This is my third post, and I leave my most interesting part here—delicious food! I’ll divide it into two parts.
Food in Campus
As I said previously, CUHK has 25 canteens (a lot!) to cater to students’ tastes from diverse regions. In these canteens, you can taste delicious food cheaper than outside. Most accept paying by Octopus card and cash, and some accept paying by WeChat, Alipay, or Visa/master card. I will introduce two canteens I like in this post.
S.H.Ho Canteen
If you like Chinese food, especially Cantonese style, I would really recommend this canteen! This is a big canteen so don’t worry about being unable to find a seat at peak times. The welcome dinner CUHK holds for exchange students is also held in the S.H.Ho Canteen. This canteen serves Cantonese food (e.g., Siu Mei, porridges in the morning, and dim sum) and Western-style cuisine (steak or pork chop). I ate Siu Mei most in this canteen, and they have a self-service ordering machine, which is more suitable for me and some “social phobia” people like me. However, they only accept paying with an Octopus card, WeChat Pay, or Alipay.
Coffee Corner (COCO)
This canteen mainly serves Western-style counter meals, such as hamburgers, french fries, and toast. It is near the University Library and some teaching buildings, so having a quick lunch or dinner there is convenient if you are in a hurry. I usually have breakfast here because it is cheaper and more delicious—you can have a steaming hot breakfast in only 20+- hkd! Of course, if you have many times, you can also try rice noodles here. It only accepts Octopus cards or cash.
For vegetarians, you can go to the vegetarian canteen near Coffee Corner: Ebeneezer’s Kebabs & Pizzeria. I can’t introduce it in detail because I am a meat lover, but my friend says it is worth trying.
Off-Campus
Explore more restaurants in HK with yourself or your friends! It is a vital part of my exchange semester. However, because of time limitations, I often take away some food or only have a quick meal outside the campus, especially in my final month. Hong Kong is a hustle and bustle city, so don’t worry about spending too much time on each meal. Most of the restaurants serve dishes quickly. To help you find delicious food quickly, I would like to share some places and districts I often visited to have lunch or dinner in Hong Kong below and introduce their features. (No breakfast because most of the time, I will sleep until lunchtime if I don’t have classes)
New Town Plaza
This vast mall directly connects with Sha Tin station, and you can quickly enter it from there, according to the signposts. The food will be more expensive than other places in the mall, so I recommend having an afternoon tea or a date here if you have a lower budget. You can find many restaurants and diverse cuisines from different regions, such as Thailand and Vietnam, as well as traditional Western buffets. Meanwhile, there are also Watsons, Bunnings, and some supermarkets here. It means that you can easily purchase daily necessities, cosmetics, and fresh meat or vegetables in this mall rather than going to several places. The only disadvantage is that you may get lost in New Town Plaza because it is like a “maze.”
Tai Wai
When I am tired of the high prices of my meals, I’ll go to Tai Wai. It is no exaggeration to say that this district is one of my two favorite places to go in Hong Kong. (Another one is Mongkok, but it’s a little bit far from CUHK) I like these two districts because I can feel the breath of life in Hong Kong here. Rather than tourists, most of the people around here are local residents, and the buildings are also not “ruthless” skyscrapers like buildings in Central. You can find cheap traditional Hong Kong cuisine in Tai Wai, and these shops are even close to the subway station. I’d also like to have my afternoon tea and a “citywalk” in this area to enjoy my relaxing times because there isn’t any bustle here.
Tsim Sha Tsui
If Tai Wai is on one side of Hong Kong, Tsim Sha Tsui is on the other. Victoria Harbor is one of the most famous scenic spots in this district. Several vast shopping malls and outlets cater to the different necessities of diverse groups. The restaurants in this district are more “new-fashioned” than Tai Wai and Mongkok. Although they may not be so cost-efficient, they still have a modern and elegant decoration style, which may enable you to take beautiful photos with your friends. After dining, I usually stroll Victoria Harbour or enjoy the night sights of Hong Kong without a destination.
I have already finished my exchange semester at CUHK and am writing this blog! This is an interesting experience for me in my university life. I really appreciate 360 International providing me an opportunity to have my semester exchange in Hong Kong. I like this university and city, which has a different atmosphere from Auckland. If you are hesitating to start an exchange semester in Hong Kong, I suggest you answer a “yes”! Also, I’d happily answer your questions about the exchange at CUHK and my life experience in Hong Kong to help you prepare for your trip.
Thanks for your reading, bye!