Monday, December 30, 2013

Bakeries in Hong Kong

My body clock must have been fixed to the Australian time zone so much that when I was in Hong Kong, I was waking up at around 6am and zoning out in bed trying to go back to sleep. One morning, I was game enough to wander around the block to soak up some of the early morning vibe and fingers crossed, get my hands on some freshly baked goodies.

It was a chilly morning that day and I was greeted with the morning work crowd aka pedestrians rushing to catch the train/bus to work. I happily strolled into all the smaller streets, hoping to discover more unheard of cha chaan teng/ kopitiams. I did pass by Starbucks but that doesn't really fit the bill, unfortunately:S

I stayed at 75 Waterloo Road which is surrounded by at least 5 bakeries that must have been opened for business since 7am. I popped into all of them, and if I liked what I see, no second thoughts there.

Green tea and red bean polo bun ~ polo bun is an authentically Hong Kong item that did not bypass my radar. I had the original aka not any hint of flavour polo bun a few days ago and was not too happy with it. This time round, I found a flavoured version which was stuffed full of red bean paste. The joys of biting into a fluffy piece of bread and getting a slight crunch from the exterior layer that melts away as you continue to chew.

Egg tarts ~ at just aud$0.90, I could not say no, especially when it just came out of the oven and there are heaps of people entering this particular bakery. The golden egg filling was soft and very fragrant and the crumbly crust was just heavenly.


I have also sampled a random milk bun which had a piece of butter in it. It was equally satisfying although I made the fatal error of sampling it after taking mouthfuls of the green tea polo bun and egg tart. I love how the bread/buns here are all soft and fluffy, like a pillow really!

Mango custard bun ~ an interesting flavour combination that looks too tempting to resist. Soft and slightly tart mango custard filling was yummy...

Hokkaido milk bun ~ I don't know what the original milk bun tastes like but this is pretty good, in my humble opinion. Milk custard in a bun sure did surprise me as I was not expecting it. Was not too sweet for my liking too!:)


Overall, I was impressed by the quality of the baked goodies here, considering that they are not too expensive as well. I did weigh myself after the trip had ended and found that I have in fact, lost a bit of weight. Must have been because the buns are not heavily loaded with butter/ other fatty ingredients which probably contributed to their feather light textures. If only I could go back...someday maybe:)

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