I Don’t Know Why More People Aren’t Flocking to This TKO Restaurant

Tsueng Kwan O isn’t exactly known as a gastronomic epicenter of Hong Kong. Until about 10 years ago, I’m 99% sure that it was just a flour mill, Elements shopping mall, several apartment buildings, and a couple of turf fields where chubby expat bankers would gather for Sunday league football to relive their glory days of… Sunday league football back home.

And construction. Always construction. 

However, over the last several years, this former Kuomintang loyalist village knew it needed to begin feeding the hefty boys of ‘Brighton past and not so future’. So it started birthing a gaggle of restaurants (upon restaurants) along the Tseung Kwan O South Waterfront Promenade. Eateries, who, in my humble opinion, put a good chunk in Central, and areas of other great gustatory pomp and circumstance, to shame. 

So, I’m here to put this little pocket of food and beverage excellence on your radar, starting with the restaurant that I consider to be, David Goggins-style, carrying the boats – Hygge.

Who’s gonna carry the boats? Hygge will (and does).

Hygge: It’s in the Name

Website, Address, & Details: https://www.instagram.com/hygge_pizza_crepe/ 

• Location: Tseung Kwan O, Tong Chun St, 28號Ocean Popwalk地鋪33號
• Price: $$ – $$$ – Plates range from HK$70 to HK$300, putting it definitely on the pricier side.

Equidistant from the Tseung Kwan O MTR Station and Waterfront Park/Promenade, on a small pathway that loops around the 3.7 Google star shopping mall ‘Ocean PopWalk’ and several other 3.7 Google star rated condominium complexes, you wouldn’t know that you’re walking by one of Hong Kong’s most underrated restaurants upon first pass. 

The black exterior with white cursive lettering, short Japanese noren (which obstruct any clear view of the interior), and two outdoor tables with gastro-umbrellas, give off “cafe vibes” rather than Nordic log cabin lore with Epicurean hearth.

However, after stepping inside, it’s immediately apparent that there’s an embalming warmth to this restaurant. A warmth that radiates deep down into the plums. One that could and will never be captured by shopfront signage with a slightly platitudinal welcome phrase (“Be happy in the moment.”)

The wood-paneled interior with exposed beams, neatly aligned russet-colored tables (several rounded off by a single banquette), ‘eggshell white’ cloths bowing from the ceiling, and sleek white glass pendant lamps, make you feel as if the tomten could come rapping at the door of your contemporary, yet cozy, Nordic cabin any minute. 

It’s a type of warmth that’s rare to find in this cold, transient, efficient city. As a New Englander, I’m all for efficiency and getting in and out as quickly as possible, exchanging no more than several grunts and hand gesticulations in the negotiation for my extra large vanilla latte and blueberry cake donut. But sometimes…just sometimes. I want need to sit down, take a breather, and catch up with the O.G.’s and my loved ones at my own pace.

I don’t know why I was so surprised by this maternal hug of an atmosphere (only the first time I made the pilgrimage) when everything you need to know about Hygge is in the name – which is the Danish word for a ‘cozy contented feeling’. Other translations include a ‘warm atmosphere’, and ‘enjoying the good things in life with people’. 

It’s a mood. One that’s difficult to put into words. However, I’m sure you know it when you feel it. I know I do.

My mother even has a sweatshirt with this word on it, so a hug from her while wearing it is like my very own Hygge Inception. 

Undoubtedly, the visceral memories and my jubilant gut reaction to this restaurant are also prompted by the fact that it’s the go-to spot for my father and me when we meet up every couple of weeks – something I’m extremely grateful for. 

A Nordic Misnomer!? 

While Google classifies Hygge as a ‘Scandinavian restaurant’, I’m guessing that’s solely based on its name. There’s not anything particularly Scandinavian about the food, at least from what I’ve discerned over 10-plus visits.  

If anything, Hygge’s cuisine is more aptly labeled as an Italian-French hybrid thanks to the array of crepes, galettes, and Neapolitan-style pizzas that line the menu. 

I’ve seen some people describe the cuisine as ‘fusion’. But I don’t even know what that term means anymore. It feels like something that is thrown around way too liberally and as a copout when there’s no better word to describe a restaurant that contains multitudes. 

I hesitate to call something fusion when there’s simply the substitution or addition of a single ingredient in a dish. However, maybe it is when that single new, novel element changes the entire profile of the dish, causing you to step back and reassess everything you knew about a dish you thought you knew. You’ll see what I mean below. 

Pale Ale Travel Tip: You may have already seen that I sang the praises of Hygge for its pizza in my post breaking down 10 of the best pizza restaurants in Hong Kong. However, having worked my way through roughly half of the menu by now, I can tell you that it ain’t just pizza that Hygge and Co. do exceptionally well – it’s everything. 

Here’s what you need to order…scratch that…you can order whatever you want here as it’s going to be top-notch no matter what. But here are some of my go-to’s. 

The Only App(s) That You Should Actually Spend Your Time On: Hygge’s Antipasti Platter

Get it? Because we’ve entered an epoch where all we do is mindlessly scroll, chuckle, rate each other, and move on to the next app that temporarily satiates whatever immediate dopamine hit we desire. 

Focus on apps. Not apps. 

I don’t think I can start a meal at Hygge without the antipasto platter. That’s partially because by the time my father and I arrive at the restaurant, mid-afternoon, several other appetizers are sold out. 

My father is a nacho fiend and each time we show up, they seem to have been run through quicker than the Carolina Panthers’ D-line (the worst defense of 2024 in the NFL). Very elusive. However, I’m sure once I get off “The Island” a tad earlier next time, they will be well within our grasp. 

I act as if Hygge’s antipasto platter is a consolation prize. It isn’t. It is very much capable of standing front and center with the likes of Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps in the ‘Appetizer Olympics’. 

I feel as if I’m digressing. 

Expect a cornucopia of three different types of Italian cuts, prosciutto, porchetta, and (what I suspect to be) capocollo, three cheeses of varying pungency and textures, artichokes, gherkins, fresh cherry tomatoes (literally candy), and rocket. 

There’s a rare harmony that’s achieved with this antipasti board. It’s one of the few that I’ve eaten and walked out without questioning if I’d spring a hemorrhoid or two later that night due to the overwhelming fat content. 

It’s fatty, salty, nutty, creamy, earthy, and tangy. It’s also liberally portioned. Yet not to the degree where you have yourself questioning how you’re going to finish the other three dishes you ordered. 

Like a Walt Whitman poem. It contains multitudes. 

Other Hygge Apps That Are Better Than Bumble & Temple Run

I’m 99% sure most of these apps have been discontinued but I can’t write this piece without at least paying homage to them.

First, Hygge’s pumpkin risotto is one of the only dishes I’ve eaten in Asia that has directly transported me back to the rustic, vibrant foliage of a New England fall. Picture a creamy, sweet, rich pumpkin soup that’s semi-fluid and yields a slight chewiness upon delivery to your cakehole. 

Second, get a look at this chicken, pumpkin, beetroot (I have that Aussie blood in me) salad. If I wasn’t such a pig this would be more than a fitting meal in itself. And, based on just how colorful it is, you know it’s good for you. 

It’s a textural goliath thanks to the creamy, soft pumpkin, slightly firm beetroot, crunchy lettuce, and fibrous slices of juicy, well-seasoned chicken. 

Third, Hygge’s homemade pâté with perilla pesto and freshly baked bread is for anyone craving gastronomic luxuriousness at an affordable price. 

While this pâté’s rich, savory, and creamy profile was very much appreciated, my father and I could have done without ordering so much bread. The problem at Hygge is that all bread is fresh and warm, so you just can’t stop eating it. 

It’s not that I don’t recommend this dish. I’d just caution ordering it if you are also planning on crushing a pizza as well. 

Or, if you’re ‘carbing up’ for wrestling camp this fall, like what I told a random 8th grader at summer band camp when he asked me why I was eating so many plates of pasta, then go ahead and order it. 

Pale Ale Travel Note: While Hygge does rotate out dishes as they see fit, they still keep the core “essence” of dishes and what you can expect. For example, while the pumpkin risotto is no longer “on deck,” as of my last visit they had a black truffle mushroom risotto. 

Ink Spaghetti With Seared Octopus

This might possibly be my favorite pasta in all of Hong Kong. Take that as you will as I’m a rice guy at heart but I consider it somewhat of a ringing endorsement. 

A seafood-infused pasta with chunky slabs of seared octopus and more garlic than you can shake a garlic stick at? Sign me up. 

After your first bite, you will inevitably be looking like that one lady pirate from the Pirates of the Caribbean whose mouth looks like she brushed her teeth with activated charcoal, even though I’m sure it was due to that pirate lifestyle and lack of basic oral hygiene – but it’s completely worth it. 

In addition to the mild octopus, the capers, sun-dried tomatoes, and dill emphatically protect against any sort of briny, seafood overload, and much like the antipasti platter, there’s a balance. Maybe that’s what ‘hygge’ means after all – contentedness and coziness thanks to the perfect blend of elements, emotions, and ingredients (edible or not). 

The only note I’d make which isn’t a huge one is that the garlicky-ness of this does seem to oscillate. Both my father and I are extremely pro-garlic, so the first several times that we went and were hit with a Vampire’s worst nightmare infused in the black ink sauce, we were in heaven. 

However, over our last several trips, Hygge has dialed back this slightly pungent bulbous flowering plant and vegetable. 

Pale Ale Travel Tip: Tseung Kwan O happens to house a branch of one of my go-to ramen restaurants in the city, Butao. Check out my post breaking down 6 of the best ramen joints in Hong Kong to learn more about why in a city of overpriced Japanese cuisine, Butao is actually worth the bang for your buck. 

Porchetta & Camembert Cheese Pizza

Look at that right there. This is a pizza you didn’t even know you needed until right now.

Remember what I said about how the substitution and/or addition of a single ingredient can completely cause your head to explode like one of the fembots in Austin Powers after he sensually dances to I Touch Myself by The Divinyls? Voilà. 

In this case, it’s the addition of a half wheel of French Camembert to what I’d consider an otherwise traditional Italian Neapolitan pizza.  

What I’ve always said about pizza is that it needs more cheese. But not that five-cheese type of blend that forms into some indistinguishable, congealed blob of disappointment. ‘Discernible cheese’ is what I look for. That also sounds like an experimental thrash metal band from Poughkeepsie, New York who unironically wear knee-length jean shorts. 

My prayers were answered with Hygge’s porchetta and Camembert Neapolitan pizza. 

I attribute my love of Camembert to a phase I went through when living in Taipei, where I found myself a little too into Martha Stewart securities fraud tips recipes and decorative cheese board assembly, and found myself going through several wheels of it a week. 

It had such a lasting impact that, in subsequent years, when speaking to a doctor about a medical issue unrelated to cheese consumption, I described my symptoms as feeling similar to “When you eat a whole block of cheese and can’t push anything out.” I followed up with, “That ever happened to you?” 

To which my primary care physician shook his head and said, “I’m not sure what you mean.” 

Please let me know in the comments if you can relate.

Anyways, back to the scheduled broadcasting. 

Oh yeah. Camembert. It’s soft, it’s buttery, it’s mildly earthy. When slightly melted atop a salty thin porchetta and airy crust – it’s heaven. Something about the crust just hits right. 

That’s probably because Hygge uses 00 flour, which is finely ground Italian flour that yields a slightly chewier base rather than a heavy, crispy one. Anything heavier and the combination of the camembert, mozzarella, and porchetta would be too much. Anything lighter and the pizza would cave in upon itself. 

After 48 hours of fermentation, the dough is primed and ready to be tossed in a pizza oven straight from the Italian motherland for a one-of-a-kind pizza nativity. 

Finally, a tomten-sized handful of rocket is there for garnish, the ever-so-slight bitterness of it diligently working to cut through the creamy, salty base, providing yet MORE…balance. 

Is Hygge exactly what Slug from Atmosphere pensively rapped about in his 2003 single ‘Trying to Find a Balance’? He wasn’t insane, in fact, he was kind of rational when he was asking, “Yo, where did all the passion go?” Little did he know that all the passion he was searching for went into this pizza.

Also, if that previous sentence reads weird, it’s because I altered the lyrics from ‘Trying to Find a Balance’. Nonsensical. I know. 

Hygge isn’t afraid to push the envelope either, offering up select, innovative Neapolitan pies that (typically) incorporate Asian ingredients and toppings that you might otherwise think to be incongruous with this beloved staple. 

For example, in the several years that I’ve frequented Hygge, their Thai Tom Yum Goong Neapolitan, with shrimp, squid, lemongrass, lime leaves, and shrimp oil has stood loud and proud on the menu. 

I’ve also seen a Japanese-style seared marlin with mentaiko sauce (pollock roe with mayonnaise) come through the door, along with a handful of other amalgamations that shouldn’t theoretically work but I imagine do. 

This is what a great pizzeria and restaurant can do when it has the fundamentals down to a Mr. T. 

Don’t worry, you’ll also find a traditional Margherita on the menu, along with a guanciale, grilled artichoke, bell pepper, and rocket pie, and even a nduja and eggplant ‘zah’. 

Pale Ale Travel Tip: If you, also like me, enjoy getting off of Hong Kong Island and checking out some lesser-known spots, I wholeheartedly recommend heading over to Rossi’s Pizza & Smoked Meats in Sai Kung. Not only do they fire up a creamy and herby pesto ricotta pie that will knock your socks off, but it’s also home to the best brisket I’ve eaten in Hong Kong. 

A Hygge Ride or Die

Honestly, I’m not sure how Hygge isn’t packed at all hours of the day. The term ‘hidden gem’ doesn’t even do this justice. It’s one of the best restaurants in Hong Kong, hands down. 

The care, the quality, and the warmth (the latter emitting from both the oven and hearts of its employees), while not unparalleled in Hong Kong, are a rarity. This cutthroat gastronomic landscape we find ourselves in, one rife with exorbitant rents, delusional landlords, and several other incurable maladies I hesitate to write, is, unfortunately, indiscriminate. So, treasure the gems that are out there while you can. 

Show up. Spend some dolla dolla billz y’all. Bring your top roll dawgz or loved ones. And support the businesses that truly put their heart and soul into the craft. Maybe, just maybe, there will be a fighting chance. #HyggeRideorDie. 

If you have any questions about eating or drinking in Hong Kong (such as my favorite spots/most underrated spots in the city), please don’t hesitate to reach out to me via email at info@palealetravel.com. 

Also, I’d love to hear what your favorite restaurants out at the TKO Promenade are! My father and I have been slowly but surely working our way through them over the years but are always looking for new spots!

Eat well everyone,

Big Body