Garden of Desserts provides a authentic taste of Taiwan in Hong Kong at a great price
Filling portions and great bubble tea too
The Taiwanese-style panna cotta is both colourful and tasty.Garden of Desserts
G/F, 205 Ki Lung Street
Sham Shui Po
Tel: 2367 9555
Grub: Taiwanese-style rice, noodles, and desserts. If you’re looking for a main meal, there are only three, quite similar options to choose from. But there are loads of snacks and desserts that are great for sharing.
Vibe: The restaurant isn’t very large, but it’s bright, clean, and comfortable. Apart from a row of high stools on the side of the wall which are a little bit awkward to sit on, the rest of the restaurant is pretty straightforward. Most of the staff here also only speak Mandarin, so it feels like you’re in Taiwan!
Who to take: A large group of friends, so you can share and try all the different dishes available. There is a wide variety of Taiwanese to choose from, and the portions are large enough to share between three or even four people.
What’s hot: Everything we tried tasted great, and there is very little to fault when it comes to the food.
The crispy pork chop rice had a nice citrus flavour, and wasn’t too oily. The portion might look a bit small, but it was actually quite filling.
We also tried the deep-fried chicken nuggets. They were not crispy, but piping hot and tender on the inside, with just the right amount of seasoning.
A must-try is the bubble milk tea, which has a great flavour. The tapioca balls are good quality because they are soft, but still retain a bit of bounce.
For dessert, we tried a Taiwanese-style panna cotta. This dish might be very different from what you might expect from a Western-style panna cotta, but it came with yam-flavoured tapioca balls, which had an interesting flavour and were surprisingly pleasant.
What’s not: The location leaves something to be desired. The restaurant is on a side street in Sham Shui Po, a bit of a trek from the MTR station and out of the way from the rest of the district.
In the evening, dai pai dongs line the street outside, and smoke from the other restaurants occasionally wafts inside the restaurant. The street is also pretty dark at night time, so it’s best to go here for lunch or afternoon tea.
Cost: Everything here is great value. Rice and noodles cost between HK$30 and HK$45, and the deserts are all between HK$25 and HK$30.