The Cheap Gourmet
Winnie Yeung spills the beans on where to eat well for less than $35.
I like a $2,000 dinner as much as the next person, but I can’t afford to eat like that on a regular basis. And I’m not the only one. Hey, no problem. There are plenty of places out there offering good, tasty food at rock bottom prices. You just have to know where to look.
The Juiciest Burger
Lucky Snack House
17 Burrows St., Wan Chai, 2572-1843
Yeah, we know McDonald’s sells dirt-cheap burgers, but we’d rather spend our $6.50 on the patties served up in this backstreet joint. Much loved by local residents, Lucky’s burger has a crunchy bun, juicy beef, fresh onion and, for an extra $2.50, a topping of melted cheddar. We’re not saying you should ditch your Triple O’s – but read that price tag again.
Splurge: Add crispy fries for $7.
The Finest Hawker Food
Tung Tat Food Shop
172 Fa Yuen St., Mongkok
In local slang, “street sweeping” has two meanings; one involves a broom, the other means to snack on street food as you wander through Mongkok until you’re completely full. You’ll find matchbox-sized shops selling street eats in almost every district in Hong Kong (although perhaps not in South Bay). There are two staples: “fish fin” soup (don’t worry, animal activists; it’s just a starchy soup with vermicelli masquerading as fish), and “fried three treasures” (fried vegetable with fish paste). Ubiquitous they may be, but the quality can vary enormously, from delicious to potentially poisonous. Thank god for Tung Tat Food Shop, which sells good fish fin soup stuffed with ingredients for $12 a bowl.
Splurge: The fried three treasures ($6) is noticeably less oily than most places on busy Fa Yuen Street.