RESTAURANTS

Hong Kong has an unbelievable number of restaurants offering an incredible range of food at prices from dirt-cheap to outrageously expensive. Almost every kind of cuisine is available. In most restaurants there is a 10% service charge automatically added to your bill. This service charge is usually not given to the waiters. If you liked the service you can leave the coins returned to you on a tray for your tip. An honor roll of restaurants is kept at the Information Booth. You can enjoy a good meal without being ripped off. The Quarterdeck Club is our club restaurant at Fenwick Pier. When large groups of sailors are in town it becomes a pub. One floor up is the Vero Chocolate Lounge for exotic chocolate treats. Watch the chocolates being made. The Vero Chocolate Lounge and the Quarterdeck Club have the best views of the Hong Kong Harbor.

Our telephone lounge with free Wi-Fi

CHINESE FOOD

Chinese food varies according to the area in China where it originated. Many people who don’t like "American" Chinese food, which is often just a variation on Cantonese, end up loving Chinese food in Hong Kong. Chinese food is even more varied than European food but it’s best to go with a small group. Order one dish per person plus a vegetable dish and either rice or noodles. Eat family style.  You’ll find chopsticks are fun to use. Don’t worry about what falls on the table. The lower chopstick remains stationary and the thumb and forefinger move the upper. Using the porcelain spoon is always proper etiquette.

CANTONESE FOOD

Cantonese cooking is renowned as the best of the seven major Chinese cuisines and it is mild. It is most popular for quick fry cooking which emphasizes the fresh ingredients and delicate flavors of seafood and vegetable dishes. Cantonese cooking is also famous for its dim sum.

DIM SUM

When the Chinese say, "let’s go yum cha," they are saying "let’s go drink tea," but they really mean, "let’s go to the tea house for dim sum."

Dim sum is Cantonese hors d’oeuvres; light snacks served in small dishes or bamboo baskets, three to four bite-size pieces to a serving. Cost per dish ranges from HK$12 - HK$20.

Some popular dim sum dishes: steamed shrimp dumplings, steamed beef, steamed buns filled with barbecued pork and spring rolls. It’s best to go for dim sum in a group. The price per person will be less, and you’ll be able to sample more dishes. A satisfying lunch for five or six will cost roughly HK$100 per person.

Start off by telling the waiter your preference in tea: heung pin (jasmine) is light-colored and flowery tasting: bo lei is stronger, suggesting the taste of moist tree bark. Tea settles the stomach and helps digest fatty foods. When the pot is empty, open the cover as a sign to the waiter to refill it with boiling water. Choose what you like from the carts as they go by. Open the baskets and look. The cart-pushers are friendly and patient. Select a dish and they stamp the price on your card. Despite its renown, some Americans find dim sum bland or oily.

Avoid the lunchtime peak 1300-1400 and Sunday mornings. Late morning or afternoon is best (but never dinnertime). 

The Pool Room at Fenwick Pier