What's on the Menu: McDonald's Hong Kong

A mix of Chinese and British influences, Hong Kong presents an interesting juxtaposition of East and West even after the British turnover to the Chinese.  While the mix is a bit less interesting at McDonald's Hong Kong, it's still interesting to see what McDonald's is up to in Hong Kong nonetheless.

First off, is the very British and very Hong Kong habit of afternoon tea, taken with milk of course and stylized by McDonald's as "McBrew" Tea available to 10 Hong Kong Dollars (HKD) or about $1.28 US.

Whereas we have apple slices here in the States as a healthy alternative in Hong Kong (and a few other countries as well), a Fresh Corn Cup is available as a side for 10.50 HKD ($1.35).

They also offer pork burgers for breakfast with the Ham N'Cheese Burger for 7.90 HKD ($1.01).  From what I've have been able to figure, it's like a hamburger beef patty except made from pork, so it's not seasoned like a sausage patty.  The sandwich itself is simply the pork patty and a slice of cheese on a toasted hamburger bun.

Another breakfast item and something I consider to be very "Hong  Kong," is Twisty Pasta, McDonald's version of a popular Hong Kong breakfast dish where instant ramen noodles or macaroni are made with chicken broth and topped with breakfast meat or an egg.  McDonald's Hong Kong offers macaroni pasta with a chicken broth, diced carrots, corn, and peas (basically your typical frozen mixed veggies) topped with either  a breakfast sausage and egg for 16.50 HKD ($2.11)...

or with Grilled Chicken for 19 HKD ($2.44).

What's the difference between breakfast and lunch?  Apparently, you take away a piece of cheese and add another pork patty with the Double Pork Burger, an "Amazing Value Meal" item for 9 HKD ($1.15)

For a more Chinese-influenced item, there's the Grilled Chicken Burger which despite its rather generic name, features a grilled boneless chicken thigh (mmm... dark meat...) seasoned with five spice powder, onion, and pepper, served with lettuce, and something called "chargrill sauce", which looks like a pepper mayo, on a sesame bun for 16.20 HKD ($2.08).

Another more Eastern-influenced item, and the final item on this list, is the Taro Pie, available at McDonald's Hong Kong for 6 HKD ($0.77).  Taro is a root vegetable, somewhat like a potato, with a rather distinctive taste and texture that is used in a lot of Asian cuisines in both sweet and savory dishes.  It isn't always as purple (or even purple) as it looks here.

A couple other items of interest about McDonald's Hong Kong to round out this edition of "What's on the Menu:"  they offer 24-hour delivery; they have lunch and dinner hour specials; and they still carry McDonald's Happy Meals during breakfast (apparently, they did away with it in the States in 2009).