Kimberley Street, Hong Kong's 'Little Korea'

Kimberley Street, widely considered Hong Kong's "Little Korea" / Courtesy of Jericho Li

By Jericho Li

It is no secret that many Hongkongers are obsessed with K-pop stars and Korean TV dramas. I was told that four out of 10 them admit that they devote a considerable amount of time on planning trips, and South Korea is the second-most-popular travel destination.

The gloomy outlook of the lingering COVID-19 pandemic has apparently killed the travel bug in many locals, and their feelings definitely resonate with me. With little chance of flying out to revisit Seoul this year, I decided to spend a day tucking into Korean food at Kimberley Street in the bustling Tsim Sha Tsui area.

Tsim Sha Tsui is not only famous for its prestigious shopping and cultural attractions, but also well-known to many for Kimberley Street which is affectionately dubbed "Little Korea" by Hongkongers. Apart from restaurants and cafes, one can also find Korean grocery stores and grab Korean snacks such as kimbap and kimchi.

Inside Namdaemoon One, a Korean restaurant in Hong Kong's Kimberley Street / Courtesy of Jericho Li

It was the first weekend following the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government's announcement that it would gradually relax the toughest social distancing measures imposed since mid-July when the city was hit harshly by a third wave of coronavirus infections. Dine-in services are now allowed until 9 p.m. daily, albeit no more than two people can be seated together at a table.

I arrived around 1 p.m. ready to indulge myself with Korean food. The great thing about Little Korea is that most of the eateries here are quite affordable so you don't have to worry about blowing your budget. At a glance, Kimberley Street may seem a bit quiet on a Sunday afternoon ― but in fact, most of the restaurants opened were already filled with diners.

Korean storefronts on Hong Kong's Kimberley Street / Courtesy of Jericho Li

The waitress at the entrance of Namdaemoon One Korean restaurant guided me to a table in the corner. To my surprise, she didn't check my body temperature before letting me in. Their lunch menu has a wide selection of options including fried kimchi pancake, seafood stew, beef bone stew and different kinds of rice and noodle dishes. Everything is between 55 and 70 Hong Kong dollars ($7.10 to $9 U.S.).

Without further ado, I ordered ojingeo bokkeum, spicy stir-fried squid and vegetables paired with rice topped with an over-easy egg. Koreans love squid, and so do I. This dish is lightly sweet, spicy and flavorful, and the gochujang-based sauce used to stir-fry the squid is perfect to eat with white rice.

Stir-fried cuttlefish and vegetables with rice and an over-easy egg at Namdaemoon One in Hong Kong's Kimberley Street / Courtesy of Jericho Li

Craving satisfied. I left Namdaemoon One with a full belly and a happy heart. Kimberley Street was slightly busier than earlier as more people were arriving for late lunch. Some even began to line up outside the restaurants to be served, and others were waiting for take-out.

Next to Namdaemoon One is a small grocery store filled with specialty Korean ingredients and other authentic Korean goods. My eyes glittered when I saw large bags of dalgona coffee which my friends and I enjoyed when we were drinking at Korean bars in Seoul. Packed with shoppers, it was impossible to follow the social distancing guidelines and keep at least a meter from others. The aisles between the shelves were quite narrow and I had to squeeze past other shoppers. Everyone was lost in the moment treasure hunting the Korean goodies they were ready to bring home.

Another popular spot at Kimberley Street is Cheonggyecheon, a "Home Made Premium Banchan Cafe" as the sign says. It is actually a store that offers an amazing array of Korean side dishes like kimchi, pickled vegetables, salted seafood and other quick bites. It is also a great place to familiarize oneself with all the varieties of small side dishes, the perfect complements of Korean cuisine.

Little Korea in Hong Kong may be a small street that is roughly 500 meters long, but to many Korea aficionados, Kimberley Street is where locals come to fulfill their hallyu desires and perhaps reminisce about the good old days when everyone could travel to South Korea freely.

Besides Kimberley Street, Little Korea also stretches to the nearby Kimberley Road which could be confusing for newcomers.

Bibimbap and spicy seafood tofu stew at Dalin Pocha on Hong Kong's Kimberley Street / Courtesy of Jericho Li

As the dusk set in and urban lights began to dazzle, I met up with my pal for dinner in Kimberley Road, abiding by the two-person limit, and I insisted we have Korean food. We enjoyed bibimbap and spicy seafood tofu stew while drinking Korean Hite Beer, sharing discussion about the fatigue caused by these months-long social distancing rules and border closures, and hoping that the day arrives sooner rather than later when we are able to travel freely again.

Jericho Li currently resides in Hong Kong, waiting for the borders to open again so she can visit her family back in mainland China and visit her friends around the world.