Everyone wants the Dai Pai Dong experience, so who can blame visitors of the Temple Street Market…read morefor wanting to take part in a place like Tong Tai? They're conveniently located on Temple, loaded with fresh seafood swimming in buckets / tubs, and semi-aggressive wait staff recruiting tourists by the handful to take part in the outdoor communal Chinese food experience. The two things that stuck out the most within the food, specifically how salty and how expensive everything was. Our list of dishes included: Yeung Chow Fried Rice (揚州炒飯), Black Bean Clams (豉椒炒蜆), Salt and Pepper Fried Fish (椒鹽魚片), Shrimp w/ Eggs (蝦仁炒蛋), Tea Egg + Tofu (茶葉蛋豆腐), and Mantis "Pissing" Shrimp (攋尿蝦). The most underwhelming was the pissing shrimp, which a little meat and a lot of shells. When our bill ($780HKD) came out, there was a little bit of sticker shock. Not all is terrible. Despite the greasy and salty food, they were constantly coming back to make sure we had what we needed. There was no shortage of help and they took our feedback well, but chuckled when we noted the salt (Could it really have been MSG?). They have a bunch of tables and the turnover is quick enough to where even waiting isn't a big deal. Heck, there's even unlimited napkins here. Any HK'er would surely appreciate that. Anyone who is looking to drink will surely have it here -- there are beer girls walking around looking to sell by the bottle or by the bucket. Perhaps next time (if there even is one), that'll be the route I choose when I feel like people watching and drinking along Temple Street.

Come for the experience, not for the food! Mediocre seafood overseasoned at relatively high prices,…read morebut the seemingly most popular spot offering you the chance to get fresh seafood and beers outdoors while people watching at Temple Market. The fried chili crab was ok, fried chili shrimp was ok, fresh scallop was better. Fast friendly service. Great option for a larger group as well.

A bit pricey for dim sum and food coloring, but the ambiance and mood are everything. I left too…read morefull and thoroughly entertained. Squeezing bao until they ooze out their "mouths" is a lot of fun. Sometimes they ooze out their butts -I'd give more stars just for that. And then ALL the stars for the aesthetics (10/10). Cute cute cute. How cute exactly? The bbq bao is decorated as a pig! Ahhhh. So you see the concept is definitely adorable, and the menu is inspiringly creative, but I thought the actual execution and taste were just okay. Mainly I didn't care for the buns and texture, so I don't think I would need to come back, especially not with all the authentic dim sum around. That's my advice -worth it to check out at least once for the cutesy baos. Do it for the gram. Remember to take your camera; and a sketch pad would be fun. -prettier on the outside is not always ideal

Yum Cha was the most iconic eating experience I had while in Hong Kong. You see, I love tasty food,…read morebut I really really LOVE tasty and aesthetically pleasing food! I came in during a rainy night and was seated rather quickly. I ordered the shrimp dumpling with rainbow translucent skin, the pineapple bird pastries, and the green tea steamed buns with faces. My server gave me a bag for my umbrella, which was appreciated. While the shrimp dumplings and the green tea steamed buns were pretty yummy, the pineapple bird pastries were just a bit too dry for my tastes. Too much pastry, and not enough pineapple filling! Everything was really beautiful though, and arrived nice and fast! I would definitely recommend coming here if you are a tourist, the menu is really tourist friendly with lots of pictures and accurate written names for the dishes. YUM! CHA! :3

Stopped by for a weekday family dinner and the restaurant is packed. The food took a while to come…read moreout as there were a few large parties being hosted. The flavors of each dish is spot on. The beef chow fun was no greasy. The sweet and sour pork is crispy and tossed in a tangy sauce. The braised fish and eel have similar seasoning but both are very good. Oyster pancake was a big soggy but the oysters are fresh, large and juicy. Def worth returning.

Great food with good quality ingredients that one should expect at this location and price point…read morefor dim sum. And I believe it's also the only place around there which was able to take a large party reservation, so that was a good bonus. The seating was very comfortable that is not too cramped and packed. The menu has a good mix of traditional Cantonese dimsum items along with Chiu Chow delicacies.

Gaia Veggie Shop is a brilliant vegetarian restaurant, that serves a Chinese style menu, but…read morecatered to vegetarians, vegans and Buddhists. Specialising in both mock meats and vegetable replacements, Gaia serves up very tasty interpretations of classic Asian dishes. They are so good in fact, that a true carnivore like me can still be satisfied by a meal here. As an example of their menu, let me mention some of my favourite dishes. The sweet and sour fish is not fish, but make of mashed taro, so it's not a replacement as such, just a dish in it's own right. The steamed "chicken" in lotus leaf is made of a variety of mushrooms, and is made in a a gravy that is savoury and meaty. The beef and asparagus rolls use mock beef slices, which are a very good approximation to the real thing. They also to some fake sushi which is interesting. For me, the best things about eating mock meats are the good impacts on the environment, and of course not eating animals, but also, I find the vegetarian adaptations of meat dishes less fatty and oily. It means you can have a really good feed, and not feel all greasy and sluggish afterwards. The restaurant is typically Chinese, in that it is crowded and crammed with tables, everything is plastic or laminated, the lighting is bright and unforgiving. However, it is clean and well presented. The staff are very welcoming and friendly. Some of the senior staff speak reasonable English, so you can make yourself understood, but if in doubt you can always point to the pictures in the menu (which includes English). Actually, everyone there seems to be so friendly. I once even shared a couple of dishes with two complete strangers who had ordered too much! Rather than waste it, they wanted me to try some of it! Don't forget to grab a loyalty card (you can even pick one up at the front desk on the way in). It's just a plastic business card, but they will give you a 5% discount upon presenting it.

Good was average. Waiters (all of them and on all tables) had a habit of slamming the dishes and…read morecutlery on tables.

Here's another flavor of dim sum in Hong Kong: Dim sum with a breathtaking harbor view!…read more To enjoy a great view of Hong Kong, you'll need to be on the Kowloon side, and Tsim Tsa Tsui East (TST East) is among one of a few areas that offer a spectacular view of the harbor as well as the skyline of the island. So if this is your first time visiting HK, this would be an ideal place to check out a local dim sum favorite as well as one of the most amazing harbor views in the World - something that you cannot find in North America. Ho Choi, literally translated as good luck, has every characteristic of an old-school traditional and superstitious Chinese name. It's more of a local gem rather than a tourist trap - such as those Chinese restaurants located in the Four Seasons or Ritz Carlton. Here, you'll enjoy tasty dim sums while rubbing elbows with local folks and a staff that speaks limited but enough English. Prices are moderate and reasonable for a restaurant that is at a somewhat upscale area. The basic staples such as har gow, siu mai, pork spare ribs, etc. were really good, albeit not outstanding. However, one dish was absolutely amazing and memorable: FRIED BEAN CURD ROLL IN TOMATO & EGG SOUP. The bean curd wrap was thin and was fried to a crispy perfection. The filling was soft, moist, and yummy. The rolls were dipped in a thick and delicious tomato & eggs soup which was close to heavenly even by Hong Kong's high standard. I will definitely order this dish again the next time I'm there.

Ho Choi (好彩) not only holds the distinction of being part of a memorable restaurant name group, but…read morealso features one of the better Dim Sum experiences in TST. On top of that, it's Dim Sum with a view; a beautiful one of the HK skyline. Situated at the top of the Empire Centre, this banquet hall serves as an ideal spot for all occasions big and small. The prices are reasonable; somewhere between 20-38HKD for each dish. Want a better deal? Shoot for the early bird special before 10:30am for 15 HKD or less select dishes. Plus, the food is fresher and the crowd rush is non existent. While I haven't seen a ton of tourists here (hello locals!), it should be noted there are no carts here. It's all a la carte style and be assured there is a limited English menu available. The selection is pretty stellar and more importantly, the food is tasty. The special shrimp rice noodle (鮮蝦腸粉) is beautifully presented, in bite size snippets served with whole shrimps in each fold. Same bodes for the har gau shrimp dumplings (蝦餃), which may seem a bit minuscule, but pack a decent amount of flavor. Kudos to their dumpling soup ((灌湯餃) for not being overly salty, and sporting a super silky dumpling everyone can get behind. Regular siu mai (燒賣) is readily available, but I would vote for any extra dollars for the super version in the emerald mushroom version (翡翠北菇燒賣). I admit to not being a fan of Malay sponge cake (馬拉糕) but I rather appreciate Ho Choi's soft and squishy version. Turns out I'm just not a fan of dry, less fluffy versions. Their haam seoi gok (鹹水角) is one of the better versions I've sampled, at least before noon. Anytime after that, it becomes like the rest of the subpar set from Dim Sum land. I really enjoyed their sticky rice (糯米飯), which is abundant in Chinese sausage (臘腸), which will ultimately win me over any day. No dim sum experience is complete without egg tarts (蛋撻) but I reckon the lao sa bao (流沙包) is the ultimate sweet treat. Living up to its "flowing sand" name, it is a steamed, fluffy, bao of magic runny sweet egg custard. When done well, it is a highlight as much as any, and one that I look forward to each time I'm at Ho Choi in TST. I haven't been around to try their dinner as of yet, but if it's anything like their Dim Sum hour, I'm sure to be in for a treat.

Very fluffy and soft shrimp Cheung fun, better than anything I've had in the USA. I love dimsum and…read moreyou can go to anyplace in hong Kong and it will be wonderful

This was a little challenging to find because it's located inside the China Hong Kong City, on the…read more3rd floor. You have to take 2 sets of escalators and go thru the double glass door to get to it. This place was not cheap, it cost $441HKD for 4 of us. They charge $7HKD per person for tea. Everything we ordered was good though. Their bbq buns, turnip cakes, spare ribs, and cake with taro custard stood out for us. The restaurant had good decor and very close to the water. Service was good. They do accept credit cards.

Attentive service, Very traditional Cantonese elevated dining ambiance, Average food quality. Not…read morebad, but you can do better with your money in a foodie paradise like Hong Kong.

My family had a family reunion dinner at Celestial Court because of the central location, good…read morereputation for food and the ability to have a private room. We selected a set menu for the 45 of us in advance, and each dish was delicious. My favorites were the suckling pig and the longevity bun was surprisingly good. Chinese food isn't known for their desserts and this one doesn't look particularly compelling...but the bun was the right combination of a fluffy bun surrounding a sweet but nutty filling of lotus seed paste. I could've eaten dozens of those... The abalone was another pleasant surprise since I don't generally like abalone but this abalone was tender and flavorful...the things I had always heard about abalone! Hotel restaurants are never cheap and this was not an exception. It's spendy but certainly worth the quality.

Tucked away along Hart's Avenue's booze scene is Joy Cuisine, one of the area's only local…read moresemi-grandeur Dim Sum establishments. It is vastly underrated versus the more higher end Dim Sum spots along Nathan, but serves as a solid hidden gem with a good variety of yum cha classics. When entering from the seedy streetside, first time goers will be pleased to see a bustling, fancy looking banquet hall that have seen numerous special occasions. Like many Canto spots, this place is serving patrons from 7am to 4pm a la Dim Sum while the dinner service meant for Chinese group dinners. Bonus: WiFi is available here. And I have yet to be disappointed with their Dim Sum. From steamed buns to fried dumplings, it's a hodgepodge of good stuff that like many other tea houses, is ordered a la carte. I have an affinity for their fried rice noodle rolls (炸蝦腸粉), which came in red for the longest time and adds a new dimension with the crispy interior and soft noodle exterior. I am always pleased with their sticky rice in lotus leaves (珍珠雞) and the pan fried turnip cakes (蘿蔔糕). They also serve the softest sweet custard buns (流沙奶黄飽), which are always a highlight at the end of the meal. They tend to run out after 1pm, but I still ask anyway because I'm an optimist. The egg tarts (蛋撻) aren't the best but they certainly do the job with the mini sized version. On occasion, I'll spring for their century egg pork porridge (皮蛋瘦肉粥) because it's actually really good but it's a semi-premium item. The staff is as hustle / bustle as they come. Empty baskets / plates get swooped up quickly and water / napkins are provided most of the time without even asking. They are pretty good about getting seats for everyone and not making folks share tables during the rush hour. On weekdays, they have a stellar deal in which the food is 30% off after 2pm. Late afternoon lunch anyone?

Solid 3.5 stars…read more Fine dining decor with the chandeliers, and lots of it. The place for a wedding. Ordered the brocolli halibut, watercrest, link cod and claypot spareribs. All edible after airplane flight and tons of private airplane lounges lol. Located in good area. Elevator available for those child strollers ;)