Food: Despite with the size of a whiff of a bakery (even by Hong Kong the Litttle SAR standard), Hoover has been the kingpin of good old-fashioned bakeries in Kowloon City for over 30 years. The store’s outlook is a bit worn out, but the large crowd queuing up around the block is as soothing as a message from the people who yawn for classic and real Hong Kong bakery. The egg tart remains as delicate and enticing as ever, showing the structure of a well-built, textbook puffy egg tart. You could almost sense the heat of oven in the crispness of sides, the tenderness and velvety of the fillings and the gold of the cap as you scoff it.
But to really try out the breadth of this bakery’s art, the coconut tart, a twist of the egg tart, is not to be missed. The flavor of the coconut can never get more intense in a tart than Hoover’s does. The bun with whipped cream is a surprise too, a stunningly rich concoction of bun in traditional Hong Kong style.
Specials: Egg tart, coconut tart and bun with whipped cream
Address: 136 Nga Tsin Wai Road, Kowloon City 九龍城衙前圍道136號
Tel: 2382 0383
Opening hours: 7am – 8:30pm
Fare: HK$3 up, cash only
Nearest railway: Kowloon Tong MTR
Transportation: Take minibus route 25M from the Kowloon Tong MTR and alight nearby the Nam Kok Road and Nga Tsin Wai Road junction
Michelin Hong Kong on the cheap rating: *
