Hong Kong Foodie Tour in Sham Shui Po

I’ve been lucky once… and I’ve been lucky twice. A few months ago I went on my first Foodie Tour around Central and Sheung Wan and I really enjoyed it. Now, a few days ago, I went on my second Foodie Tour around Sham Shui Po and really enjoyed it too!

This time Silvana from the Hong Kong Foodie Tours took us to a part of Hong Kong, that’s not often visited by tourists: Sham Shui Po. There are many family-run businesses and shops that are worth visiting in this area, but I doubt I would have found them by myself.

Sometimes a long queue in front of a bean curd shop in Yu Chau Street is a giveaway that the place is selling great products, but at other times you’ll need to receive a tip from a local that the rice rolls are very tasty in that little shop across the street. It will also help if you can read/speak Cantonese so you can visit some of the shops or restaurants that don’t have English names or menus!

We were a small group of 6 people (expats and visitors) and we spent almost 5 hours together exploring, eating and chatting. We stopped to taste food at six different locations – which started with a pineapple bun for breakfast, followed by the traditional Put Chai pudding at the famous Hung Fat shop that has been run by the same family for over 50 years. Can you believe that the owner still sits in front of his shop and cuts small pieces of sesame pudding every day? Go and try it for yourself.

Other places include tastings of soybean milk or fresh tofu (try the warm version, which is much better than the cold one), freshly baked cookies…

… egg noodles with lots of shrimp roe …

… and also a special braised meat dish.

So as you can tell, there is lots to eat – and also some very unique dishes.

I’ve had Put Chai in Tai O before, of course, I’ve eaten many pineapple buns too – but I’ve never had the braised goose or the braised pork knuckle or the egg noodles with shrimp roe. So it’s definitely food that you don’t come across that easily in Hong Kong, unless you know where to go! That’s the great thing about this Foodie Tour, both Silvana and Cecilia really care to show you places that are family-run, have a long tradition and are known for great products.

Along the way they will also show you were to buy nice souvenirs, or some kitchen supplies and knives, plus give you tips on what you can try in the area, should you come back again on your own.

If you’d like to find out more about the Foodie Tour company and its tours in Sheung Wan as well as in Sham Shui Po, check out their website. It’s great for visitors and people living in Hong Kong alike.

Disclaimer: Yes, I’ve been invited to try the tour for free – but I brought my parents along, so I did purchase a ticket. It was money well spent!