Hello October! Is that autumn I sort of feel in the air, Hong Kong? As usual, I’m quite ready to say goodbye to the humid summer season! I hope you had a good September and here’s to October! I had a packed week last week with an interview, postgrad classes, deadlines and an event visiting a new Hong Kong themed boutique hotel called Attitude opening this month in Tsim Sha Tsui, which I will share about soon!

For now, I wanted to share this affordable and local Hong Kong eatery in Kennedy Town, a district where I’ve spent quite a bit of time in, along with Sai Ying Pun, before these neighbourhoods became more gentrified with all these expensive restaurants that seem to cater for wealthy expats. I don’t mean to sound bitter, but the changes happening around the western side of Hong Kong Island is something that saddens me.

The reason is because I’m very familiar with this side of HK Island, especially the Sai Ying Pun area, which was home to me for three years, since I lived and hung around this area a lot during my undergraduate years at HKU. I spent so much time in various small eateries in the area that I’m on friendly terms with the owners and staff of these shops, it was really nice.

Then, I watched as SYP change before my very eyes, with casual eateries I hung out with my college friends closing and being replaced with these fancy places with people drinking wine outside and costing three times what it used to. Suddenly, an entire street was filled with places I could not afford. After that, I watched as the same type of fancy places started popping up in Kennedy Town as well, and suddenly, the quiet residential and student vibes got replaced heavily with “Central” vibes.

I just wished that there was more of a balance between affordable and expensive, local and expat, instead of this sudden onslaught. With that said, when I am in Kennedy Town or Sai Ying Pun, I like to pop by the eateries that remain which continue serving affordable food in simple settings. 海傍陳記 is one of them, located in Kennedy Town, and I wanted to share about it, as it’s a place I enjoy eating at for good ole local Hong Kong food. Nothing fancy about this place, just simple and affordable, and sometimes, isn’t that what we all need? (P.S. The place is mostly frequented by locals but they do have English menus available and I’ve spotted a couple of foreigners ordering in simple English with no problems!)

Below are some snapshots of the food that I found on my phone! If you do a location search for 海傍陳記 on Instagram, you can find tons more food snapshots! :) By the way, I didn’t take down the prices for these items but the general price range for this place is around HK$20-HK$50+.

Almond drink, fried and steamed rice rolls and dim sum

Pig skin and white radish

Drinks served in stainless steel mugs

Pork chop and rice in tomato sauce

Pig’s blood curd

If you do venture over to Kennedy Town, I’d recommend giving 海傍陳記 a try and then walking over to the short stretch of promenade for views like these. :)

海傍陳記
Shop C, G/F, 28 Davis Street, Kennedy Town
(Kennedy Town station – Exit C)

Do you have your personal favourite places to eat in Hong Kong? Do share them with me, I’d love to check them out too! :) Here’s to a good week ahead!