These 3 fluffy (on the top) and crispy (on the bottom) buns filled with soup waiting for me to bite into them. :)
I can't believe there wasn't any queue!
The chef cooking those delicious smelling buns.
Lovely buns all lined up and being pan fried.
"Trying" to find a seat. ;) In times past, I wouldn't be able to squeeze in here at all.
Their menu. Buns, buns and more buns!
2 sets of the triple flavoured buns for the pair of us.
The classic signature bun.
The shrimp bun.
The truffle bun.
Another Michelin rated stall I tried out in Hong Kong recently was the Cheung Hing Kee Shanghai Pan-fried Buns 祥興記上海生煎包. This was actually the first time I’ve ever tried it as the queues pre covid were always horrendously long. So when I passed by and saw that it was empty, I knew it had to be a sign to finally this place.
Their specialty is, as the shop clearly states, Shanghai Pan-Fried Buns, also known as “Sheng Jian Bao” 生煎包. These are buns which are placed in a shallow oiled flat pan and fried with crispy bottoms. Water is also sprayed on the top of the buns to provide the steaming effect.
I guess what differentiates these buns from the typical buns are that the insides are filled with savoury hot soup! (Most Chinese buns are usually stuffed with non soupy fillings so that it doesn’t soak through the buns)
I tried their triple combo which consisted of their classic buns, shrimp buns and truffle buns. The owner of the shop seemed to be a pretty cheerful guy and was asking if this was my first time here. Upon hearing that it was, he promptly went into instructing me in the art of eating these buns and also his recommended order of eating the different flavours.
I was supposed to make a small hole on the top of the bun by nibbling off a small portion of the top, and then slowly sip the soup through that hole. I was also warned to sip slowly and carefully as the hot was boiling hot. After which, the bun itself would have cooled down and I could then pop it into my mouth to eat it down. His recommended order of eating? The classic signature flavour, followed by the shrimp flavour, and then finally the black truffle flavour.
The soup was really tasty and aromatic for all 3 different flavours. His order of eating was probably the right one as I thought finishing it off with the strongest tasting truffle bun was perfect. The contrast between the soft half of the bun and the crispy part below also made for a really interesting eating experience.
I would definitely come back again the next time I visit Hong Kong again. I can’t believe I’ve always skipped this stall because of the queues. This will be added onto my must try list in the future. :)