Eastwood Hong Kong Street Food tour - a TASTE tour

Amongst the multitude of arcades and alleyways, parents and their children hustle and bustle along on their weekly grocery shopping hike.  They stop by for a small chive bun at Yummy Buns, or clutch onto a bag of freshly steamed chestnuts, the paper bag encapsulating that deep caramelised fragrance of the earthen nut at K & J Chinese Takeaway, on the corner of Progress Avenue.  Lunch would be from one of the many BBQ meat shops or from Sydney Best Dim Sim - the place to go if you want the whole Yum Cha menu range on takeaway, and countless fresh seasonal fruit and grocery stores line the streets of Eastwood. 

Grabbing some dessert from Sydney Best Dim Sim - glutinous rice balls filled with red bean paste, coated in sesame and deep fried.  

With big names including Taste of Shanghai, Sakae Restaurant and Bar, and some of Eastwood's favourites like AJ's Indian and Eastwood Garden Peking, the restaurant scape is indeed growing, but Eastwood's rich Hong Kong culture is ever-present.

A day in the life of Hong Kong local would indeed start with the morning tea banquet.  A Hong Kong style morning tea would be incomplete without a piece of fluffy deep fried French toast filled with peanut butter and condensed milk or coconut jam/kaya, and topped with melted butter and a generous serving of golden syrup drizzle. 

Hong Kong style French toast, once named one of the 50 most delicious foods in the world, takes its influence from Hong-Kong Cantonese and Portuguese cuisine, the fusion cuisine that characterises that of the city of Macau.  Indulgent, naughty, decadent - a true homage to the Macanese way of life.  Tastes like a fluffier and sweeter version of a cross between a Chinese cruller and a doughnut.  Available at Eastwood BBQ kitchen, serving pork and century egg congee, Borshcht soup, pandan leaf wrapped savoury rice cakes, and a whole lot more.

A morning tea banquet, with the obligatory serve of tea.

The next step would include a few peruses through these lively streets, with Asian grocery stores scattered throughout - there can never be too many places to get your quick fix of the Asian snack, those staple condiments, or even a pot sticker tutorial! 

Soon afterwards, it would be time to grab some lunch for the family, and roast pork and roast duck is always an easy go-to option. 

Housemade sausage, Chinese BBQ Pork and roast duck, and special spiced cuttlefish.

But for the family who seeks a more authentic lunch or dinner experience, they will head to Hong Kong Recipe for their array of savoury rice and noodle dishes, coupled with some Hong Kong Yuanyang tea-coffee.

Chewy sliced noodles, that get deliciously chewier the cooler they get.

Hong Kong Yuanyang tea-coffee

And so concludes a snapshot into a day of the life of an Eastwood local, exploring their rich Hong Kong culture and cuisine, courtesy of TASTE tours.

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So what are TASTE tours, exactly?  

They are an initiative of Australia's oldest charity, The Benevolent Society, and at TASTE, we are all about bridging divides, diminishing stereotypes of certain suburbs, particularly Sydney's western suburbs, supporting local businesses, and showcasing the authentic cultural experience that these suburbs have to offer.  We also have pop-up kitchens, cooking classes, and in-school cooking class programs as well.

TimeOut Sydney has a nice short write-up about us, and for tour dates, click here.  We have tours throughout Fairfield, Harris Park, Bonnyrigg, and more, and we aim to showcase the rich culture that each suburb brings to their locals. 

For more information on TASTE tours, visit our site here: www.tastetours.org.au 

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Sydney Best Dim Sim

Eastwood Arcade
Shop 4, 183-185 Rowe Street Eastwood

9858 1636

Eastwood BBQ Kitchen

1/ 1 Trelawney St Eastwood

9858 1366

Wang Wang BBQ

Progress Ave, Eastwood

9874 0018

Hong Kong Recipe

Shop 110-111, 52-76 Rowe St, Eastwood (under Aldi)

9874 4661