Everything We Ate in Hong Kong (maybe also a Halal-Food Guide hehe)

I never know before that halal restaurants in Hong Kong were soooo many. I thought all the imigrants cook their halal food themselves, but muslim Chinese was really exist. So, you’re Muslim or not, here all the food we ate in Hong Kong.

Hung’s Chinese Restaurant

Let’s start from the nearest halal restaurant from our hostel. It is on the first floor building behind Chunking Mansion and they put signs everywhere, it easy to find. The owner was a muslim chinese who looks like our aunty Poppy—our cupid angel, and it warms my heart.

One of my favorite menu in Hung’s is their chicken wings. Sooooo good!  Their secret is ngohiong or as known as five spice powder. Ngohiong is popular spice used in China and what make it powerful is the ingredients. Ngohiong is fusion from fennel seed, clove, pepper, cinnamon, and anise blended together. The taste was unique, sweet and sour together. They marinated the wings and deep fried wih medium heat until it turns golden-brown. Better eat while its hot.

They also have eight variants fried rice, lots of vegetables kind of dishes, steam white pomfret, shechuan style stir-fried shrimp, garlic steam fresh scallop, and many more. We tried their sautéed choy sun in garlic sauce and their preserved olive fried rice. Both tastes great and the portion was huge!

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Ma’s Restaurant

We need to go a little bit far by subway and a little walk to find Ma’s. This family restaurant is located in an intersection with a big enough parking lot. We tried several dishes such as deep fried eggplant with pepper and salt (OMG so delishhh!), deep fried wonton, and beef tripe cold noodle witb sesame sauce.

They realy have their own secret. The tastes are so balance and done perfectly. I know how hard to make a crunchy eggplant but they did it! Applause! Another plus is they gave us free plain tea with unlimited refills. What a pleasure!

When we ate here, we found something interesting: Hong Kong people open to share table with other people when they eat and sit alone. I thought it was just one at that time but I also found in public spaces, they do sharing table even with us—total stranger. People on the table might not have conversation after all but sharing table is most sweetest thing I found in Hong Kong. I’m sure love that because I always wanted to do that in Indonesia, wherever I sit alone enjoying my time writing or read books. This is worth to copy.

Where to find Ma’s?

21-25 Cheung Sha Wan Road, Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong. Use MTR from anywhere and stop at Sha Wan and then walking for around 15 minutes. Save offline map and you’ll be easier to find them.

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Sushi Take Out

Is sushi a halal-food? I don’t know but IMHO, they’re halal because it is fish and raw proceed. Sushi Take Out is not only my favorite place, is a key to life-savvy in Hongkong. They give reasonable price for every meals and I’m happy. For a nigiri or gunkan with any toppings, it cost HKD3 which is only IDR5142 and they use fresh meat—better reason because in Indonesia, it’s hard to find super fresh sushi like this in medium economical segment.

They also have norimaki set like Californian, rolled salmon, and cost less than HKD50! We have them for brunch and dinner and never been satisfy with sushi like this. Thank you for breezing wind and fresh meat, Hong Kong. I love you!

Where to find them?

Sushi Take Out in Hong Kong has 15 branches. The closest from Chunking Mansion is at Prince Edward MTR Station, other 14 stalls are here. They also have places to dine in.

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Ebeneezer’s Kebab Express

When you’re abroad and clueless about local-halal-food to find, go for kebab. I think put kebab and another Turkish or Indians dishes around the world is a brilliant idea—and they’re halal-ness make it even better.

I’ve tried Shiraz Kebab in Singapore (taste so good), in Hong Kong I tried Ebeneezer’s kebab and curry rice. Taste wonderful!  The fillings available here is donar (lamb), gyros (chicken), chicken tikka, shish taouk, kofta, hallumi cheese (I actually wanted to order this but they said it tastes so saltyl and I wouldn’t like it, and now I’m brutally curious!), Turkish meatball, falafel, and greek salad in pita.

Beside their flavorful kebab (damn I love their minty sauce!), other menu you can try is salads, curries, samosas, spring rolls, falafels (alone), and French fries. For a kebab, price is around HKD40 – HKD60, other menu also around that price. If you want lunch package, they have 8 HKD40-menus (kebab/curry + soft drink) which available at 11 am – 5 pm.

Where to find them?

This is also part of Ebeneezer’s Kebabs and Pizzeria. This eatery has outlets all over Hong Kong, easy to find.

Dim Sum at Islamic Centre Canteen

Planning trip to Hong Kong, I really don’t care or even think about anything else other than dim sum. I love dim sum than siomay. I love dim sum than batagor. I love dim sum than martabak. I love dim sum better than his other families! This time round, my husband asked me to go to Wan Chai to try halal dim sum in a masjid’s canteen. Even I know this is not the best dim sum, but trying them in their origins was something.

They have so many kind of dim sum but please note, around 10 am to 3 pm is business hours for dim sum. So if you don’t want to miss any kind of their dim sum, come around 10 am to 1 pm. We’re lucky to try some like steamed beef balls, steamed shrimp dumplings, steamed chicken and vegetable wraps, steamed chicken with black fungus, and steamed vegetables dumpling (for this one, I asked to have my new-friend’s order hahaha). I didn’t order anything fried because I only love steamed dim sum.

My personal favorite is steamed chicken and vegetable wraps. Why? Because the chicken taste so calmly good with it natural broth, kani stick as compliment, young corn and black fungus complete the whole package oh yessss taste brilliant! Wrapped in bean curd also make everything better!

Where to find them?

Masjid Ammar and Osman Ramju Sadick Islamic Centre 40 Oi Kwan Road, Wan Chai, Yat Sin St.

Wai Kee Restaurant

Another bucket list to go to Hong Kong after dim sum is trying their roast duck/goose. I’m so much crazy about duck, you know! And they say Wai Kee has one of the best duck rice in Hong Kong. The best part? It’s halal!

Before we arrived here, I walked hilariously to Yat Lok. Yat Lok Roast Goose Restaurant has won One Michelin Star (2015) even they have a small place, and since that award-winning Yat Lok started serving amazing roast meat with their family secret recipe. I know this place was not halal and I want to eat there no matter what. But I can imagine how strong the wrath of God if I do that hahaha. So my mind got clear when we stand in their very long queue.

What about Wai Kee? Yesss THEY HAVE ME MOUTHGASM because their roast duck is like a shooting star! Oh my God I found my highlight! You really have to try I mean it! The golden-crisp duck skin is yummy and strongly favors. Tasty spices brilliantly sink in duck skin full of fat. The duck meat is juicy and tender. Melted my heart!

Other menu we tried is steamed chicken in bowl. This one use spicy rice (like Hainan) and steamed chicken which taste also heaven! They steamed very well, no mushy-texture, and deep marinated. For HKD38, this bowl gonna bowl your mind up high! Oh, P.S.: it’s not me or Mas Gepeng make the bowl dirty before we eat heheh.

Where to find them?

No. 5 Cooked Food Centre, Bowrington Road Market, Wan Chai, Hong Kong. Use MTR, stop at Causeway Bay, go to exit A (Times Square), and walk around 10 min.