Know Your Chinese Cuisine

Sick of Shanghainese? Can’t have another bite of Cantonese? Don’t worry, there’s a little bit of every part of China in Hong Kong, if you look hard enough. Fortunately, we’ve already done the looking for you – this is what we found.

Fujian

The cuisine: Fujian cuisine is full of flavor – spicy, sweet and sometimes sour, similar to the cuisine of neighboring Taiwan. Fujian is particularly famous for its pasty noodles with oyster, and oyster omelets.
The restaurant: Located in North Point, an area traditionally known as “Little Fujian,” Mun Nam Restaurant (G/F, 25 Kam Ping St., North Point, 2887-2381) is the only place on the island to offer authentic home-cooked Fujian dishes. The long queues for dinner are proof of the quality.
The food: Combine sweet potato powder, garlic, fresh baby oysters and eggs and what you get is a succulent oyster omelet light on the grease ($35). The five-herb chicken roll ($15) is another favorite, but the name is misleading – it’s actually minced pork wrapped inside a crispy bean curd skin. Or the adventurous can go for the chewy bug jelly, which is kind of like it sounds – a worm served in gelatin ($12). It’s a Fujian staple said to make your skin glow.
Great for: Anyone who loves Taiwanese and, uh, worms.

Hakka

The cuisine: If you know your Chinese history, you know Hakka cuisine (or “walled village cuisine”) is not from one particular province; the people are scattered across Guangdong, Jiangxi, and Fujian and the cuisine is a curious mixture of the three provinces using simple ingredients.
The restaurant: We recommend Eryi Tower (1/F, Allied Kajima Building, Gloucester Rd., Wan Chai, 2511-1228), a little-known Hakka restaurant in Wan Chai. Decorated with lanterns and bamboo curtains, the restaurant has a Chinese vibe with a modern twist.
The food: Since pork is the most popular meat in Hakka cuisine, try the fragrant fried pork ribs ($68), marinated with fermented shrimp paste. The steamed sea bass ($58) is lightly salted and delicious. But Chef Au-Yeung recommends, the Hakka staple, chicken simmered in yellow wine ($55) – it’s a great tonic especially for new mothers. Don’t forget to wash it all down with some glutinous rice wine.
Great for: Those who like their booze so much they want it in every dish.

Hunan

The cuisine: Sometimes called “Mao cuisine” (Mao being a native of the province) Hunan is generally oilier than other Chinese cuisines, and features lots of spice, tofu (especially the notorious black stinky tofu) and fatty meats.
The restaurant: There’s a great Hunan eatery in the middle of Central - the spacious, comfortable Hunan Garden Restaurant (3/F, The Forum, 8 Connaught Place, Central, 2868-2880).
The food: Besides staples like the fatty pork ($120), try the other authentic dishes, like the Hunan chicken soup ($45), which is served with a large chunk of minced melt-in-your-mouth chicken. The cold sliced beef with spicy sauce ($78) also has that famous Hunan sweet and spicy flavor. The fish fillets with fried minced beans are soft yet crunchy. If spice is your thing, go for the fried prawns with General Tso chili sauce – it will set your mouth on fire.
Great for: Anyone who has a thing for fatty, fatty pork and sweet, sweet sauce.