HK Local Gems 🇭🇰 | FOOD guide for Hong Kong | Dim Sum, Claypot, Beef noodles, Milk tea, Macaroni

Starting from Wan Chai, first on the list is My Cup Of Tea, a hole-in-the-wall type of breakfast spot where you can grab a cup of authentic local milk tea. Pair it with their sandwiches for a wholesome breakfast. We got the salted egg sandwich and the BBQ pork one, we loved how fluffy the eggs are. The space is pretty tight here, so be prepared to sit individually or on the bar seats. Next up is Tak Yee Cha Chan Ting, if you're looking for old-school local food, this is the place to be. They are actually famous for their fried rice, but they only start serving that from 11am onwards, so we got their breakfast set instead. Right next door is Blue Bottle Coffee. This outlet has 3 storeys, making it the perfect spot to chill and seek shelter from the summer heat. What's Hong Kong breakfast without some poh lor pao and tan tat? Say hello to Honolulu Coffee Shop, an iconic local breakfast spot. If you're looking for a main course, there are many roast meat stores in this area. We recommend checking out Rongke's Tangerine Pure Roast. The roast goose here is succulent and fat, the skin is roasted with a tinge of tangerine fragrance. Tried their Char Siu Sour Roast this time, and was blown away by it. Just look at how thick the cuts are. Our next few places are going to be in the vicinity of Central Area. Starting with a breakfast dim sum spot, Lee Wan Chee is one of the old school restaurants, where you still get to order your dim sum from the trolley carts. It's chaotic and nerve-wracking, but definitely an experience worth trying. Don't worry if you can't speak Cantonese, just point at whichever basket you want. The har gows here are so good, prawns are meaty and succulent. We randomly ordered some dishes not knowing what they are. Thinking that this was a char siu su, it turns out to be a century egg. Definitely some hits and misses. Next up is Lian Xiang Lou, another dim sum restaurant with trolley carts. Just as chaotic, just as delicious. If you're looking for dim sum options, here's another one to try. Our next stop, it's Yukin Fast Food. This family-owned business is known for their curry fried rice. Every grain of rice is so well-coated, the curry is not spicy and extremely flavourful. If you're in the Taekwoon area, be sure to head over to the prison yard. Over at Hall E, you'll find a hidden cafe inside. On the hill coffee bar, refurnish the prison cells into a cafe, so you get a sip on coffee while being in jail. Explore around the exhibition and you'll get to read more about the prison's history. As the sun sets, head over to Sing Kee for dinner. Sing Kee is one of the last few open-air street vendors, serving authentic Cantonese cuisine. This is a must-visit if you want to experience the food culture in Hong Kong. We got the sweet and sour pork, the green scallion chicken and some chai sin. The next spot is slightly further out, all the way west at Kennedy Town, but good food is worth travelling for. The restaurant is huge, but it's still fully seated, so we ended up sharing a round table with 4 other groups. It's quite common practice to be sharing table with strangers in Hong Kong. Claypot in Singapore tends to use a lot more dark soy sauce, so we were quite sceptical when we first saw how light the colour was. But after our first bite, we are fully convinced it was worth travelling all the way here for this. Moving on, head over to Causeway Bay, where you'll find Sister Wah's beef brisket noodles. They are a multi-year Michelin eatery with a fairly simple menu. Don't be deceived by how plain the clear soup and white noodles look. This is a very flavourful broth to slurp it all in. Next up is Uncle Ben's Coffee. It's a cosy little spot at Causeway Bay. They roast their own coffee bean and experiment with many unique flavours like whisky notes, apple cider and banana bread. First up is Australian Dairy Co, known for their feisty staff. We were mentally prepared to get scolded here. There was already a long line of queue when we arrived, but it moves really quickly. Take a stroll up Nathan Road and you'll find Jia Jia Desserts. We got the taro sago and our all-time favourite sesame paste. The sesame paste is thick, smooth and indulgent, and the tangyuans are the icing on the cake. Summer heat in Hong Kong can be unforgiving. Head indoors to grab a cup of iced coffee. Back Coffee and Liquor Club is quietly tucked away in the building. We love their interior design, with the 80s vibe and soft warm lamps. For main course, head over to Hinky Restaurant. All three shopfront belongs to them. They are known for their oyster omelette and claypot rice, so we got one of each to try. The oyster omelette is packed full of oysters. It's so well fried, soft enough to just tear it off, yet perfectly crispy. Though the claypot wasn't as good as we expected, we both agree the one in Kennedy Town was much better. Finally, over to our last spot, is Lanyuan Ju Guan. This place feels more like a TCM hall, just look at their wooden-blocked menu. We came here to try one particular dish, the pistachio paste. We tried sesame, almond, peanut paste before, but never a pistachio paste. Honestly, it doesn't look the most appetising, the green, the lumpiness and the gooey look. But the taste is so much better than it looks. The pistachio fragrance is strong yet not overpowering. Worth a trip if you are into pistachio as well. And that's it for this trip, there's so much more to explore in Hong Kong, we can't wait for our next trip here.