Take-5: Cheese Shops
You’ve got the wine, you’ve picked up a baguette. What do you put on the bread? peanut butter? Here’s the stinky lowdown on Hong Kong purveyors of the rotted arts.
Cheese is a funny thing. More than many foods, it runs scalding hot or ice cold. Unripe apple? Well, it’s a bit spongey but not inedible. Wilted lettuce? Meh. It ruins the texture of your salad but it will get soggy under dressing anyway. Overcooked fish can be a bit sticky on the teeth but you can get it down. But rubbery cheddar, burrata with hard skin or chalky tomme are crimes against humanity. Cheese is also the purview of those who can eat it. Lactose intolerance runs high in Asia and Africa, and too much milky stuff can be hard on anyone’s stomach – much less the ass and thighs. But… it’s cheese! Just a sprinkling makes pasta, pizza, soups, stews, sandwiches, snack platters, crisps, chips, salads, you name it, better. So pop a lactose pill if needed, put an extra 10 minutes in at the gym and take a bite out of the solidified rotten milk product of your choice (sounds yummy, amirite?), but make it worth it by picking up some creamy, flaky, gooey, veiny artworks from these vendors.
The Cheese house
| Location: 10/F 54-58 Tong Mi Road, Tai Kok Tsui
Okay, the industrial building (around the corner from Langham Place) isn’t the most attractive location, but behind the stylish wooden door on the 10th floor is the French (mostly) The Cheese House. It’s not massive but the impeccably curated selection of artisan favourites (Tomme, Morbier), seasonal must-haves (half a dozen raclettes) and gorgeous rarities (salty Cœur de Neufchatel, FTW!) is mouth watering for cheese hogs. Next day delivery is available if you get on the internet machine early enough (before 1pm) but you can drop by the warehouse and pick up your gooeys if you’re in a hurry (or below the delivery threshold of $800). The Cheese House also has a limited selection of fabulous little yoghurt pots, deli meats and wine, but it’s their cheese that carries the day.
Cheese from far
| Location: G/F 22-40 Fuk Man Street, Sai Kung Town
This is one of those neighbourhood boutiques that locals would rather you didn’t know about (which sums up most of Sai Kung Village actually). Still, daytrippers and weekenders from nasty ol’ Kowloon or HK Island chowing down on seafood nearby would be advised to burn off some of that lunch/dinner with a walk around town, and a stop at Cheese From Far – when you’re full, save your rent money – is a must-do. The friendly staff will offer samples of reasonably priced seasonal and rotating selections from Italy, France, Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain and the UK. The shop also sells all sorts of stuff that goes with cheese: charcuterie, condiments, and cheese accessories. Shop in store or online.
Mercato gourmet
| Location: 3-11 Wing Fung Street, Wan Chai; Mid-Levels, Caine Road, Happy Valley, Ap Lei Chau
Okay, admittedly Mercato isn’t a cheese shop, per se, but if you’re looking for Italian oddities beyond the “parmesan” and “pizza mozzarella” you can pick up in any supermarket this should be your go-to shop. There’s a dabbling of French and Spanish in the fridge, but if you want some scamorza, a spicy gorgonzola, some runny-ass burrata or buffalo mozzarella (now that The Mast is closed, RIP) this is the place. And because it’s a market you can go mad with Italian Night at Home until you actually get a chance to go back to Italy. Fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, seafood, charcuterie, sweets… all here. It could get pricey, but for one night, what the hell?
marks & Spencer
| Location: Cityplaza, Tai Koo
Okay, we did it with the baguettes too. Sue us. But how often do you go looking for some crazy Western food and think, “I wonder if M&S has anything that might work?” Yes, it’s as white as it gets, and yes, we’ve yet to see how Brexit is going to affect the ol’ girl (a lot of the store’s product is “Product-of-someplace-in-the-EU”) but for now it’s BAU – and the recently renovated TaiKoo store has one of the best, easily accessed cheese collections in Hong Kong – in blocks, sliced or shredded and ready to go. The two Food Halls in Central are good too, but TaiKoo seems to have just a bit more – and socks and undies while you’re at it. And they have their own delivery app.
cheese Club
| Location: Online
If it’s bargain prices that top your list for cheese requirements, this is your option. As a bonus, they put an emphasis on the “club” part of Cheese Club. Join up and you get a monthly offers, blind samples, discounts, points and a whole bunch of other stuff. Cheese Club is also culinarily agnostic, so its selection comes from across the globe. For truly dedicated cheese lovers.