I’ve had many friends visiting Hong Kong back to back so I’ve been back at this spot a few times this year now. It’s been a great year being a good friend, seeing most of my closest friends more often than I ever did the last 7 years with everyone living all over the place.
My newly wedded Thai friends were in town for work and play and what else can I do with my ice cream designer friend? We did the cake walk on Gage Street and then a huge dinner at my favourite crab haunt and a stop at Tong Pak Fu, one of Hong Kong’s most popular local dessert spots.
This is as good as it looks and it’s only an iphone instagram shot. Image what it looks like taken with a good camera or eaten in situ! They come served with different levels of spiciness, even my Thai friends and I opted for medium spicy. Many don’t know about the set menus, which are much more economical, so the next time you are two or a big party, try order sets for 2/4/6 and adding a dish or two from the a la carte menu. It adds up to much less. I think the set for two costs 489HKD, ordering a crab on its own is nearly that price, with the set for two, you get a stir fry vegetable, either scallops or razor clams and another side dish.
We finished up with some great local desserts at Tong Pak Fu—banana chocolate shaved ice, that tasted like a mix of chocolate and cream, incredible that it’s shaved ice! The store only has name in Chinese characters 糖百府. There’s a slew of fruity syrup choice over beancurd tofu and fancy green tea type things, but we didn’t want any surprises so we were glad we stuck with what we had. The other mango syrup over beancurd tofu we ordered was my least favourite and definitely not worth the calories!
Under the Bridge Spicy Crab check out the stunning photos on this CNNGo feature. Plenty of wok hei (wok skills)
There are many branches but my Hong Kong friends say the one on Jaffa Road is the best. It’s true.
Shop 1-2, G/F, Chinaweal Centre,
414-424 Jaffe Road, Wanchai
Tel: +852 2834 6268
Tong Pak Fu
G/F, 38 Jardine’s Bazaar, Causeway Bay
銅鑼灣渣甸街38號地下
Tel: +852 2630 0110
They open till late! 1am
