Despite being born here in Hong Kong, I have only lived here for 8 years total, 5th year in a row in August! This means I’ve missed out on over 2 decades’ worth of Hong Kong food. One of my favourites is the Hong Kong style French Toast or 西多士, pronounced sai dor see, as it is called in Cantonese. The name translates literally to “Western Toast” and like many other HK dishes that have their origins from the West, it’s a local twist to a Western dish that gets turned up to 11.
What distinguishes the HK style french toast is that we use fresh(er) bread, so the egg doesn’t soak all the way through, and it is usually deep fried. The most basic version is topped with butter and syrup or condensed milk. From there they can be stuffed with peanut butter, fruit, cheese, more egg, etc.
My ideal HK French Toast is the basic version made with a thick slice of bread. The egg should permeate the outer edges of the bread at least 1/4 of the way through. The outside should be crispy, golden brown, and hot. I prefer a large pat of butter and condensed milk for topping. I can live without fillings.
My goal isn’t to eat my way through all the different restaurants that sell 西多士, my inflated waistline + deflated wallet won’t be happy about that, but I am going to document all the times that I eat HK Style French Toast and let you know what I think. This is just the beginning of the… French Toast Diaries *cue mysterious music*.
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