Braised pigeon, roasted meat (siu mei) and waxed meat (lap mei) in Hong Kong

hong kong siu mei

Siu mei shops can be found all over Hong Kong. These places specialize in Cantonese-style roasted meat – they have everything from plain steamed chicken to roasted goose. They also serve up a gamut of pork dishes – I’ve even seen an entire pig being displayed at one of these restaurants.

roasted meat hong kong

It was a rainy night when we stumbled upon one of the best siew mei (roasted meat) places in Hong Kong. We weren’t really hungry, we just wanted a place to sit down.

eating pigeon

We had spent the best part of the night browsing at Temple Street and I noticed this hole-in-the-wall place which is dirty, slightly dodgy, very loud, and thronged by locals.

lap mei

It serves waxed meat (lap mei) as well! I’m quite fond of the stuff so I decided to check it out.

hong kong local siu mei

The interior had a couple of tables and chairs thrown together and it’s full of old men. There’s definitely no English menu – it’s a place catering to locals. Perfect, that’s just the way I like it. πŸ™‚

eating pigeon hong kong

Anyway, we ate about five meals a day while on vacation in Hong Kong so we decided to order a braised pigeon to share. The pigeon (squab is the proper name for a young pigeon like this) is served whole so you can see the small head and beak perpetually frozen in a mid-squawk of dismay. πŸ˜‰ It doesn’t have a lot of meat on it, but it’s very tasty. The meat is slightly tough but the flavor is excellent. I absolutely loved it.

braised pigeon

The lap cheong (waxed Cantonese sausages) in Hong Kong is pretty good too. The flavor is almost neutral. I know, that doesn’t sound very appetizing but it’s great! It’s not as salty as the usual lap cheong we get over here – this one is slightly sweet and has a good ratio of pork fat and meat.

hong kong siu yoke

I had worked up an appetite eating the pigeon so I ordered a plate of siu yoke as well. Besides, it was still raining outside and I got the distinct impression that you’re supposed to leave when you’re finished with your meal coz there were people waiting and the tables are shared. Heh.

siu yoke hong kong

Now, Hong Kong siu mei shops takes great pride in their product and although I was pretty full by then, I couldn’t resist eating it all. The siu yoke tends to lean towards the fatty side (smirk) and has a crispy layer of skin on top. You get the whole experience of crispy skin, fat and meat and it’s very tender and juicy – positively orgasmic when you eat it with the mustard it’s served with.

siu yoke takeaway

Hell, it was so good I ordered a portion to take away and eat in the hotel for supper.

temple street siu mei

I also noticed that they serve steamed fish with rice, which a lot of people ordered. It’s an unassuming shop specializing in roasted meat, waxed meat and the odd fish somewhere near the fringes of Temple Street. It’s one of the best discoveries we made in Hong Kong, totally loved the pigeon and siu yoke. I wish I had tried the fish though, it looked very promising.

eating siu mei

However, it wasn’t very cheap – the dinner and takeaway cost HKD 340 (about RM 142) for the two of us. You can’t say much about the presentation but it’s the best siu mei we had in Hong Kong and it was worth every single red cent. πŸ™‚

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30 thoughts on “Braised pigeon, roasted meat (siu mei) and waxed meat (lap mei) in Hong Kong”

    • Heh! It’s hard to miss eh?

      It’s an entire roasted pig, whole from snout to tail. πŸ˜€

      Yeah, food can be cheap in Hong Kong but the pigeon is not and siu mei generally is a bit more expensive. Siu yoke minimum order was HKD 60.

      Reply
    • Indeed! I’ve noticed the difference too, it tastes a whole lot better in Hong Kong. πŸ™‚

      They have a wider variety too…goose, pigeon etc.

      Reply
    • Haha! Oh this reminds me, should really get to eat your cooking before you’re too busy with wedding preparations and all that. πŸ™‚

      I’ll invite myself over someday. #shameless

      Reply
    • Nice! I had goose in Hong Kong too but at a different place, it’s at the first shop in the first photo (the one with the whole roasted pig).

      The shops are quite small with limited seating coz a lot of people order it to go. πŸ™‚

      Reply
    • Nice! I haven’t had goose since the Hong Kong trip!

      I’ll love to read about it. I did not know Yut Kee had that on the menu and I once attempted to eat every single thing on their menu. Haha! πŸ™‚

      Reply
    • Yeah, it’s more expensive than the siu mei over here but then again I had pigeon and two orders of siu yoke, one of them an extra large one to go. The minimum order is HKD 60 and that wasn’t a lot. I can eat a lot of siu yoke.

      However, it’s really good stuff though, their siu yoke – goes very well with the mustard they serve with it. πŸ™‚

      Reply
  1. HB, yes it can be costly but food is great. My friends and I had just wonton soup and just a few wonton in soup should order with mein. Price with not cheap also. Certain places are prices in food some are not. Try to check out where the local go.

    Reply
    • Yeah, but there is cheap and delicious food in Hong Kong too. πŸ™‚

      I guess it’s just the city, on average it’s more expensive, like even the McDonald’s is more expensive than the ones over here.

      I always prefer to eat where the locals eat. πŸ˜€

      Reply
  2. The lap cheong looks quite good from your picture…fairly large too. Unlike the shriveled ones we get here. I should really visit HK. Been putting it off because I can’t speak proper Cantonese. ~_~

    Reply
    • Yeah it is larger than the skinny and shriveled lap cheong we usually see over here. There isn’t as much salt in it either. πŸ™‚

      No worries, you can easily get by with broken Cantonese. My Cantonese is *really* bad and I used that and English to get around. Of course, my ex did a lot of translating but I reckon I could get around myself if I wanted to.

      Have fun! πŸ˜€

      Reply
    • Heh! Yeah, it doesn’t look like much on the outside but what impressed me was that entire roasted pig. I was tempted to order the head. Haha.

      Indeed, the siu yoke over there is really good, especially this shop. I ended up getting some to go for supper at the hotel. πŸ™‚

      Reply
    • Yeah, I can eat a lot at times. You’ll be surprised at how much I can eat coz I used to binge eat all the time last time. Haha. πŸ™‚

      Reply
    • Yeah, I think it’s the stuff we ordered too. Went with a huge portion of siu yoke to go. πŸ™‚

      Hong Kong food generally more expensive, but there are some places which are cheap. Char chang teng serves good and cheap food. πŸ˜€

      Reply
  3. I live in France. I go to Hong kong in march.
    Where is this restaurant you are taking picture. I would like to go.
    Can you give the adress.
    Thank you.

    Reply

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