Tak Hing Fish Ball Company

What began as a wholesale factory deep inside the Kowloon Walled City is now a street-facing retail counter on Fuk Lo Tsun Road. Lam Lo-ping – often called Uncle Ping by regulars – still runs the operation with the same industrial discipline he established in the 1980s. The focus remains entirely on Chiu Chow-style fish balls made without the flour fillers common in mass-produced versions. The paste is roughly ninety percent pure fish, blending croaker and Asian swamp eel, and is kneaded with crushed ice during production to ensure the final texture remains smooth and firm. The shop itself is strictly for takeaway. There is no seating, so you stand on the sidewalk to order, often waiting behind locals buying raw fish and squid balls by the pound for home cooking. The lack of fillers means the price point is slightly higher than average street stalls, but the volume of trade suggests the neighborhood accepts the trade-off. Alongside the fresh inventory, the counter moves a steady supply of ready-to-eat items. You’ll see skewers of curry fish balls handed over for quick street snacks, along with bags of deep-fried fish skins made from yellow eel. When the shop is closed, the metal shutter displays a painted portrait of Ping, but during business hours, the focus is entirely on the trays of fresh product stacked behind the glass.