Rainbow Seafood Restaurant (Lamma, HK)

How about a lush lunch at the Rainbow Seafood Restaurant on Lamma Island near Hong Kong! You can find here plenty of fresh fish and seafood in tubs and water tanks on the pavement in the front of the restaurant. This was a perfect meal!

I love Hong Kong!

How about you?

Are you tired of the busy city after a couple of days?

Are you looking for a breath of fresh air while staying in busy Hong Kong?

Then take the ferry to one of the many islands!

Ferry

You should plan a day to go hiking and swimming on Lamma island.

Just take the ferry from Central (HK Island) to Lamma Island (there’s a ferry at least once every hour): 25 minutes later you will arrive at the Yung Shue Wan pier.

Lamma Island

I can recommend the Family Walking Trail.

It leads you over the Lamma hills all the way down to Sok Kwu Wan, where you can also catch a ferry back (every 1 ½ hour) to Hong Kong. The fares are also very cheap, around HK$18 which is US$3. And if I’m not mistaken it is possible to pay with the Octopus MRT card as well.

Start early when the sun is not too high yet.

It can get pretty hot sometimes so take enough water with you. The walk from Yung Shue Wan takes you through the bush along some tiny villages, Chinese pavilions, breathtaking views on top of the hills and along sandy beaches.

Crowds

In the weekends this trail and the beaches are crowded with locals so if you want to enjoy a quite walk here, go on a weekday.

The walking trail is 6 kms long.

Take your time. Sit down and enjoy the magnificent views up there (pardon the ugly power station though) and try to spot neighboring islands Cheung Chau and Lantau Island.

We started around 10am and ended the walk 3 ½ hours later, in Sok Kwu Wan.

Rainbow Seafood Restaurant at Lamma Island

We prepared ourselves for this and had a power breakfast that morning.

The calories all burnt up, we reached the end just in time for lunch. There are a couple of restaurants lining the Sok Kwu Wan bay. And the Rainbow Seafood Restaurant is also one of them. Fresh fish and seafood in plastic tubs and water tanks line the pavement in front.

Looks just perfect.

We point out some clams, a handful of prawns and a small grouper to the waiter.

He collects them all, asks us how we want it to be cooked and sends the loot to the kitchen to be prepared. We sit down at a table near the water and enjoy a well-deserved fresh beer.

Seafood Lunch at Rainbow Seafood Restaurant (Lamma Island)

Here comes our first course then: steaming hot clams in a black bean and chili sauce.

Sweet, salty, spicy, tacky.

The clams are meaty and flavorful. Yep, you can still taste them even with that sauce clinging to them. A bowl of ice water and sliced lemon is brought to our table together with the clams.

That is attentive! We smack our lips and dip our sticky fingers in the ice water.

Clams & Prawns

Next up: the prawns.

Well this looks interesting!

On top of the prawns is a mixture of puffed rice and tangerine zest. We read about this preparation before coming here and ordered them accordingly. We peel the fatty prawns and dip them in the zesty mixture.

Super fresh, meaty and flavorful.

A second hit.

Fresh Fish: Grouper

The grouper is ready.

What an eye catcher. It is steamed to perfection and is served with a mixture of tamarind and soy sauce. On top is a heap of crunchy steamed celery as well.

The waiter offers to fillet the fish but we can manage this beast ourselves. Not even 10 minutes later a heap of fishbones is all that remains.

Excellent Lunch at Rainbow Seafood Restaurant at Lamma Island

What a tasty lunch!

It is 3:30pm. We ask for the check. The table is cleared and we get additional wet wipes to refresh our hands. Clams, prawns, fresh fish and 2 big bottles of Tsingtao beer.

What a great restaurant.

I don’t remember the exact price of each dish but the total amount of this food fest was about US$40, which is around HK$300. A rather expensive lunch for HK standards perhaps but a fresh fish and seafood bargain for us.

We leave the Rainbow Seafood restaurant.

And stroll down First Street to the blue pier (there is a clean toilet complex right opposite – you will prefer this one) and doze off in the afternoon sun while waiting for the next ferry.