Noodles, steak, ‘mind-blowing’ pasta: where a food influencer eats in Hong Kong

Social media influencer Yuki Maryrose Leung likes to share her food picks through her popular Instagram account
Born and bred in Hong Kong, she enjoys Cantonese food, from cart noodles to char siu, and knows all the best places to take tourists when they visit

Food and Drinks

Andrew Sun

Published: 6:15pm, 19 Oct 2023

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Yuki Maryrose Leung is a media production coordinator and food influencer (@yukimaryrosel). She spoke to Andrew Sun.

I’m Hong Kong born and bred and grew up eating delicious, simple local foods. I was also very lucky, as my mum works as a pui yuet (confinement nurse) and is able to cook a very wide range of nourishing and delicious traditional dishes.

For lunch, I love Sun Kee Cart Noodles (Shop B, V Point, 49 Tang Lung Street, Causeway Bay. Tel: 2573 5438) and their well-marinated ingredients and special home-made chilli paste. Also, I can choose as many items as I want.

I also enjoy Samsen (68 Stone Nullah Lane, Wan Chai. Tel: 2234 0001) and their unbelievable Wagyu boat noodles, and Zagin Soba (7 Gough Street, Central. Tel: 2447 1398) for an incredible tori paitan (thick chicken broth) ramen.

Wagyu boat noodles at Thai restaurant Samsen. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

For dinner, Uncle Fong’s (various locations including 14/F, The L Place, 139 Queen’s Road Central. Tel: 2338 1788) Chongqing spicy hotpot has a rich, buttery broth packed with chillies, spices and Sichuan numbing peppers. It’s like how they make it in Chongqing.

Unlike many Italian restaurants, Testina (3/F, 8 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central. Tel: 2798 0668) serves an extensive menu based on various meats like beef heart, chicken offal pasta, fried honeycomb tripe and veal’s brain. It’s very indulgent and enjoyable.

Chicken broth ramen from Zagin Soba. Photo: Instagram/@Jeffylfm

For a late night snack, I like True Gourmet Taste (163 Belcher’s Street, Kennedy Town. Tel: 2904 9486) for all their deep-fried goodies.

Another munchie spot is Block 18 Doggie’s Noodle (multiple locations including 27A Ning Po Street, Jordan. Tel: 2153 0369) for their namesake doggie noodle – don’t worry, there are no pooches involved. It refers to the noodles that are shaped like puppy’s tails – and faux shark’s fin soup with shredded duck.

Don’t forget to add the home-made spicy pickled radish.

For visitors, we would have dim sum at Lin Heung Kui (2-3/F, 46-50 Des Voeux Road West, Sheung Wan. Tel: 2156 9328) and Sun Kwai Heung (Shop 17, G/F, Block C, Goldmine Building, 345 Chai Wan Road, Chai Wan. Tel: 2556 1183) for their char siu.

For dinner, Kui Kee Seafood Restaurant (Shop B, G/F, 16 Bowrington Road, Wan Chai. Tel: 2838 8998) is fun. If they like spicy chicken pot, go to As You Like (G/F, Man Wah Building, 2&8 Man Wui Street, Jordan. Tel: 9182 3339).

Charcoal grilled bone marrow at Testina. Photo: Nicholas Wong

A dish from Block 18 Doggie’s Noodle. Photo: YouTube/Munchies

I’m a steak lover and my top choice for a splurge is Rex Wine & Grill (B/F, One Chinachem, 22 Des Voeux Road Central. Tel: 2857 7157). What really sells me on chef Nate Green is his incredible renditions of classic and lost British dishes, from steak and kidney pie, crab toast to tripe stew and offal meatballs.

Another option is Carbone (9/F, Lan Kwai Fong Tower, 33 Wyndham Street, Central. Tel: 2593 2593) for the mind-blowing spicy vodka rigatoni, followed by steak Diane and lemon cheesecake, washed down with a brandy crusta from their excellent cocktail bar.

Around the region, I’d fly to Hanoi, in Vietnam, for a cold rice noodle at Bun Cha Dac Kim (67 Duong Thanh Street Old Quarter, Hanoi. Tel: +84 24 3828 7060). I love sitting on the tiny plastic stools next to the street, being shocked and overwhelmed by the smoky meat in a sweet and savoury soup, fresh greens, sharp chillies and garlic.

Steak at Rex Wine & Grill. Photo: Rex Wine & Grill

In Singapore, Bak Kee Teochew Satay Bee Hoon’s (85 Redhill Lane, #01-40 Redhill Food Centre, Singapore) flavourful satay sauce (they call it gravy) is perfect with pig’s liver, pork, squid and thin rice noodles.

Lastly, for 15 baht (40 US cents) in Bangkok, Thailand, you can eat one of life’s most delicious dishes at Toy Kuay Teow Reua (Ratchawithi 18 Alley, Thung Phaya Thai, Ratchathewi, Bangkok 10400, Thailand). I think it’s the best restaurant in Bangkok for boat noodles.