bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

SCMP Reporter

Among the most read Post stories about food and drinks this year was our report in July that, after almost 120 years in business, the Liu Ma Kee fermented tofu shop in Hong Kong’s Yau Ma Tei district was to shut following a public health alert over bacteria levels in a batch of its tofu.
An opinion piece about why people in Hong Kong are eating dinner earlier also struck a chord with readers, as did a story on the five best Nepalese restaurants in Hong Kong.
1. Hong Kong fermented tofu shop shuts
Liu Ma Kee, a fourth-generation business in Hong Kong’s Yau Ma Tei neighbourhood known for its fermented tofu products, closed suddenly on July 18 after almost 120 years in business.
It came just over two weeks after health authorities issued an alert about a bottle of its fermented tofu that led the firm to withdraw a batch from sale.
Known as fuyu, fermented tofu is a traditional Chinese condiment made by processing and fermenting soy with salt, rice wine and flavourings. Read more here

2. Single malt whisky vs blended whisky
Blended whisky and single malt whisky are two distinct categories, each with unique characteristics that are the product of their ingredients and the way they are distilled.
Single malt whisky is made exclusively from malted barley and distilled at one distillery – the term “single” refers to a single distillery, not a single batch or barrel. Read more here

3. Hong Kong noodle history and noodle styles explained
The four great inventions of China are considered to be the compass, gunpowder, papermaking and printing. Ask a layperson or foodie, however, and their answer might be congee, rice noodles, wheat noodles and rice.
You may wonder why noodles appear twice.
According to Dr Siu Yan-ho, a lecturer in the department of Chinese language and literature at Hong Kong Baptist University, the difference between fun (rice noodles) and meen (wheat noodles) lies in their geographical origins. Read more here

4. Why are Hong Kong people eating dinner so early now?
Hongkongers seem to be eating dinner a lot earlier than they used to, wrote columnist Andrew Sun.
There was a time when 8pm was the prime business hour at restaurants. That was when typical office working hours were 9am to 6pm, followed by an hour or so of overtime because there was that much work to do.
After that, white-collar staff would want to decompress with a happy hour drink with colleagues or associates. When everyone finished their 2-for-1 cocktails, it was time for dinner at the latest trendy eatery.
Oh, those were the days. Read more here

5. 5 of the best Nepalese restaurants in Hong Kong
Although Nepalis began settling in Hong Kong in the 1960s, they account for only five per cent of the city’s ethnic-minority population, according to the 2021 census.
Many Nepalis were brought to Hong Kong as part of the British Army’s Brigade of Gurkhas, made up of Nepalese and Nepali-speaking Indian soldiers.
Nepal was never colonised by Britain, but for almost two centuries it had an alliance with the British and served as a buffer state between Imperial China and British India. Read more here


A nutrition specialist’s favourite Hong Kong restaurants for sushi, noodles, fine dining

Your Hong Kong weekend food guide for January 3-5

Your Hong Kong weekend drinks guide for January 3-4

Reopened ‘ghost’ Scotch whisky distilleries offer tastes of past and future

Food and Drinks

Food and drinks stories you read most in 2024, about noodles, whisky, a closure and more

Marco Li Ka-chi of Kwan Kee Bamboo Noodle balancing on a bamboo pole to make noodles. Photo: Llewellyn Cheung

Fourth-generation owner Jay Liu Fong-yip at Liu Ma Kee, a fermented tofu shop in Hong Kong. The Post’s report about its closure was one of the most read food and drinks stories of 2024. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Bottles of 18-year-old, 21-year-old and 25-year-old single malt whisky.

A restaurant in popular Hong Kong Island entertainment district Lan Kwai Fong with empty tables at Halloween in 2022. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Steamed momo (Nepalese dumplings) at Manakamana Nepali Restaurant on Temple Street, Yau Ma Tei. Photo: Manakamana Nepali Restaurant

What is Pei Pa Koa and why is Ariana Grande adding it to her ‘vocal box’?

Ariana Grande arrives at the fourth annual Academy Museum Gala on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa is a sticky black cough syrup that has been produced by Hong Kong-based company Nin Jiom Medicine Manufactory since 1946. Photo: Nin Jiom Medicine Manufactory

Ariana Grande with a bottle of Pei Pa Koa. Photo: YouTube

A bottle of Pei Pa Koa. Photo: Antony Dickson

Henry Li uses Pei Pa Koa to make his Herbal Harmony cocktail. Photo: Mongkok Tea House

A bartender at Jade & Clover uses Pei Pa Koa to create the Antidote cocktail. Photo: Glowing Studios

Hong Kong-based singer-songwriter Jodie Chan. Photo: Stephanie Teng/Joya

8 Hong Kong New Year’s Eve dinners and a New Year’s Day brunch to ring in 2025

Hutong’s New Year’s Eve dinner is complete with front-row seats to the Victoria Harbour fireworks. 

Whether you want to party at Above & Beyond (pictured), sail on the Aqua Luna, or nurse a hangover at Nicholini’s, we have the spot for you for a New Year celebration in Hong Kong. Photo: Above & Beyond

Watermark’s six-course New Year’s Eve menu includes M7 Wagyu. Photo: Watermark

Hutong’s New Year’s Eve dinner is complete with front-row seats for the Victoria Harbour fireworks. 

Tickets for the Aqua Luna New Year’s countdown cruise are priced at HK$1,688 for adults and HK$988 for children. 

The New Year’s Eve menu at Bedu features a wide choice of dishes. 

Enjoy a seven-course dinner at Salisterra on New Year’s Eve. Photo: Salisterra

Anne Hathaway’s weight loss journey: anti-inflammatory diet, intense exercise key to actress’ transformation for Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises

Anne Hathaway at a Valentino fashion show in Rome, Italy, in 2022. The actresshas talked about how she lost weight for her various movie roles. Photo: Getty Images

Hathaway as Catwoman in a still from The Dark Knight Rises. Photo: Warner Bros

To control her blood sugar, Hathaway ate avocados, almonds, sesame seeds, plain chocolate, bright red and orange vegetables high in antioxidants like yams, dark leafy greens, plus ginger and turmeric. Photo: Shutterstock

Hathaway on the set of The Devil Wears Prada. Photo: Getty Images 

Hathaway in a still from Les Misérables. Photo: Universal Pictures

The 15 best romantic K-dramas of all time, from Crash Landing on You and My Love from the Star to Secret Garden and Twenty-Five Twenty-One

Hyun Bin and Ha Ji-won in a still from “Secret Garden”. Photo: SBS

Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin in a still from “Crash Landing on You” (2019). There have been many romantic K-drama classics over the years. We rank our 15 best ever. Photo: TvN

Lifestyle

Food & Drink

Lists

Among our most-read food and drinks stories this year were explainers about noodles and whisky and one about a Hong Kong tofu shop closing


Among our most-read food and drinks stories this year were explainers about noodles and whisky and one about a Hong Kong tofu shop closing.


Hong Kong

Year in Review

Chinese culture

Hong Kong culture