Sham Shui Poo 深水埗, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Sham Shui Poo meant quite much to me in my childhood as my family used to bring me and my sisters and brother to visit my grand cousin 姑婆／姑丈公. My grand mother told me our whole family owed them a big favour. They saved my father's and my aunts' as well as my grand mother's lives during the Japanese occupation in Hong Kong. My father and my aunts starved for a few days and almost died. My grand cousin came to give them food at a very critical timing and especially carrying food in the street at that time was of high risk. So going to see them is really our pleasure of seeing 2 more than well respected seniors. Besides, they were so kind to us in buying pencil case, ruler, pens...etc. When I looked back to it, they were really thoughtful. Toys of course are more welcome to kids but stuff for school is even more useful!


They lived on the top floor in a very old mansion with very dim light and there were some fierce dogs barking as I remember. They had some pigeons on the rooftop and plants too - quite a nice garden actually. What further impressed me still in my taste buds is the crispy chicken wings and we called them 姑婆雞翼. There was one time my sister and I asked about her how to make it. So she smiled and showed us the key point. She first marinate the chicken wings (cut by half) with some salt. Then she put them in hot boiling water to rinse out the blood of the chicken wings, to half done. Then dry them and prepare a flour coating. At that time she already told the oil is very important for deep frying. Besides, the chicken wings should be dry enough and she already told that meat/fish should be dry enough for getting the coating on. However, when we went back home, we never did like what she did. That's often why I told the others the recipe is not a secret. The secret is how you cook it. So I got to revisit Sham Shui Poo but the area she used to live is now rebuilt.
1. This old mansion on the left survived as a protected cultural historical building. 2. Sham Shui Poo is also famous for its fabrics shops - a paradise for fashion designers.

3. another historical building. 4. the old and new.

5/6. These 2 streets' names shouldn't be a stranger to those who often get told about Sham Shui Poo.

7. Also for this famous street. 8. I guess even some foreigners should know about this famous computer mall, but I find some of the things inside are even more expensive than those of Wanchai computer mall or even the shop outside of my apartment.

9. There is also a street selling some "suspected" fake brand toys. 10. Another old mansion.


11. The shop should be very old. I tried their soy bean drink but it's not that nice. Quite disappointing. 12. The current HK Gov't CEO Mr. Donald Tsang once visited this shop and made it so famous. The shop even posted a photo of Donald Tsang eating inside of the shop.