Kowloon Street Eats - Hong Kong
In case you hadn’t noticed - I love Asian Street Food!
Each new city I land in, getting down to the local Chinatown or night market for some street eats is always high on the list. Like pretty much the first thing that I do.
In the case of Hong Kong the first night in I was off across the water to Kowloon to soak up the vibe and see and what’s cooking at the Temple Street Night Market. This is a popular street bazaar named after a Tin Hau temple located in the centre of its main drag. This place is like walking onto the set of some sort of Asian gangster movie.
Covering multiple city blocks from Man Ming Lane in the north to Nanking St in the south, Temple St is split in two by the Tin Hau Temple. Back in the 1920s vendors gathered here to serve temple-goers - a hundred years later and the crowds descend nightly for cheap clothes, street food and a host of other trinkets and wares.
For street food, head to Woo Sung St running parallel to the east of Temple St, or to the stretch of Temple St north of the temple. Pull up a chair at an open-air kitchen for wok-fried seafood, noodles, claypot rice, roast meat and plenty of ice-cold beer.
Sketchy? Absolutely, but don't let that stop you. Yau Ma Tei remains as one Hong Kong's most raw and ungentrified districts where if you lurk a little further into the dark you may just come across your fair share of late night characters which is all part of the adventure.
To reach the market, take exit C2 from the Jordan MTR station and walk along Bowring St, or you can take exit C from the Yau Ma Tei MTR station and follow Man Ming Lane.
From here the next stop was Sneaker Street.
Shoes, shoes and more shoes!
Fa Yuen Street - Mongkok
This shady street looks like something out of movie but don’t let that worry you too much. It’s pretty safe and is filled with some of the city’s most revered Dai Pai Dongs. Another reason to head down here is that the southern end of the street from Argyle to Dundas street is known as Sneaker Street and for good reason. The vibe at night is electric and the place is absolutely packed with people seeking out the latest pair of cool kicks at bargain prices.
Getting there is pretty easy as any public transport that gets you to Mongkok MTR Station will work well. From there its only a very small walk from the MTR Exit through to the first of the shoe shops.
Once you’re done shoe shopping the only thing left to do is work out what’s next to eat.
Any trip to this area can’t be made without stopping at the Michelin Recommended Cheung Hing Kee Shanghai Pan-fried Buns in Fa Yuen Street. This place has a cult following for their Shanghai Pan-Fried Buns, otherwise known as “Sheng Jian Bao” with people lining up at all hours of the night to eat these amazing buns. It’s scene with a vibe all of its own.
These things are like a cross between a pot sticker dim sum and a gyoza and are placed in a shallow oiled flat pan and fried with golden crispy bottoms, water is then sprayed on the top of the buns which helps to steam and fry them at the same time. Inside they are filled with an extremely hot broth and meat mixture which takes some time and experience to eat without burning yourself!
Definitely an adventure.
