The end of the semester is almost here! Classes end in two weeks, which means I have a million group projects and papers due. Because of this, I haven't ventured out of room much recently. Luckily, Kennedy Town has tons of eateries, which means I don't need to go far to fuel up for studying! These are my favorite places to get a quick meal in Kennedy Town. Bao Dim Gui Yan If you want dim sum, but don't have time to gather a few friends and sit down for a meal, this is the place for you. I would compare it to Chun Wah Kam, but with more traditional dim sum offerings. I would recommend going earlier in the day rather than at night if you want steamed buns, because the buns do get a little stale, but they're delicious regardless. The most challenging part of ordering here is that they don't speak English and the menus are entirely in Chinese. But do not fear! Pointing at what you want works really well, and you can always Google a few dim sum names (like char siu bau for a steamed manapua). My favorites are char siu bau and ham sui gok - a deep fried mochi ball with a meat filling. North Viet Pho This is the best pho in Kenedy town, in my opinion. With both lunch and dinner sets you can get a lot of bang for your buck here. The pho is tasty and filling, and there are lots of options aside from pho if you feel like eating other types of Vietnamese food. They also make a frozen lychee drink that I highly recommend, especially in the hot and humid months! This restaurant does not do take out, as far as I'm aware, but you can order online through food delivery apps if you don't feel like dining in! It's like an upscale Bale - hard to dislike that! St. Lolan If you want fast and cheap baked goods, look no further. St Lolan is the cheapest bakery in Kennedy Town and is less westernized than the other options. You'll find Hong Kong's iconic pineapple buns (with or without a slab of butter in the middle), baked manapua with a variety of fillings, cakes, muffins, and lots of other snacks. Most baked goods are around 7 HKD, which is less than $1 USD! If you go around lunchtime, they offer mini versions of their baked manapua, so you can try many different types without getting too full. Some things to be aware of: they only accept cash and they're closed on Sundays. Bafang Dumpling I LOVE Bafang Dumpling. Their dumplings are really delicious and affordable - around $5 USD for a meal (10 dumplings + soup or a drink) or $2 USD for 5 dumplings. My favorites are the pan-fried vegetable and pan-fried pork dumplings. You can also get your dumplings steamed if you prefer that over pan-fried. I've never had a bad meal at Bafang Dumpling. Aside from dumplings, they also sell drinks. They have milk tea, soybean milk, and passionfruit iced tea, with the option to add boba or jelly (or both). I frequently stop by Bafang just to get passionfruit iced tea with jelly because it's less than $2 USD and is the perfect pick-me-up. Sweet Dreamer Dessert Dessert shops are really popular in Hong Kong, so every town will likely have multiple. Kennedy Town is no exception. The dessert shop that never disappoints here is Sweet Dreamer Dessert. Their desserts are beautiful - more like works of art than food - and affordable compared to other dessert shops. They have tons of different options to choose from, including lava cake, fancy banana splits and sundaes, waffles, and traditional Asian desserts. Many of their western desserts are paired with frozen yogurt rather than ice cream, so it feels a little healthier (even though it probably isn't). I think Sweet Dreamer Dessert is definitely worth a visit - you'll go for an Instagram photo and stay because it actually tastes as good as it looks. Winston's Coffee First things first - coffee is pretty expensive in Hong Kong compared to the US. If you're going to pay more, you might as well get high quality coffee at a place like Winson's. Winston's is an adorable coffee shop that transitions into a bar at night. While I can't speak to their alcoholic drinks, their coffee blows Starbucks out of the water in my opinion but costs around the same price. My go-to is their mocha latte, truly one of the best mochas I've ever had. When I first got it I thought the serving seemed really small, however for such a small cup it really packs a punch. If you like Morning Glass coffee in Manoa, you'll love Winston's. Bento Express When I'm knee deep in work, all I want to do is walk down the road, pick up something filling, and take it back to my room. Bento Express is my go-to on days like that. It's very similar to Aja bento, like the one in UH's campus center. I find the meat and rice combos to be comforting and I always know what to expect from them. They also have tons of sushi trays available and a few varieties of hand-rolls and musubis. The best part about Bento Express is how affordable it is - most bentos are around $5, which I think is a total steal. A-1 Bakery While A-1 Bakery's products are around twice the price of St. Lolan's, I think that they are totally worth the money. A-1 Bakery creates more Western and Japanese baked goods. It reminds me a lot of Brug bakery at home in terms of product offerings. I've loved everything that I've tried from A-1 Bakery so far. One of my favorite things to do when I need a little break is to buy one of their bread products and eat it at a bench down by the waterside (right down the road from the bakery). Two of my favorite things from A-1 Bakery are their cinnamon roll and their soft pretzel. For a perfect breakfast, you can walk down to Winston's coffee to grab a drink then stop into A-1 Bakery to pair it with a fat cinnamon roll! If you're more of an instant ramen type of student... Let me introduce you to one of my new favorite foods. It may sound strange but trust me, once you try it you will never turn back to regular old cup-of-noodle. This isn't just any type of instant ramen, this is cheesy instant ramen!!! Imagine the cheese powder from Kraft's microwavable mac-n-cheese. Now imagine if you combined that with the typical instant ramen seasoning, then added it to noodles (the water gets strained out beforehand). The result is a meal that is somehow both nostalgic and new at the same time. It's truly addicting, I could easily eat this everyday without complaint. You can buy this at any grocery store around town, often for a discount if you are willing to buy it in 3's. How could anyone not love this ingenious combo!
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Emily BallBorn and raised in Aiea, HI, traveling to Hong Kong to study Human Resource Administration. Archives
January 2019
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