It’s no secret that we love egg waffles. These crispy little puffs of joy are one of Hong Kong’s most iconic street snacks, alongside fishballs and random offal skewers (gotta love that variety). In recent years, we’ve watched with mild amusement as gai dan zai have even become veritable food fads in the US and the UK (the waffles that launched a thousand likes?).
However, because nobody loves egg waffles like Hongkongers do, there’s going to be a damn egg waffle festival in Causeway Bay this weekend celebrating all things gai, dan, and zai (just go with it). What better way to celebrate street food than a street festival, right?
Disregarding the silly name (“EGGssentially Art!”) which tells you basically nothing, Hong Kong’s first ever gai dan zai fest will include eggette-inspired art, an eggette “throne” (which looks more like a chaise, but we’re just splitting hairs), and most importantly, lots and lots of egg waffles.
Beloved eggette shops like Mammy Pancake and Oddies Foodies will be there to serve their crowd-pleasing creations, while Seasons by Oliver E., fusion café LOF10, Twins Kitchen (the consulting duo behind Common Ground), and KBBQ restaurant Dong Dae Mun will also be offering their own “take” on egg waffles.
Twins Kitchen is making smores eggettes, which we didn’t know we needed in our lives until just now.
While our sweet tooth has got us eggs-ited (soz) for Seasons’ chocolate eggette with homemade vanilla ice cream and gianduja cream, the egg waffle’s versatility lends itself well to savoury creations too, like Fullhouse Egglet’s takoyaki (octopus ball) gai dan zai, or Twins Kitchen’s fried chicken-stuffed waffle. We’re not sure if we’re ready for Mammy Pancake’s Chinese sausage and double cheese waffle, though…
We don’t know how to feel about this.
If you feel like taking a break from gorging yourself, you can dabble in a little dessert making of your own at Kazuki Bakery’s workshop, or engineer something non-edible with Hong Kong’s first socially and environmentally conscious makerspace, MakerBay. If you want to be arty, but passively so, you can also watch finger painter Justin Y get his hands dirty, or check out artist Little Lon’s cutesy Hong Kong prints.
Throughout the weekend, local acts like jazz musicians Sonia Raphael and Ricky Wong, indie pop band Scarlet Bros, and the funky Farley’s Angels will be on hand to entertain you with their smooth smooth tunes (or play in the background as you incessantly Instagram an egg waffle in your own awkwardly twisted hand).
What: EGGssentially Art!
When: 11am to 7pm, Saturday March 4 to Sunday March 5
Where: Lee Garden One driveway, Causeway Bay (Google Maps)
Price: Free
Tickets: Just rock up and chow down, brahs
