Half the excitement about moving into a new abode or office is to check out the surrounding neighborhood. If you’re like me, you’re not looking for movie theatres, department stores, or home furnishing outlets. You’re looking for grub.

It’s always fun to wander around and make a mental list of what you have to try and what looks sketchy. In a city like Hong Kong a move just a few blocks from your previous address can expose you to tasty treats you never knew existed. You have spots you could try for weeks without having to dial up a repeat visit anywhere.

After a recent office move this has been the case. Simply moving a few blocks up and a few blocks over has opened up a culinary goldmine. What a city! I had walked by Lockhart Road Market plenty of times but for whatever reason had never popped in.

Like many of the markets around town it is indoors and consists of 4 or 5 floors. Some floors will contain tailors, shoe repair shops, and jade stands. Others have fishmongers, butchers, and vegetable stands. More often than not one entire floor will be a cooked food center.

Anyone familiar with Anthony Bourdain’s Hong Kong episode of No Reservations will remember his coverage of the Java Road Food Center in North Point. The center at Lockhart Road is similar. Basically one huge cafeteria with about 10 different “restaurants” slinging ridiculously cheap Chinese food. With the large bottled beer advertisements on the wall quoting prices cheaper than 7-11, you can understand why this place is constantly jammed, especially at the lunch rush.

It can be intimidating at first because you’re not sure who is serving what. My suggestion is to take a lap around the place and eyeball what looks good. Once you’ve decided take a seat the efficient staff will help you out if there is a language barrier. Pointing politely always helps and fellow diners aren’t afraid to lend a hand.

We were entranced by a huge pile of steaming noodles covered in yellow curry sauce and shrimp, bbq pork, chicken, egg, ham, peppers, and onion. Yes, the kitchen sink. It was quite spicy and even more so when we added chili sauce. All the flavors melded together and it was a struggle to finish the huge portion. A truly satisfying lunch. We added a diet coke and were presented with a tab for $26, which seemed almost unfair. Suffice to say we’ve been back since. Please not that there is an entrance on both Lockhart and Hennessy Road.

25 Lockhart Rd, Wan Chai/Causeway Bay