[Hong Kong Cuisine] MTR Tai Po Market Station: Top 10 Food and Snack Recommendations

During the New Year period, like everyone else, I have to return to my hometown of Tai Po to pay New Year’s calls. I’m not originally from Tai Po; my family moved there when I was in Year 5 of primary school, so I spent the more formative part of my later childhood in Tai Po. It was only later, when I started working, that I moved out of Kowloon.
I’m a foodie, and so are all my friends. We’re not exactly connoisseurs, but we do love exploring different places. Having lived in Tai Po for so many years, we’ve picked up a bit of know-how about where the best spots are. Last week, I went on a breakfast food tour: I visited seven places, popped into six of them, and sampled over ten different dishes. That’s just the sort of foodie I am.
▼First stop – The renowned Cai Run Ji was still closed on the day of my visit—the third day of the Lunar New Year—and wouldn’t reopen until the sixteenth day of the first lunar month; it truly is a legendary establishment. When I used to visit Choi Yun Kee as a child, I could smell the aroma of its noodles and rice from a distance. If you wanted to eat there, you always had to be inside the shop before midday, as the owner would usually pull down the shutters around that time and stop letting customers in. By about twelve o’clock, all the beef brisket and fish balls would be sold out, so if you want to eat there, you’d best be early the next day. It’s a shop with real character. Aside from the beef brisket and fish balls, it’s also famous for its Fanta Grape, which is hard to find elsewhere; these three items are essentially a must-try.

▼Second stop – “Xin Cai Run Ji“, which is apparently not really connected to the first stop, is right by the roadside nearby. It was open today, I came here eager to try Xin Cai Run Ji. Although the dishes on offer were much the same – beef brisket noodles, fish balls and fish slices – there was no grape-flavoured fizzy drink, and several of the dishes were absolutely dreadful! There’s simply no comparison.
▼Fish balls and fish slices

▼Beef Brisket with Rice Noodles

▼▼(Closed)

Third stop – Yile Roast Goose. I’ve been eating here for over twenty years; the roast goose has always been absolutely delicious, with plenty of meat and goose fat. Served with rice noodles in broth, it’s a real treat—though the skin isn’t always crispy and the meat isn’t always tender.

▼Fourth stop – Granny’s Tofu Pudding. To be honest, Granny really isn’t my cup of tea, and neither is her tofu pudding. Although it’s very smooth, the bean flavour isn’t very strong. Perhaps this is an inherent problem that can’t be resolved, but it’s what people are hoping for.

▼Stop 5 – Old Fruit Fragrance Forest Tofu Pudding. Actually, apart from Granny’s Tofu Pudding, I prefer this place nearby in Tai Po even more. The smoothness is on a par with Granny’s; whilst the soya flavour isn’t particularly strong, the real plus is that every bowl is served piping hot—which makes it even better than Granny’s! What’s more, you can add toppings such as ginger juice, red beans, Job’s tears and sesame paste – all of which are of a decent standard.
▼Tofu Pudding with Sesame Paste

▼ There’s no seating—you eat standing up and leave straight away—and the queue’s just as long as at Granny’s Tofu Pudding.

▼Stop 6 – Hua Hui Kitchen, a long-established tea restaurant in Tai Po, where the pastries and snacks are of exceptionally high quality. Its three famous specialities include… an apple tart with a rich, fruity aroma and a fresh, flaky crust. The chicken tart, meanwhile, is generously filled with chicken, shredded ham and mushrooms. Then there’s the prawn toast: a portion consists of two pieces, which together are about the size of a whole square piece of bread, topped with a large fresh prawn. It’s fried until fragrant and crispy, whilst the prawn meat remains tender and is not at all greasy.
▼A fragrant apple pie

▼A slice of apple pie, served as a single portion

▼Chicken Pies

▼Filled with chicken, shredded ham and mushrooms

▼Prawn toast: two pieces per serving, which together are about the size of a whole square loaf

▼A large fresh prawn, laid out on a slice of toast, fried until crispy

▼(Closed)
Stop seven, the final stop – Jia Hua Coffee & Snacks, renowned for its deep-fried pork chops and chicken wings. The pork chops are marinated in a special soy sauce with a dash of black pepper; the meat is tender and juicy, whilst the deep-fried chicken wings are equally outstanding. Both are must-try snacks at this establishment. I’d also recommend trying their curry rice dishes, dry curry fried rice and salt-baked chicken. Address: Donggu Pavilion, Guangfu Village

▼Deep-fried pork chops

▼There’s plenty of juice inside

▼Deep-fried chicken wings

I prefer to have a bit more fun, so I didn’t take my camera with me when I was out and about; that’s why the photos above were all taken with an iPhone 4S.

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