Mango Delight: Hong Kong Desserts from Hui Lau Shan

When I visit Hong Kong, it seems like almost every street corner has a Hui Lau Shan mango dessert location. The brand has made its way up to Beijing, and while it isn't quite as good as it is down south, it's still got some of that mango mojo.

Don't let the Cantonese spelling fool you: Hui Lau Shan's Mandarin name is 许留山 (Xǔ liúshān). The one we visited was in the basement of YouTown mall at Chaoyangmen. According to Dianping.com, there are five locations throughout town.

My favorite menu items are the glutinous rice balls in mango juice with extra mango (RMB 38) and the sago with pomelo and mango (RMB 32). The former breaks up the sweetness of the fruit with the chewy balls, while the latter is toned down by the tartness of the pomelo and the gummy sago balls.

A mango platter (RMB 42) is available if you're having trouble making up your mind. It comes with three small portions of their signature desserts.

If mango's not your thing, you can go for coconut pudding with either red bean or black glutinous rice (RMB 12). You can also get a rich sesame and/or almond soup (RMB 12).

These kinds of desserts can be polarizing for expats, but they deserve a try. Just be careful, or you'll someday find yourself stumbling around Hong Kong on a mango bender. Then again, there are worse things that could happen to you.

Photo: Josh Ong