Crave’s guide to our oft-forgotten gastro hub. From tantalizing burgers to the most traditional of Chinese fare, TST has something for everyone.
Text by Jason Spotts, photos by Samantha Sin, illustration by Dickie Seto
They are only a short MTR journey or a short hop aboard the Star Ferry across Victoria Harbour apart but for many Hongkongers, the distance between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon remains a long one. Persuading an Islander over for a meal in Tsim Sha Tsui can be like asking a Manhattanite to dine in Brooklyn – or worse, Jersey: anyone would think you were asking them to cross a continent, not just a city.
But that snobbery is based more, of course, on a latent sense of history than any practical considerations. Ever since Kowloon was ceded to the British in 1860, islanders have retained a suspicion of those settling on the mainland. And even though much of the food on their plate may have been farmed in the New Territories, for many years a lot of Westerners would never have dreamed of dining out north of the harbour.
Even the influx of wealthy merchants to TST after the construction of the Kowloon-Canton railway in 1910 did little to bridge the divide. Things changed somewhat in the 1970s – the heyday of TST as the entertainment hub of Hong Kong. Iconic restaurants emerged amid the go-go clubs and hostess bars. In those days, when the business day was concluded, Central would sleep as TST and Causeway Bay throbbed.
Then came the meteoric rise of Lan Kwai Fong in the 1980s and Central, still the financial centre, wrested back the party scene. With a vast range of restaurants on their doorstep, for many Islanders TST had lost its lustre all over again. But Hong Kong is a city made great by its ability to reinventitself, and TST is no different.
Today the area is revitalised, intent on winning back its golden age.
Some of the more iconic restaurants may have disappeared – Au Trou Normand and the original Sun Tung Lok spring to mind – but its gastronomic heatbeat thumps as strong as ever. Here, Crave pays homage to some of our favourite restaurants in TST and with this list hopes to persuade a few Islanders to make that short journey. You’ll never look back.
The famed Shanghainese cuisine here has just won this TST institution a Michelin Star. A Din Tai Fung meal isn’t complete without its legendary steamed pork dumplings (xiao long bao), which it continues to produce to relentlessly high standards. Each has 18 folds precisely, and weighs exactly 21 grams.But we recommend the egg fried rice served with a fried pork chop. The pork is marinated in Din Tai Fung’s special sauce (the recipe is a closely guarded secret), which leaves your tongue tingling with a lively peppercorn aftertaste. The fried rice is a study in subtlety and balance, perfected due to the fine quality of the core ingredients – rice, eggs, salt, spring onion.
Despite its burgeoning global reputation, it’s good to see that Din Tai Fung still produces simple dishes to an exceptionally high standard. Additional branch in Causeway Bay.
20 Canton Road
Tel: 2730 6928
Highly recommended for its burgers – quite simply the best in town. Top quality premium grilled beef, a perfectly toasted bun, lean bacon roasted to perfection, exquisite French fries, sweet onion rings, crunchy greens and hot English mustard. World class.18 Salisbury Road
Tel: 2721 1211
Yakiniku, or Japanese barbecue, is rapidly gaining popularity in Hong Kong and you won’t find a better selection than that served at Iroha.Opt for the premium assorted Wagyu platter featuring diced sirloin, selected cuts of rib eye, salted Wagyu tongue, and thick sliced prime outside skirt, a traditionally tough cut of beef with an intense flavour rendered tender by the Wagyu preparation.
Connoisseurs are also advised to forego the platter and order a better grade of A4 or A5 Wagyu individually.
Additional branch in Causeway Bay.
23-25A Cameron Road
Tel: 2311 4700
If Hong Kong’s first true New York-style deli (it opened 2001) can’t attract American tourists across Victoria Harbour nothing will. The Reuben – corned beef, turkey, pastrami, with a layer of sauerkraut, Russian dressing and melted Swiss cheese stacked high between two slices of toasted rye – is its star player.The smoked salmon eggs benedict is another highlight. A muffin topped with avocado slices, smoked salmon and poached eggs, finished with a homemade tarragon aioli brimming with garlic and lemony zest, then tossed into the oven for a slight roast before serving.
G/F Langham Hotel, 8 Peking Road
Tel: 2375 1133
Is there anything more luxurious than afternoon tea with friends? We recommend an hour or two at The Parlour at Hullett House, which offers a slice of colonial history fused with a touch ofthe contemporary.
A selection of fresh-baked scones and pastries are available with clotted cream and homemade jams, delicate finger sandwiches and fine teas. Fit for a British monarch.
2A Canton Road
Tel: 3988 0101
Many come for the superb Peking duck but we recommend the “still egg white with dried scallop”.According to restaurant manager Chan Kee Shun, the Cantonese name for “still egg white with dried scallop” means “fresher than crab”. Legend has it that royal chefs discovered the dish to satisfy a Chinese emperor who demanded crab when none were available.
42 Mody Road
Tel: 2366 4012
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