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As more and more tourists come to visit Hong Kong every year, it is quickly turning into a melting pot of culinary specialties. If you happen to love sashimi, sushi, and the famous California maki, then you should take some time off and visit some of the Japanese restaurants in Hong Kong. Here’s a short guide to two famous restos in the city.

Genki Sushi, Hong Kong

Genki Sushi is highly recommended for its traditional Japanese specialties. True to its name, it is best known for its sushi and Japanese dining service. If you order its famous sushi platter, you’ll have it served through a conveyor belt. You just pick up your order from the counter, and you can start enjoying the delectable entree. This place is for sushi-lovers who’d have much delight sampling different flavors. The menu includes tuna and shrimp sushi, crab salad sushi, and corn sushi. California handrolls are also a specialty here. In every bite, you’ll enjoy the mix of seaweed, rice, avocado, and crab in a wrap. You might also want to try their seafood treats and other delicacies such as the salmon, whelks, and fish roe.

Good food is coupled with good service at a more affordable price, making it one of the favorite food chains for traditional Japanese cuisine. From Monday to Sunday, you can drop by the place from 11:30 am to 11:30 pm. However, you may see yourself lining up during lunchtime and weekends when there are usually plenty of customers.

Unkai, Hong Kong

If you want a more relaxing atmosphere, blending the modern and traditional Japanese interior, Unkai in Sheraton Hotel in Hong Kong is a good choice. You’ll be surrounded by bamboo, sandstone, glass, stainless steel, and marble decoration and furniture sets, which all add up to the restaurant’s appeal to customers who want good food and good ambiance. Unkai, Hong Kong has the private Teppan area, open Teppan area, main dining place, three private rooms, and its own Sushi and Sake bar. The restaurant also has a Tatami room. Different dining areas suit the varied dining preferences of customers. The menu includes Bento meals, Kaiseki and Tepanyaki sets. It also has its fresh serving of sashimi and sushi using seasonal fish.

If it’s your first time and don’t have any idea what to order, try its Sake Dinner and cold sakes. For desserts, good choices include corn, green tea, and sesame ice cream. Reservation is required. You also have to specify the dining area you prefer. It is open from 12:00 pm to 2:30 pm and 6:30 pm to 10:30 pm.

These two Japanese restaurants may differ in style and service, but both offer great treats for your traditional Japanese cuisine cravings.

Related questions:

1. How will you rate the food service of Genki Sushi?
2. What are the beverages served in Genki Sushi?
3. What’s included in the Sake Dinner of Unkai in Hong Kong?

Hong Kong is filled with dining places that specialize in different types of cuisine. Around the city, you can find restaurants that’s highly rated by Michelin Guide. As you walk along, you’ll also see food chains that offer their own special servings of noodle soups. If you’re looking for something new and tasty but still cheap, some would recommend Lok Yuen and Wing Wah Noodle Shop. These two restaurants are known for their soup bowls. Let’s see why.

Lok Yuen, the King of Beef Ball Chiu Chaw Noodle

Lok Yuen is best known for its Beef and Fish Maw Balls, or Exploding Beef Balls. Beef is the key ingredient in this recipe, which is seasoned with pepper and garlic. These seasonings also help cover the distinct fish taste and blends so well with the ingredients to create such a distinct flavor. Just be careful with when sipping the steamy broth, if you want to fully enjoy your bowl of Exploding Beef Balls. The meatballs are actually chewy, and you’d surely have blast with the exploding juice once you bite into one.

Another specialty of Lok Yuen is the Four Treasures Noodles, which offers a great mix of flavors from different meat/fish balls. The fish noodles here are handmade. The Four Treasures Noodles, as they call it, is highly recommended for first-timers in this restaurant. For the Fish Dumplings, the flavor also comes from dried shrimp and sole. Still, the main ingredient is fish, even for the skin of the dumpling.

Wing Wah Noodle Shop

If you want the classic wonton noodles, then Wing Wah Noodle Shop offers a good treat for your limited budget. The wontons have fresh shrimp in them, and the noodles is known for its crunchy and crispy texture. They all blend so well in a clear broth. The restaurant serves good wonton noodles. But it doesn’t offer much surprise for culinary adventurers because of the rather limited menu.

There are mixed reviews about this noodle shop, but most say that the soup is tasty. If you’re on a budget, this small restaurant offers a good treat at a less expensive price. Just be warned that there are busy days, which means a lot of customers dropping by the noodle shop. Wing Wah Noodle Shop is found along Hennessy Road in Wan Chai.

A trip to Hong Kong won’t be complete without sampling its famous noodles and dumpling as classic treats. Most tourists are busy touring around the city and shopping for great deals. Thankfully, there are small restaurants and noodle shops found along the streets that serve warm bowls of soup and quick treats for people who are ready to move on with their shopping and tours after a quick stop. These shops also offer the best value for money if you want to save more for your buying spree or spend your travel budget for tours and accommodations.

Related questions:

1. Why is it called Exploding Beef Balls?
2. How cheap are the noodle soups of Wing Wah?
3. What’s the best pair for the fish dumplings?

Aside from bargain shopping, the best way to truly experience Hong Kong is to venture into your very own culinary exploration. There’s a lot of great dining places here, from those that offer more affordable meals to the not so cheap entrees. You just have to find your way to your gastronomical desires. Exploring the city on your own, you may come by a restaurant that has customers lining up. There are also posh restaurants housed in Hong Kong hotels. Try Congee King and Dynasty Restaurant in the city to give you a taste of true Hong Kong dining.

Congee King

For those who have no idea what congee is, it is a Chinese version of porridge, or rice gruel with garnishing. The rice is cooked using rice fish broth that creates a silky smooth consistency. Pork liver and eel are also mixed in the congee. Those golden rivulets are actually the oil from the liver. Cooked and chilled curls of carp skin are also part of the mix to bring in a new flavor and that crunchy snap. Congee comes with ginger, peanuts, and scallions and is seasoned with soy sauce.

You can visit Congee King at Wan Chai, Hong Kong Island. It is a small restaurant but it’s worth a try. Though the menu is not as varied as other food chains, you’d love the fact that it doesn’t use MSG in cooking. It’s also good for those who want to try something simple and fairly cheap. Service is good, but you might find the menu quite limited. Also, not all develop a strong liking to congee on their first try.

Dynasty Restaurant

Aside from good food, you’ll also get a great view of the Victoria Harbor when you dine at Dynasty Restaurant in Hong Kong. This elegant dining place serves Cantonese cuisine. Their specialties are dim sum and other home-made treats. You have varied choices from their a la carte menu. For different seasons, expect variations in the menu list. But all in all, you’re sure to find fresh seafood meals, the famous bird’s nest and shark’s fin as classic treats. There are also good reviews for the restaurant’s serving of pea shoots stir-fried with duck liver sausage and black-pepper-crusted smoked beef tongue. Service is good, but expect the meals to be a bit expensive.

Both of these restaurants are found in Wan Chai. You might want to explore and find other restaurants and eateries along Wan Chai if you’re in for a culinary adventure. Hong Kong restaurants may specialize in Cantonese, Chinese, Szechuan, or Asian cooking. What Hong Kong has to offer is a different twist to Asian meals, using century-old cooking styles and fresh ingredients. These are a must-try, especially for foodies from the West.

Related questions:

1. What are the different types of congee served in Congee King?
2. Does Dynasty Restaurant serve exotic Chinese dishes?
3. What are other good restaurants in Wan Chai?