In Hong Kong Cantonese, you don’t say you’re hungry; you say, “My abdomen is thrashing drums.” And after sundown, to comply with the metaphor, that drumroll ushers in a late-night meals scene in contrast to every other: curry fish ball skewers on the streets of Kowloon, beef brisket noodles in eclectic Sheung Wan, and sizzling milk tea from any stall that beckons.
Feasting after darkish is within the metropolis’s DNA. I discovered rapidly that my adoptive house of eight years wasn’t variety to morning individuals, as anybody who’s tried to purchase a espresso earlier than 9 a.m. can attest. Night time is when the island lights up, actually and figuratively, with gaggles of trendsters, fanny pack-sporting grandmas, and party-hearty expats all pushing their approach into noodle bars and cha chaan tengs (our native diner equal).
The recent, humid daytime are partly why we’re a metropolis of night time owls. When the neon indicators activate, Hong Kongers step out to their favourite eating places and cafés, lots of which appear to be set items from a Wong Kar-wai film.
The guts of the motion is within the Central District (plus close by Sheung Wan, Sai Ying Pun, and Kennedy City neighborhoods), house to a Michelin-starred Peking duck mecca, Japanese yakitori eating places, Chinese language clay pot rice haunts, and every little thing in between.
There’s a draw back to consuming after sunset: ready in line within the muggy warmth. Earlier than queuing up, think about grabbing an ice-cold beer (sure, public ingesting is authorized) or a cold-brew tea from the closest comfort retailer. Right here, 7-Eleven is so ubiquitous that locals usually step inside only for the air-con, making “Membership 7-Eleven” one of many busiest hangouts round.
Wherever you wind up, one factor’s sure: The thrum of this metropolis of nightcrawlers will make your coronary heart—and your abdomen’s drums—beat sooner.
Dim sum is often daytime meals, however this cheeky restaurant (whose punny identify means “good mouth style” in Canto) serves bites into the wee hours, from pandan desserts resembling mahjong tiles to “Tetris-style” pineapple and mango slices to purple corn dumplings. As you hum alongside to the alt ’90s playlist (suppose Björk and Pulp), sip a Fortunate Buck cocktail—scotch, yuzu, honey, ginger beer—from a gold fortunate cat.
After an evening out on the lash, I like the short, no-frills service of this beloved quick meals chain—the much less that stands between me and my springy fish ball soup, the higher. The recent broth feels additional nourishing with a sidekick of lai cha, a Hong Kong staple of black tea with evaporated milk, which dates again to World Warfare II.
Gobbling down a bowl of sizzling, brothy noodles with sweat dripping down the again of your neck is an area ceremony of passage. At this minimalist Central District café, spring for the anise-y beef noodle soup bobbing with chunks of turnip cake, and be ready to share a desk with strangers (an important a part of the expertise).
Yearly is the Yr of the Snake for a lot of Hong Kongers, who’ve been consuming the reptile for hundreds of years. Attempt it right here, deep-fried in snackable balls or shredded in a tangerine-infused soup referred to as ser geng. To clean these down, a shot of snake “wine”: a pointy, fiery selfmade hooch infused with the slithery creatures.
Breast isn’t all the time finest, as this informal Sheung Wan fried hen spot goes to indicate: Neck, gizzard, and pores and skin make for phenomenally flavorful bites bursting with salt, smoke, and acidity. Nab a desk, or be part of the gang on the bar juggling skewers in a single hand and a highball within the different. The housemade sesame ice cream, sandwiched between sesame cookies, makes an ideal cooling finale.
Egg tarts arrived in Hong Kong within the seventeenth century by way of Macau, the place Portuguese sailors launched custardy pastéis de nata even earlier. The native model is denser than its European ancestor; attempt it at this tile-floored bakery, a standout for its buttery sourdough pastry.
Bubble waffles are concurrently fluffy and crisp due to their namesake air pockets. It’s all the time mesmerizing to observe, bleary-eyed, as cooks right here fold matcha, chocolate chips, or Ovaltine into the batter, then furl the soft-cooked waffle right into a cone for simple avenue consuming. Come summer season, these extra-eggy waffles are vessels for ice cream, sopping up all of the melty sweetness.
This cha chaan teng opens at 3:00 a.m. and caters primarily to Hong Kong’s many in a single day staff. Michelin-starred cooks, avenue cleaners, and truck drivers all rub elbows at crammed plastic tables whereas chowing down on rib-sticking dishes akin to barbecue pork buns, duck ft congee, fried taro, and lotus-wrapped glutinous rice.
Don’t hassle queuing at this native favourite—head straight to the again and plop down at a communal desk. From there, watch the cooks are inclined to clay pots stuffed with rice and meats (often eel or Chinese language sausage), which get crispy on the underside. When your individual cauldron arrives, stir its contents collectively, scraping the smoky, crackly rice into the flavorful roasted meats.
The recent tip is within the identify: Crab is the must-order merchandise right here. There’s nonetheless a vigorous mud crab trade in Hong Kong, and fishermen catch and ship the creatures every day to eating places like this one. After ordering their crustaceans by weight, diners obtain them “storm shelter-style”—that’s, served entire, quick-cooked over open flame, and seasoned with salt, garlic, chiles, and chives.
