Hong Kong: San Hing 新興食家

As we had a morning flight to catch out of Hong Kong, we planned to do an early morning Dim Sum breakfast in San Hing as it opens at 3am and was rated on CNNGo as having very good Liu Sha Bao 流沙包 (golden custard bun). The stars were aligned too, as we bunked over at our friend’s pad in Kennedy Town which ended up being only 200m away from San Hing. This is the view we got when we left her pad to trot to San Hing – it’s really cool to be staying just a few steps away from the harbour.

Totally random but I spotted this pretty Body Shop Tram on our way there.

The moment we entered, we felt all eyes on us as we were the only odd ones out. At 7am, everyone there was a retiree clutching newspapers and Yum Cha-ing as part of their morning routine. You probably get the clubbers post-clubbing in the wee hours of the morning; but at daybreak, retirees rule at San Hing. It was packed to the brim but we managed to squeeze past the crowd into a corner of the back section and shared a table with an elderly man.

There was no menu so we just ordered the usuals and scanned the many media clippings on their wall for recommendations. Let’s start with the Liu Sha Bao that even Eason Chan recommends.

As its name dictates, the filling of the Liu Sha Baos at San Hing really gush out out, unlike the almost-solid ones we often get in Singapore. I quite liked it as it wasn’t overly oily, didn’t have too much salted egg, and had a fragrant coconut milk taste. A pity it wasn’t served piping hot so by the time I snapped a few photos it was already cold.

We also ordered the Shrimp Dumpling (Har Gao), Glutinous Rice Wrapped in Lotus Leaf (Luo Mai Gai) and Rice Roll with Prawns (Har Cheong Fan). All were pretty good! I especially liked the skins of the cheong fan and har gaos, they were thin, fresh and moist enough. The glutinous rice could have done with a bit more sauce/flavour. On hindsight I should have ordered the Quail Egg Siew Mai too but I completely blanked out as we rushed to order.

For “dessert”, I wanted the Osmanthus Jelly, but was told they only serve it in summer. So I ordered the Deep Fried Milk which is also one of their signature dishes and the waitress said they don’t have that either. But anyway it popped up on our table like 1 minute later, so I’m not complaining. I’ve not eaten this before so I didn’t know what to expect. Unfortunately this was served cold and hence felt very greasy :( But it was still semi-crispy on the outside, and the inside was basically a milk-flavoured custard. Not exactly salty or sweet, just milk-flavoured. Still I could imagine that served piping hot, it would have tasted 10 times better.

San Hing to me, felt like a neighbourhood Dim Sum place catering to the nearby residents and probably the clubbing/night shift crowd who want supper (given the weird opening hours). It isn’t exactly a place for refined Dim Sum, or to sit and linger as it has extremely uncomfortable surroundings. But that said, the retirees there seemed to have no qualms about zen-ing out and reading their newspapers over copious amount of tea. If you do enjoy a good Liu Sha Bao or are looking for a late night/early morning Dim Sum feast, it’s worth a trek.

Price: $ (<30 SGD for 2 pax)
Location: 10 Hau Wo St., Kennedy Town, Hong Kong Island (nearest MTR is Sheung Wan/Central, you can take a cab from there)
Open daily: 3 a.m. – 4 p.m.