It’s my third visit to Hong Kong, and as an aspiring dim sum connoisseur, I’m here to experience the local fare in new ways beyond what’s served at my closest Chinatown.
First, to reacquaint myself with the city again, I’m combining getting my bearings with on-the-go feasting onboard a dedicated “Dim Sum Bus”. Yes, such ingenuity exists, perfect for time-poor travellers and double-dipping activities.
On board for a taste bud bonanza… Hong Kong’s dim sum bus.
I board the double-decker Crystal Bus, aka dim sum bus, near Kowloon’s Tsim Sha Tsui Station. Upstairs are eight tables with booth-style seating under strips of fluorescent purple lights. Given it’s a late lunch, the neon-glow ambience feels a bit premature, but it’s still fun. I’m allocated a prime position in the front row with unobstructed views of Hong Kong.
The 2½-hour tour passes 20 attractions, and soon after departure, I receive my version of a Happy Meal: a dim sum set by Michelin-rated casual eatery One Dim Sum. It opens like a chocolate box and features easy-to-please steamed shrimp dumplings, siu mai, barbeque pork bun, and sticky rice in lotus leaf. I gorge as we blitz by some of the city’s lesser-known sites.
Food as art… Dim Sum Library.
Two stops for a leg stretch are included. Walking uphill to the Lantau Link Viewing Platform to see the convergence of the city’s architectural marvels, Tsing Ma and Kap Shui Bridges, feels like a big task on a full stomach. But I do it anyway to lessen my guilt and slow down my inevitable metamorphosis into a human dumpling. If not for the bus, would I have seen this side of Hong Kong? Probably not.
Hutong main dining room.
My dumpling standards continued to be raised at Michelin-selected restaurant Hong Kong Cuisine 1983. The British-born Chinese head chef, Silas Li, is like the Heston Blumenthal of yum cha. He adopts French techniques, innovative pairings and a playful approach to Hong Kong gastronomy.
“It’s only the beginning,” Li says as I’m served a lone deep-fried dumpling in the guise of ruby-red lychee fruit. The rough-textured ball is filled with cuttlefish and lychee and topped with small green leaves. It’s beautiful, and I’m almost apologetic for demolishing this artful morsel.
