Happily, I’m back in the Orient. For the first time since 2015, I’m in Hong Kong, but instead of staying on the Island, I’m in Mong Kok, Kowloon. Which is lucky because a number of the places I visited and enjoyed on previous trips have gone. The Roundhouse, Tipping Point and the Hong Kong Brewhouse in LKF have all gone. Fortunately the site of the Roundhouse in Peel Street has been taken over by Yardley Brothers. More on them in a separate post (I hope).
Fortuitously, a little corner of Mong Kok has a nice handful of taprooms and craft beer bars. Leading the way is TAP: The Ale Project by Young Master. Since 2013, Young Master has been churning out amazing and challenging beers – over 280 beers according to Untappd. The 18 taps offer beers from Young Master and other Hong Kong brewers like Black Kite and Heroes and Far Yeast from Tokyo. A great snacks menu supports the beers. A green peppercorn Pilsner called Jade Scorpion is a classic example of Young Master’s boundary pushing brewing.
Later on my trip, I would later discover what an amazing craft beer scene is emerging in Taiwan. One of the many new craft breweries, Zhangmen, has opened two branches in Hong Kong, and one of them is a 500m walk from TAP.
Zhangmen Mong Kok is not a big venue but has 20 taps crammed and all the beers and ciders are made by Zhangmen. And there are some very impressive beers available covering styles from pilsners and lagers to IPAs, peated ales and tea beers. The Black Citrus IPA at a whopping 9% ABV was just about the best beer I tried on tour.
Zhangmen don’t compromise on their Taiwanese origins. The snacks menu is aggressively Taiwanese. Crispy fried cuttlefish mouth, spicy pig ear, spicy duck tongue, spicy beef tripe and spicy Baiye tofu are all on offer. I gave the pig ear a go. Never again.
On the same stretch of Yim Po Fong Street that you’ll find Zhangmen, you’ll also find Trafalgar Brewing Company. It is a brewpub that has made six beers over the journey. The Hops and Glory English IPA was classically mild. There are also two groovy restaurants between Trafalgar and Zhangmen. Moonkok is around the corner, and also looks pretty good.
back of the ferry 