When I think of Hong Kong, I think of Yum Cha. Although âyum chaâ means âdrink teaâ, this age-old tradition also involves devouring copious amounts of dim sum and nattering loudly away in Chinese. When I was a small child, my parents would always drag me along to yum cha with family friends and relatives and I used to hate it: I couldnât understand what anyone was saying, my tea was always too hot, and I was too short to reach any of the good food on the table.
Fast forward twenty-odd years and now my parents need to drag me away from the table to get me out of the restaurant.
What exactly is yum cha?
Yum cha is basically a Cantonese brunch, where small portions (usually 3 apiece) of pan-fried, steamed, and deep-fried dim sum dishes are served in bamboo steamers for the whole table to share. This is all washed down with your favourite Chinese tea.
If you go with a large group, you may be seated on a table with a Lazy Susan. Pro tip: be ready to spin the table your way as soon as your dish comes, otherwise prepare for a standoff for the last dim sum.
Back in the old days, the bamboo steamers were stacked tall on trolleys, which were pushed around the restaurant. When you saw the dish you wanted, you stopped the waiter, they served your dish, and ticked it off on your table number.
Nowadays, most restaurants have a paper menu where you choose your dishes, and theyâre then brought out to you. Whilst this stops the wastage of food, it sure makes things difficult if you canât read ChineseâŠ
You could try ticking a few boxes and keeping your fingers crossed that youâll like what you get, but if youâre feeling brave, you can order from the waiter using this handy guide to yum cha in Cantonese!
Cha
First, foremostly, and possibly most importantly is the tea! The typical standard will be oolong or jasmine tea. Youâll be given two teapots, one filled with tealeaves, the other with just hot water. This way, if the tea gets too strong, you can dilute it with hot water before you drink it.
Har gow are delectable little parcels of prawn dumpling
Har gow
These are one of my favourite dim sum of all time! Theyâre little parcels of prawn dumpling wrapped up in a semi-translucent rice paper pastry. When I was little, I loved the pastry so much that I would make my sister give me the pastry from her har gow, as well as eat my own.
Har gow are in the foreground, with the fluffy Char Siu Bao in the background
Char siu bao
Most people will be familiar with the Chinese BBQ pork bun, but this is what itâs called in Cantonese! Inside the fluffy, white, and slightly sweet bun (âbaoâ) is the Chinese-style barbequed pork (âchar siuâ). Char siu is a very popular dish just on itâs own, or with rice and vegetables. If you canât get enough of it in a char siu bao, you could always give this a try!
Cheung fun are usually served with a splash of soy sauce
Cheung fun
This slippery rice roll is quite unique to yum cha! The rice mixture is spread thinly, steamed, and rolled up tightly to enclose any variety of fillings. This may typically be shrimps, beef, pork, or even fried savoury dough! (I donât know what the technical name of this is, sorry)
Siu mai are terribly addictive..I probably ate all four myself
Siu mai
These delectable pork, shrimp, and mushroom steamed dumplings are wrapped up in a thin, yellow pastry sheet (donât ask me why itâs yellow). I believe the little orange dots are caviar, but are sometimes replaced with chopped carrot. You can find these sold by street food vendors as well as at yum cha!
Gai farn
This literally means âchicken riceâ. Itâs a little more exciting and tasty than a standard bowl of plain, white rice, but not as adventurous as eating chicken feet (which I believe are cooked in a similar way). A good stepping-stone until youâre brave enough to try chicken feet! đ
Wellington is fast becoming the New Zealand version of good olâ food-obsessed, coffee-addicted, hipster-to-the-max Melbourne. (Psst check out my post about how to spend 48 hours here). As the food culture is growing, unfortunately so are some of the price tags. Although I donât mind splashing out every now and then, itâs certainly not something I can afford to do for a whole trip. One thing about us food-obsessed-budget-types: weâre more than happy to spend money for a good meal, just not too much money. Thereâs nothing more disappointing than a sad meal that you shouldnât have paid so much for.
Having spent quite a bit of time in Wellington, Iâve done some research for us always-hungry, money-savvy types. These places all serve fantastic food, but without a price tag to send you into extreme saving mode once youâre home. I present to you a guide to eating in Wellington like a local. Youâd expect to spend less than $35 for a decent feed at any of these places, and Iâve included a handy price legend for your budgeting convenience.
$ – $5-15 $$ – $15-25 $$$ – $25-35
Mouthwatering pizza at Scopa | Image courtesy of Scopa
Scopa – $-$$
My sources tell me that Scopa is one of the best pizza places in Wellington. The interior is dark yet warm, with friendly staff escorting you to a candle-lit table. They donât have a ridiculous number of pizza options on the menu, which I liked. If there are too many, I just get overwhelmed and sit there for half an hour hopelessly trying to decide whilst getting hungrier and hangrier. There are a few âpizza biancaâ options, where they use an olive oil rather than a tomato base. I was pretty impressed with this, as you donât come across them that often.
The pizzas are âtraditionallyâ Italian, cooked in a wood fire oven. They have a thin base and a few well-selected toppings, rather than being overloaded with them. Theyâre the roughly the size of a large plate; you could probably eat a whole one yourself but you certainly would not be feeling hungry after. Scopa stands out from other takeaway pizza places with their thin, crispy bases and the delicate balance of fewer toppings that all contribute to the flavour sensation, rather than being overpowered by, er, buckets and buckets of cheese.
Pro local tip: Scopa have some awesome weekly deals! Score a Margherita pizza for $8 on a Tuesday or try their pasta of the day for $12. Check more sweet specials here.
Soft shell crab burger and curly fries from the Mt Victoria Chippery
Fish n chips – $
Iâm sure this is common knowledge, but let me just reiterate: you need to eat fish and chips in New Zealand! I donât know if itâs because the fish is fresher or what they put in the potatoes but theyâre just so good! Most fish and chipperies serve kumara, or sweet potato, chips. Sweet potato chips are a bit of a hipster luxury found in brunch cafes in Melbourne. Unbeknownst to us, Kiwis have been chomping on these for years paying a fraction of the price.
Of all the fish & chip haunts in Wellington, one of the local favourites is the Mount Vic Chippery. For good reason, too. Their menu has a huge range of pretty much every type of fish found on this side of the ditch. However, they donât serve everything all the time â only whatâs been caught fresh that morning. On top of that, theyâve got even more specials of the day. Some examples might include Cajun fish tacos, hot smoked salmon salad, or a soft shell crab burger (check it out in the pic). Theyâre certainly not lacking in the chip department either, with options of hand cut agria, kumara, crinkle cut, beer-battered, AND curly fries.
A little FYI for anyone wanting the most food with minimal dollars: if you can get to the Chippery between 1-3pm on weekdays, they have a few sweet lunch deals for $10-12!
Korean fried chicken and halloumi salad from the Capital Markets
Food markets – $-$$
Probably one of my absolute favourite places to eat is at food markets! Rows of stalls all selling different cuisines; delicious smells hitting you from all directions; the hustle and bustle of people trying to find the perfect meal; not to mention having a 4 or 5 course progressive dinner đ For a small town, Wellington has them aplenty!
Your first port of call should be Cuba Street, where you can find food markets on a Friday night (on Leftbank) and Saturday night (lower Cuba Street). Here, youâll get the most mouth-watering kebabs, juicy dumplings, pulled pork burgers, even deep-fried bananas! If youâre spending a Saturday morning by the water, head to Queenâs Wharf for a bite from one of their many food trucks. I vividly remember the incredible haloumi souvlaki I devoured, sitting by the picture-perfect Lagoon. For any other day of the week, thereâs the permanent food market on Willis Street. This is also great when itâs a chilly day (of which there are many in Wellington) because itâs semi-indoors and they have heating! You can find heaps of delicious Asian cuisines here, like Korean and Chinese.
Burgerfuel – $-$$
Burgerfuel is actually a restaurant chain, with stores all over New Zealand. Iâm honestly shocked and offended that we donât have any in Melbourne yet. Here we are claiming that weâre a burger capital but donât have a Burgerfuel, itâs heresy. Some stores are open 24 hours, or at least till late, for all your late night burger cravings. Unlike us plebs in Melbourne who have no other option than Maccas or Hungry Jacks, Wellingtonians have the luxury of eating delicious, seriously good burgers at all hours of the day.
Like most restaurant chains, they have quite an extensive menu. From beef burgers to chicken burgers to veggie burgers, theyâll have whatever youâre looking for. They donât just throw some plastic cheese, lettuce shreds, and bottled gherkins on your burger (coughmaccascough). Their fillings are super fresh and really substantial. Depending on what you pick, you could get crisp, fresh lettuce and tomato slices, beetroot, real cheese! Double real cheese! Bacon, the glorious avocado, pineapple, there are so many options!
If your burger isnât enough for you, they do some awesome sides too. Thick-cut chips, chicken fenders, and donât even get me started on their poutine fries⊠If you can manage it, youâll want to try their milkshakes too; theyâre chockfull of ice cream.
Perhaps the most ingenious Burgerfuel creation is the doofer. It has the most ridiculous name but itâs basically a folding cardboard burger-holder. I was perplexed when I first saw it and it takes some adjusting to, but it revolutionises burger eating. You put your burger inside it and it stops all your fillings from falling out the other side when you take a massive bite. If someone else doesnât do it soon, I might have to personally bring Burgerfuel to Melbourne.
Making the most of the 2 for 1 deal on Mondays!
Chow – $$-$$$
Chow has been one of my cousinâs favourite restaurants for years, and it turns out itâs pretty popular with other locals too. Known for their Asian fusion tapas-style meals, Chow is a food sensation you donât want to miss. Their menu has five different sections: steam, grill, fresh, fry, and curries & noodle soups. I suspect separating it into these categories is meant to ease ones decision-making. Unfortunately, everything sounds so amazing and the menu is so diverse that youâll want to order it all.
They serve some of your classics, like beef and chicken satay, and Vietnamese rice paper rolls. They also have some more exotic and unique things on the menu: salmon with spinach and cashew pesto encased within a thin har gow pastry; banana leaf wrapped tarakihi with a tangy coconut sauce; beggars purse dumplings stuffed with mushroom, leek and bamboo. Itâs enough to have me drooling just at the thought.
Sweet specials: Chow has a $25 lunch deal. This includes two dishes from a set menu, coconut or jasmine rice, and a drink to wash it all down. Even better than this is their 2 for 1 Mondays. All day and night on a Monday, order any two dishes and get the lower priced one for free! My cousin and I strategically planned our trip on a Monday so that we could order as many dishes as could possibly fit on our table. Iâd definitely recommend this so you can try as many of those Asian tapas as you can đ
Bonus: The Library
This place is more like a lounge/cocktail bar than a food place and is only open after 5pm, so time your visit well. In addition to having some of the best luxury cocktails in Wellington (so Iâve heard), they also serve up some delectable desserts. Theyâre right next door to Chow, so itâs all too easy to slip over for a sweet treat after stuffing yourself silly with Asian tapas. Their dessert menu changes seasonally, but could typically include Early Grey crĂšme brulee, or warm chocolate fondant with custard, and raspberry & basil gelato. With itâs bookshelf-lined walls, The Library is a cozy, kooky little bar. A great place to spend an evening if youâre not ready to go home from your food adventures just yet!
Deadly deals: to score two desserts for the price of one, make sure youâre here on a Tuesday. For 2 for 1 cocktails, Wednesdayâs the night to go.
Which of these places would you make a beeline for a soon as you hit Wellington town?
Okay, so you know which street foods you canât skip out on when youâre in Vietnam. But what do you drink whilst youâre scoffing down your fourth banh mi for the day? Or you donât-really-need-but-really-want dessert after your dinner of com ga? Donât worry, Iâve got you covered on the sweets front too.
1. Ca Phe Sua Da (Vietnamese coffee)
Again, Iâm starting with an obvious one but Iâm stressing this: you really canât miss the coffee in Vietnam! Itâs brewed in a little Vietnamese drip filter, which slowly releases drop after delicious drop into the cup below it. The coffee itself is very dark and quite bitter, and most of the time is served with condensed milk. This transforms it into the most delectable caffeinating treat around: a perfect balance between sweet and bitter, milky whilst still having a serious caffeine kick. You can order it hot or over ice. Most of the time, I ordered iced since it was so hot and humid.
Beware though: this stuff is addictive. I drank at least two iced coffees a day and couldn’t imagine life without it, so I brought 2kg of coffee beans home with me. Given how hot it is, most of the time youâll be wanting iced caffeine-sugary-goodness. So go ahead, order a ca phe sua da. Your life will never be the same.
2. Nuoc Mia (sugar cane juice)
Because Iâm an absolute dweeb and was too busy enjoying my sugar cane juice, I forgot to actually take any photos of it! If youâve been anywhere in Asia, youâre probably familiar with the sight of fibrousy, flattened sugar cane on the side of the road. This is what itâs squeezed for! The sugar cane is put through a mechanical press to extract the juice, which is served with ice and a dash of lime. You can find nuoc mia stalls all over the place, and they will often squeeze the juice fresh for you. This is seriously sweet though, and not for everyoneâs taste, but definitely worth a try whilst youâre there.
One of my favourite things to do in Vietnam was wander around local markets in the food section and order what everyone else was eating. These odd-bean-drink-things were popular in many cities all over the country. I honestly have no idea what their proper name is! There will usually be a stall that has lots of bowls and jars of jellies, fruits, and various unnameable liquids â this is where you can find these. As far as I understand, you can order pretty much whatever combination you like. I would usually point to what another customer was having and ask for the same.
Typical ingredients might include red beans, grass jelly, lychee pieces, coconut jelly, tapioca pearls, mung bean paste, fruit juice, and/or coconut milk. These ingredients are piled together in a glass over ice and then handed to you for you to work out how to eat it. A young girl showed me at one market to mix it all together before you drink/eat it as I had stared perplexedly at my glass, so I believe thatâs how you do it. As strange as they may sound or look, they are actually very tasty and refreshing so Iâd definitely recommend trying them at least once. At the very least, itâll be a fun experience đ
5. Kem (ice cream)
You can get kem all over Vietnam, from 7-Eleven to street vendors, but I had this particular ice cream from a place in Hanoi. One of my local friends took me here; I would never have discovered it by myself. You can find Kem Trang Tien near the Hoan Kiem Lake. Itâs a bit like an ice cream factory, but open to the public. When we went, it was bustling with locals buying armfuls of ice cream cones for each of their kids. The flavours available change on an almost daily basis, my friend told me. The two that we had were coconut and taro. They were delicious: not too sweet or creamy, but very flavourful and refreshing. We also tried the heavenly matcha soft serve. Although this seems fairly readily available now, it was rather hard to get at the time. Youâve got to eat this quickly though! Even inside, the Hanoi heat melts ice cream fast. Though I suppose this means more time to try more flavours, am I right? đ
6. Coconut coffee
Hm maybe I should have mentioned at the start of my post that half of these things will be coffee related… but this really emphasises just how good the coffee in Vietnam is! Coconut coffee is very different to egg coffee, and perfect for a hot day. Again, you start with the typical dark, bitter Vietnamese coffee. This time though, they add a coconut ice instead of condensed milk. This is basically frozen coconut milk; itâs not super creamy like ice cream and is similar to a granita. This turns the coffee into an icy, slushie-like drink that you half eat, half drink. Itâll cool you right off after hot dayâs exploring!
Which of these desserts/drinks did you need in your life yesterday?
“Oh you just came back from [insert country here]! Did you try [insert delicious sounding food here]?”
Your face drops. Your heart sinks. The food regret is real.
“No,” you sadly say, “I never heard about it.”
Fear not! I’m here to make sure that this doesn’t happen on your trip to Vietnam! Vietnamese food is delicious, and quite different to a lot of other Asian cuisines. Most meals are quite fresh and light, and the sauces add just the right amount of flavour without overpowering the dish. The flavours and local specialties vary from North to South, so itâs always important to try every dish in each city you visit đ
Bonus picture of fresh and fried spring rolls, which I know you guys will already have on your to-eat list
Although every city probably deserves a post on its own, Iâll be sticking to a few favourites from all over the country. I havenât included pho and spring rolls, but thatâs because I assume you already know about them and are planning on eating them. Now without further ado, to the food!
You can find banh mi ârestaurantsâ in every city, but my favourite place to buy them was from street vendors. This usually involves some pointing, nodding, and shaking of your head. You get to watch them make it from scratch though, and there is something far more authentic about being served your warm bread roll wrapped up in newspaper than on a plate. Be careful if youâre not good with spice (like myself) and make sure you ask for no chilli. The street vendors will understand that much. One time I forgot to ask for no chilli and the heat burned my face off. I spent most of that meal crying but I still ate it because the rest of it was so good.
2. Com Ga
Most cities will have some variation of com ga, chicken rice. This might be fried rice with chicken, or it might be more like this dish I had in Danang. In this type of com ga, the rice is cooked is chicken broth so it soaks up all the flavour. The rice is served with chicken (surprise surprise), green onions, herbs, and fried shallots. It makes for a very satisfying, hunger-killing meal. Com ga is a specialty in the middle cities of Vietnam, places like Hoi An and Danang. Further north or south, itâs more likely to be chicken fried rice so make sure you order it whilst youâre in the right spot!
3. Banh Xeo
This is usually listed as âcrispy pancakeâ or something along those lines on the English version of the menu. To be honest, thatâs actually a pretty accurate description but donât be expecting ice cream and maple syrup. This savoury pancake is made of rice flour and stuffed with pieces of pork and prawn, bean sprouts, and green onion. To serve, itâs broken into bite-size pieces and wrapped in rice paper with lettuce, carrot and cucumber slices, and fresh leaves of Vietnamese mint and coriander. Donât forget an ample amount of peanut sauce for dipping. It ends up not only being a delicious combination of flavours, but also of textures. The crunchiness of the pancake, the chewy rice paper, and the crisp herbs and vegetables make it an unmissable food experience.
I first discovered banh xeo at a cooking class I did in Hoi An. I think theyâre a specialty of this area since I didnât often see them anywhere else. Iâve tried recreating them at home, but I havenât quite got the knack yet. Mine always end up a little bit soft and soggy.
4. Banh Trang Trung
Another pancake-type food, bahn trang trung starts with a sheet of rice paper. This is placed over hot coals and egg is swished across it until it starts to cook. Then you get to choose your toppings, which can include fried shallots, dried fish, chives, or even cream cheese. Once the egg is cooked and the rice paper is crunchy, the bahn trang trung will either be folded or cut like a pizza for your eating convenience. I remember munching on these whilst exploring the night food market in Dalat â the perfect snack for it!
5. Nem Lui
I tried these as part of a banquet-lunch-deal in Hue, so excuse the average photo â I was way too excited to start eating. Nem lui are grilled minced pork rolls on leek stalks, pictured on the left. Similar to bahn xeo, they are also served wrapped in rice paper. You take the rice paper, make a nice bed of lettuce, cucumber, and carrot, place your nem lui with leek stalk and all on top, and tightly roll it all up. Once itâs rolled, you give the leek stalk a tug to pull it out of the pork. The remaining rice-paper-encased-roll is best devoured with a plentiful amount of peanut sauce.
6. Bun Bo Thit Nuong
I only discovered this on one of my last days in Vietnam and I was so upset that I didnât get a chance to eat more! Itâs essentially a noodle salad. Vermicelli is topped with lettuce, herbs, cucumber, and carrots, and your choice of meat. In this one, I had both beef and spring rolls, but you could also get pork, chicken, and probably purely vegetarian too. Itâs served with a fish sauce dressing so you can choose how much to put on. Trust me, youâll want all of it. I had this dish in Saigon, though youâd probably be able to find it all over Vietnam. You guys will have to try and let me know!
What are your favourite street foods? Not necessarily from Vietnam, but anywhere! Comment below or email me (:Â
HEY THERE!
I’m Steff, a part-time traveller and full-time foodie from Melbourne, Australia. I want to make sure you never get hungry or suffer from massive food-regret on your next adventure!
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