Life on alluvial plains gives rise to unique coastal cuisine

Yuen Long has evolved from a small market town on the northwest alluvial plains to a modern, well-connected, self-contained mini metropolis. In the process, it has spawned some 600 restaurants.

The choices on offer range from chains to boutique restaurants, and include local and international delicacies. But there is also a big emphasis on traditional cuisine. Some of its older restaurants make Yuen Long worth a visit.

The large and recently renovated Tai Wing Wah has been a Yuen Long institution for 36 years. It offers 'walled village cuisine', also known as farmer's cuisine - a style of cooking with an emphasis on seafood and vegetables over meat. The clans of the New Territories, especially the Hakka, used to live in villages with high brick walls and moats, as protection from pirates. While the pirates are long gone, many traditional aspects of the culture remain.

Owner and award-winning celebrity chef, Hugo Leung Man-to says: 'The charm of dining in Yuen Long prevails because decades-long traditional outlets like wonton noodle shops and dai pai dong still offer superb products. We all cook with our hearts. This kind of food is irreplaceable.'

Five-flavour chicken, barbecue pork, and spicy duck steamed in bean sauce are typical family-style dishes on a large menu of 120. Many of these change according to the availability of the vegetables.

If you're visiting on a Saturday, the next stop might be a challenge. Hang Heung Cake Shop has been drawing crowds for 80 years because of its famous loh poh beng, or wife cakes. The flaky pastry case, with a sweet winter melon paste filling, takes its name from a devoted wife who sold herself into servitude to raise money to cure her sick husband. When he recovered, the husband created the cake to raise a fortune and buy his wife back. The owners of the shop are on their way to a fortune, selling thousands of the HK$5 tarts daily.