Stinky tofu

We guarantee you there’s nothing quite like chowing down on stinky tofu — a very pungent way to whet your appetite. The first thing you’ll smell as you walk past street food, stinky tofu is first brined in a vegetable and meat mixture then deep fried. While stinky tofu does not lose all of its smell when slathered with chili and soy sauce, its taste is much better than its smell would have you believe. Just don’t eat too much of it before a date night.

Cheung fun

Cheung fun (rice noodle rolls), a mainstay of teahouses and dim sum restaurants, are pulled using rice flour mixed with tapioca flour and water. This mixture is poured into a flat, rectangular steamer lined with a breathable fabric. After steaming, the mixture forms into a springy, noodle-like sheet, which is then folded into long rolls, cut, and served with sweet soy sauce. While cheung fun is served similarly in both restaurants and street stalls, you might find the street version is a bit less silky, and comes with less choice of filling. But at its lower price point, and how filling it is (especially with toppings such as roasted pork and shrimp), it’s pretty unbeatable. Many street-side snack vendors have taken to serving them smothered in sauces like peanut and chili sauce, and its consequent heartiness has transformed it into one of Hong Kong’s favourite things to eat standing up. 

Try it: Hop Yik Tai Get me there {{title}} {{taRatingReviewTotal}} {{taRatingReviewText}} Address {{address}} Website {{website}} More info , 121 Kweilin Street, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon

Three stuffed treasures

Alongside more modern innovations in street food such as mini egg puffs, you will find a smattering of fried foods on the menus of street stalls. Most commonly seen is what’s known to Hong Kong people as ’three treasures’. Pieces of eggplant, tofu, and bell pepper are stuffed with fish paste and then fried. Usually eaten with soy sauce, these three dishes combine the heartiness of fish paste with the natural flavour of each of the different wrappers.

Try it: Dong Hing Snack Food, Stall A4, 43-59 Dai Tsuen Street, Tai Kok Tsui, Kowloon

Egg tarts

Said to be one of the favourite snacks of Chris Patten, the last British governor of Hong Kong, the egg tart is a very different beast from the egg waffle. It consists of a creamy yellow custard filling baked in either a cookie or a flaky pastry crust. Either crust perfectly complements the gooey, sweet filling.

Try it: Tai Cheong Bakery Get me there {{title}} {{taRatingReviewTotal}} {{taRatingReviewText}} Address {{address}} Website {{website}} More info , 35 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central, Hong Kong Island