Brad A. Johnson
  • Blog
  • About
  • Photography
    • Food Photography
    • Travel Photography
    • Restaurant Photography
    • Hotel & Resort Photography
  • Writing
  • Contact
Brad A. Johnson

Food & Travel

Brad A Johnson
  • Blog
  • About
  • Photography
    • Food Photography
    • Travel Photography
    • Restaurant Photography
    • Hotel & Resort Photography
  • Writing
  • Contact

Shun Kee, Typhoon Shelter, Hong Kong

  • May 3, 2011
  • Brad A. Johnson
This is one of the most incredible restaurants in Hong Kong. It’s a floating restaurant in the typhoon shelter in Causeway Bay. The kitchen is on a ramshackle boat, and the only way to get to it is on another boat.
Shun Kee, Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter restaurant, Hong Kong (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Shun Kee, Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter restaurant, Hong Kong (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Shun Kee, Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter restaurant, Hong Kong (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Shun Kee, Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter restaurant, Hong Kong (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Shun Kee, Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter restaurant, Hong Kong (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Shun Kee, Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter restaurant, Hong Kong (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Shun Kee, Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter restaurant, Hong Kong (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Shun Kee, Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter restaurant, Hong Kong (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Shun Kee, Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter restaurant, Hong Kong (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Entrance to Shun Kee, Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter restaurant, Hong Kong (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)

The restaurant operates several of these old boats outfitted with dining tables and chairs; each boat can accommodate anywhere from two to 10 or so diners. You have to call ahead and reserve a “table,” which you’ll board from a sketchy, very grungy section of the pier. It will feel like you’re in the wrong place, but this is it. A really old Chinese woman with the strength of 10 rugged men rows the boat over to the kitchen and ties the boats together.

These are not a fleet of beautifully restored antique boats or modern floating dining rooms. They are grungy and dirty. Our boat had an open-air toilet right next to the dining table; I assume it dumped straight into the water below. It’s all very ghetto and surreal, as the sparkling spectacle of modern Hong Kong rises in the background. But, damn, the food is good!

The food is based not on traditional Cantonese cuisine but rather the unique fisherman cuisine of the Yau Ma Tei boat people. The harbors around Hong Kong used to be filled with hundreds of fishermen and their families who lived on their boats. There was an entire community on the water, but it’s a lifestyle and culture that has all but disappeared as Hong Kong has become a thriving modern metropolis. The chef who runs this boat/kitchen only recently opened here–after years of negotiating a permit, he was finally allowed to open for business. He’s basically singlehandedly keeping alive this amazing culinary tradition. There’s no menu. You’ll simply eat whatever the chef decides to cook—and in my case that included huge sea snails, noodle soup with roasted duck, stir-fried pig intestines, and the most incredible wok-fried lobster with mountains and mountains of fried garlic.

Fair warning: You must love garlic to eat here. And it’s critical that someone in your party be able to speak Cantonese. Nobody at this operation speaks English.

For more travel inspiration and photos, I invite you to follow me and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

 

Share
Tweet
Brad A. Johnson

Brad A. Johnson is a writer and photographer specializing in food and travel. His work has been honored by the Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards, James Beard Awards, World Food Media Awards, Food Photographer of the Year Awards, Society of Features Journalism Awards and others. Based in Southern California, Brad currently serves as Editorial Director of the new luxury consumer travel magazine of the Global Travel Collection (launching Spring 2023).

Previous Article

Lung King Heen, Hong Kong: World’s Best Chinese?

  • April 29, 2011
  • Brad A. Johnson
View Post
Next Article

Quick Review: Fairmont Peace Hotel, Shanghai

  • May 9, 2011
  • Brad A. Johnson
View Post
You May Also Like
View Post
  • Travel: Asia
  • Travel: Culinary

Where (and What) to Eat in Bangkok, High and Low: 11 Must-Visit Thai Restaurants

  • Brad A. Johnson
  • January 1, 2023
View Post
  • Travel: Adventure
  • Travel: Asia
  • Travel: Culinary
  • Travel: Europe

R.I.P. Crystal Cruises (Update: Returning in 2023!)

  • Brad A. Johnson
  • February 6, 2022
View Post
  • California Restaurants
  • Travel: Culinary

Review: Addison, San Diego

  • Brad A. Johnson
  • December 4, 2021
View Post
  • California Hotels
  • California Restaurants
  • Travel: Culinary

Quick Review: Valle, Oceanside CA

  • Brad A. Johnson
  • November 19, 2021
View Post
  • Travel: Culinary

Food Photographer of the Year Exhibition at the Royal Photographic Society in Bristol, England

  • Brad A. Johnson
  • October 29, 2021
View Post
  • Travel: Culinary
  • Travel: Mexico

Where to Eat in Los Cabos, Mexico: The Restaurants Redefining Baja Cuisine

  • Brad A. Johnson
  • June 13, 2021
View Post
  • Travel: Culinary
  • Travel: Mexico

How to Make the Red Snapper a la Talla from Tamarindos Los Cabos

  • Brad A. Johnson
  • June 5, 2021
View Post
  • Travel: Culinary
  • Travel: Mexico

Hotel Review: The Cape, Los Cabos, Mexico

  • Brad A. Johnson
  • May 31, 2021
Cancún’s original grande dame changed its banner from The Ritz-Carlton to Kempinski during the pandemic, but little else has changed (except maybe some upgraded furniture in the rooms and a fresh coat of paint). Posh as ever. Lovely beach. Same staff. Same owner, whose classical art collection alone is worth a look if you've never seen it. You would wander the halls for days looking at art at this hotel. Old-money Cancún at its finest. ⁠ 44 3
Serenity. Checked into the new @waldorfastoriacancun on the outskirts of Cancún for a little pampering. It's lovely. A world away from the hectic hotel zone. I felt like I had the entire hotel to myself. ⁠ 68 2
Cochinita pibil with black-bean soup and wood-fired tortillas at @kinichizamal. Tasty detour. ⁠ 61 3
Nobody walks more than a block or two in Espita. Hardly anyone drives. Motorized trishaws are the preferred mode of transport. That last photo is the country road to Espita, which is located about halfway between Merida and Tulum in the Yucatán. ⁠ 54 0
Is this the prettiest avocado toast you've ever seen or what? That tiny spoonful of chile oil on the right side is more than enough. A perfect breakfast by @chef.jorgeildefonso and chef @_josehauvidal at @casonadeloscedros_restaurante in Espita, Yucatán. ⁠ 45 0
In the middle of seemingly nowhere in the Yucatán jungle you'll find the small, traditional pueblo of Espita, and that's where you'll find @casonadeloscedros_restaurante, an incredible little restaurant by @chef.jorgeildefonso (with chef @_josehauvidal on the pass), tucked inside an amazingly charming inn. This is essentially the only restaurant in town, and it is the very reason to make the journey. ⁠ 116 5
Brad A. Johnson
  • Blog
  • About
  • Photography
  • Writing
  • Contact
Writer. Photographer. Traveler. Restaurant Critic.

Input your search keywords and press Enter.