It is also easier to work with in Hong Kong’s brutal heat and humidity.

He can’t recall how many he has made over the years, but the most he has crafted in a day is 100. Today, a warm Friday in April, To sculpts a dragon, which he completes in less than five minutes.

“I love the joy the candy brings to children,” says To, whose daughter, 13, and son, 10, are following in his footsteps.

“And I’m keeping this tradition alive,” says To of the art of sugar pulling, which has been around for more than 600 years. In 2014 it was listed as a Hong Kong intangible cultural heritage.

Wander down an alley and there’s an elderly couple preparing salted eggs and dried seafood. Turn a corner and there’s a hip cafe selling coffee in a coconut.

It was once a thriving fishing community, but today tourism is key and there’s an array of seafood restaurants (So Bor Kee and New Baccarat) along the waterfront’s bustling Pak She Praya Road to remind visitors of its past.

While the pirates have long gone, a feast of culinary treasures remain, including street snacks such as the island’s famous giant fishballs, crispy potato swirls and squishy mango mochi balls – rice flour dough stuffed with sweet mango.

Here is a selection of the best places to eat a variety of foods on the island.

1. Bread, buns and breakfast

Cheung Chau local Wallace Ko is making waves with Cheung Chau Sourdough (12 Cheung Chun Road, tel: 6711 0487), where customers can make online orders for rye, plain and wholegrain sourdough as well as bagels and baguettes.

He can often be spotted delivering orders to island restaurants on his blue bike that he modified by adding a wooden bench: “It’s an old pew that I found in a church here.”

Delivery pickup points off the island can be found on Hong Kong Island (Central Pier 5) and Kowloon (Star Ferry Pier).

Pineapple buns are a Hong Kong institution: in 2014 they were named as a “living cultural heritage”. Some of the best sweet buns – there’s no pineapple, its name is derived from the crunchy, golden-brown top – can be found on Cheung Chau.

Aussie-style cafe La Luz (5 Kin San Lane, tel: 6193 1831) is the spot for a long and lazy Sunday brunch. On one recent sunny Sunday there was no room to sit but the menu looked as fresh as the bright yellow decor.

Healthy options include avo and smoked salmon salad and mashed sweet potato bowl. A good selection of bagels can be found here and the word on the street is that the coffee is pretty good, too. Vegans will love the cookies and cinnamon rolls.

2. Pasta and pork belly

Some of the biggest dining surprises can be found while exploring Cheung Chau’s tiny back alleys.

Happy Belly (86 Tai San Street, tel: 6211 6424) is one of them. For a post-hike carb feast, try the lush crabmeat pasta smothered in a rich creamy tomato sauce or the baked ravioli gratin in cream and cheese.

Vegetarians will love the Insta-friendly red beet pasta in roasted beet sauce with feta cheese. All sauces and pasta are home-made.

The Singaporean owner also runs the island’s much-loved Islander Cheung Chau drinks label. The lychee honey soda is sublime.

Yuki Lai’s food dream came true in 2021, when she opened Japanese eatery Bannichi (68 Tai San Street, tel: 2981 3323). “Since I was a child growing up on Cheung Chau I have always wanted to cook for people and make them happy,” says Lai. “That’s the meaning of my restaurant’s name. In Chinese it means accompany guests every day.”

Popular dishes include the yaki onigiri beef croquette and braised pork belly. “I’m also doing takeaway bento boxes for people who don’t have time to cook after work,” she says, adding she also prepares boxes for the island’s primary school kids.

3. Coffee, cake … and corgis

Island Workbench, the hip brand founded by Cheung Chau couple Steven Choi and Amy Kay, first drew attention a decade ago thanks to its clothing and accessories shop near Tung Wan Beach.

Five years ago it branched out with dessert hot spot Island Workbench Cafe (16 Chung Hok Road, tel: 5722 4252). “The dessert platter is popular with couples who like to share,” says Choi, plonking a selection of sweet treats on the table.

There is a creamy caramel pudding cheesecake and fluffy angel cake roll, and chunks of honeycomb with just the right amount of bitterness. Its house-made waffles are also popular.

If people watching with a coffee in hand is what you fancy, then Haika Coffee (57 San Hing Praya Street, tel: 5194 7971) is the place to be. The low khaki seats give off major camping vibes.

Try some of its gooey baked goods (Basque burnt cheesecake, dirty tart) made fresh daily by the owner’s wife.

Heima Heima (25 Tsan Tuen Road, tel: 6078 3417) – heima is Icelandic for “at home” or “homeland” – is a quaint Nordic-style cafe on the far end of Cheung Chau. “Our mikan roll cakes and apple tart are the most popular,” says Clari Li, who set up the cafe eight years ago.

The menu also features Japanese strawberry yogurt roll cake, caramel cashew Basque cheesecake, and poached pear pistachio tart. All desserts are made in-house.

Grab a window seat and watch the world drift by.

Cheung Chau boasts lots of pet-friendly places to eat – just remember, if you plan to take your dog on the ferry from Central Pier 5 then you must take a slow one.

If you don’t have a dog but crave pats, then head to corgi-themed cafe Wow Tea (6 Kin San Lane, tel: 9696 8841).

One of life’s simple pleasures is the wonderful wobble of a corgi’s bum, and at this cafe one greets you at the door. It serves a range of Taiwanese teas, too.

4. Flavours of Southeast Asia

Ba Chi Em (19C Pak She Praya Road, tel: 6060 4692) – run by three Vietnamese friends, Dinh Thi Phuong, Pham Thi Ninh and Tran Huyen Trang – transports diners to Vietnam with its authentic menu.

Don’t let the name confuse you, Morocco’s (71 San Hing Praya Street, tel: 2986 9767) is all about Indian curries and spicy Thai favourites. Nepalese owner Kamala Subedi has been running this local institution in the same spot ever she arrived in Cheung Chau 22 years ago.

“The previous owner was from Morocco so I kept the old name,” she says. Try the pork or chicken momos, traditional steamed dumplings that are served with Subedi’s home-made chutney, all home-made.

“We don’t say fusion, but prefer ‘creative dishes’,” says Tan.

Locals and visitors can’t get enough of the nasi lemak, satays, mee goreng and its signature beef rendang. “Customers also love our Singaporean-style peppery prawn soup,” he adds.

Special pre-order dishes, such as the Singapore-style black pepper crab, the latter sourced from Sri Lanka, and the big juicy tiger prawns from Kota Kinabalu, are also popular.

5. Noodles and dumplings

Funky design touches – think toothpick holders shaped like gas cylinders – make Gogi Ice House (Shop A, 86 Tai San Praya Road, tel: 5395 3928) a hit with the cool crowd.

But it is not a case of style over substance – the dumplings are divine and come with unusual fillings, from the rich salted duck egg yolk to clams, coriander and pork, and chicken curry with glass noodles.

Interesting smoothie flavours include red dates with peach resin and sugar cane with radish and imperatae.

Noodle joint Locomo (36 San Hing Street, tel: 2981 2022) came highly recommended but the place was packed, with people waiting out front.

Opened in 2013, it has been reeling in the crowds with dishes featuring its nine home-made soup bases.

6. Seaside vibes

French and other Western fare can be found at The Cove (13 Tsan Tuen Road, Sai Wan, tel: 9545 5990), formerly called Pirate Bay.

“It’s only been called The Cove for a few months,” says the charismatic Ricky Yuen, who made his “not-one-regret” move to Cheung Chau two years ago.

He says 90 per cent of the dishes – including the pasta, meatballs and sourdough – are home-made.

“These are so good,” he says, plonking jars of home-made pate and rillettes on the table.

“Customers also love the smoked brisket,” says Yuen, adding the venue is popular for party groups looking for a summer venue.