Best Pudding Ever

If you’re ever in Hong Kong for any reason at all, there is one place that you absolutely must go.

Don’t be fooled by its appearance.
On the outside, this shop looks like some place you your grandmother buy Chinese medicine from. But I’m telling ya, I had better time in the shop than in Disneyland.

The name of the place is called Chu Xu Liu Shan, probably named after a famous maiden from ancient China.
They serve mango puddings. Nothing else but mango puddings.
They’ve got mango puddings by itself, mango puddings with sago balls, mango puddings with fruits, mango puddings with ice cream, … anything and every possible combination you could think of. And they are absolutely sensational.

I discovered it when I was at Causeway Bay (Hong Kong’s main shopping area) and saw a sizable crowd forming by the shopfront. My instinct immediately tells me that one of the following must be true:
a) Some celebrity sighting
b) Someone fighting
c) Someone giving out something for free

Turns out none of the above was happening at all. The Chu Liu Shan outlet was just having one of their normal days.
Out of curiousity, I hopped into their almost-full shop and ordered their basic mango pudding. And I got THIS.

This is not an ordinary dessert dish at all. Their mango puddings are absolutely out of this world.
And It’s not exactly cheap either you know. A bowl of mango pudding like that costs HK$26/RM13. That’s the price of Starbucks! Yet business is still doing so well. That’s how good they are.

It’s not difficult to see why. One spoonful of their mango pudding and I’m already in seventh heaven. Their pudding is smooth and silky, their mango fresh and aromatic. I can’t remember the last time I tasted something so… orgasmic before.

It’s so good I came back the second day and ordered another dish. This time, mango pudding with glutinous rice balls and fruits. This one’s even better than the basic variation.
It’s so yummmy I’m gonna go for it again tomorrow before I leave for the airport. No doubt when I leave Hong Kong, this will be one of the things I miss most.

Want some?
Dammit, someone quick go start a franchise in Malaysia already!


My card adapter screwed up. That means I can’t upload and edit photos till I’m back in Kuching. 🙁

162 Replies to “Best Pudding Ever”

  1. Great pics Kenny. One can literally salivate when you look at the yummy dessert. I always have fond memories of Hong Kong culinary delights. In my last visit to HK, the waiters are definitely more polight now (I guess might have something to do with the restaurant queues which aren’t so long!)
    My own food blog:
    http://palmdocpix.blogspot.com/
    pix taken mostly with my Treo650 so they aren’t as sharp as with a regular digital camera
    Cheers
    Palmdoc
    http://palmdoc.net

  2. hey Kenny
    I am going to Hong Kong next month. can you give a little more info on the location of this shop?
    it looks so yummylicious!
    thanks!

  3. Aiyah… hungry liao lah. The mango pudding look so nice…
    Weird lah, how come our countries don’t have such scrumptious Mango Pudding (super-ultra-cheapo-sweet sweet one got lah), but Hong Kong (the country which doesn’t even grow mango at all) have.
    Or Hong Kong do have mango tree?

  4. Yeah, HK is famous with its dessert especially mango favourite dessert n i tried it before too, sigh….very nice, nice, nice!

  5. xu liu shan is everywhere.. and its realli yummy. I usually have the yang zhi gan lu (mango sago with pomelo) and its yum!

  6. OMG, i ate this almost every night in HK too. It’s actually a chain over there, so you should be able to find one near to every major shopping district.
    They had one in Singapore near to Lido, but I think the prices didn’t make sense here where you could get ice kachang for only $2. 🙂

  7. there’s one in SG. in one of the buildings along Orchard road, nearer to the Thai Embassy. Think the name of the building’s called Palais Renaissance. It’s on the ground level.

  8. i just went there recently and YA, it is SO good. if i didnt remb wrongly, the outlet you went to is just opposite the Times Square in HK.
    yummy.

  9. franchise store in HK. Well spread all over commercial areas. really good… must try… promo – add few bucks for extra cuppa. In cantonese “hui lau san” coz u never find it if u ask direction in mandarin..

  10. the mango pudding looks delicious.
    You should try “chee ma wu” (black sesame dessert) and “fa shang wu” (peanut dessert) too.

  11. Chu Liu Shan was my great-great-great grandmother. Those mango outlets are using her name without her descendents’ permission. We’re going to sue!

  12. hahaha.. Kenny, you must have enjoyed yourself in Hk with pudding.. Yummy. that looks delicious.. Did you bring back some of it for us.. your fans.. ????

  13. yummy!!
    u should go and learn the tricks from the master and start a franchise here..
    u have been watching too much porn lately, i suppose.. =P

  14. ohh…i totally loved this shop while i was in hk. ta paued their stuff twice a day! anyways, it’s really like starbucks…there’s one in every area! do try their mango drink with the jelly at the bottom and coconut milk…absolutely delicious!

  15. i did the same thing when i was there…visited Hui Lau San (cantonese)the first day, the second day, the third day… i tried so many things on the menu…

  16. Kenny, do try the roast goose at ‘Yung Kee’. It’s freaking delicious. i think its at lan kui fang

  17. Kenny, something wrong with comment posting. The name and the comments get messed up. Please check.

  18. It is Xu Liu Shan, kenny boy~! Yes, it was one of the place to visit when u r in HK. I still remember the mango puddings! Yumyum.. There are a few outlets in HK island, so can check it out…
    Kenny, try their Smelly Beancurd. It smelly from far, but when u eat it, it damn nice lor.. 🙂

  19. mango pudding !!!!!!!
    i looovvvvveee mango pudding!
    But i remember trying a black sesame paste some years back in HK (cant remember where tho) It was damn goooood too !!

  20. The pronounce of the word is not Chu..Liu Shang.If in Mandarin was call Xi Liu Shang..If in Cantonese was read “Hei Lao Heung”..o.k

  21. this is sure one place that i visited twice during my short stay in HK…your photos of them just made me drool non-stop..
    i ate the first time in HK and never in singapore before it closed down…
    will eat again if i ever step into HK again!

  22. This is not something new Kenny, it’s been around ages, it’s HK’s version of McDonald’s. I’ve asked them for franchising in Malaysia 2 yrs ago, they’re not interested then coz Singapore’s outlet apparently did not do very well. U hav one last chance to eat it in da airport OK LOL. Try da fried dessert w mango inside.

  23. The exact location in Singapre WAS International Building between Lido and the Thai Embassy. Went there sometime last year. Poor value for money. I remembered paying $5-6 SGD for a honeydew sago, and it came with 2 small balls of honeydew and 1 small ball of watermelon. Simply pathethic. I rather go to a hawker center.

  24. 许留山! My fav dessert in hk!
    You can find it everywhere in hk, especially Mongkok. I had it thrice during my 5D4N stay in hk last yr!
    yeah…it used to have one @ Orchard, but heard that has already disappear…hk one is MUCH better!
    Ohya.. is called XU liu shan, CHU liu shan is other guy :p

  25. kenny, u shud try and see if u can find “shuang nai pi”/”shuang pi nai” in hk. i tried it in guangzhou and it was absolutely scrumptious!

  26. oh my god, I’ve forgotten how long is the last time I ate mango pudding. I guess it’s before my dad pass away. Your pictures is just like the pudding is near to me and it is telling me to eat them! Please, don’t post such pictures again or more people will suffer, lol.

  27. That’s the dessert place that sells mango pudding I mentioned in my comment! Glad you liked it.
    banana

  28. Roast goose at Yung Kee is at 32-40 Wellington Street in Central.
    Zyn, the dessert place can be seen from Times Square in Causeway Bay.
    Kenny, you may want to try the “little basket pau” and “tam tam mee” at Wing Lei Yuen at the Gourmet Centre in Whampoa. The chicken soup there is great as well. Din Tai Fung, one floor above the Wing Lei Yuen has pretty good little basket pau as well. Also recommend a Sichuan restaurant in Causeway bay called Man Jiang Hung (not sure of spelling) on Patterson Street. Their fish in dried chili soup is awesome.
    bon apetit
    banana

  29. Oh yeah, there’s an awesome ox tripe noodle shop in Central called Kow Kee that’s open at night. I think the cab drivers would know the joint. Always see a few cabs parked outside whenever I am there. They even charge for plain msg (?) soup.
    banana

  30. It’s Xu Li Xiang.
    Anyway, they serve other puddings also.
    not only mango.
    but only their mango related stff taste nice thou…
    and they got different promotions on each day of e week.

  31. There’s a shop that won best Wan Tan Noodle award back in 2000 or 2001 in a street just off Queens Road East across the road from Hopewell Centre in Wanchai. Think the street name is Sam Pan Street.
    banana

  32. There’s something like that in Petaling Jaya SS2, always packed with people. That place is famous for their puddings too but i don’t think it look as good as the one in Hong Kong.

  33. omg.. now all of u make me wanna live in hong kong.. but then malaysian food still rox.. kenny.. open 1 kolo mee stall there laa… charge them at starbux price

  34. I think $26 is not expensive for HK standard.
    All desserts cost that price.
    We spent more than 100 HK dollars just for desserts during last trip.

  35. nay~ that is considered cheap in hong kong already. hong kong is an EXPENSIVE place! but do go down to mongkok! especially at night!

  36. I went there once too and if I’m not wrong, it’s quite near the hotel I stayed in that time, which is pan pacific hotel. Damn nice larh. I wanted to keep eating and eating it even after I returned back to Singapore. Totally missed it.

  37. best wantan? nothing can beat the meatball noodles in Mongkok under the highway bridge. went to 3 hui lau sans at times square, wanchai and tsim tsa tsui n guess wat i had ?? COCONUT SAGO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  38. i’ve been missing hk pudding for a year already.. since the last time i set foot in hk. their pudding desserts are devilishly tempting man.. u open one franchise here lar can? haha

  39. Mmmm… puddings. Not a fan of mango, though.
    The best kind of pudding, IMO, is Osakan green-tea pudding with red bean filling. Simply deliciouuuus~~

  40. I remembered eating such mango puddings somewhere in SS2 PJ last year. It was hell orgasmic as well. No need to go far.

  41. i think xu liu shan originated from Taiwan. Take aways are cheaper then in house eating. personally find that there is nothing to rave about. 🙂 desserts at markets for

  42. If u read this and you are still in HK, please go to Hang Fa Lao (杏花楼)to try their 汤圆. Very nice!
    BTW, the 芒果糯米糍 in 许留山also very nice! Must try!

  43. You guys are making me drool. Try this try that. Can everyone post the exact location of each recommendation? I’m going to HK in 2 months and will definately try them!

  44. dude.
    that looks fabulous! lucky, lucky you.
    if it were me, tht price would SO not be a hindrance. if its good, any price will be worth it. and tht doesnt look good, it looks DIVINE.
    damn. i’m salivating.

  45. Thought I’ll be going to HK next month.. but in the end, I’m going to Phuket instead. That mango pudding made everyone drool.. whether they like mango or not :p Maybe HK is next after Phuket.

  46. Bro.. firstly, its called Xu Liu Shan.. not freakin Chu Liu Xiang.. see, you tink too much abt girls…
    Secondly.. the mango pudding rawks indeed
    thirdly… there used to be a franchise in Singapore(must confirm where it moved to).. nx time u come round to sg again, get nadnut or cb to call me for location okay… i bring u there..

  47. There’s a store in Los Angeles, but I’m not fond with the desserts. Somehow, I think they are way too sweet for my taste bud 🙂

  48. Tapau please… will give you my contact once i get a reply from you….
    *drool
    p/s: i’m a starving child, please be kind enough to consider!!

  49. hey kenny,u lie to us!(Lol) my dad said the Xu Liu Shan not just serve mango puddings!! he said it also serve Guai Leng Gou! u lie to us!! hahaha

  50. pudding!
    oh gosh, truly orgasmic! kaoz, hungry hungry now.
    think the one at orchard was closed down for renovation right?
    or it really guan men da ji already?
    but anyway, their mango not really nice, cos isnt super fresh and natural and smooth…
    just okok only…
    so, i cant wait to go hongkong and try…. i love peanut tang yuan…
    and mango pudding… *hungry hungry hippo*

  51. eh singapore used to hv one branch lor. but it folded liaos!!
    when i went to hk last wk i ate that everyday too! they have daily specials!!worth it man!

  52. aiyo…the outlet is call xu liu shan and cantonese is hui lau shan…the other guy is call chu liu xiang lah…gosh u all

  53. hey thx for this kenny! just added one more place on to my ‘must-go’ list when i go HK end of this year!

  54. I live in Shenzhen now…so whenever I go to Hong Kong which is twice a month, I have lots and lots of desserts from this shop! There are in fact a lot of branches in Hong Kong..almost every 3km! hehe…dont get jealous ar!

  55. i thought chu liu xiang is the dude with eye liner and sideburns, topknot and wears a dress? Not jack sparrow. The one with the sword.
    one a side note, Shanghai’s franchise is better than HK’s. I think its the chicks who make them.

  56. haha quliushan is great. u shudve gone for some of the drinks tho. theyre even better than the puddings. try the basic wangyelaixi

  57. i already recommend u 2 go there ma, u didnt notice ah? ur previous post, under comment 23rd of july 0224 a.m. diu, now u only know nice ah, i went 2 that place many many times already, the first time was back in 1998

  58. WHAT??????wth is tat?i’ve nvr seen tat when i was in hk..wu wu wu..but i dun like mango anyway.hehe!it made me vomitted when i was younger,so now i’m having mango-phobia..=P

  59. Wow… im going HK too ne month.. tsk tsk.. my 2nd trip 2 HK. kakaka! Although my last trip was only one day trip where i got sick >..

  60. hey,i tried that before n i’ll never forget the taste!! yum yum!! must get franchise in KCH!!!!

  61. kenny, you travel so much, you should had all the reader to set up a fund so that you can use the $ to travel and update with the FOODDDD lah,.. the FUNNNN lah,..

  62. ai yah pudding only we can make it by ourself first just buy a couple tin of peach ,icecream ,longan put them together than start to eat easy as 123 also same taste whatfor go so far and eat that stupid thing

  63. lo why u so stupid passsport cover so long already red in colour ucome from where junglekah??????

  64. why want to get franchise with them so expensive try our own style pudding lah no brain kah you???

  65. Hey Kenny, can you please give more information on the shop location? Causeway Bay is kinda BIG isn’t it? Like any specific landmarks?
    Real interested to try it out! Seems YUMMY!~

  66. AAahHHhhHH!!!! I also want!!! I think I can just eat that for all my meals & have that all year …no wait..all my life!! AAHHH!!!! Mango!!! Mango!!! Mango!!!

  67. eee… why u like to make ppl “lau nua” one.. so bad! wont it be nice if u can go to the shop’s kitchen and c what makes it so nice… haha..
    what is that type that u put in spoon ah? ice-cream? it looks delicious…

  68. Kazu-chan,
    If you read the comments for this and the previous post, you will find all the info you need. 🙂

  69. hi i am just a passer-by.
    I am hongkonger and have been to USA for few weeks , ur entry happens to make me miss hong kong so much=)
    and chu lau shan is good , but it is the first time i heard from a traveller to say that it is like eating things in seventh heaven!thanks for the appreciation of Hong Kong!=P

  70. ya know what? i just came back from hk. and i took a pic of the SAME outlet of xu liu shan too!!! haa. yesh their dessert are very nice!!! and in fact there’s alot of outlets! there’s one at the hk airport too!
    there’s act. another one called ‘tang chao’ (tang dynasty) opposite harbourcity (TST), VERY nice tooooo!!! =)

  71. We arrived in Hong Kong earlier today and of course it was the first place we went, in Causeway Bay across from Times Square.
    We had the mini mango combo and the mango pudding with coconut/black rice. Round two coming tomorrow.

  72. Hey Kenny,
    I love Hui Lau San too!! If you’re going to HK again, do try out the infamous double boiled milk (tan nai) and double boiled egg (tan dan) located in Causeway Bay too. I personally think that their tan dan is to-die-for. It’s near Sasa, and you can see lots of milk bottles on display by the window. They can be quite cocky also, usually closes at 12am, but by 11:30pm, they’ll lock up and will not entertain anyone anymore…in cantonese, we call it “lok jap fong kau”

  73. i m sorrie tt e one in sg closes down but it deserved it. e price is much more expensive n e quality is not there. I LOVE THEIR “LUB LUB MONG KOR SONG” – a drink w mango pudding n mango drink n mango pureee.. besides to eat xu liu san in hk, is best to go in grp of 3, can buy cheaper.. hee!! verdict: if u went n left hk w/o drinking or eating at there, u wasted 10% of ya time n money gg hk.. haha… i love e fish meat siew mai there too!! it’s crazily chewy.. n e streetside carramari is gigantic.. muz try!!! *sobz* y m i in sg???

  74. i went to hongkong twice and i got to say they (the mango, what else? )were sensational. I went for it almost everyday until the day which i have to part back to msia. Sigh… i wanna eat it again

  75. hey kenny, why dont you tell us the address of the place so we can go there???? what are we meant to do, just rock on up to cwb and ask around??? or should we look for the 24 hour a day crowds???

  76. i tried tat b4 and it’s ,my god, damn nice!!! esp. the mango sago!!! U juz cant get it in malaysia… but there is one in kl imbi road …hehe

  77. Hey i also had that mango pudding when i was in HK.. and u’r rite.. it’s orgasmically awesome! 🙂

  78. It’s HUI LAU SHAN laaa not Xu Liu Shan or Chu Liu Shan, noone will understand if you speak the latter two… >.

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