Dai Pai Dong

Dai pai dong are open-air street-stalls that serve cooked food. The name literally means ‘restaurant with a big license plate’, referring to the large size of the licenses they are issued. Today, the term is applied to all open-air food stalls, and not just the ones with this specific license. Dai pai dong food usually consists of stir-fries although you can find just about any type of dish or snack in one. Eating at a dai pai dong is truly Hong Kong experience as you will probably end up sharing a table with strangers during busy hours, can cross order from different vendors and are free to watch the local street life. Dai pai dong can be found almost anywhere in the city. Side streets and lanes are the most likely place to spot them. You can find ones that are decades old near the the Central－Mid-Levels Escalator in Central on Hong Kong Island and in the neighbourhood of Sham Shui Po in Kowloon.

Soy-sauce Western

Soy-sauce Western refers to Hong Kong-style Western food, which began to evolve in the early part of the 20th century, when local chefs began adding Chinese flavours, such as soy sauce, to Western dishes. This fusion of cuisines mirrors the blending of cultures that has shaped Hong Kong. The Western custom of serving food on heated plates influenced one of the most typical examples of soy-sauce Western -- the sizzling meat plate. A covered plate is brought to the table, the lid is removed and a sauce is added by the waiter. The result is a pleasingly loud sizzle and sudden burst of aroma. That soy-sauce Western emerged from Hong Kong is not surprising. After all, this fusion of and Eastern and Western cuisines mirrors the blending of cultures that has shaped the city itself.