No need to fly to Hong Kong to eat — New Taipei’s first Hong Kong-style dessert shop gives you “maximum satisfaction”

▲Authentic Hong Kong flavor at 852 Hong Kong-Style Desserts (Photo produced by intern reporter Xiong Pei TD)

Intern reporters Xiong Pei TD and Liao Xiaoqiao / Reported from New Taipei

On a hot summer day, nothing beats a bowl of cool dessert — what a true delight it is. Located in Jiangzicui, New Taipei City, 852 Hong Kong-Style Desserts lets you enjoy authentic Hong Kong-style sweet soups without boarding a plane. Even locals from Hong Kong say it tastes like home. Be sure to give it a try when you can.
 
▲Each item at 852 Hong Kong-Style Desserts showcases the most authentic Hong Kong flavors. The owner serves generous portions at affordable prices — definitely worth a try. (Photo by intern reporter Xiong Pei TD, same below)

Last year, a young couple — a Hongkonger and a Taiwanese woman — opened this shop. But due to certain circumstances, it was temporarily closed before reopening in May this year. The owner, a Hong Kong-style dessert chef with over six years of experience, has mastered the art of simmering sweet soups. The couple met in Australia, and it was the coconut sago pudding made by the owner that introduced the wife to Hong Kong’s dessert culture. The idea of opening a shop in Taiwan gradually took root. The wife smiled and said, “We just opened the shop with passion and ideals!”

The shop name is also cleverly devised. 852 is Hong Kong’s international dialing code, and including it in the name signifies Hong Kong. To present an authentic Hong Kong style, the shop also retains the Hong Kong term for sweet soups — “tong shui.”

▲852 is Hong Kong’s international dialing code, so including it in the name means Hong Kong. “Tong shui” is how Hong Kong refers to sweet soups.

▲The owner of 852 Hong Kong-Style Desserts.

What is “tong shui”? The owner explained that tong shui means sweet soup. For Hong Kong people, it serves as a happy ending after dinner. To avoid putting too much strain on the body, Hong Kong-style sweet soups focus on healthiness, featuring low sugar content, no ice, and the use of natural ingredients — a major characteristic.

Unlike Taiwanese-style sweet soups, Hong Kong-style ones follow the principle of soup brewing, using time-consuming simmering to create thick, rich broths. Different ingredients are added based on the variety, and each bowl served is packed with ingredients — truly impressive. In Hong Kong, they call it “eating tong shui.” Additionally, to honor Hong Kong traditions, the daily freshly cooked hot sweet soups are chilled with machines, and no ice is added to preserve the original flavor.

▲Every bowl, from the broth to the toppings, is simmered by the owner himself — a testament to the shop’s dedication to quality.

The shop’s popular sweet soups include 852 Big Satisfaction, Southern & Northern Apricot Snow Fungus Stewed Papaya, Gemini Paradise, and Colorful Boba — four varieties in total. Among them, 852 Big Satisfaction combines multiple items from the menu: coconut sago pudding (with white tapioca pearls, grass jelly, black pearls (mountain tapioca), various beans), coconut cha cha, and peanut corn rice porridge. It’s then drizzled with liquid whipped cream and tangy mango puree. The multi-layered, rich texture lives up to its name — truly a big satisfaction.

▲The shop’s top-rated “852 Big Satisfaction.”

If you’re looking for something to beautify your skin, don’t miss the Southern & Northern Apricot Snow Fungus Stewed Papaya. Freshly sliced papaya, white fungus, southern and northern apricots with heat-clearing and lung-moistening benefits, and rock sugar are slow-cooked over low heat. The clear, translucent soup carries the sweet aroma of papaya. The chewy white fungus and slightly crisp southern and northern apricots offer a rich texture and health benefits.

▲The beauty-enhancing classic: Southern & Northern Apricot Snow Fungus Stewed Papaya.

Colorful Boba combines firm grass jelly made from grass jelly broth, Q-textured white boba, and black boba (mountain tapioca) with seasonal Taiwanese fruits. It’s also topped with liquid whipped cream and tangy mango puree. Fans of multi-ingredient desserts can go for this one.

The owner specially explained that many commercial mountain tapioca drinks are diluted with water, so their thickness can’t be felt. Actually, the real texture of mountain tapioca is its stickiness.

▲Colorful Boba with seasonal fruits.

Even common red bean and green bean soups are prepared and taste quite different from those in Taiwan. The owner said that for health purposes, red bean soup is cooked with dried tangerine peel, which helps reduce bloating and replenishes qi and blood. Green bean soup includes a certain Chinese medicinal herb. As for texture, the Hong Kong version opts for a smooth, sandy feel, unlike the distinct, separate grains of the Taiwanese style.

▲The vanilla-flavored green bean soup emphasizes a soft, sandy texture.

Besides the above popular sweet soups, other items each have their unique charm. For example, there’s coconut cha cha (a sweet soup with sticky rice balls, sago, black beans, red beans, lotus seeds, and peanuts simmered together). The owner said, “The key to making good cha cha is low heat and long cooking time. The cooking duration differs depending on the ingredients, so we have to carefully control the timing. Otherwise, if you add peanuts too early, they’ll turn soft and lose their aroma!”

The shop also sells Hong Kong-style tofu pudding on weekends. Don’t miss out if you love tofu pudding. Additionally, every month they launch a limited-time special item available for seven days — such as sesame paste, fried tofu stick egg sweet soup — with other items depending on the owner’s choice. The owner also hinted that a fruit series might be launched in August.

852 Hong Kong-Style Desserts
Address: No. 433, Section 2, Wenhua Road, Banqiao District (near Exit 6 of Jiangzicui MRT Station)
Business hours: Tuesday to Friday 14:00 - 21:00; Saturday-Sunday 14:00 - 21:30
Phone: (02) 8258-5100