Sham Tseng Roast Goose

Sham Tseng is a village on Castle Peak Road between Tsuen Wan and Tuen Mun whose name in Hong Kong means one thing: roast goose. Several restaurants along the road built their reputation on it from the 1950s, and the standard is exacting, with the bird marinated inside, the skin scalded and dried, then roasted over charcoal until the fat renders and the skin crackles, served chopped over rice or as a plate with plum sauce. Enough people drive out for it that the village is busy at weekends, and the road has a view across the water to the Tsing Ma bridge and Lantau. Individual restaurants have opened and closed, so reputations shift.

What you actually see

• Charcoal-roasted goose - the skin rendered and crackling.
• Goose over rice - the standard plate, with plum sauce alongside.
• Roadside restaurants in a row - the strip the village is known for.
• Views to the Tsing Ma bridge - the water and the span from the road.

When to go

Year round. Two hours including travel. Weekend lunchtimes are busy and waits are long. Some restaurants sell out of goose by the afternoon.

Honest expectations

Which restaurant is best is contested and changes; reputations here are not stable. It is fatty food and a whole plate defeats most people. Buses are slow and the village has nothing else. Prices have risen sharply.

Nearby

Tsuen Wan is east; the Tsing Ma bridge lies south across the water.