{"id":1037880,"date":"2012-02-05T09:00:03","date_gmt":"2012-02-05T01:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/culinarycapital.hk\/?p=20111"},"modified":"2012-02-05T09:00:03","modified_gmt":"2012-02-05T01:00:03","slug":"nt-taipo-top-10-best-yummy-good-snack-food-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jonathansin.com\/en\/nt-taipo-top-10-best-yummy-good-snack-food-2\/","title":{"rendered":"[Hong Kong Cuisine] MTR Tai Po Market Station: Top 10 Food and Snack Recommendations"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nDuring the New Year period, like everyone else, I have to return to my hometown of Tai Po to pay New Year\u2019s calls. I\u2019m 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.
\nI\u2019m a foodie, and so are all my friends. We\u2019re not exactly connoisseurs, but we do love exploring different places. Having lived in Tai Po for so many years, we\u2019ve 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\u2019s just the sort of foodie I am.
\n\u25bcFirst stop \u2013 The renowned Cai Run Ji was still closed on the day of my visit\u2014the third day of the Lunar New Year\u2014and wouldn\u2019t 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\u2019clock, all the beef brisket and fish balls would be sold out, so if you want to eat there, you\u2019d best be early the next day. It\u2019s a shop with real character. Aside from the beef brisket and fish balls, it\u2019s also famous for its Fanta Grape, which is hard to find elsewhere; these three items are essentially a must-try.
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\u25bcSecond stop \u2013 \u201cXin Cai Run Ji\u201c, 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 \u2013 beef brisket noodles, fish balls and fish slices \u2013 there was no grape-flavoured fizzy drink, and several of the dishes were absolutely dreadful! There\u2019s simply no comparison.
\n\u25bcFish balls and fish slices
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\n\u25bcBeef Brisket with Rice Noodles
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\u25bc\u25bc(Closed)<\/span><\/p>\n

Third stop \u2013 Yile Roast Goose. I\u2019ve 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\u2019s a real treat\u2014though the skin isn\u2019t always crispy and the meat isn\u2019t always tender.<\/del>
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\u25bcFourth stop \u2013 Granny\u2019s Tofu Pudding. To be honest, Granny really isn\u2019t my cup of tea, and neither is her tofu pudding. Although it\u2019s very smooth, the bean flavour isn\u2019t very strong. Perhaps this is an inherent problem that can\u2019t be resolved, but it\u2019s what people are hoping for.
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\u25bcStop 5 \u2013 Old Fruit Fragrance Forest Tofu Pudding. Actually, apart from Granny\u2019s Tofu Pudding, I prefer this place nearby in Tai Po even more. The smoothness is on a par with Granny\u2019s; whilst the soya flavour isn\u2019t particularly strong, the real plus is that every bowl is served piping hot\u2014which makes it even better than Granny\u2019s! What\u2019s more, you can add toppings such as ginger juice, red beans, Job\u2019s tears and sesame paste \u2013 all of which are of a decent standard.
\n\u25bcTofu Pudding with Sesame Paste
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\u25bc There\u2019s no seating\u2014you eat standing up and leave straight away\u2014and the queue\u2019s just as long as at Granny\u2019s Tofu Pudding.
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\u25bcStop 6 \u2013 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\u2026 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\u2019s 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\u2019s fried until fragrant and crispy, whilst the prawn meat remains tender and is not at all greasy.
\n\u25bcA fragrant apple pie
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\u25bcA slice of apple pie, served as a single portion
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\u25bcChicken Pies
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\u25bcFilled with chicken, shredded ham and mushrooms
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\u25bcPrawn toast: two pieces per serving, which together are about the size of a whole square loaf
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\u25bcA large fresh prawn, laid out on a slice of toast, fried until crispy
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\u25bc(Closed)<\/span>
\nStop seven, the final stop \u2013 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\u2019d also recommend trying their curry rice dishes, dry curry fried rice and salt-baked chicken. Address: Donggu Pavilion, Guangfu Village<\/del><\/p>\n

\u25bcDeep-fried pork chops<\/del>
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\u25bcThere\u2019s plenty of juice inside<\/del>
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\u25bcDeep-fried chicken wings<\/del>
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I prefer to have a bit more fun, so I didn\u2019t take my camera with me when I was out and about; that\u2019s why the photos above were all taken with an iPhone 4S.<\/del><\/p>\n

Map:
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