21 Jun Sham Shui Po Restaurants: Michelin quality at a bargain price
21 June 2016 . Sham Shui Po has always been a district full of affordable goods and foods. Don’t be misguided by its humble eateries with plastic stools; in these Sham Shui Po Restaurants may well be serving Michelin recognised quality. Here are five picks of affordable eateries in Sham Shui Po that have been listed in the 2016 Hong Kong Michelin guide.
1. Tim Ho Wan . 添好運點心專門店 . 9-11 Fuk Wing Street
This nondescript plastic stool eatery received a Michelin star in both 2015 and 2016. This makes it the most affordable Michelin starred restaurant in the world. When Mak Kwai Pui quit his job as dim sum chef at the three-starred Lung King Heen restaurant at Hong Kong’s Four Seasons hotel, he opened this small dim sum place. Chef Pui entered the trade at age 15 and still works around 10 hours a day. His hard work and perfectionism pay off: Tim How Wan is now the equivalent of quality dim sum. In addition to the four restaurants in Hong Kong, you can also find Tim Ho Wan in Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Australia.
2. Tam’s Yunnan Noodle . 譚仔三哥米線 . 107 Fuk Wing Street
Tam’s Yunnan Noodles is a renowned chain noodle store with multiple branches across Hong Kong. It is the first choice of Hong Kong people and their Sham Shui Po branch is the one that receives the most recognition. Tam’s Yunnan Noodles let’s you pick the level of spiciness you think you can handle, which sets the shop apart from other noodle stores. If you are not a fan of spicy food, you can pick clear soup for your noodles, which is impressively tasty. I recommend their special set of noodles with no less than 17 types of toppings, which is only HK$46. Don’t miss the side dishes on the menu, they are as good as the noodles!
3. Kwan Kee Store . 坤記糕品 . 115–117 Fuk Wah Street
Only one street away, you will find the best place to go for traditional Chinese desserts. Try brown sugar red bean pudding, a signature street snack in Hong Kong. It has a jelly-like, chewy texture, mixed with crunchy red beans. This pudding is not cooked but steamed in rice bowls, hence the Cantonese name of the pudding 砵仔 put jai, which literally means ‘a bowl’. There is a full collection of traditional Chinese puddings in Kwan Kee, pick one randomly and be surprised!
4. Kung Wo Tofu . 公和荳品廠 . 118 Pei Ho Street
Kung Wo has a history of over a century. Their business license dates back to 1909! This traditional store serves the best tofu pudding in town: owner So Sung-lin sells about 800 bowls on an average week day, and almost a doubled amount on a weekend day! Their secret is the traditional method of grounding soybeans with a stone mill, which is a rather time-consuming recipe. Other soybean side-products are also worth trying, grab a bottle of soy milk or a jar of fermented bean curd before you leave.
5. Hop Yik Tai Snacks . 合益泰小食 . 121 Kweilin Street
Rice noodle rolls is a must try in Hop Yik Tai. Create the dish to your liking by experimenting with different sauces (sweet, spicy or peanut). Since the 1980’s Hop Yik Tai Snacks has supplied five star hotels, such as the Shangri La, with its rice noodle rolls. The rice noodle shop decided to sell their product directly to the people strolling along Kweilin street, a decision many of us living in Hong Kong are very grateful for. Seats are very limited in this small store, so enjoy your food outside the shop, like Hong Kong people do.
Tim Ho Wan (Sham Shui Po branch): Michelin 1 Starred Restaurant (2015-2016)
Other eateries mentioned in this blog: listed in the 2016 Hong Kong & Macau Michelin Guide
Want to explore more of Sham Shui Po Restaurants and the area? Download the free iDiscover Hong Kong app to get more information! It’s available in both the Google Play Store and the iTunes App Store.
