HONG KONG, Feb 1 — Most holidaymakers and casual day-trippers to Hong Kong island would spend a day or most of it around Causeway Bay shopping and eating, or drinking around the Central/Lan Kwai Fong area. Not many would venture to Tin Hau or North Point and spend more than half a day around the area.

A few months back, I had the opportunity to explore that area. Let me share with you what I ate throughout my days around the Tin Hau neighbourhood.

Tin Hau was named due to its proximity to Causeway Bay’s Tin Hau temple. Technically, it’s not a formal district by itself but an area wedged between Causeway Bay and North Point; connected by King’s Road towards the north-eastern point of the island.

I remember the name Tin Hau from many years back, probably during my school or university days from the title of a song sung by the popular Canto-pop duo Twins. This was definitely my first stop-over (for a good three days, no less) at Tin Hau. I had once passed by the station to get to North Point for the famous egg waffles or gai dan jai.

Hong Kong is fairly well-connected with underground trains, trams and buses, hence commuting around the island was not much of a challenge. The only downfall is the tussle and tuna-in-a-can feeling during rush hours in a train around the busy Causeway Bay area. You can reach Tin Hau, by taking the MTR Island (red) line and alight at Tin Hau station or Fortress Hill station, which is about 20 minutes walking distance between each other.

One of the most talked about beef noodles stall in Hong Kong happens to be Wah Jie (Sister Wah) Beef Noodles shop at the start of Electric Road near the Tin Hau MTR station.

Sister Wah (or Wah Jie in Cantonese) as seen from the outside is one of the landmarks around Electric Road and within walking distance of a MTR station

Just like many other famous food establishments around the city, waiting for a seat and subsequently sharing a table is the norm. You would also somehow be part of someone’s conversation involuntarily since you’re basically elbows apart.

Seriously, I could have taken a piece of my neighbour’s beef brisket accidentally since our bowls were merely inches apart.

But let’s not digress.

The shop’s name is all written in Chinese characters, so you would either need some help in translation, be thick-faced enough to ask around (and good luck on the comeback from the locals) or look out for the image of the shop in this article.

Good thing their menu has the items translated into English, so you won’t need to poke your nose around the counter or worse, steal glances at your neighbours’ food.

A bowl of piping hot beef brisket noodle soup (HK$38/RM17), with a side of stewed radish (a definite must-try!) in delicious, wholesome beefy broth proved to be a little too much for one person, but I left the place satiated and recharged after the four and a half hours flight from Singapore. The menu at Sister Wah had two options; soup or stir noodles (dry version) for the various cuts such as beef brisket, beef tendon, beef balls, beef tripe, or even curry beef noodles. If beef is not your preference (you may need to revisit your decision to come to Sister Wah again though), they also serve dan dan noodles with pork ribs, chicken wings or even wontons.

Tin Hau is also apparently a choice location for the locals to have their desserts; with a few notable names within walking distance just off Electric Road.

A typical Hong Kong breakfast would include you tiao (fried dough fritters) with soy bean milk, and side dishes like chee cheong fun or pan fried radish cake (left). Another simple yet hearty breakfast is the polo bun sandwiching a piece of luncheon meat within, and a cup of extra smooth stocking milk tea from the char chaan teng of Hong Kong (right)

One popular shop with a perpetual queue after dinner hours on weekends is Auntie Sweet that opens until late night; perfect for the sweet-toothed after a fabulous night out in the city. The signature dessert here is the velvety smooth beancurd pudding (tau fu fah) with creamy durian flesh. The combination sounds awkward on paper but the ultimate ensemble works so well, especially if you are a durian lover and hankering for more of the pungent king of fruits during the low season.

The rest of the items were equally as satisfying: the black sesame ice-cream in a black sesame cream was luscious, while their mango desserts were excellent. If you wanted to ask about Hui Lau Shan (the mango desserts specialist with branches all over Malaysia now), then I regret to inform you that my past two experiences with Hui Lau Shan in Hong Kong were equally as bad.

If you find Auntie Sweet’s long line too intimidating, look for Tin Hau Desserts at two locations (a stone’s throw away from one another) along Electric Road. I went for desserts there on two nights, the first night for the yong zhi gam lou – mango pomelo sago with cream, while the second night I returned for the watermelon and grass jelly combination.

The breakfast selection may not be much around the area; mostly relegated to typical Hong Kong char chaan teng (Hong Kong style cafes) that serve polo bun with butter, Nissin noodle soup or macaroni with tomatoes and beef. You can  complete your meal with a fried egg, two slices of toast and a cup of milky Hong Kong milk tea or coffee.

I also spent a bit of time exploring the markets around the North Point area as well, within walking distance from my hotel, and was caught up with the locals’ morning shopping spree for fresh produce.

Come winter time, try the claypot lap mei fan at Lei Garden; even the rice crust is so good and infused with flavours from the waxed meats

For dinner, Lei Garden is a viable dining option at nearby North Point. Lei Garden with several outlets in Hong Kong is one of the most popular Cantonese dining establishments in the city. Since it was near to the winter season, you should try the lap mei fan or waxed meats rice cooked in claypot; available at Lei Garden and most of the diners around the city. Don’t miss their trademark roasted meats; both siew yoke (crispy roasted pork belly) and  char siew (barbecued, caramelised pork) were stellar and definitely some of the best that I have tasted anywhere in the world.

Eventually, I ended up giving up my plan to escape to Central or Sheung Wan area (west side of the island) for a food hunt, and spent most of my time around Tin Hau or Causeway Bay. Who knew that this area ignored by most of the Hong Kong guide books could turn out to be so fascinating?

James Tan loves good food and blogs at Motormouth From Ipoh (www.j2kfm.com)

Sister Wah Beef Noodles @ G/F, 13A, Electric Road, Tin Hau

Auntie Sweet @ G/F, 13, Tsing Fung Street, off Electric Road, Tin Hau

Tin Hau Desserts @ G/F, 91, Electric Road, Tin Hau

Lei Garden @ Block 9, City Garden, North Point