When in Hong Kong, you must try traditional Cantonese cuisine. I remember finding some pictures of Cantonese restaurant Xin Dau Ji on Dan Hong’s Instagram and scribbling down the restaurant name on the closest piece of scrap paper. This was the day I learnt that spinning pig is hypnotic.
One of the first items on my list of “things to eat in Hong Kong” was suckling pig. When I found out that theirs is apparently the best suckling pig in Hong Kong, I was extra-psyched to try it. Once you walk in, there is a window on your right where you can watch a chef with a whole suckling pig on what looks like a giant carving fork. It is being spun over a charcoal pit to get a crispy skin.
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| House special roasted suckling pig, quarter body ($188HKD, ~$31.30AUD) |
The crack of crispy skin is one of the most beautiful sounds I’ve ever heard. It melts in your mouth and could possibly bring tears to your eyes if you haven’t really had suckling pig before. Even the thin layer of fat above the meat is delicious. Needless to say, the skin was the first thing to go and a second plate was ordered.
We don’t often get to enjoy roast goose in Sydney – it is predominantly duck here – but it is everywhere in Hong Kong. Its skin is not as crisp as the pig’s, but when is it ever? Dipped in a thick plum sauce, the fatty taste is lessened. Despite being juicy, I would choose another plate of roast pig over goose.
My first thought when I taste the tender, pink meat is “this tastes like the Christmas ham my aunt makes every year, but softer.” It’s a little difficult for me to get through the skin in one bite so I just end up dipping the whole slice of fatty skin into the sour dipping sauce. I cleaned up a quarter of the plate by myself!
This, along with suckling pig, is one of their signature dishes. Battered fish is nothing new but with sweetcorn sauce? I’d never tried that before and now it’s been added to my repertoire. The (obviously) high sugar content of sweetcorn goes really well with seafood.
Beans and mince are a popular Asian stir-fried dish. You can definitely taste shrimp paste on the crunchy string beans. After trying this, I still maintain that the best version of this I’ve had is my mom’s (which I eat with rice).
The staff don’t have the best English but through hand gestures and one or two Cantonese words, you can order a full meal. Xin Dau Ji has the best suckling pig I’ve ever had and you don’t have to pre-order! If you’re in a large party, you might want to book ahead to guarantee a table.
Xin Dau Ji
3F, Kowloon Centre,
29-39 Ashley Rd,
Tsim Sha Tsui,
Kowloon
More locations here.
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| House special roasted goose, half body ($258HKD, ~$43AUD) |
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| Smoked duck breast ($58HKD, ~$9.65AUD) |
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| Deep-fried fish fillet with sweet corn sauce ($148HKD, ~$24.65AUD) |
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| Pan-fried string beans with minced pork ($78HKD, ~$13AUD) |
Beans and mince are a popular Asian stir-fried dish. You can definitely taste shrimp paste on the crunchy string beans. After trying this, I still maintain that the best version of this I’ve had is my mom’s (which I eat with rice).
The staff don’t have the best English but through hand gestures and one or two Cantonese words, you can order a full meal. Xin Dau Ji has the best suckling pig I’ve ever had and you don’t have to pre-order! If you’re in a large party, you might want to book ahead to guarantee a table.
Xin Dau Ji
3F, Kowloon Centre,
29-39 Ashley Rd,
Tsim Sha Tsui,
Kowloon
More locations here.
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