Hong Kong’s celeb food haunts: Where Tony Leung, Chow Yun Fat, and Aaron Kwok eat
During their visit to a popular seafood restaurant at Temple Street, K-pop girl band Blackpink caused a frenzy. Check out where else you can spot celebs while eating.
Celebrities may be famous, but they are also die-hard foodies, just as we are. This is especially true in Hong Kong, where Michelin-starred restaurants and street food establishments are equally popular with A-listers. In the same way, Chow Yun Fat loves to eat at his favorite no-frills bakery, Hoover Cake Shop, and cha chaan tengs (Hong Kong style cafes) after hiking.
Tony Leung is reportedly fond of beef noodles and egg tarts, as well as Eason Chan, who has been spotted at a traditional dai pai dong (Hong Kong’s unique roadside stall).
You can catch a glimpse of these stars in Hong Kong by visiting these places:
COFFEE SHOP CHEUNG HING
Over the last 50 years, this old-fashioned cha chaan teng in Happy Valley has served famous guests such as Aaron Kwok, Tony Leung, George Lam and Leslie Cheung. In addition to its flaky Portuguese egg tarts and buttery bolo buns, Cheung Hing also serves milk tea.
KAI KAI DESSERT, 9 Yik Yam St, Happy Valley, Hong Kong
Kai Kai Dessert is one of the most popular tong shui (soupy desserts) joints in Hong Kong, particularly among celebrities like Wong Cho Lam and Chow Yun Fat. In Jordan, it is located near Temple Street Night Market and has a Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand award. Regulars savor its velvety black sesame paste, tang yuan (glutinous rice balls dessert) and snow fungus soup.
The address is 29 Ning Po Street, Hong Kong.
KEE CHA DONG, BING KEE
Bing Kee Cha Dong, situated among the ad-hoc tables in a narrow alleyway, charms with its unassuming metal facade; it is where Hong Kong actor Sean Lau and singer Eason Chan have been known to get their Cha Chaan Teng food. This particular snack ‘hut’ is popular for its pork chop noodles and toast sandwich, with its roots in British colonial influence that has evolved local cooking methods and ingredients. It doesn’t hurt that Tai Hang, the neighbourhood near Causeway Bay, is home to a few of Hong Kong’s celebrities.
This upscale mod Cantonese restaurant at Harbour City mall offers a sweeping view of Victoria Harbour in Tsim Sha Tsui, and is open until 2am serving luxe dishes like braised abalone and stewed wagyu beef cheek. Apparently, it is a favorite of Eason Chan, Gillian Chung, and Jay Chou, who even held the press conference for his Carnival World Tour stop in 2017 at Hexa.
VILLAGE OF BAMBOO
The typhoon shelter crab dish, which originated from fishermen living on boats in typhoon shelters in Hong Kong harbours, is a dish that is unique to Hong Kong. For tasty zi char, Hong Kongers flocked to these boats to eat fresh seafood stir-fried with garlic, scallions, and black bean sauce.
This almost 40-year-old restaurant on Temple Street in Jordan once served as a typhoon shelter dining boat in the 1980s. During their recent visit to town for their concert, Blackpink made headlines when they dropped by for a meal. While diners eagerly snapped photos of the stars, the group’s bodyguards later asked them to delete the pictures, causing some ruffled feathers.
