Hong Kong: Sei Yik 泗益

Stanley has always held a dear place in my heart. I used to go to school there back when I was in Hong Kong and I have always been intrigued by the culture in the area. Stanley is like a perfect blend of the local culture and the west. While it is renowned for its western restaurants and bars, there’s also a lot of local stalls and shops that truly reflects the local culture. Humbly tucked inside a fruit stall at Stanley Market, there’s Sei Yik (泗益), a local food place serving the utmost authentic Hong Kong food. This is place is actually very well-known among the community, especially for their Hong Kong-style French Toast.

Hong Kong Style French Toast

Hong Kong-style French Toast is everywhere in Hong Kong. But what’s so special about Sei Yik’s version is that it is fluffier than most. The secret behind is their unique cooking method where the toast is first soaked with egg yolks and then spread with beaten egg whites. As a result, the egg whites, which are beaten to stiffness, would give the french toast an airy fluffy texture while retaining the egg flavor by first soaking the toast with the yolks.

Looking at that golden french toast, where you spread the melting butter and drizzle syrup all over it – surely no Hong Kong-er would ever not love it. This french toast is not oily and certainly doesn’t taste too heavy. It already has natural sweetness so it tasted good enough even without syrup. My only critique though is that the outside wasn’t crispy enough to create that ‘crispy-on-the-outside and fluffy-on-the-inside’ kind of texture.

Toast with Condensed Milk, Butter, and Sugar

Toast topped with Condensed Milk, Butter and Sugar at Sei Yik (泗益)

One of the characteristics of Hong Kong style food is that they are often made from very simple and non-expensive ingredients. One of the best examples is Toast with Condensed Milk, Butter, and Sugar.

Let’s put calories on the side when it comes to Hong Kong food. A thick slice of white toast spread with butter, drizzled with condensed milk, and sprinkled with sugar – such simple components but it tastes devilishly satisfying. This is like the equivalent of America’s peanut butter and jelly but in Hong Kong style!

Hong Kong Style Iced Milk Tea

Last but not least, a Hong Kong style meal is not complete without a traditional iced milk tea. Hong Kong style milk tea is actually not easy to control. The flavor is stronger in Hong Kong style milk tea and evaporated milk is used instead of normal milk. Therefore it is crucial to balance the proportions of the tea, milk and syrup/sugar.

Sei Yik’s iced milk tea is made impeccable. I loved the mild aroma of the tea and the smoothing texture from the blend of the milk. It was sweet, but not over-sweetened, in a way that you seem not to be able to pull yourself out once you started drinking. The flavor and aroma of the tea may not be as strong as some other ones in Hong Kong but it has really won over our hearts as it tasted very well balanced in every aspect and was addictively good.

In summary…

…Sei Yik (泗益) is no doubt a huge local and hidden gem. As Hong Kong has become more and more commercialized these days, these kinds of traditional food places have been disappearing day by day and it’s hard to find these authentic Dai Pai Dong / Cha Chan Ting. Stanley has changed a lot over the years and I pray that this little stall, Sei Yik, will remain and survive as long as it could. It is a perfect representation of our local culture and would be a huge shame to lose it.