Dim sum is a Hong Kong staple. Anyone visiting Hong Kong cannot leave without at least trying dim sum once. However, halal Cantonese dim sum is not easy to come by, not just in Hong Kong but anywhere, to be honest. But there is one spot in Hong Kong that does it and does it right. Even if it’s slightly out of the main busy areas, it’s worth a visit to experience this traditional local speciality. The Islamic Centre Canteen is the one and only place in Hong Kong that serves fully halal Cantonese dim sum and dishes. It is located on the 5th floor inside the Masjid Ammar / Osman Ramju Sadick Islamic Centre in Wan Chai (near the Causeway Bay side).
Islamic Centre Canteen: A Traditional Hong Kong Yum Cha Experience
Yum cha is a traditional Cantonese meal in which dim sums are served. As per tradition, you get a card for your table once you sit down. The card gets stamped for each dim sum you order, and it’s used to calculate your final bill. At the Islamic Centre Canteen, you bring your card with you to the counter to pick and order your dim sum. There are non-dim sum dishes available from the menu as well, and you can order those directly from the table. Dim Sums are served daily from 10 am to 3 pm, while their dinner hours (6-9 pm) serve classic Cantonese dinner dishes.
The nearest MTR station is Causeway Bay. It is about a 7-minute walk away from exit A.
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The Food at Hong Kong Islamic Centre Canteen (what we ordered)
Date of visit: October 2019 & October 2024
Har Gao (Prawn Dumplings)
One of my favourite Dim Sums of all time is Har Gao, i.e. prawn dumplings. I highly recommend these from the Islamic Centre Canteen. Each dumpling was palatable and clean to taste. The prawns tasted fresh and had an al dente texture. There was water chestnut mixed together into the prawn filling, which added an edge to the flavours. As for the dough, it’s beautifully translucent. It was done fairly thin, with an elastic but non-sticky texture.
Wonton Noodle Soup
Wonton noodle soup is a huge Hong Kong staple, but it’s usually cooked in a pork-based broth. As far as I know, the Islamic Centre Canteen is the only place that does a halal Cantonese Wonton Noodle Soup. A light chicken broth is used instead of pork, offering a clean and subtly savoury taste. Though I personally feel it needed an extra punch of flavours and a sprinkle of white pepper to give it more oomph. The wontons were of a good size and were delightful to taste. The noodles nailed the spot as well and were very springy in texture, without an overwhelming alkaline taste. Alkaline water is typically used to attain the noodle’s springy texture, and it could have easily resulted in an overly alkaline flavour in the soup. Thank goodness that alkaline touch was relatively subtle but still distinct enough to feature the uniqueness of wonton noodles.
Siu Mai
The halal version of Siu Mai, just like the Xiao Long Baos, simply replaces the pork filling with chicken. Siu Mai is quite a Dim Sum staple in Cantonese cuisine so you should definitely try it out. There is a clean, non-greasy taste to it. The downside is though, again, it’s been left aside to get cold. As a result, it’s slightly dry and a bit stiffer than normal. Regardless, it’s still pretty tasty.
Beef Tripe
This is one of my all-time favourite dim sum dishes. Slow-cooked to a tender texture, the beef tripe got a deep savoury taste that always gets me wanting more. Tripe is the stomach lining of a cow and doesn’t have much of a distinct taste on its own. It absorbs the flavours it’s being cooked in, which is a mix of ginger, star anise, soy sauce, and more. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea but I genuinely adore this dish.
Chicken Feet
Chicken feet are a very popular dim sum dish in Cantonese cuisine. Before everyone gets scared or grossed out, let me just say, it’s just chicken! I guess the best way to describe it is that it’s almost like eating chicken skin. The most enjoyable part of savouring chicken feet is licking off the sauce, which is incredibly savoury with a subtle hint of spice.
Xiao Long Bao
Xiao Long Baos are honestly one of my biggest food weaknesses. It is a shame that the majority of them are not halal. So whilst here with a galore of fully halal dim sums, I was very much anticipating this one where they substituted the pork with chicken. However, I was left feeling a bit underwhelmed. Though nicely presented with 18 folds at the tip, it looked slightly sunken as it had been left out for a while instead of a freshly steamed batch. As a result, the soup inside the Xiao Long Baos had started to dry up and ended up with a soggy dough with a rather dry filling. Flavour-wise, it was actually not bad. It was just that we missed out when it was freshly steamed.
Ma Lai Go (Chinese Steamed Cake)
Inspired by British cakes, Ma Lai Go originated in Malaysia during the colonial times and was later adapted by Chinese chefs, who then turned it into a Cantonese dim sum staple. The Ma Lai Go was incredibly fluffy, with a subtle hint of brown sugar sweetness seeping through. It’s not too sweet – certainly not sweet enough by Western standards to be considered a dessert, but with a mildly sweetness that goes well with tea.
Lor Mai Gai
Another dim sum classic, Lor Mai Gai is glutinous rice and meat wrapped in a lotus leaf. As you unwrap the lotus leaf, an alluring fragrance hits you instantly. The flavours were very well-balanced, and its texture was perfectly soft and sticky. On top of that, there’s a fairly generous amount of meat in it that’s super saucy and tender.
Minced Beef & Egg Omelette
We decided to try another dish from the a la carte Cantonese dish menu (i.e. non-dim sum) and picked the minced beef & egg omelette. We ordered a small size, but it still came in a decent portion. You may think it’s just eggs, but there’s a certain savoury flavour and fragrance that makes this dish special. It’s almost like a massive egg pancake featuring a multi-layered savoury taste with a beefy flavour seeping through. Beef is known to be relatively expensive in Hong Kong, and we’re delighted to see the generous amount of minced beef used for the dish. The dish, on its own, would go well with rice for a simple meal.
Islamic Centre Canteen Food Review Summary
The Islamic Centre Canteen is an unmissable spot for halal dim sum and, in general, halal food in Hong Kong. I mean it’s pretty much the only fully halal dim sum place available in the city, so there aren’t many choices. The food was delicious and authentic, and it is one you must add to your list if you’re planning a trip to Hong Kong.
RATING:
-
Food
-
Value
-
Atmosphere
-
Service
Halal Status
Halal
Islamic Centre Canteen Info
Nearest station: Causeway Bay (exit A)
Located in: 5th Floor, Masjid Ammar and Osman Ramju Sadick Islamic Centre
Tel: +852 2834 8211
