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 James Beard Awards, Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards, World Food Media Awards, pdn Food Photography Awards and others. Based in Southern California, Brad currently serves as restaurant critic for the Orange County Register.

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: 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
View Post
  • Travel: Culinary

How to Make Sangrita, Mexico City Style

  • Brad A. Johnson
  • May 2, 2021
This is the new Lao restaurant in Westminster that everyone will soon be talking about. The pork sausages, the barbecue chicken thighs, the sticky rice, the khao piak (Lao chicken noodle soup)...⁠ Link in stories. 176 5
Finally got around to discovering Del Rey, a super-sexy little speakeasy and tapas bar tucked inside the estate of Villa Royale in Palm Springs. Very tasty. Very cool. More details on the blog. ⁠ 121 4
Villa Royale, Palm Springs. Really cool vibe. Quick review on the blog. Link in stories. Will definitely be back. ⁠ 118 1
A few more scenes from my annual 75 Best Places to Eat in the @ocregister. Hungry yet? ⁠ 238 3
Today's the day! My annual dining guide to the 75 Best Places to Eat in Orange County is live. (The OC Register's print subscribers will find the print supplement in tomorrow's home delivery; unfortunately, the printed version is not available on newsstands.) The ranked list is back for the first time since 2019, plus a big new twist this year. It's behind the paywall, sorry. ⁠ 353 45
#JoshuaTree #Camping #Airstream #vacation #roughingit 87 4
Brad A. Johnson
  • Blog
  • About
  • Photography
  • Writing
  • Contact
Writer. Photographer. Traveler. Restaurant Critic.

Input your search keywords and press Enter.