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Header image courtesy of @fmchan (via OpenRice)
Is there anything that goes better with rice than a runny egg yolk? We don’t think so. Take things up a notch from sunny-side-up eggs to a full-on Japanese-style omelette rice (or omurice for short), a yoshoku (洋食; Japanese-style Western food) favourite that features fried rice either wrapped in or topped with a custardy scrambled egg. It’s typically served in a pool of demi-glace sauce, though curry sauce or ketchup are common, too. Carby, comforting, and oh-so-beautiful, it’s no wonder this dish has slowly taken over the menus of Hong Kong’s trendiest local cafés and restaurants. Read on for our favourite places in Hong Kong to get this classic fusion dish.
This little restaurant does some of the best omurice in town, with silky smooth eggs and a customisable menu of sauces and toppings. Our top pick is the hearty and comforting pork curry + demi-glace burger omurice ($96), which is the perfect combination of savoury, sweet, and slightly spicy. The pork curry + tomato beef ($82) is great for those who prefer a tangier taste. This small eatery is incredibly popular with local office workers, so be prepared to queue!
Cats’ Eye Bistro, 24 Swatow Street, Wan Chai | (+852) 2891 8986
Where better to try an omelette dish than an actual egg-themed restaurant? This Singaporean export—which derives its name from the Japanese word tamago (玉子; egg)—serves up all kinds of Japanese-style egg dishes, including tamago kake gohan (卵かけご飯; egg over rice) with fluffy egg whites, omelette skewers, and oyakodon (親子丼; chicken and egg rice). The short-and-sweet omelette rice menu contains a fairly standard beef stew omurice ($118), as well as more unusual choices like mentaiko salmon cream omurice ($98) and seafood tomato cream omurice ($108).
It’s not possible to talk about omurice in Hong Kong right now without mentioning Mamaday (which means “so-so” in Cantonese)—this charming upstairs café-slash-restaurant has exploded in popularity over recent years, with the flagship Causeway Bay branch still regularly drawing massive crowds. The signature Kabayaki eel omelette rice ($152) is one of the most popular—and Instagrammed—dishes here, featuring a mound of custardy egg rice topped with a huge grilled eel in a bed of bonito flakes.
Mamaday, 1/F, 28 Sharp Street West, Causeway Bay | (+852) 2164 0066
Come to this newly opened restaurant for the gorgeous mural from Kristopher Ho, and stay for the affordable Japanese food. Unlike some of the other restaurants on this list, Kyukyuko Do does both yoshoku and washoku (和食; traditional Japanese cuisine), so you can order everything from sashimi platters and freshly fried kushikatsu skewers to home-style dishes like the humble omurice.
The omurice menu here is fairly comprehensive, with classics like hamburg steak omurice ($78) and slow-cooked pork cartilage omurice ($78). If you can’t decide between options, you can ask to have a combo—we’ve got our eye on the mapo tofu & fried chicken omurice.
Kyukyuko Do, Shop D, Seabright Plaza, 9–23 Shell Street, Fortress Hill | (+852) 3596 7848
Omurice might hail from Japan, but one of the most popular places in town to get the dish is Korean chain Banchan and Cook. While the restaurant specialises in banchan (반찬; Korean small plates), it also has a dedicated omurice menu, with signatures like the omurice with house beef sauce ($88), which comes with Banchan’s homemade beef demi-glace, as well as the Korean-influenced omurice with kimchi & pork ($118).
For a taste of yoshoku in Tuen Mun, check out White Court, an unassuming little café that serves quirky East-meets-West fare, like kale and soy milk spaghetti ($62), beef bourguignon with rice or paratha ($98), and a variety of different omurices. For something hearty and fulfilling, try the pork curry omurice ($66), which comes in a thin curry sauce with a perfectly silky scrambled egg, thick-cut breaded cutlets, and a single potato.
White Court Café, Shop 2–3, 1/F, Waldorf Shopping Arcade, 1 Tuen Lee Street, Tuen Mun | (+852) 3460 3565
Annette is an editor and copywriter with a lifetime of experience in hunting out the most interesting, odd, and delightful things about her beloved home city. Having written extensively about everything from food and culture to fashion, music, and hospitality, she considers her speciality to be Hong Kong itself. In her free time, you can find Annette trying out new dumpling recipes or playing Big Two at her favourite local bars with a cocktail in hand.
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