The Cantonese phrases you need to know in Hong Kong restaurants

Meaning to add, this word can be used when you wish to have a larger portion of a specific component in your dish or drink. For example, you can either say ‘gaa dai’ (加底), which directly translates as ‘more bottom’, or ‘gaa ma’ (加馬), to bulk up the amount of rice or noodles in your meal. If it’s a particularly hot day and you’re thirsting for extra ice in your beverage, simply say ‘gaa bing’ (加冰). Basically, you can’t go wrong with saying ‘gaa’ should you want any extra portions.

Okay, now that you know how to ask for more, here’s what to say when you want less of something, or smaller portions of regular sizes. Many cha chaan tengs might overload your milk tea with ice and totally filter out the flavours, but you can say ‘siu bing’ (少冰) while ordering to get less of it in your drink. If you don't have much of a sweet tooth or you're watching your sugar intake, remember to tell the waiter that you would like your drink to be ‘siu team’ (少甜).

‘Zau’ directly translates to 'walk' or 'without', and it’s a super useful phrase for picky eaters or anyone with allergies. Use this if you would like to omit something from your dish. For instance, you can skip the green onions by saying ‘zau cheng’ (走青) or skip any sauces by saying ‘zau sik’ (走色). Same goes with drinks. Simply say ‘zau bing’ (走冰) and your beverage will come without ice and probably slightly lukewarm (if that's your thing). 

Once you’ve perfected these three words, you can now move on to metaphorical phrases to order specific items. To order a bowl of white rice, shout for ‘yat wun leng zai’ (一碗靚仔), which basically translates to 'a bowl of handsome young man'. Remember: don’t abbreviate the phrase to just ‘leng zai’ or the waiter will think you’re hitting on him – though no judgement if you are. The same goes for ordering a bowl of congee and asking the servers for ‘yat wun leng nui’ (一碗靚女), which translates to ‘a bowl of pretty girl’.

Need to order takeout? You’ll want to remember the phrase ‘hang gai’ (行街), which means to walk the streets; and your food will be packed in styrofoam boxes to go. Alternatively, if you can’t finish your meal, you could also say ‘da bao’ (打包) which means to pack your food up.

Literally meaning ‘signature water’, ‘lai sui’ (例水) is the Cantonese version of soup du jour, or soup of the day. Most restaurants will only offer one soup option, so if you’d like to order a bowl of the daily broth, simply say ‘yat wun lai sui’ (一碗例水). However, if you dine at a Western-style restaurant like a local steakhouse or at a cha chaan teng, there might be Chinese and Western soups to choose from. In this case, you’ll need to specify if you’d like the ‘zhong tong’ (中湯) for the Chinese option, or ‘sai tong’ (西湯) for the latter. 

Aside from serving piping hot portions of rice and noodle dishes, cha chaan tengs also dish out plenty of sandwiches packed with fillings like scrambled eggs, luncheon meat, as well as corned beef. If you’re not a fan of crusts on your sarnie, just remember to tell the waiter to ‘fei been’ (飛邊), so they’ll know to cut the crusts off.

Wonton noodles are an iconic dish in Hong Kong cuisine, so it’s not surprising that there’s specific terminology used with this dish. To properly order a bowl of wonton noodles at a restaurant, you’ll have to tell the servers how big of a portion you’d like. If you’re not feeling hungry, just request for a ‘sai yong’ (細蓉) to get one small portion of noodles with four wontons; whereas ‘dai yong’ (大蓉) will give you double that. In case you were curious, the word ‘yong’ (蓉) specifically refers to the dried egg noodles that are traditionally served in wonton noodles, which weigh around one tael or approximately 50 grams. 

Like the food options at cha chaan tengs, the drink combinations served are seemingly endless. Aside from classic beverages like milk tea and yuen yeung, hot chocolate is another popular drink that’s served at cha chaan tengs. If saying ‘yeet zhu gu lick’ (熱朱古力) is too much of a mouthful, you can easily ask for a hot chocolate by requesting for a ‘fei mui’ (肥妹) instead. This phrase directly translates to 'chubby girl', which refers to how fattening these drinks can be if consumed regularly. Just remember to add ‘yat bui’ (一杯, meaning one cup) in front of your request, otherwise, you might raise some eyebrows for fat shaming in public.

If you want to sound like a pro when ordering your cuppa joe, tell the waiters you want a ‘wong ah je’ (汪阿姐). This term for hot coffee got its name from the popular 1981 song Hot Coffee by Liza Wang, who’s affectionately known as 'wong ah je' or Sister Wang.