Temple Street in Kowloon, Hong Kong, is probably one of those places that everyone knows about. Even if you haven’t been there, you’ve definitely heard of it—some people even know it from classic gangster movies. Inside Temple Street, Hing Kee Restaurant’s claypot rice is also something that many people recognize, even if they’ve never been there. Hong Kong-style claypot rice is famous—its reputation rings loud and clear. Hing Kee even once opened a branch in a department store in Taipei’s Xinyi District, but it didn’t last long before closing down.
As someone who always stays in Kowloon when visiting Hong Kong, yet never in Tsim Sha Tsui, Jordan, Yau Ma Tei, or Mong Kok, it’s quite impressive that I’ve never tried Hing Kee’s claypot rice. And it’s not like I didn’t know about it—I’ve been aware of its existence for at least 10 or even 20 years, but I just never ended up eating there. There were even a few times when I almost went, only to end up choosing another restaurant instead. Over the years, it has even temporarily closed before.
This time, I thought I probably wouldn’t have the chance to try it either since I wasn’t in charge of the itinerary. I just followed along with whatever the others planned—where to go, what to eat, everything was up to them. But unexpectedly, while lying in the hotel, I got a call about grabbing a late-night snack, and that’s how I finally achieved the “Hing Kee Claypot Rice” milestone.
There are quite a few seating areas now—it seems like they expanded by renting additional shop spaces. Although there were a lot of people when we arrived, we managed to find a table without having to queue. One thing to note: the environment isn’t exactly great. If you care a lot about cleanliness, you might find it hard to tolerate. The menu offers a wide variety of claypot rice flavors, so you can choose based on your preference or go for the classic signature options. They also allow you to mix two toppings.
The shrimp paste water spinach was really flavorful—super rich in taste and perfect as a drinking snack!
Why did we order the sweet corn and chicken soup? Simply because someone wanted to drink it. But we didn’t expect it to come in such a huge bowl—yes, “bowl” is an understatement; it was practically a basin! The portion was massive, and you could probably get full just from drinking the soup. The good thing is that it helps balance out the greasiness of the other dishes.
The Hing Kee pan-fried oyster omelet is a must-order at nearly every table. It’s worth trying—even though it looks super oily from being deep-fried, it actually didn’t taste too greasy. The oysters inside were fresh, and the frying was done just right without overcooking.
Steamed minced pork with salted egg—since we were already eating such heavy flavors, why not go all in? This dish really made me crave a bowl of plain white rice.
The charcoal-grilled claypot rice takes some time to prepare—at least 20 minutes, or even longer when it’s busy. And don’t ever touch the pot with your bare hands—it’s extremely hot. The taste was truly great, with the crispy rice at the bottom cooked to perfection. The toppings were tender, savory, and full of umami. No wonder someone at the next table managed to eat two claypot rice bowls in one sitting! This was definitely much better than the Hing Kee claypot rice I had in Taiwan before. After finishing, I felt both satisfied and guilty—the calorie count on this meal must have been off the charts. But in the end, it was a delicious claypot rice experience!
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