Ice Milk Tea & Toasted bun with sweet condensed milk and butter @ Tsui wah restaurant, Hong Kong

Upon arriving at Hong Kong, I was craving for something local. Something not too heavy like a meal, but rather a snack I can enjoy as I allow the reality of me being in one of my favorite places in the world sink in. And there is no better place than a tea house, or what the locals call “cha cang ting”.

As I walk into the brightly lit Tsui Wah, I was filled with excitement. Even at the odd time of four in the afternoon, the restaurant is fully occupied, each small table seated by pairs of locals or a group of friends. We were quickly ushered through the small spaces between the tables to get to our table.

Again I looked at the menu as a routine act, but I knew what I was going to order even before I stepped into the restaurant. Psh I knew what I was going to order even before I boarded the plane - my favorite ice milk tea (“dong nai cha”) and the toasted bun with butter and condensed milk.

Even before I could consider what I should try the next time I patronize the store, my tea and toast was served. Resisting my urge to immediately stuff my face into the toast, I took the time to take some pictures just for you guys.

Let’s start with the ice milk tea. I do realize that milk tea is available everywhere. We have it in Singapore at every coffee shop, we have it in New York at every bubble tea store, but there is something about the milk tea in Hong Kong that makes it so much better than any store I have tried anywhere else in the world. Maybe it’s the water, like how New York pizza and bagel is better than anywhere else because of the water. Maybe it’s the tea leaves or the condensed milk. Whatever it is, there is no place on earth that serves a better milk tea than Hong Kong. And drinking a gulp on this ice milk tea reaffirms this, sending this sense of completeness and satisfaction deep into my soul as it refreshes my body. And I am not exaggerating.


The bun came soon after. A simple bun sliced in the middle to create 2 pieces like a burger, spread with butter and drizzled with condensed milk, toasted to perfection. A bite into this bun is truly a simple divine experience. As you sink your teeth into the bun, they meet the toasty crust and quickly submerge themselves into the soft warm moist bread. The butter starts to fill your mouth and immediately, the sweet condensed milk comes in to merge with the saltiness of the butter to create a level of taste that fills the gap between savory and sweet. This two overpowering ingredient somehow neutralizes each other, and within your mouth, the divine experience is completed as the crispiness, the moistness, the butteriness and the sweetness all come together. Simple, but truly amazing. A classic. A true representation of the local food scene.

As I ate my bun and sipped on my ice tea, I am reminded why Hong Kong is one of my favorite places in the world. You don’t have to fork out crazy amounts of cash to enjoy the wonders of the culinary world. This simple $4 snack at this café is all you need.

Toasted Bun with Sweet condensed milk and butter @ Tsui Wah Restaurant
20-22 Cannon Street
G/F Sun On Mansion
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
2573-4338
http://www.tsuiwahrestaurant.com/