarian for meat-lovers: M Garden Vegetarian
Shop D, 6/F, Grand Tower, 639 Nathan Road, Mong Kok, +852 2787 3128. Open daily, 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.

Best sense of community: Lam Kee (林記點心)
Shop 8-9, 2/F, Tai Po Hui Market Cooked Food Centre, Tai Po. 

Best taxi driver's pit stop: Yue Fu Kitchen (裕富小廚)
1-3 Chik Shun St., Tai Wai, +852 2698 7278. Open daily, 9:30 p.m. - 2 p.m.

Best power lunch: Lung King Heen
Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, 8 Finance Street, Central, +852 3196 8888. Open daily, noon to 2:30 p.m.; 6 - 10:30 p.m.

香港最佳點心

http://www.cnngo.com/zh-hant/hong-kong/eat/city-essentials/best-hong-kong-dim-sum-restaurants-546856

最佳午夜點心：新興食家
堅尼地城厚和街10號，＋852 2816 0616，營業時間：3a.m.- 4p.m.
最佳 VIP 點心待遇：福臨門
灣仔莊士敦道35-45號，，+852 2866 0663，營業時間：11:30 a.m. - 3 p.m., 6 - 11 p.m
最佳鄉村點心體驗： 彩龍茶樓
荃灣荃錦公路川龍村2號，+852 2415 5041，營業時間：5 a.m.-3 p.m.

最佳價值點心：添好運
旺角廣華街2-20號（總店），+852 2788 1226，營業時間：10 a.m. - 10 p.m.

最佳增磅點心：大榮華酒樓
元朗安寧路2-6號2樓，+852 2476 9888，營業時間：6:45a.m.-11:30p.m. (點心供應至 4:15p.m.)

最熱鬧點心體驗： 蓮香樓
中環威靈頓街160-164， +852 2544 4556 營業時間：6 a.m.-4 p.m. 點心; 5-10:30 p.m. 晚市

最樸實的浮華點心： 利苑
多間分店，詳情請閱 www.leigarden.hk

最佳電影背景：陸羽茶館
陸羽茶館，G/F-3/F，士丹利街24號， +852 2523 5464，營業時間：7 a.m.-10 p.m. 而點心供應至 4 p.m.

最別有「洞」天：叁去壹
薄扶林道11號, +852 2547 3917，營業時間：5 a.m.-3 p.m

最佳素食點心：常悅素食
旺角彌敦道639 號雅蘭中心6 樓D 舖座位，+852 2787 3128，營業時間： 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.

最佳街坊點心： 林記
大埔鄉事會街8號大埔墟街市及熟食中心2樓CFS08-09舖

最佳的士司機秘密飯堂：裕富小廚
大圍積信街1-3號，+852 2698 7278，營業時間：9:30 a.m.-2 p.m.

最強午餐點心：龍景軒
香港中環金融街8號四季酒店，+852 3196 8888，營業時間：正午到 2:30 p.m.; 6 - 10:30 p.m.

A Hong Kong dim sum restaurant session once upon a time was about tea appreciation. The baskets of delicate dumplings were a foil for the fragrant drink and considered snacks rather than a full meal.
These days, dim sum itself is a protagonist on the culinary stage. The diversity and sheer number of Hong Kong dim sum restaurants is stunning.
Noisy Cantonese joints where people eat with such determination there's a slight madness in the air; gilded, hushed dining rooms where waiters anticipate your every move; tranquil oases hidden on a mountaintop ... we've got it all here in Hong Kong.
We've picked our favorite Hong Kong dim sum restaurants to make it easy for the food-in-steam-basket fanatics. As we say in Hong Kong, please enjoy!

We've come up with 13 Hong Kong dim sum recommendations and so divided them into 3-4 per page. We've stuck a condensed version of the complete list plus addresses on the last page.

Aiya! Did we miss out your favorite Hong Kong dim sum restaurant ? Let us know which one, and why you love it so much in the comments box below.

Best after hours: San Hing (新興食家)

Celeb-worthy lau sa bao from San Hing.

A mix of elderly folk, celebrities and drunk people on a last stop before home share tables at San Hing for a Hong Kong dim sum fix at dawn.
Located in Kennedy Town, San Hing technically opens at 3 a.m., though customers will arrive earlier to secure seats. Especially on weekends, the shop is a madhouse in the wee hours.
Staff frantically churn out a wide selection of dim sum, stacked into giant bamboo towers. Customers are perpetually hovering around the food arrival counter, while an unending stream of new customers mill about looking to snatch seats.
Photographs on the wall show Canto-pop star Eason Chan giving props to San Hing's lau sa bao -- signature yellow custard "quicksand buns."
Other San Hing specialities include quail's egg siu mai, deep-fried milk and various seasonal dishes often not listed on the menu, such as osmanthus jelly during the summer.
The cost is a bargain, with dim sum dishes ranging in price from HK$12-$17.
San Hing has been around Kennedy Town for more than 20 years, though it moved to its current location a few years ago.
San Hing 新興食家, 10 Hau Wo St., Kennedy Town, +852 2816 0616. Open daily, 3 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Also on CNNGo: 12 things about tea your dim sum restaurateur won't tell you

Best VIP treatment: Fook Lam Moon

A very literal lau sa bao.

The first thing we encountered at Fook Lam Moon was a Rolls-Royce Phantom pulling up at the main entrance, casually letting out a rotund, weary-looking man and his two hungry, young offspring who bounced noisily to the door of the Hong Kong dim sum restaurant as though they were visiting grandma's house.

It isn't called the "canteen of the wealthy" for nothing.
Even though the joint is frequented by the rich and famous, anyone can rock up to Fook Lam Moon and feel like a billionaire.
The service is six-star-hotel-perfect without the robotic-ness. They don't overservice because, you know, celebrities just want to be left alone.
But staff have real charm that they turn on for every customer that walks through their doors. Not just wealthy regulars.
Compared with San Hing above, if you're willing to pay HK$60 for a basket of siu mai, you may as well be regarded as a high-roller.
Yes, it's expensive, but each dim sum gave our tastebuds an education.
Har gau are succulent and juicy, almost to the point of being soupy; their skins perfectly translucent. A signature shrimp cheung fun has a layer of crisp bean curd sheet to add another dimension of texture to an old standby.
The lau sa bao surpassed our favorites at San Hing. The bread casing was barely a centimeter thick and the custard filling would spill out in an appropriate visual expression of its name "quicksand bun."
Fook Lam Moon,  35-45 Johnston Rd., Wanchai, +852 2866 0663, www.fooklammoon-grp.com. Open daily, 11:30 a.m. - 3 p.m., 6 - 11 p.m.

Best rural experience: Choi Lung Restaurant (彩龍茶樓)

Shek Wai Ling (top right) says her customers travel more than an hour to eat dim sum at Choi Lung.

Choi Lung Restaurant is a three-story family-run teahouse on the waist of Hong Kong's highest peak, Tai Mo Shan. It is a great place to recharge after a hike.
Go early to secure the freshest Hong Kong dim sum experience in this self-service teahouse. Diners have to prepare their own tea and rest on simple plastic stools.
Despite the humble set-up, Choi Lung has been running for more than 40 years with a group of dedicated fans.
"People would drive all the way here from Sai Wan for a bowl of black bean ribs with rice. The rice bowls used to be made of porcelain but people kept dropping them so we switched to stainless steel," says waitress Shek Wai Ling.
We recommend the bean curd sheet wraps filled with chicken, taro and fish maw. The taro is cooked just through with a crunchy outer layer, the chicken is very tender and the fish maw is juicy.
A vegetable stall outside Choi Lung's front door is also well known for selling locally grown produce.
In November, the restaurant will serve fresh watercress purchased directly from the farms nearby, which Shek promises to be "very sweet and rarely found."
Visit Choi Lung at weekends as some dim sum are not served on weekdays, such as the black sesame rolls.
Choi Lung Restaurant 彩龍茶樓, 2 Chuen Lung Estate, Route Twisk, Tsuen Wan, +852 2415 5041. Open daily 5 a.m. - 3 p.m.
To get there, take a taxi from Tsuen Wan station for around HK$60 or take minibus 80 at Chuen Lung Street near Tsuen Wan wet market.

Best value: Tim Ho Wan

Tim Ho Wan's inimitable cha siu bo lo bao.

The secret didn’t last long. When former Lung King Heen chef Pui Gor opened this hole-in-the-wall joint in Mong Kok, those in the know flocked here for top-quality Hong Kong dim sum at rock-bottom prices.
Then came a Michelin star. And the masses descended. A two-hour wait became a daily phenomenon. And that's considered short.
The thing is, Tim Ho Wan is still worth it, wait and all.
Saying the quality is high and ingredients are fresh is an understatement. Simply, this is what dim sum is meant to taste like.
The beef balls are firm but tender, with plenty of coriander. The pig liver cheung fun is impeccably earthy. The siu mai is packed with plump shrimp and succulent mushrooms. The radish cake actually tastes like the white radish it is made from.
Be sure to try the cha siu pineapple buns, which are now widely imitated but never matched. Most dishes cost between HK$10 and $20.
In addition to the original location in Mong Kok, there's a second shop in Sham Shui Po, but the quality there is less consistent.
Also on CNNGo: Holy dim sum! Michelin Guide 2010 goes cheap and cheerful?
Tim Ho Wan, original location, 2-20 Kwong Wa Street, Mong Kok, +852 2332 2896
Tim Ho Wan, Sham Shui Po, 9-11 Fuk Wing Street, Sham Shui Po, +852 2788 1226Open daily, 10 a.m. - 10 p.m.

Best way to get fat: Tai Wing Wah

Stop calorie counting when at Tai Wing Wah.

Sure, we live in a weight-loss obsessed world, but in Yuen Long, Tai Wing Wah is making a killing off of hearty "walled village cuisine" made with lard.
Punti and Hakka villages that were settled in Hong Kong during the Ming and Qing dynasties were protected by high village walls. The food originating from these walled villages are the focus of Tai Wing Wah's menu.
Hugo "To To" Leung is the culinary brains behind the restaurant and he is adamant about maintaining authenticity.
Also on CNNGo: Celebrity chef Hugo Leung's favorite restaurants 

That means, apart from Hong Kong dim sum classics, such as excellent har gau, or a bright yellow and delicious Malay sponge cake, Tai Wing Wah also serves a rustic white rice mixed with lard and soy sauce that is impossibly morish.

Leave your diet at home.
Also on CNNGo: Why we love Yuen Long
Try to get a table and order before 11 a.m. when most of the dim sum costs HK$12.
Tai Wing Wah Restaurant, 2/F, Koon Wong Mansion, 2-6 On Ning Road, Yuen Long, +852 2476 9888. Open daily 6:45 a.m. - 11:30 p.m.; dim sum available until 4:15 p.m. 

Best "hot, noisy" atmosphere: Lin Heung Teahouse

Testing the cart lady's patience at Lin Heung Teahouse.

Originating in Guangzhou, Lin Heung Teahouse expanded to Hong Kong and opened three branches in the early 20th century.
The one that remains today in Central opened in 1918. Its longevity alone is worth applauding.
Lin Heung's decades-old recipes produce the most traditional Cantonese flavors. Dim sum typical of Lin Heung are siu mai topped with a slab of liver and Chinese sausage rolls -- old-fashioned dishes hard to find anywhere else.
The atmosphere is of classic Cantonese dining. The space hasn't changed much in the past few decades and old ladies push dim sum carts through the dining hall in the traditional manner of hawking.
Diners rush up to the carts to fight over the bamboo baskets of dim sum that just can't seem to come out of the kitchen fast enough.
Service is typically sour, but we find the attitude easy to ignore as we become engulfed in the irrepressibly jovial "hot and noisy" atmosphere (yeet lau) favored by Chinese diners.
Aslo on CNNGo: Lin Heung Teahouse, dim sum elder
Lin Heung Teahouse, 160-164 Wellington St., Central, +852 2544 4556. Open daily 6 a.m. - 4 p.m. for dim sum; 5 - 10:30 p.m. for dinner.

Best unpretentiously posh: Lei Garden 

Lei Garden's greatest hits of Hong Kong dim sum.

It's Michelin-starred and a haunt for celebrity families, but the atmosphere at this Hong Kong dim sum restaurant is relaxed and unpretentious.
Offering superbly executed Cantonese dishes and very popular for its dim sum, Lei Garden also stands out for warm service. It is rumored the wait staff are trained more vigorously and compensated more handsomely than at any other Cantonese restaurant chain in town.
The plain cheung fun are al dente at first bite and perfectly tender inside; the siu mei is moist and meaty, with a nice crisp snap to the skin of the siu yuk and roasted duck. Lei Garden’s har gau are stuffed with fat shrimp and expertly wrapped.
Essentially, it’s a procession of Hong Kong dim sum hits, with only a few slight misses, like the underwhelming xiaolongbao.
Dishes cost between HK$30 and $50.
Multiple locations. See www.leigarden.hk for details.

Best cinematic backdrop: Luk Yu Teahouse

Try it at least once: Luk Yu Teahouse. 

Central's Luk Yu Teahouse retains an Old Hong Kong glamour with its art deco embellishments, retro menu and urban legends. It's no wonder it regularly appears in movies and literature.
First opened in 1933, Luk Yu Teahouse relocated to its current location in 1976. The building’s colonial façade opens to a three-floor restaurant dripping with nostalgia. Eating at Luk Yu is falling through a time warp.
A dim sum meal easily averages more than HK$100 per person per meal. Some customers are paying for the teahouse’s history and ambiance. Others are long-term patrons who stay all day.
Hard-to-find items harkening back four or five decades make up the menu, such as excellent liver siu mai and deep-fried dumplings in soup.
Service is notoriously bad and wait staff are intimidating to non-regulars. So much so that it has become a signature of the restaurant.
Luk Yu Teahouse, G/F-3/F, 24 Stanley Street, +852 2523 5464. Open daily, 7 a.m. - 10 p.m.; dim sum is available until 4 p.m. 

Best hole-in-the-wall: Saam Hui Yaat (叁去壹)

Tiny, dirty and just right.

This tiny pearl of a teahouse is tucked snug into the metaphorical buttcrack of a dilapidated stretch of Pokfulam Road.
Old men without shirts seem to be the primary clientele, squeezing into the grime-covered hovel that hasn't changed an iota since it opened in the late 1970s.
As with most hole-in-the-walls, hygiene is questionable, but the bright flavors of the food draw us back again and again. Besides, we haven't gotten sick yet.
Prices are low, starting at HK$9 per dim sum basket -- “dirt cheap” is a more than appropriate description for Saam Hui Yaat.
Anyone tired of the sanitized chain restaurant dim sum experience should make a visit for the har gau, cheung fun and steamed rice dishes.
Saam Hui Yaat 叁去壹, 11 Pokfulam Road, +852 2547 3917. Open daily, 5 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Best vegetarian for meat-lovers: M Garden Vegetarian

Proving that great vegetarian dim sum is not an oxymoron.

Meat-free dim sum might seem an improbable venture, but at M Garden you won’t even notice the lack of animal on your table.
As with most vegetarian Chinese restaurants, the meat here is replaced with bean curd and mushrooms, but where M Garden stands apart is its emphasis on unusual textures that don’t slavishly try to resemble meat, like the coarsely packed imitation beef balls.
Even more interesting are the standard vegetarian dishes found on every dim sum menu.
Here, the radish cake is made with mushroom and peppers, then diced and stir-fried.
The steamed egg custard buns are made with whole wheat flour, which gives them more heft and a breadier taste than the usual white flour variety.
Prices range from HK$15 to $25 per dish.
Try to get a seat in the sun-drenched atrium, which is much more pleasant than the dreary interior.
Also on CNNGo: Hong Kong's best vegetarian dish
M Garden Vegetarian, shop D, 6/F, Grand Tower, 639 Nathan Road, Mong Kok, +852 2787 3128. Open daily, 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.

Best sense of community: Lam Kee (林記點心)

Lam Kee is also a great place to eavesdrop on your neighbor.

There’s something about the tile floors, high ceilings and boisterous atmosphere of a wet market food hall that makes a meal more fun than it might otherwise be.
Lam Kee, located in the Tai Po Hui Market’s food court, is a casual neighborhood Hong Kong dim sum spot with simple, delicious fare.
The portions here are small, but also inexpensive -- mostly less than HK$10 -- which allows for plenty of ordering experimentation.
Particularly memorable are the bean curd wraps, which contain an assortment of ingredients that work together remarkably well, like baby corn, taro, chicken and spam.
The black bean spareribs are fantastic and so are the tiny har gau.
But the best part of any meal is the company. At the Tai Po Hui food court, patrons sit in a communal dining area. Neighbors run into each other as they head to the food stalls for a break during a grocery run.
If it's early morning, grannies fueling up for an afternoon of mahjong make conversation over a pot of tea.
Lam Kee 林記點心, shop 8-9, 2/F, Tai Po Hui Market Cooked Food Centre, Tai Po.

Best taxi driver's pit stop: Yue Fu Kitchen (裕富小廚)

No taxis? They're all at Yue Fu.

Dim sum 24 hours a day is taken for granted here in Hong Kong. When we get those midnight cravings, Yue Fu is one of our top choices for getting a Hong Kong dim sum fix.Taxis are parked outside Yue Fu in Tai Wai every night as the drivers have a meal inside -- it's a sign the food and value are both great.
The most expensive dim sum is only HK$18 at Yue Fu. They only serve steamed dim sum and not every dim sum is perfect (forget about the har gau here). But it is the local way of experiencing dim sum that we are aiming for.
Blend in by sitting outside, washing your utensils in hot water and pouring out the water onto the street.
Dim sum to try are steamed rice with ribs and chicken feet, beancurd beef balls, siu mai with quail eggs.
Go late at night for more choices and don't go in big groups as they usually don't have the space to accommodate all of you.
Yue Fu Kitchen 裕富小廚, 1-3 Chik Shun St., Tai Wai, +852 2698 7278. Open daily 9:30 p.m. - 2 p.m.

Best power lunch: Lung King Heen

Individual steam baskets -- now that's respect for dim sum.

As one of Hong Kong's few Michelin three-starred restaurants and a Four Seasons Hotel signature, Lung King Heen enjoys an elevated status.
It's the perfect setting for special occasions: harborviews, central location, crease free white tablecloths. Dim sum as fine dining.
The dim sum menu is full of classics that have been given novel twists. Lobster and scallop in a thin wrapper resemble decadent siu mai. Cheung fun is filled with garoupa. Dumplings are stuffed with duck liver.
The hotel-ness of the place can't be dimissed. Service is a bit mechanical and halfway through the meal, we start craving the controlled chaos of a typical Cantonese restaurant.
But Lung King Heen isn't a typical Cantonese restaurant. It's the kind of place where Jack Donaghy would go for an intense round of negotiations over an aged Pu-erh tea.
Book ahead.
Lung King Heen, Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, 8 Finance Street, Central, +852 3196 8888, www.fourseasons.com. Open daily, noon to 2:30 p.m.; 6 - 10:30 p.m.

See over page for the complete list and addresses.

40 Hong Kong foods we can't live without 香港不能欠缺的40 種美食

Street-style comfort foods, reptiles, and a lot of pork -- here are our picks of the most delicious and iconic food items of this foodie's paradise

By Christopher DeWolf, Izzy Ozawa, Tiffany Lam, Virginia Lau, and Zoe Li 13 July, 2010

Hong Kongers have a passion reserved just for Hong Kong food that eclipses their love for politics, shopping, gambling, and even -- gasp -- stocks. This city is home to some of the most food-obsessed people in the world and produces an alarming array of food items ranging from the stubbornly traditional to unself-conscious fusion foods, each more drool-worthy than the next. Here are a selection of 40 Hong Kong foods that make us rather not live than live without:

1. Hong Kong-style French toast

Unlike its more restrained Sunday brunch counterpart, Hong Kong-style French toast is for when you're stressed out and looking for a warm, deep-fried hug. It's two pieces of toast slathered with peanut butter or kaya jam, soaked in egg batter, fried in butter and served with still more butter and lots of syrup. Too much of this will send you to an early grave, but it's the perfect comfort-food combination of simple flavours and textures: sweet and savoury, soft and crispy.
Try it at Lan Fong Yuen, 6 Gage Street, Central, tel +852 2850 8683. 

2. Scrambled egg sandwich

On paper, an egg sandwich doesn't sound very noteworthy. After all, it's just fried egg in between two pieces of soft white bread. No big deal, right? Ah, but that would ignore the genius of a good Hong Kong line cook, who can somehow turn an egg into a fluffy, finely-layered gem of stomach-warming goodness. A classic egg sandwich should be plump, full of eggy flavour and light, not greasy.
Most people swear by the Australia Dairy Company, 47 Parkes Street, Jordan, tel +852 2730 1356, Australia Dairy Company Appreciation Group Facebook page, but our favourite is the Kwong Sing Café, 10 San Shing Avenue, Sheung Shui, tel +852 2670 4501.

3. Stinky tofu

No doubt you will have heard or read about the stench emanating from one of the strangest foods to come out of this part of the world. But nothing can really prepare you for the stink. Smelly tofu, like durian, is one of Asia's most iconic 'weird foods.' The stench is a result of fermentation of the tofu and it is such an overpowering smell you'll be hard-pressed to shake it off for months to come. But Hong Kongers really love that stink. Well, most Hong Kongers.
Follow your nose to Delicious Food, shop 10, G/F, 30-32 Nullah Road, Prince Edward, tel +852 2142 7468.

4. Hong Kong style-cheeseburgers

Dirt-cheap, kitschy and consistently delicious, Denmark Cake Shop’s Hong Kong-style cheeseburgers are reminiscent of the good old days pre-McD domination. The rundown eatery’s HK$9 burgers don’t fit the burger archetype, but it’s just as good, if not better: it’s palm-sized, minimalist (ketchup, home-made mayo, half a slice of processed cheese) and is encased in a slightly sweet Hong Kong-style butter roll. The patty is heavily seasoned and moist, attracting lines of schoolchildren since the shop opened in 1972. Denmark Cake Shop, G/F, 106 Leighton Road, Causeway Bay, tel +852 2576 7353.

5. Sweet tofu soup

Sweet tofu soup is one of those deceptively simple dishes whose potential for satisfaction far outweighs the complexity of its ingredients. One of the best places to try it is Kin Hing, a lean-to stall in the countryside of Lamma Island that is run by an elderly couple who serves nothing but 'dau fu faa'. It's smooth and soft, doused in a lightly sweet syrup and sprinkled with yellow sugar; the sharp sweetness of the sugar complements the musty soya flavour of the tofu.
To get there, walk from Yung Shue Wan towards Hung Shing Yeh "Powerplant" Beach.

6. 'Pineapple' bun

The boh loh baau (literally meaning 'pineapple bun') is the holy grail of what may generously be termed the Hong Kong school of baking. It's firm on the outside, soft on the inside and topped by crunchy, sugary pastry. Popular enough to have been exported around the world -- step into a Chinese bakery in Toronto, Taipei or Tianjin and you're likely to find one -- it's ubiquitous in Hong Kong. It's the perfect complement to milk tea, especially if you have it with butter, a variation known as boh loh yaau.
Try it at two Mongkok cafés that are known for their buns: Kam Wah, 47 Bute Street, Mongkok, tel +852 2392 6830 and Hong Lin, 143 Tung Choi Street, Mongkok, tel +852 2391 8398.

7. Chicken feet

So it looks awful, but once you get over that, what is there not to love about chicken feet? Just like head cheese or coq au vin, Cantonese-style chicken feet is a perfect marriage of thrift and culinary genius. Euphemized as 'phoenix talons' in Chinese, the chicken feet are typically deep fried then stewed in a blackbean sauce. The cartilage softens to a melt-in-the-mouth consistency and great practice is needed to spit out the little bones in that dainty manner perfected by grandmas in dim sum restaurants across town. Lei Garden skips the deep-frying and stews their chicken feet in abalone sauce, resulting in a wholesome, more texturized treat.
Multiple locations, see website for details www.leigarden.hk.

8. Miniature wife cakes

As much as we love traditional Chinese pastries, their heavy combination of lard and sweet pastes made from various beans and roots don't exactly make for easy snacking. Luckily, Hang Heung has come up with a solution to that problem: miniature wife cakes. Wife cakes have a flaky skin made from pork lard and a firm, chewy filling made with almond paste and winter melon. The combination of the pastry and mellow winter melon sweetness makes them particularly tasty, while their bite size makes them particularly digestible.
Hang Heung, 64 Castle Peak Road, Yuen Long, tel +852 2479 2141

9. Ginger milk curd

Spicy, creamy, soupy -- this is wintertime dessert at its best (though it's good in the summer too). Made by gently simmering sweetened milk and then mixing it with fresh ginger juice, which causes the milk to curdle, 'geung tsap dun nai' has a soft pudding-like texture not unlike tofu. The local branches of Macau's Yee Shun Milk Company make a mean version of this timeless Cantonese treat.
Yee Shun, 506 Lockhart Road, Causeway Bay, tel +852 2591 1837, and various other locations. 

10. Five-layer roast pork

A great piece of 'siu yuk' should have a top layer of crackling skin, then alternating slivers of fat with moist meat, and a final salty-spiced layer at the bottom. Euphemised as 'five-layer meat,' the morsels are served with sharp yellow mustard to cap off an overwhelming experience of textures and flavors all rendered from a humble slice of pork belly.
Lei Garden's siu yuk hits the spot every time. Multiple location, see website for details www.leigarden.hk.

11. Indonesian satay

When they're brought to your table on a miniature charcoal grill, the Shatin Inn's fatty, tender satay skewers sizzle in a very satisfying way. But it's the experience of eating them outdoors in a time-warp restaurant that makes them especially worthwhile. The Inn is a roadside restaurant that dates back to the days when going to Shatin meant a big journey over the mountains and out to the country. Though it's now surrounded by roads, it retains a homey, rural atmosphere.
The Shatin Inn, 7.5 Miles, Tai Po Road, Tai Wai, tel +852 2691 1425.

12. Meat mountain

Steamed meat cake -- a mishmash of ground pork, mushrooms, water chestnuts and preserved vegetables, seasoned with simple soy sauce and sesame oil -- is a staple of Cantonese home cooking. At Man Seng, the staple is transformed into something more remarkable: a veritable meat mountain. With feats of culinary magic known only to the cooks (don't bother asking for details -- trade secret), the half-foot-high pile of meat is somehow tender, succulent and evenly cooked.
Man Seng, 16 Wun Sha Street, Tai Hang, tel +852 2576 7272. 

13. Cantonese preserved sausage

Some Chinese sausages can be heavy on the salt and spices, but Cantonese laap cheung is a perfectly well-proportioned mix of slightly-sweet pork fat and meat. Rose water and rice wine gives it a pungent edge and soy sauce serves as a salty counterpart to the sweetness. Cook it with rice, vegetables, eggs or just about anything.
Freshly-dried lap cheung are available in the winter at Wo Hing Preserved Meat, 368 Queens Road Central, Sheung Wan, tel +852 2546 8958. Frozen-foods specialist DCH (various locations) carries tasty Canadian lap cheung all year round. Or just drop into any of the stores that have sausages on display on Sheung Wan's 'dried seafood street.'

14. Trendy hot pot 

Hot pot is truly a social event for people in Hong Kong, especially for families looking for an excuse to get together on a chilly winter's night. And as a true testament to the innovation and picky palates of Hong Kongers, there's no shortage of new things to try. Megan's Kitchen is one of the latest trend-setting hot pot restaurants famous for their rainbow meatballs in different flavours and colors, where the surprise is inside, like Kinder eggs. Our favorite is Megan's pork balls with a mango centre. Soup base is another divisive issue at the dinner table: from a simple vegetable base to congee and soymilk base to Megan's tom yum koong “cappuccino” soup base.
Megan’s Kitchen, 5/F, Lok Kei Centre, 165-171 Wan Chai Road, Wan Chai, tel +852 2866 8305, www.meganskitchen.com.

15. Beef brisket

The brisket is a much maligned part of the cow in Western cooking, but you'll find huge chunks of it being slowly stewed in giant pots of sauce in noodle shop windows all over Hong Kong until they're tender and soaked with juicy goodness. Few of these places however, can live up to the reputation of Kau Kee, which sells its signature beef brisket cooked in either a clear broth or curry broth served with noodles. Or try On Lee in Shau Kei Wan on your day off -- the good stuff typically sells out by late afternoon.
Kau Kee, G/F, 21 Gough Street, Sheung Wan, tel +852 2850 5967.
On Lee, Shop 4, G/F, Tung Wong House, 14-22 Shau Kei Wan Main Street East, Shau Kei Wan, tel +852 2560 6897.

16. Egg tart

Like many classic Hong Kong dishes, the origins of the egg tart are a bit murky, but it seems likely that they are yet another example of British tea time snacks -- custard tarts, in this case -- that were adapted to local Chinese tastes. Since they became popular in the 1940s, two varieties of egg tarts have emerged: one with a flaky puff pasty shell and another with a sweet shortbread crust. Both are filled with a rich custard that is much eggier and less creamy than English custard tarts or Portuguese pastéis de nata.
Try the shortbread version at Tai Cheong Bakery, 35 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central, tel +852 2544 3475, www.taicheongbakery.com and the flaky kind at Honolulu Coffee Shop, 176 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai, tel +852 2575 1823, or bump into Chow Yun Fat at his favorite egg tart joint Hoover Cake Shop, 136 Nga Tsin Wai Road, Kowloon City, tel +852 2382 0383.

17. Yung Kee's roast goose

Yung Kee has been around since the 1940s when it was a mere food stall near the ferry pier and has since grown to be the authority on Hong Kong roast goose. Today, nine out of 10 people will recommend friends visiting Hong Kong to have a meal at Yung Kee for their 'siu ngoh.' The restaurant will even specially pack their goose as carry-on luggage for departing travelers. It isn't the cheapest by a long way and some may say that the most authentic roast duck is still to be found deep in the New Territories, but its an institution not to be missed. If you're so inclined, try the equally famous thousand-year egg with ginger, which is so reputable, other restaurants buy from Yung Kee to serve to their own customers.
Yung Kee Restaurant, 32 Wellington Street, Central, tel +852 2522 1624 www.yungkee.com.hk 

18. Thai food in Kowloon City

Kowloon City was once home to no man's land Kowloon Walled City but these days it is better known as a food mecca. Some of the best food in Hong Kong is found here, particularly Thai food. A small Thai community makes up Kowloon City's 'Little Thailand,' a proliferation of Thai restaurants, supermarkets and hole-in-the-wall noodle and satay joints. A lot of the Thai food you find in Hong Kong is overpriced and friendly to expat-palates -- go for the real thing in Kowloon City.
We like Best of Thai Food Restaurant, 37 Fuk Lo Tsun Road, Kowloon City, tel +852 2127 7348. 

19. Roast pigeon

Pigeons are usually dismissed as rats with wings, but believe us, rats don't taste this good. Cantonese-style pigeon is typically braised in soy sauce, rice wine and star anise before being roasted to crispy perfection. It's an earthy, deeply satisfying dish -- the Hong Kong answer to Peking duck.
Nostalgic dive Tai Ping Koon, 19 Mau Lam Street, Yau Ma Tei, tel +852 2384 1703, various other locations, is known for its pigeon, and so are the restaurants in Tai Wai, including the reliable Shui Wah, 51 Tsuen Nam Road, Tai Wai, tel +852 2606 7117. 

20. Snake soup

Snake soup is said to cure any number of ailments. Forget about that. The real reason to indulge in this Cantonese delicacy is because it's the perfect dish for cool weather. There's something about the brothy mix of snake meat, mushrooms, ginger and pork that does an even better job of warming you up than chicken noodle soup. The soup is usually served with fried bits of dough, slivers of kaffir lime leaf and chrysanthemum petals for aroma. And yes, snake really does taste like chicken.
Give it a go at Se Wong Yan, 80A, Woosung Street, Jordan, no phone.

21. Lotus seed paste

Here's a lesson in making a silk purse out of a sow's ear: Take some dried lotus seeds -- those hard, pale, dime-sized bullets of little flavor -- soak, stew, grind to a paste, pass through cheesecloth, add sugar. Then comes the tricky stage. Dry-cook the sweetened paste in a huge wok, teasing out the nutty, caramelly flavors without burning it. When done right, the fruit of the exhausting labor is rich, velvety lotus seed paste that can be stuffed in fluffy white buns. We love the paste stuffed in Lin Heung's buns with a nub of salty egg yolk.
Lin Heung Tea House, 160-164 Wellington Street, Central, tel +852 2544 4556, www.linheung.com.

22. Typhoon-shelter crab

Hong Kong's typhoon shelters used to harbor a community of 'boat people' who made their homes on sampans. Out of the community rose a distinct culinary culture that centered on freshly caught seafood served with plenty of spices and 'wok hei' -- good wok-wielding skills. Little remains of Hong Kong's boat people today but their excellent food culture is ever popular, in particular, the spicy crabs served at Under the Bridge heaped with fried garlic and chilli peppers.
Under the Bridge Spicy Crab, Shop 6-9, G/F, 429 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, tel +852 2573 7698, www.underspicycrab.com.

23. Egg noodles

A quality egg noodle depends on its egg flavor and al dente texture. Egg noodles don't get much better than at Ho To Tai Noodle Shop, which has been in business for over six decades. Our favorite is the shrimp roe-covered noodles served with a bowl of fish soup. Salty shrimp roe is generously sprinkled all over strips of noodles that have just the right amount of elasticity and egginess. Ho To Tai's wontons are also reputable and made to the size of a dollar-coin, as is the tradition.
Ho To Tai Noodle Shop, No.67, Fau Tsoi St, Yuen Long; tel +852 2476 2495, htt.com.hk.

24. Milk tea

It's colonialism in a cup. You could argue that afternoon tea is the single most pervasive legacy of British rule, enjoyed as it is by Hong Kongers from all walks of life, and milk tea is the most potent symbol of English traditions fused with Chinese sensibilities. Top-notch milk tea is made with a special blend of black Ceylon tea that is strained through silk stockings and mixed with evaporated milk. A good cup is bitter, full-bodied and velvety smooth.
Connoisseurs swear by the tea at Kam Fung, 41 Spring Garden Lane, Wan Chai, tel +852 2572 0526, Lan Fong Yuen's takeaway stall, 2 Gage Street, Central, tel +852 2544 3895 and 'Milk Tea King' Tai Fat Restaurant, shop 5, G/F, Treasure Court, Hong Shui Kiu, Yuen Long, tel +852 2443 5533.

25. Joy Hing's cha siu

In this town, Joy Hing is synonymous with 'cha siu' -- Cantonese barbecued pork. Be sure to order 'half fatty, half skinny' cha siu for the best cut: moist, not greasy, honeyed yet smoky.
Joy Hing BBQ Shop, 265-267 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai, tel +852 2519 6639, Facebook group.

26. Cha siu baau

Barbecued pork stuffed into a bun deserves its very own shout-out here. Because, when we break open a soft white steamed bun and see the glistening mauve filling of diced cha siu with extra barbecue sauce spilling out and sniff the heady perfume of wine, soy, and hints of caramel, we're moved. North Garden calls theirs 'cha siu mantou,' giving the traditional bun a northern Chinese twist.
North Garden Restaurant, 1-2/F, Tung Ning Building, 249-253 Des Voeux Road, Sheung Wan, tel +852 2739 2338.

27. Claypot rice

For those willing to turn a blind eye on the two-star service and focus on the five-star signature dish, Kwan Kee Claypot Rice is a must-visit. Hardly ever an empty seat, Kwan Kee does rice crustily well using charcoal stoves that are near-extinct in Hong Kong. Whatever toppings you choose, be sure to add some Chinese preserved sausage. All the juices and fat from the meat will drizzle into the rice, adding to its pleasant aroma and taste.
Reservations highly recommended. Kwan Kee Claypot Rice, Shop 1, Wo Yick Mansion, 263 Queen's Road West, Western District, tel +852 2803 7209.

28. North Point mini egg cakes

Crackly on the outside and spongy on the inside, this street-side joint’s mini toasted egg cakes -- called 'gai daan tsai' -- is a clear winner in a city where the snack is just as ubiquitous as potato chips in a convenience store. At North Point Mini Egg Cakes, the eggy batter is toasted to golden-brown perfection and everyone from office workers to housewives crowd around each night for a delicious morsel.
North Point Mini Egg Cakes, 492 King's Road, North Point, +852 2590 9726. 

29. Tang Lung Street's Thai shrimp sashimi

Dingy Tang Lung Street may not be known as the most savory place to eat raw crustacean dishes in Hong Kong, but Thai Shing Restaurant’s shrimp sashimi has us returning time and time again with no upset tummies so far. Dished up in a bed of ice and garnished with a slice of raw garlic, the shrimps at Thai Shing are fresh with briny flavors. The chewy delicacy is best eaten dunked in the accompanying chili sauce.
Thai Shing, G/F, Tang Fai Building, 36 Tung Lung Street, Causeway Bay, tel+ 852 2834 2500.

30. Mulberry Mistletoe tea

Traditional Chinese medicine rarely tastes this good. Yuen Kee Dessert‘s Mulberry Mistletoe tea is a delicately sweet Chinese dessert with medicinal qualities, such as reinforcing the kidney and warding off rheumatism. Mulberry Mistletoe tea’s uncluttered flavor has a quiet, nostalgic charm in a city of frantically evolving food trends. Most old-timers at Yuen Kee Dessert like to add boiled lotus seeds to their order and pair the sweet tea with a steamed sponge cake.
Yuen Kee Dessert , G/F, 32 Centre Street, Western District +852 2548 8687.

31. Block 13 Cow Offal

Fatty, richly marinated beef innards are as deeply ingrained in Hong Kong’s street food culture as curry fishballs. And when it comes to skewered cow organ goodness, Block 13's is hard to beat. The eatery’s braised cow offal skewers is a potpourri of contrasting textures, including the chewy honeycomb tripe, springy cow lungs, and tough cow’s intestines. For an extra flavor kick, there’s runny mustard and sweet sauce available at the counter.
Block 13 Cow Offal, G/F, 1 Shu Kuk Street, North Point, tel +852 3575 9299. 

32. Congee

It’s the food we crave when we’re sick, cold or missing home. And the deciding factor is texture over flavor. Known for its assortment of fresh fish congee, Sang Kee Congee Shop has customers lining up everyday for its fleecy rice porridge boiled from 2am every morning. Portions are large enough to keep an average, middle-aged man satisfied.
Sang Kee Congee Shop, G/F, 7-9 Burd Street, Sheung Wan, tel +852 2541 1099.

33. Bowl pudding

For those who miss the 1980s when palm-sized puddings steamed in porcelain bowls (buut tsai goh) were widely sold by street hawkers, Kwan Kee Store gives us that taste of childhood we’re craving for. Since 1965, the Fu family from Shunde has been grinding glutinous rice flour by hand to make their signature bowl puddings with white or brown sugar and sometimes red beans. Even chief executive Donald Tsang had to make a special visit for a taste.
Kwan Kee Store, Shop 10, 115-117 Fuk Wah Street, Sham Shui Po, tel +852 2360 0328.

34. Tonkichi's tonkatsu

Hong Kongers are thankful for those crazy Japanese and their crazy dedication to perfecting deep-fried comfort food. Tonkichi is the preferred Japanese restaurant in town for specialising in deep-fried things, from oysters to giant shrimps -- but best of all, pork chops. Aside from making sure the batter is the perfect crunchiness, the meat inside must be juicy and not greasy. Turn up at Tonkichi with a ravenous appetite and be prepared not to get it back for a couple of days after.
There is usually an hour-long wait for a table. Tonkichi Tonkatsu Seafood, 412, Podium 4, World Trade Center, 280 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay, tel +852 2577 6617.

35. B Boy's grass jelly

Kei Kee Dessert sells Hong Kong’s most sought after grass jelly dessert: 'B tsai leung fun,' or B Boy's grass jelly. The huge serving of grass jelly topped with plenty of mixed fruit and condensed milk could be a meal on its own. Go with at least three other people or be prepared to pack home your leftovers.
Kei Kee Dessert, Shop 7, Chi Fu Centre, Yuen Long; tel +852 2479 4743, www.yl.hk/b.

36. Mango pudding in mango sauce with extra mango

There's really only one ingredient that matters at Hui Lau Shan: mango. The sweet, ripe fruit, imported from Thailand, finds its way into just about every dish at this dessert chain, which has conquered Hong Kong and spread as far afield as San Francisco. The shop's most representative dish combines a milky mango pudding with thick mango purée, mango ice and generous chunks of mango. Extra sugar is left aside in favour of the fruit's naturally robust sweetness.
Hui Lau Shan, multiple locations, see website for details www.hkhls.com.

37. Sweet and sour pork

No, it isn't just for gwailos. Sweet and sour pork, called 'gu lo yuk,' is also a comfort food craved by Hong Kongers. The Cantonese original is made with vinegar, preserved plums and hawthorn candy for a nearly scarlet color and that sweet-sour tang. Nowadays, it's mostly made with ketchup and coloring.
Sweet and sour pork can be ordered at any respectable Canto restaurant, but we like the consistent quality at Ho Choi Seafood Restaurant, multiple locations, see website for details, www.hochoi.com.

38. Louis' steak

In Hong Kong there is no shortage of Hong Kong-style steakhouses. Most of these colonial-influenced institutions serve soggy meat on hot griddle plates, their texture horribly mangled by baking powder. Louis' Steakhouse has all the nostalgic charms of old-school Hong Kong Western restaurants and none of the bad food. In line with bygone local tastes, their steaks are decidedly more tender than what you find in contemporary Western steakhouses, but is nonetheless juicy and meaty. And you have the bonus of ordering stewed fish maw, another house specialty, alongside your steak. Now that's what we call Hong Kong fusion.
Louis' Steak House, 1/F, Malaysia Building, 50 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai, tel +852 2529 8933.

39. Fishballs

According to Wikipedia, which sourced from Apple Daily's 2002 report, Hong Kongers eat about 37.5 million fishballs per day. A simple Google Maps search reveals that for every two 7-Elevens you pass by, you’ll find a shop that specializes in this beloved snack. And if you’re really desperate, even 7-Eleven will sell you some. Everyone has their own favorite fishball joint that they swear by, and our's is Tung Tat for their firmness and intense curry flavor.
Tung Tat Restaurant, G/F, 48 Pitt Street, Yau Ma Tei, tel +852 2332 8376.

40. Swiss chicken wings

The story goes that a foreigner, bowled over by the wings' sweet and salty taste, tried to ask the staff for the name of the 'sweet' dish. The waiter thought he was alluding to the wings' Swiss origins and the name stuck. Swiss sauce, a rich, sweet soy sauce, is now a kitchen standby in many Cantonese homes. Tai Ping Koons' chicken wings in Swiss sauce is still distinctly flavorful, with tender, fall-off-the-bone meat.
Tai Ping Koon Restaurant, 6 Pak Sha Road, Causeway Bay, tel +852 2576-9161, taipingkoon.com.

港人對港式美食熱衷的程度令政治、購物、博彩，甚至是股市都顯得黯然失色。 對全世界的食客來說，香港就像他們的天堂，匯集各式各樣的料理，從傳統菜式到異國風味的融合菜饌，都令人垂涎三尺。 本站推介 40 種美食，少了他們香港將黯然失色：

1. 港式風味西多士

與假日平凡的早午餐不同，當你感到疲憊想有人抱抱你時，港式西多士能令你沉醉在油煎小食的懷抱中。 西多士以兩片麵包夾著花生醬或咖央（kaya），浸在蛋汁中，落牛油煎，最後豪氣地淋上牛油及糖漿。 這東西吃太多不健康，但卻能將美味及口感以最簡單的方式呈現，甜而不膩、香脆酥軟，宛如人間極品。
請到蘭芳園親嘗：中環結志路 6 號，電話：+852 2850 8683。

2. 炒蛋治

從字面看來，炒蛋治一點也不吸引。 畢竟，它充其量不過就是兩片白麵包裡夾著炒蛋。 沒甚麼了不起對吧？ 但是這樣就小看了聰明的香港廚師，他們把平凡無奇的蛋變成香滑、層次交疊的暖胃佳餚。 招牌炒蛋多士鬆軟美味，洋溢著香濃的蛋味，清宜而不油膩。
眾人極力推介的澳洲牛奶公司： 佐敦白加士街 47 號地下，電話：+852 2730 1356, 澳洲牛奶公司 Facebook 群組頁面而廣成冰室才是本站的最愛：上水新成路10號，電話：+852 2670 4501.

3. 臭豆腐

毫無疑問地，你們一定曾經聽過或讀過這個名列世界最奇怪小食之一的臭名。 它的臭味令你無法抵擋。 臭豆腐，跟榴槤一樣都是亞洲最著名的「怪食」。 豆腐發酵之後即出現臭味，其味道的威力之強大，在短時間之內無法散去。 但香港人就愛這個臭味。 我是指大部分的香港人啦。
跟著你的嗅覺前往 Delicious Food：太子水渠道 30-32 號 A 美星樓地下 10 號舖，電話：+852 2142 7468。

4. 港式芝士漢堡包

價廉物美、多年不變的美味，充滿港式風味的丹麥餅店不禁令人懷念麥當勞進駐本地之前的美好時光。 平均港幣 9 元的漢堡包不如典型的漢堡，但滋味不言而喻。其外型小巧能一手掌握，製作簡單，僅加入茄醬、蛋黃醬和一片芝士，以微甜的港式風味牛油卷夾成。 煎肉的部分相當入味，鬆化嫩口，自 1972 年開業起即吸引學生在店外大排長龍。 丹麥餅店： 銅鑼灣禮頓道 106 號禮信大廈地下，電話：+852 2576 7353

5. 豆腐花

豆腐花是一道看似簡單，嚐起來口感複雜，令人滿足。 提到豆腐花不能不提建興，它位於郊區的南丫島，由兩位年長的夫婦經營，該店除了「豆腐花」之外沒有別的東西。 其豆腐花滑嫩順口，淋上些許的糖水並加入黃糖；糖的濃烈甜味正好與傳統的豆腐味道互補。
榕樹灣走至洪聖爺灣「發電廠」海灘即可到達。

6. 「菠蘿」包

boh loh baau（意指「菠蘿包」）可說是香港麵包師傅的最高考驗。 它的外皮紮實，包身鬆軟，頂層有著香濃甜美的脆皮。 其熱門程度橫跨全球，走遍多倫多的華人餅點、臺北或天津幾乎都能購得；在香港更是隨處可見。 如夾入一片牛油即成為所稱的菠蘿油，搭奶茶尤佳。
到以下兩家以菠蘿包聞名的旺角茶餐廳： 金華冰廳：旺角太子弼街 47 號，電話：+852 2392 6830；康年餐廳：旺角通菜街 143 號，電話：+852 2391 8398。

7. 鳳爪

它 看起來有點可怕，不過只要你試過一次，必定會愛上鳳爪。 就像豬頭肉凍和紅酒燴雞，粵式鳳爪是天才廚師與平民食才的完美結晶。 中文素有「鳳爪」的美稱，通常先以油煎再放入豆豉醬進行燉煮。 其軟骨入口即化，要優雅地吐出幼小的骨頭，須透過阿婆在點心菜館的訓練才得以完成。 利苑酒家以鮑魚醬汁代替油煎燉煮的方式處理，讓鳳爪成為養生精緻的食品。
分店眾多，詳細資訊請見網站www.leigarden.hk

8. 迷你老婆餅

我們熱愛中式糕點，其揉合大量豬油及甜麵糰，並用綠豆和根莖類食材造成內餡，不過他們份量太豐富肥膩，並不適合作零食。 很幸運地，恆香製作出迷你老婆餅，解決了這個問題。 老婆餅層層交疊的外皮以豬油和紮實、彈性十足的杏仁膏，以及冬瓜蓉製成。 餅皮與甘美的冬瓜蓉結合，成為獨樹一幟的美味，其一口咬下的大小亦可輕鬆消化。
恆香老餅家：元朗青山公路 64 號，電話：+852 2479 2141

9. 薑汁燉奶

甜辣順口、奶味濃稠——是冬日最佳甜品（儘管夏天亦很適合）。 薑汁燉奶用滑嫩的甜奶，撞落新鮮的薑汁使鮮奶凝結，就整出宛如布丁口感而非豆腐花的「geung tsap dun nai」（薑汁撞奶）。 港澳義順牛奶公司本地分店 打造歷久彌新的出色港式甜品。
義順： 銅鑼灣駱克道 506 號，電話：+852 2591 1837，亦有其他分店。

10. 冰燒三層肉

一塊好的「燒肉」的面部應該要有酥脆的外皮，中間滑嫩的豬肉則有著晶亮的油脂，底部則以鹹辣的味道作為完為。 冠有「三層肉」的稱號，將輕盈的肉塊蘸上芥末，襯出香薄豬腩肉令人驚喜的肉質和風味。
利苑酒家的燒肉是其熱門菜式。 多處分店，詳細資訊請見網站www.leigarden.hk

11. 印度沙嗲

當他們將小型炭爐端到你面前時，沙田茵油脂豐富、嫩口的沙嗲串燒立刻擄獲你的心。 在該店戶外用餐的體驗猶如時間倒流，值得前往。 沙田茵位在馬路邊，早在過去需要翻山越嶺才能到達沙田時即成立。 雖然現在它已被馬路包圍，但仍保有原來溫馨的田園風情。
沙田茵：大圍沙田大埔道 7 米半，電話：+852 2691 1425

12. 高聳肉餅山

鹹蛋蒸肉餠——碎肉大雜燴、香菇、馬蹄和醃漬蔬菜，佐以醬油和芝麻油，即成為一道招牌廣式家常料理。 然而民聲冰室將這道出名的菜式改造成不折不扣的：肉餅山。 廚師高超的廚藝（請勿探究詳細作法，這是商業機密！）將有如半呎高的肉堆烹煮得柔軟多汁且風味細緻。
民聲冰室：大坑浣紗街 16 號，電話：+852 2576 7272

13. 廣式臘腸

有些中式香腸又鹹又辣，但廣式臘腸將微甜的油脂與豬肉恰如其分的結合。 玫瑰露與米水賦予臘腸香濃的味道，而醬油的鹹味與其甘甜作出調合。 以米飯、蔬菜、蛋或任何食材烹煮均可。
冬日新鮮的風乾臘腸可至和興臘味家購買：上環皇后大道中 368 號，電話：+852 2546 8958. 冷凍食品專家DCH （各地區） 全年提供美味加拿大臘腸。 亦可到上環「海味街」任何一間售賣臘腸的店鋪。

14. 時髦火鍋 

打邊爐在香港已成為社交活動，特別是家人會拿此作藉口，在寒冷的冬夜小聚一番。 身為一個新潮且挑嘴的港民，務必不能放過全城最新食肆。 美味廚是近期炙手可熱的火鍋餐廳，以不同口味及顏色的七色墨魚丸享譽盛名，其內餡就像健達出奇蛋 一樣令人驚喜。 本站心頭好是美味廚的芒果釀豬肉丸。 鍋底亦能成為餐桌上的爭議：從清淡的蔬菜湯底、粥底、豆奶湯底，到美味廚獨創的冬蔭功「cappuccino」湯底，各種鍋底任君選擇。
美味廚：灣仔灣仔道 165 至 171 號樂基中心 5 樓，電話：+852 2866 8305, www.meganskitchen.com

15. 牛腩

腩肉在西方料理中不太受歡迎，然而你在全港的粉麵店都能見到大塊的牛腩在巨型鍋內燉煮，直到其軟稔、入味為止。 這些店舖當中，少有能達到九記牛腩如此的地位，其店內主要販賣著名的牛腩，搭配清燉湯底或咖哩口味的伊麵。 亦可在放假時到安利魚蛋粉，不過好東西在傍晚前恐怕就會售罄。
九記牛腩：中環歌賦街21號，電話：+852 2850 5967
安利魚蛋粉：筲箕灣東大街 14-22 號東旺大廈地下 4 號舖，電話：+852 2560 6897

16. 蛋撻

如許多經典香港美食一般，蛋撻剛開始是英式下午茶吉士撻（custard tarts）的翻版，而後改製成本地中式口味。 自 40 年代起蛋撻開始流行，坊間出現兩種蛋撻：一種是酥脆的外皮，另一種則是香甜的牛油餅皮。 兩者皆有豐富的吉士醬，相較英國吉士撻與葡撻的蛋香來得濃厚，比較少奶油。
泰昌餅家的牛油餅皮蛋撻：中環擺花街 35 號，電話： +852 2544 3475, www.taicheongbakery.com 酥脆外皮可至檀島咖啡餅店：灣仔軒尼詩道176 號，電話：+852 2575 1823，以及周潤發最鐘意的豪華餅店，或許還能在那裡遇到他：九龍城衙前圍道 136 號，電話：+852 2382 0383.

17. 鏞記燒鵝

鏞記從 40 年代即開業，當時它只是間碼頭邊的食鋪，至今已發展成香港燒鵝界的第一食府。 今日，十個人有九個人會推介朋友到香港旅遊時，必到鏞記，體驗其招牌菜式「燒鵝」。 該餐廳甚至可旅客將他們的燒鵝打包外賣。 鏞記並非最便宜的餐廳，有人指出最原味的燒鴨在新界深處，但鏞記仍然不可錯過。 如果你已迫不及待想嘗試，那麼亦可試試其另一道名菜嫩薑皮蛋，甚至有餐廳特地外賣此佳餚給他們的顧客品嚐。
鏞記酒家：中環威靈頓街32-40號，電話： +852 2522 1624 www.yungkee.com.hk 

18. 九龍城的泰式料理

九龍城曾是無人荒野的 九龍城寨， 如今蛻變成人們口中的美食發源地。 此處隱藏許多香港首屈一指的美食，其中以泰式料理最聞名。 九龍城的小型泰式社區令它成為「小泰國」，擁有為數眾多的泰國餐廳、超級市場，還有狹小的麵店與沙嗲鋪。 在香港很多泰國料理所費不菲，且不夠正宗，因此還是到九龍城開懷地品嚐正宗泰國料理吧。
泰之選泰國菜館：九龍城福佬村道37號，電話：+852 2127 7348。

19. 烤乳鴿

鴿肉通常跟鼠肉一樣容易被人忽略，但是請相信我們，鼠肉沒有這麼好味。 一般來說，廣式乳鴿以醬油燉煮，佐上米酒和八角後放進焗爐即呈現完美的脆皮。 這道平民而令人大快朵頤的菜式是香港版的北京烤鴨。
老字號的太平館餐廳佐敦茂林街 19-21 號，電話：+852 2384 1703，亦有其他分店，乳鴿是其招牌菜式； 另外，大圍的萃華酒家亦是評價良好的乳鴿餐廳：大圍村南道 51 號，電話： +852 2606 7117.

20. 蛇羹

民間常說蛇湯能治癒各種疾病。 算了吧。 真正讓人沉迷這個廣式佳餚的原因是，蛇羹與寒冷的冬天極相配。 蛇羹內混合蛇肉、冬菇、薑和豬肉，比雞湯更暖胃。 蛇羹常配以酥炸的脆餅食用，佐上檸檬葉與菊花葉來提味。 沒錯，蛇肉嚐起來好像雞肉。
親訪蛇王恩一探究竟：佐敦吳松街 80 號 A，無電話。

21. 蓮蓉包

巧 婦難為無米炊： 準備一些蓮蓉，其硬且色白，大小如硬幣，後將之過水煮爛，磨碎，再以乾紗布過水，加糖即成。」 接著就是高難度的步驟。 將香甜的蓮蓉乾炒，以文火慢煮，將堅果、焦糖味帶出。 順利完成這個繁複的程序後，就成為鬆軟白包內夾著口感富郁、細緻的蓮蓉。 我們熱愛蓮香樓裹著蛋黃的蓮蓉包。
蓮香樓 中環威靈頓街160-164號，電話： +852 2544 4556, www.linheung.com

22. 避風塘炒蟹

香港的避風塘炒蟹受到以船為家的「漁民」青睞。 後來則演變出特殊食肆文化，將新鮮的海鮮與大量的辣椒炮製，以鬼斧神工的技巧炒出鑊氣。 避風塘炒蟹傳承香港漁民的原汁好味，其中更推介橋底炒蟹的菜式，灑上熱辣的炒蒜蓉與辣椒。
橋底炒蟹灣仔駱克道 429 號華發大廈 6-9 號鋪，電話：tel +852 2573 7698, www.underspicycrab.com

23. 蛋麵

一碗蛋麵的好壞取決於蛋的風味與質感。 開業已超過六十餘年的好到底所販賣的蛋麵更是首屈一指。 我們最喜歡的菜式是蝦子撈麵，搭一碗魚湯。 雲吞蝦子鹹味適中，均勻的散布在撈麵中，突顯其彈性與濃郁的蛋味。 好到底的雲吞亦顯赫有名，與傳統的雲吞一樣如硬幣般的大小。
好到底麵家：元朗阜財街 67 號；電話： +852 2476 2495，htt.com.hk

24. 奶茶

奶茶是飲品的殖民主義。 你可以說下午茶是英國最普遍的習慣，各行各業的香港人亦樂在其中；而奶茶則是英國傳統融合華人感性的最佳代表。 一流奶茶是用獨特的錫蘭紅茶，透過尼龍網的棉線網過濾，再拌入煉乳所製成。 喝起來有點苦味、香醇濃郁，並且如絲質般順口。
食客強力推介金鳳茶餐廳，位於灣仔春園街 41 號，電話：+852 2572 0526，蘭芳園檔口：中環結志街 2 號，電話：+852 2544 3895，還有獲選為「奶茶王」的大發茶餐廳：元朗洪水橋翠珊園地下 5 號舖， 

25. 再興叉燒

在這個城市，再興即是「叉燒」的代名詞——廣式燒豬肉。 請記得點「半肥瘦」的叉燒：汁多而不油，燒味中帶甘甜。
再興燒臘飯店：灣仔軒尼詩道 265-267 號，電話：+852 2519 6639，Facebook 群組

26. 叉燒包

將叉燒夾在包子裏的美食讓人直呼過癮。 因為，當我們剥開軟嫩的白蒸包，立刻睇見油亮亮的紅色叉燒內餡，香味四溢的燒汁溢出，心醉的酒香和豉油香，還有少許的蜜糖味撲鼻而來，令人忍不住咬完一口又一口。 北園將其稱作「叉燒饅頭」，賦予傳統包品北方味兒。
北園酒家：上環德輔道中 249-253 號東寧大廈 1-2 樓，電話：+852 2739 2338

27. 煲仔飯

對於不在乎二星級的劣等服務，想專攻五星級美食的朋友們，坤記煲仔小菜絕對是首選。 該店經常座無虛席，坤記用炭煮褒仔飯，在香港已絕無僅有。 無論你點什麼，請記得加上中式臘腸。 臘肉多汁、油脂豐富，飽滿地滲入米飯中，增添香氣，口感出色。
建議事先訂座。 坤記褒仔小菜：西環皇后大道西 263 號和益大廈，電話：+852 2803 7209。

28. 北角雞蛋仔

外皮酥脆，內餡綿密，這個街邊的迷你雞蛋仔，廣東話叫「雞蛋仔」，是不折不扣的明星小食，像便利商店的薯片一樣普通。 北角雞蛋仔將雞蛋漿倒在模子中烤至金黃色，從白領男女到師奶都願意排隊久等，只為一嚐美味。
北角雞蛋仔：北角英皇道 492 號，北角英皇道 492 號

29. 登龍街泰式生蝦

幽暗的燈龍街大概不是香港享用最佳有殼海鮮的地點，然而泰成菜館的生蝦卻讓我們百吃不膩。 生蝦以冰塊鋪盤，搭配幾片生蒜，泰成的生蝦新鮮可口、鮮味十足。 這道可口佳餚最適合佐以泰式辣醬食用。
泰成菜館：銅鑼灣登龍街 36 號登輝大廈，電話：+ 852 2834 2500

30. 桑寄生茶

傳統中國草藥鮮少有這般美味。 源記甜品的桑寄生茶是一道甜品，具有中藥療效，強腎，並預防風濕。 在這個各種料理瘋狂演進的城市，桑寄生茶清新的口感有股懷舊的迷人風味。 許多老主顧至源記甜品用餐時，總會在桑茶中加入蓮子，搭清蛋糕佐食。
源記甜品：西環正街 32 號 +852 2548 8687

31. 十三座牛雜

肥美的滷牛雜與咖哩魚蛋一樣，已紮根為香港街頭小食文化的代表。 提到牛什佳饌，十三座牛雜當仁不讓。 鋪內的牛雜將各種對比口感匯總，包括彈牙的牛肚、滑溜的牛肺、香腍的牛腸。 欲添更佳食味，店鋪檯前亦提供芥辣和甜醬。
十三座牛雜：北角書局街 1 號，電話：+852 3575 9299

32. 粥品

在生病、感冒或患上思鄉病時，都渴望食粥。 關鍵就在其口感。 生記粥品專家以新鮮的魚腩粥為人所樂道，每天都能看到排隊的人潮，欲品嚐從凌晨兩點開始熬煮的美味粥品。 份量十足，能夠滿足一般中年男性的食量。
生記粥品專家，上環畢街 7-9 號，電話：+852 2541 1099

33. 砵仔糕

小 販們用手掌大小的瓷碗炊著熱騰騰的砵仔糕，這幅景象是一些人對八零年代印象，而坤記糕餅為我們重現孩童時代難以忘懷的美味。 來自順德的傅家自 1965 年起，就開始手工製作各類糕點。以米研磨而成的黏稠米麵粉為原料，佐上白糖或黑糖製作出招牌口味砵仔糕，有時亦會加入紅豆增加口感。 就連行政長官曾蔭權都曾特地到訪一嘗其滋味。
坤記糕餅專家：深水埗福華街 115-117 號北河商場地下 10 號舖

34. 丼吉日本吉列專門店餐廳

瘋狂的日本人做出了許多瘋狂的貢獻，香港人該感謝他們對於炸物的美味執著。 丼吉是目前城中最熱門的日本餐廳，以炸物聞名。海鮮種類自蠔到大蝦一應俱全——而招牌菜式非豬扒莫屬。 除了麵衣炸到酥脆之外，豬扒多汁又不油膩是一貫的特色。 帶著你的飢餓和食慾到丼吉大快朵頤，且要有心理準備幾天之內無法恢復消化。
通常需等位約一小時。 丼吉日本吉列專門店餐廳：銅鑼灣告士打道 280 號世貿中心 412 室，電話+852 2577 6617

35. B 仔涼粉

佳記甜品的招牌菜是在香港廣受歡迎的 B 仔涼粉。 B 仔涼粉亦稱為 B 仔仙草凍。 滿滿的涼粉上鋪滿了各類水果以及煉奶，份量之多可作為主食。 請記得和另外三個朋友一起分享，否則只好打包回家繼續吃！
佳記甜品：元朗又新街置富中心 7 號舖；電話：+852 2479 4743 www.yl.hk/b

36. 粒粒芒果爽

在許留山，芒果是必備的食材。 甜美濃郁的芒果自泰國進口，在這家連鎖甜品店裡的每樣甜品裡幾乎都有它的蹤跡。不但已征服了香港，現在還將美味傳至三藩市。 本店最具代表性的招牌菜就是粒粒芒果爽，將芒果布甸與濃郁的芒果蓉結合，再配上芒果冰以及大顆的芒果塊。 不再另外加糖，讓客人能享受到水果豐富的天然甜味。
許留山：各地皆有分店，詳細資訊請瀏覽www.hkhls.com。

37. 咕嚕肉

這不是鬼佬的菜式！ 咕嚕肉亦是香港人相當鐘情的一道菜。 傳統的廣式作法是使用醋、醃梅以及山楂糖，製作出接近鮮紅色的糖醋醬。 現在普遍的作法已改為用番茄醬與色素製成。
咕嚕肉是一般廣東餐廳很普通的菜式，在任何有名的餐廳都可點用，不過我們推薦品質穩定的好彩海鮮酒家，在各地皆有分店，詳細地點資訊請至www.hochoi.com.。

38. 樂意扒房

在 香港有許多港式風格的扒房。 受到殖民時期的影響，大多數的港式扒房以熱燙的鐵盤盛裝口感濕潤的牛扒，美味亦被過多的發酵粉破壞殆盡。 樂意扒房以老牌香港西餐廳風格聞名，店內充滿濃濃懷舊氣氛，供應的食物皆有一定水準。 樂意扒房的牛扒注重原味的呈現，為當地港式老牌美味之列，肉質較現代感的西餐稍為柔嫩，卻不失多汁、香味滿溢之特色。 店內另一項特色菜為花膠，可與牛扒作為套餐一起點用。 這才是正統的港式綜合風格。
樂意扒房：灣仔告士打道 50 號馬來西亞大廈 1 樓，電話：+852 2529 8933

39. 魚蛋

根據Wikipedia引述蘋果日報 2002 的報導，香港人每天食用約 37,500,000 顆的魚蛋。 從 Google 地圖中即能窺見，每經過兩家 7-Eleven，就有一間專賣魚蛋的小食店。 如果你真的很想吃魚蛋的話，甚至連 7-Eleven 亦能滿足你。 每個人都有自己最鍾意的魚蛋檔，而本站特別推介通達食店彈牙夠味的咖哩魚蛋。
通達食店： 旺角花園街 172 號地下，電話：+852 2332 8376

40. 瑞士雞翼

瑞士雞翼的故事源於一位外國人，雞翼甜甜鹹鹹的香味今他驚喜，便詢問侍者這道「香甜」菜餚的名字。 侍者以為他是指雞翼起源於瑞士，於是瑞士雞翼這個菜名就此誕生。 瑞士汁是一種香濃、甜美的豉油，現已成為許多廣東家庭的必備菜式。 太平館淋上瑞士汁的雞翼風味出色，翼骨入口即化。
太平館餐廳：銅鑼灣白沙道6號，電話：+852 2576-9161, taipingkoon.com

如何制作美味的烘焙巧克力 Baked Hot Chocolate

F. Martin Ramin for The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas

我

一直认为热巧克力是甜品的不二之选──只要它足够醇厚、盛在小咖啡杯中并且搭着好玩的小玩意（比如一根薄荷味棒棒糖）。后来，我从《巧克力的真谛》（The Essence of Chocolate）这本书中发现了这道烘焙热巧克力的食谱，该书由巧克力生产商Scharffen Berger的创始人约翰•萨芬伯格（John Scharffenberger）和罗伯特•斯坦伯格（Robert Steinberg）撰写。虽然我会继续在晚餐后端上热巧克力，兴之所至时将这道饮品调制成一道新颍的美味也算得上一件乐事。

这道美食由一位名为海蒂•弗莱德兰德（Heidi Friedlander）的面点师创作，并于十多年前在克利夫兰的Moxi小酒馆推出，而且一直是这家酒馆最受欢迎的甜点。它只需用到四种原料，制作方法再简单不过。这些简单原料打造出的这道美味分为质地各异的三层──表面一层略微酥脆，中间一层是温热、丝绸般柔滑的布丁状物，底层是你所能想象得到的最为醇厚的热巧克力。

制作这道美食的关键是得用上乘巧克力。选用能勾起你食欲的巧克力，而不是还算不错的烘焙用巧克力。如果你喜欢发泡鲜奶油的话，略微加入一点点糖粉增甜即可，如果再淋上少许波旁威士忌肯定也不会招致抱怨的。最后，用小马克杯奉上这最后一道美食还能带来“错视效果”，至少有一位客人会毫不察觉、端起杯子就想小啜一口，可以说它既是一道美味，又是一个美食小把戏。

──Aleksandra Crapanzano

总时长：40分钟

分量：四人份

食材：

9盎司（约合255克）质量上乘的半甜巧克力，将它们切碎。

6大勺无盐黄油，把它们切成小块。

4枚大鸡蛋

四分之一杯砂糖

微甜的发泡鲜奶油适量（非必需）。

制作步骤：

1. 将烤箱预加热到华氏350度。把四个标准一杯容量的耐高温咖啡杯、马克杯或者容量为8盎司的模具摆放在烘焙盘或烤盘中。

2. 双层煮锅加水置于火上，待水烧到微微沸腾时，将巧克力和黄油放在煮锅内隔水融化。间或搅拌几次，直到巧克力和黄油完全融化，然后将煮锅端下放在一旁备用。

3. 将鸡蛋打入碗内，加入适量糖搅拌均匀，然后把碗置于微微沸腾的水上，搅拌至感觉到温热为止。

4. 将碗端出，用电动搅拌器将蛋液打到变得发泡蓬松为止，时间为3至5分钟。将蛋液平缓地拌入巧克力与黄油混合物中。

5. 用勺子将混合物盛入杯中，然后在烘焙盘中加入足够的高温热水，加到位于杯子的一半高度即可。将烘焙盘放入烤箱烤15至20分钟，直到表层色泽变得不再光亮，最后将杯子从烤盘上小心取出。

6. 趁热享用或者待其冷却到室温时享用，有需要的话，还可浇上一大勺发泡鲜奶油。布丁可以冷藏长达一天时间，如需重新加热，先将它们置于室温环境放置一会儿，然后放入华氏350 度的烤箱内加热到温热，时间约为5分钟。

Intimate dining in Paris

By John Brunton
Published: August 7 2010 00:39 | Last updated: August 7 2010 00:39

The exterior of Chris Wright’s Le Timbre restaurant

Most visitors who come to Paris in search of fine food probably imagine they will find it in a grand dining room with a glass-domed ceiling, starched tablecloth and vast chandeliers. But today the city’s resident foodies are more likely to get excited about a new breed of restaurants which are relaxed, simply furnished – and absolutely tiny.
These places have as few as six tables, with diners crammed in together and the chef in full view, cooking away at the end of the room. With low overheads, fewer staff and none of the usual frills that accompany gourmet dining, here up-and-coming chefs can concentrate on inventing creative dishes, using excellent produce and at more affordable prices. And, unlike many restaurants in the city, some of them even stay open in August.
This summer’s hottest address is Spring, opened three weeks ago by American chef Daniel Rose in a chic, minimalist space, with six tables. Cooking in an open atelier-style kitchen, Rose and his enthusiastic team describe their light, market-based cuisine as a “work in progress”, with new recipes being tested every day, and lunch dishes based around different delicious broths. Like many of these tiny restaurants, there isn’t an à la carte offering, just a set menu, which here costs €38 at midday, rising to €64 at night.
Earlier in the year young Italian chef Giovanni Passerini opened Rino, not far from the trendy Bastille quarter, for which he has been getting rave reviews from numerous French food critics. Passerini previously worked with the influential Swedish chef, Petter Nilsson at La Gazzetta, in the 12th arrondissement, and his 20-seat diner will definitely be one of the most fashionable spots to book a table come the September rentrée when Parisians get back from their summer holidays. Don’t expect classic Italian cuisine though, as the chef, working with just a single assistant in a cramped open kitchen, creates his own fantasy dishes, such as a barley risotto with anchovies, preserved lemon and fish eggs, or ravioli stuffed with calf’s head and served with a dandelion salad and parsnip consommé. Lunch is a good deal, with two set courses costing only €18, while at night, tasting menus are priced at €38 and €50.
It may be hard to get a reservation at Rino, but this is nothing compared to yam’Tcha, situated a stone’s throw from the Louvre. Its chef Adeline Grattard is the new cherie of Parisian gourmets, consecrated in March with her first Michelin star scarcely a year after opening. Even before the Michelin announcement, the waiting list was six weeks for a table in the minuscule dining room which seats a maximum of 20 people. After working with one of France’s greatest chefs, Pascal Barbot at L’Astrance, she moved to Hong Kong to cook alongside Alvin Leung at his Bo Innovation restaurant.
Back in Paris, finally in her own restaurant, she is creating sensational dishes that are a genuine marriage between French and Chinese products, flavours and cooking techniques. Working in a tiny open kitchen, she wows customers with her use of the wok, and her husband, Chi Wa, theatrically handles tea tastings to accompany the food – although there is also an excellent choice of wines, particularly from Grattard’s native Burgundy. If you can get in, the lunch menu is a steal at €30, while at night, the price rises to €65.
Mystery Cuisine, off the rue de Rivoli, has space for just 14 diners and only opens at night. The concept is what the self-trained chefs and owners – Frenchman Edouard Desrousseaux de Vandières and Thu Ha from Vietnam – call “four-handed cuisine”, meaning imaginative dishes that they have created together. Desrousseaux de Vandières loves fresh foie gras, which he presents lightly seared with strawberries, spices and black truffle, while Ha prepares a delicious pho ga soup of rice noodles, beef, chicken and a raw egg yolk, which accompanies each of the main dishes.
Dining out here is something of a splurge – the two-course mystery menu costs €59, while the menu gastronomique, which includes cheeses and desserts, is a hefty €99. There is a fine wine list, and the chefs find the time to mix a great mojito.
In a friendly restaurant called Le Timbre (The Postage Stamp), owned by Chris Wright, even the waitress has difficulty balancing dishes between the dozen tables. One of the few British chefs to have made a name for himself in the city, Wright draws not expats, but a loyal clientele of chic Parisians and offers his own interpretation of classic French cuisine.
Girolle mushrooms are lightly fried with cured ham; a simple pea soup is flavoured with tangy anchovies, while a chunky cod steak is served with pimiento peppers from the Basque country, stuffed with creamy goat’s cheese. Wright somehow manages to do all the cooking alone, in an open gallery, and customers even have to dodge through the kitchen to get to the loo out back in a courtyard. Le Timbre is tucked down a side street in the heart of the Rive Gauche, not far from legendary dining institutions like La Coupole and Le Dôme, but with a three-course set lunch at €26, is far better value.
Unlike Spring or yam’Tcha, Les Crocs remains well under the radar of the Paris gourmet blogosphere – and all the better because you don’t always have to book in advance at this cosy 18-seat restaurant, right by one of Paris’s finest food markets, the Marché d’Aligre. The menu reflects what the chef, Luc Paget, has found there that morning: tuna steak with baby artichokes, perhaps, or wild boar, marinated in red wine and served with freshly-made pasta. Better still, if you are a group of at least 14, you can reserve the whole restaurant – so for a special occasion, why not forget the pomp of the Meurice or the Plaza Athénée, and celebrate in your own private, if petite, Parisian restaurant.
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Details
Spring, 6 rue Bailleul, tel: +33 1 45 96 05 72, www.springparis.fr
Rino, 46 rue Trousseau, tel: +33 1 48 06 95 85, www.rinorestaurant.com
yam’Tcha, 4 rue Sauval, tel: +33 1 40 26 08 07
Mystery Cuisine, 37 rue Montpensier, tel: +33 1 40 20 03 02
Le Timbre, 3 rue Sainte Beuve, tel: +33 1 45 49 10 40, www.restaurantletimbre.com
Les Crocs, 14 rue de Cotte, tel: +33 1 43 46 63 63
yam’Tcha and Mystery Cuisine are closed during August, Rino and Le Timbre reopen on 24 August