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One of the things I was looking forward to the most in Hong Kong was the food. With roots in Hong Kong and the immense availability of delicious Chinese food in Vancouver, I had grown up eating many typical Hong Kong dishes. I was eager to discover how similar or different these things are.
With that in mind, I enlisted the help of the Hong Kong Foodie Tours to explore the Sham Shui Po area of Hong Kong. I had previously visited the neighbourhood the day before to visit the famous Michelin star winning dim sum restaurant Tim Ho Wan, but had mostly glossed over the rest of the district.
We met our tour guide, Fiona, at the Sham Shui Po MTR station. We were provided a bottle of water and a packet of tissue, both essentials for enjoying meals around Hong Kong. The group consisted of 8 people, myself included. Some had taken Hong Kong Foodie Tours’ other offering around Central on Hong Kong Island and wanted to try the other tour. If they were coming back for a second round, the tour must be good! I was excited to get started. Fiona explained that the food we were about to experience on this tour were simple foods, but they are all prepared in a traditional way.
A Typical Hong Kong Breakfast

Yum yum! So big, so fluffy.
Our first stop was for a typical Hong Kong breakfast of pineapple bun and milk tea. Pineapple buns and milk tea are staples in my household. In general I’m pretty indifferent to pineapple buns, but this was was amazing. So soft and fluffy and it was huge! Some people like to eat it with butter inside, but I never did it growing up and find it a strange concept. Pineapple buns were named so because of the pineapple like pattern on the top of the buns. The topping is made from a mixture of butter, sugar and egg.

Pineapple buns ready to go in the oven!
I absolutely love milk tea. This tea is nothing like traditional English breakfast tea, but it is a derivative of it. There is a special method of making the tea using a stocking (sometimes the tea is known as stocking tea) that makes it so rich in flavour. And the milk that is used? Condensed milk. There is one particular brand as well that is popular. Look for the black and white spotted can. Restaurants will advertise that they use it because so many people prefer it.
Stop number two was for some plain rice noodles, something a little more traditional, but also a breakfast food. I love rice rolls, or cheong fun, especially when they’re pan fried with a bit of soy sauce – a common dish found on the dim sum table. However, these were simply steamed and served with some peanut sauce, hoisin sauce and sesame seeds. The restaurant we visited was incredibly busy and some maneuvering was required to get our group to fit. Don’t be surprised if you have to share tables. It’s the Hong Kong way.
More Than Just a Food Tour
I was pleasantly surprised to learn that while yes, this is a food tour and we were going to be eating our way around, it actually turned into so much more. Throughout the tour we would stop and talk about Hong Kong and about the neighbourhood that we were in.
We discussed social issues and even the current occupy movement around the city. These parts of the tour offered a fascinating glimpse into life in Hong Kong in the past and present. It was kind of interesting to hear about how people lived, conditions of their apartments, because I could relate them to stories I heard from my parents. Apparently, my grandfather even own an apartment in the Sham Shui Po area when he was young. Maybe I walked right by it and didn’t even know.

Could my grandfather have lived in one of these buildings?
Spot three was for some dessert: tofu pudding. Here it was served with sugar and your choice of a ginger or sugar syrup as demonstrated by our tour guide. I’m not the biggest fan of tofu pudding and even with the added sugar, I didn’t like it any more than normal.
Next up was for easily one of my favourite dishes: braised goose and pork knuckle. The goose was tender and flavourful, perfect with a bowl of rice. I ate up my full portion as I listened to my guide describing this type of cooking commonly found in Guangdong Province. While I wouldn’t have had any problems eating around a bone and then spitting it out, I know many people would, so the restaurant has removed the bones, making it much easier to eat.

Yummy!
Shopping the Neighbourhood
Our guide took us through the wet market in Sham Shui Po, an area I probably wouldn’t have wandered through on my own. We wandered into different shops seeing how fresh noodles are made, what kinds of strange dried fish there were and just watched the locals go on their daily shopping trip.

What cut would you like?

Oodles of noodles!

Dried seahorse anyone?
We met a knife expert in his shop where we watched him hone knives that he was making. I tried taking a photo of him hard at word, but his hands were going so quickly, all I got was one big blur.
Our fifth stop was for some baked goods. A variety of cookies were packaged up into a bag and handed out. At this point I was so stuffed and I knew we had one more stop so I tucked them away in my bag to enjoy later. I spotted a bunch of delicious looking Chinese baked goods at this store and desperately wanted to browse, but we had to move on.

One of everything please!
The final stop was for some shrimp roe noodles which I had never had before. While it had an interesting texture, I really enjoyed this bowl of noodles, especially with the side of broth that came with it. When we walked into the restaurant it was completely packed from wall to wall of people slurping down their meal. I was shocked when I found out that the restaurant had just opened less than 15 minutes prior to our arrival and there was already a line forming outside. This is some good stuff and clearly popular with the locals.

Looks strange, but delicious.
And with that, our tour guide walked us back to the Sham Shui Po MTR station and bid farewell, leaving the rest of us happy and full.
Should you go on the Hong Kong Foodie Tour?
Most definitely yes! I had a great time exploring the neighbourhood of Sham Shui Po, an area most tourists are not likely to visit. Having a guide pointing you in the right direction is of a great help. She took us to places that I otherwise probably wouldn’t have found – like that last shrimp roe noodle place. I loved that the tour was about Hong Kong and the neighbourhood too, not just the food that you’re eating. They ensured everyone was comfortable and provided extras that most tourists wouldn’t have thought to bring along with them (aka tissue paper and a water bottle). I loved that they gave everyone a map of the area that highlighted the places we visited as well as other recommended restaurants in the area. This is so handy for extra explorations after the tour especially since you can’t do it during the tour. And most of all, for being a food tour, you definitely get stuffed to the gills with food.

Our tour guide explaining the difference between two preserved eggs at the market.
But what about allergies?
They’re willing to work around your allergies and food restrictions. All you need to do is let them know ahead of time. Your tour guide will also ask again during the tour. We had one individual on our tour group that doesn’t eat pork, so they made all the necessary arrangements for him.
Any other considerations?
One thing to note is that on this tour, there are no washrooms along the way. Only the first and last restaurants have washrooms and the first is a squat toilet. Not so fun if you have a tiny bladder like me, but I managed fine. Another thing to consider is the cost. Each tour runs 690 Hong Kong dollars which works out to be about $90 USD. It’s definitely not a budget experience, but if this is your first time in Asia and Hong Kong, the dining out experience can be overwhelming. This tour gives you a great introduction to what it is like to eat out while in a somewhat more comfortable environment.
Final Thoughts
I’ve never been on a food tour before, preferring to do my own research and going on the adventure on my own, so I honestly had no idea what to expect. Hong Kong Foodie Tours completely blew me away. I had such a great time and learned a surprising amount despite how familiar I am with Hong Kong food and culture. Be sure to book early as these tours are small and they fill up quickly. Do it and be prepared to eat!
Have you been on a food tour before? Would you try these foods showcased on this tour?
Disclosure: I was a guest of Hong Kong Foodie Tours on their Sham Shui Po Food Tour. All lip smacking, full bellies and opinions are my own. I had a great time on this tour and only wished I had time to go do the other one in Central!
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Ohhhhhh, this is my kind of tour! Your photos are great; I really enjoyed reading this post.
Thanks Em! It sure was delicious 🙂
Lovely review. I love food tours and have done quite a few now. I came back from a recent out in Amsterdam. I would love to return to Hong Kong and do one even though I explored quite a bit last time I was there but there is always more to learn about the city and its food. My worry is about those squat toilets 🙁
Thanks Bianca! I’m glad I went on this tour. I’ll definitely be looking for more food tours in my travels now. They’re such a good way of learning more about a city!
That tour looks great, I know what I’m doing next time I’m in HK!
Awesome! I hope you do!
We did a food tour in Hoi An in Vietnam and it was a fascinating way to be introduced to foods, stalls and restaurants we otherwise wouldn’t have tried. This one in Hong Kong looks great!
Yea exactly! I think I’m going to look for these more as I travel through Asia.
Nom nom nom! The shrimp roe noodles look really interesting. I’m doing my first food tour in Cambodia (tonight, actually!) and I’m really excited about it. The only thing I hesitated on was the price. It just seems pretty expensive because you know that if you did it yourself, it’d only cost a fraction of the price. But then I figured that it’s worth it to have tour guides there to talk about the history and learn more. And plus, I know nothing about Cambodian food. This tour looks great! But probably too expensive for me when I go. 🙂
Ohh I hope you had a good time on your food tour! I can’t wait to read about it. I’ve been to Cambodia, but I definitely didn’t learn much about the food (a regret). All your reasoning is definitely true though. It really helps to have someone local do it for you.
I am hungry now, thanks! 🙂
Waw, I have never gone to a food tour but it seems interesting and a great way to discover the good food and restaurants of a new place. Getting hungry!
I wasn’t sure what to expect on a food tour either other than just eating, but it really was a great cultural and learning experience.
sounds like a good recommendation. Im allergic to peanuts and it would be great to tour the foods knowing they could steer me clear of danger!
Yikes! A peanut allergy in Asia is tough, but you’re right, the tour is able to work around that.
I shouldn’t have read this while hungry! I think Hong Kong (or another large Asian metropolis) is a place that I would actually shell out for one of these popular food tours. Everything pictured here looks fantastic.
Yea I agree. There are so many foods that you’d otherwise never would try and so many restaurants you might not discover on your own. I was pleasantly surprised by the food items they did put on the tour as they’re pretty traditional offerings.
I just had a very heavy dinner, but this post is still making me feel hungry! Looks like you really enjoyed yourself in Hong Kong!
Thanks Upasna – I most definitely did. Ate so well 🙂
I’m always too cheap to do something like this, but after seeing so many reviews of various food tours that are so amazing, I think I might want to try one! Looks like you ate well, for sure 🙂
Thanks Amy! It is a bit on the pricier side, but if its your first time in Hong Kong, it’s a good introduction to the food and was way less intimidating when walking into some of those restaurants.
I need to travel back to Hong Kong and try this tour out, great photos, looks amazing (feeling hungry now :D).
I hope you do Dave! It was such a yummy discovery.
Mmmm it all looks so good! I never had goose before but would be interested in trying it. It looks just like chicken!
Have you had duck before? It’s pretty similar but gamier and not as fatty. Super delicious.
Lovely stuff. I always wanted to visit Hong Kong, but wherever I’ve lived, it has so far always been too far away.
Fair enough – it is a very long ways away! Hopefully one day 🙂
…Jeez–thanks for sending me into a virtually-induced food coma!!…
Haha, my pleasure Betty 🙂
I’ve never been on a foodie tour but this one looks interesting and mouth watering. I liked that they included some neighborhood facts and history along with cultural immersion. I think I’ll pass on the dried seahorse but will take those shrimp noodles. I’m in your home city now and I need to look for those pineapple buns 🙂
I was very pleasantly surprised by all the “extras” they had included in the tour. Thought of everything which was great.
If you’re still in town and looking for yummy pineapple buns, the ones at Lido Cafe in Richmond are supposedly the best.
YUM!! I discovered food tours just this year – I’ve done one at home in London and one in Slovenia but I absolutely love tryin authentic Chinese food so would love to try this if I’m ever in Hong Kong. Those pineapple buns certainly sound like a fantastic breakfast to me!! Beats my usual banana!
Yes! This is a great way of trying authentic foods if you’re new to it all. I’m definitely going to keep my eye out for more food tours as I travel now.
My best friend lives in Hong Kong and Im desperate to get out there; this only makes it worse! All looks fab!
Oooh! I really hope you get a chance to go! Hong Kong is such an amazing city and lots of yummy food.