Will Hong Kong Street Food continue to be a Food Trend?
Hong Kong Street Food is more than a food culture, while you can find in Bib Gourmand Michelin Guide. Will it become a Food Trend in HK?
Do you aware that Hong Kong street food is not only an easy and quick food for local people, but also one of the must-try things for tourists visiting Hong Kong.
Street food was once a necessity for lower income people in Hong Kong, because its food price are much lower compared with eating in restaurants. However, hawkers serving local takeaway food are diminishing in Hong Kong. Nowadays, more and more street food are in restaurants instead on streets.
Hong Kong street food served by hawker’s stalls are soon disappearing
About Hong Kong Street Food
Gourmet food represents a city’s history and culture. Since 1950s, Hong Kong comfort food has been characterised as the ready-to-eat snacks & drinks sold by street hawkers at mobile food carts. It has helped a number of unemployed people in Hong Kong to earn their living.
In 1970s, Hong Kong Government adopted an oppressive attitude towards hawkers instead of the laissez-faire approach by stopping to issue hawker’s licences.
As a result, street hawkers selling street food were gone over the past few decades.
Some of the street hawkers have managed to move in permanent restaurant spaces and continued to sell their local street food. But most of them are disappearing upon the hawker’s licences expired.
Since 2012, the Michelin guide has started to select a list of Hong Kong restaurants offering “exceptionally good food at moderate prices” as a feature now called “Bid Gourmand”.
It can certainly bring Hong Kong street food back to popularity. Many locals and tourists follow the Michelin Guide to try the recommended restaurants serving Hong Kong street food.
Restaurants for authentic Hong Kong street food selected by Michelin Guide
Bib Gourmand Michelin Guide
Michelin’s Guide announces a list of bib gourmand selection each year for Hong Kong and Macau. There are totally 71 restaurants under this category for Hong Kong in 2019.
Where are these restaurants about? By districts, there are 46 in Hong Kong Island, 21 in Kowloon and 4 in New Territories. Some of them are selling authentic street food which are similar to what we eat in old days on streets in Hong Kong.
Cart noodles and steamed sticky rice are two must-try Hong Kong street food, especially in cold weather and late at night!
Don’t miss our top recommendations below:
Man Kee Cart Noodle serving more than 70 ingredients in soup noodles
Cart Noodle – Man Kee (文記車仔麵)
Man Kee Cart Noodle was hawker’s stall selling traditional Hong Kong style cart noodle in Shek Yip Mei years ago. Man Kee moved to Sham Shui Po in permanent shop space in early 2010s. Business is good and it is now expanded into 3 shops.
Cart noodle is a mixture of ingredients with soup noodles. Customers can choose whatever soup base and ingredients on top by themselves.
Man Kee is serving more than 70 types of ingredients. One of the most expensive cart noodles in Hong Kong. But its food quality is good. Ingredient options are plenty. If you want to try Man Kee, do reserve more time to wait for a table or dine in during non-peak hours.
Customers choose their favourite ingredients of cart noodles – traditional style of HK street food
No MSG Cart Noodle – Noodle Hive (蜜斗)
Noodle Hive is a new joiner in the list of “Bid Gourmand” Michelin Guide in Hong Kong. It is a modern noodle shop providing no MSG ingredients in soup noodles.
Noodle Hive is not a traditional cart noodle shop. A variety of ingredients are provided including local food and Korean Kimchi. Japanese style of serving noodle is also in menu. A fusion noodle shop in Hong Kong!
Noodle Hive in Central HK – a BG Michelin Guide noodle shop provides no MSG food
Noodle Hive, a modern cart noodle shop in HK, serving fusion style of ingredients in soup noodles
Glutinous Rice – Keung Kee (強記美食)
Keung Kee has been operating in Hong Kong for almost 70 years. The glutinous rice with preserved meat is Keung Kee’s signature dish.
Apart from glutinous rice, Keung Kee serves traditional Hong Kong snacks like fish balls, pig’s skins, steamed vermicelli rolls, congees and Hong Kong style desserts. All are the best Hong Kong street food which were common to be found in hawkers’ stalls back to 1960s to 1990s.
Keung Kee’s signature – glutinous rice with preserved meat
Keung Kee keeps on selling local comfort food in hawker’s carts
Future Food Trend in Hong Kong
Lacrucci has talked with a number of food & beverage operators in Hong Kong. Most of them believe that gourmet street food will become more trendy in future.
Not only does Michelin Guide include a section of recommended restaurants of street food, but also more and more restaurants are serving authentic street food in upscale restaurants in Hong Kong. It might soon be memories when street food could be eaten on streets!
Besides, restaurants with street food themes will put more efforts on food quality, and also provide dining environment and ambience which represent their promoted styles of street food.
Street food can be a creative and trendy food culture. Therefore, it’s no longer just simple and cheap food to fill our stomach!
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