In the narrow, lantern-filled streets of Central and Tsim Sha Tsui (TST) – under looming mirrored skyscrapers and a hot tropical sun – Hong Kong becomes a city dedicated to eating and shopping. Visitors on a consumption high lurch from buzzing dim sum restaurants to bustling markets, gorging on truffle wontons and debating exactly how often they’d use a 10-part porcelain tea set back home. Of the hundreds of Cantonese restaurants, aromatic medicine shops and colourful boutiques stocked with local goods that line the city’s streets, the following examples in particular capture the essence of Hong Kong with aplomb.
Restaurants
Tai Ping Koon
When you’re away, you know you’ve picked well if your restaurant’s clientele is 90% local. A favourite for Hong Kong family get-togethers – great-grandmothers and gurgling babies included – Tai Ping Koon is particularly packed on weekends. It also claims to have invented the concept of soy-sauce-laden western food – huge, if true. Signature dishes include pigeon roasted in garlic, dry-fried rice noodles with beef, and Swiss chicken wings. If you’re feeling brave, try the braised ox tongue and Russian borscht: soy sauce on the side, of course. And for those who are a little wary of Russian-Asian fusion, come for tea, and delight in the old-fashioned tea ceremony and pretty cups and sauces.
Ho Lee Fook
Directly translating as “good fortune in your mouth” in English, the name of this colourful Cantonese restaurant sounds a lot like the exclamation diners make after tasting the tender roast wagyu short ribs with soy glaze, the Taiwanese chicken or the threadfin fish with Jamaican-Chinese jerk rub. The Hong Kong theme is strong throughout – think a giant shimmering bronze dragon covering one wall, while the steps leading down to the restaurant are lined with hundreds of golden toy cats raising a single paw in salute. It’s no reservations, so avoid prime time – or factor in a few strong cocktails at the bar while you wait.
Jimmy’s Kitchen
If only walls could talk. Jimmy’s Kitchen has been around since 1928 and has been serving western food to celebrities, politicians and particularly homesick expats for nearly a century. Today, this icon from the colonial era is packed every night with locals who come to immerse themselves in the nostalgic decor and delightfully old-fashioned attitude to food. Popular with megastars like Cary Grant and John Wayne back in the day, its menu has barely been updated since the 1950s – think steak and kidney pie and baked pork knuckle. And it is hard to imagine anywhere else in Asia where you can wallow in the past and order a steak diane, a baked alaska and white Russian for dinner.
Shops
Goods of Desire
With quirky bed linen, novelty stationery and posters big enough to jazz up entire rooms, Goods of Desire has been the go-to store for cool furniture and lifestyle items with a Hong Kong sense of humour since the days of the British. Launched by two architects aiming to repackage Hong Kong heritage brands into kitsch furniture, fun fashion, and quirky art for the younger generation, it has also been deliberately provocative over the years, with a number of slogans aimed at the city’s notorious Triad gangs. Today it’s beloved by tourists and the city’s legions of expats, who stock up on Hong Kong memorabilia before they head home. Try the PMQ (Police Married Quarters) branch for its tiny dim sum restaurant and potent drinks list.
Vivienne Tam
She designed her first womenswear collection in 1993 and over the past two and a half decades, Hong Kong-raised designer Vivienne Tam has become a household name. Today she’s the territory’s most famous fashion export, and has been credited with paving the way for Chinese designers in western fashion capitals. You’ll see why in her seven sleek emporiums that are dotted around the city. They’re filled with collections that highlight what Tam does best: interpret traditional Chinese motifs for an international audience. These include silk dresses covered in jagged mountain and swirling cloud motifs, and mesh skirts plastered in asymmetrical waterfalls.
Doughnut
Take the MTR at rush hour and you’ll probably have a Doughnut backpack pressed against you at some point during the journey. This hugely popular fashion accessories store was launched by two young designers in 2010. They wanted to create functional, high-quality bags that were made entirely in Hong Kong and fused fashion and functionality. Lightweight, durable and easy to use, they are ideal for big city life. The flagship store is in the rapidly gentrifying Sham Shui Po – after you’ve picked out your latest accessory, stop off for some spicy street food in the nearby market.
Explore more of Hong Kong’s best local buys, from street markets to neighbourhood eateries, in Sham Shui Po
