Central Market — Local services in Hong Kong

A history of Central Market When the first governor of Hong Kong Henry Pottingerr arrived in 1842, he had planned wet markets built for fresh fish , poultry and meat that served the then new colony. There was a Upper Bazaar (上市場) , located what is now between Cochrane Street (閣麟街) and Graham Street (嘉咸街). There was also a Middle (中市場) and Lower Bazaar (下市場) located further west. A great fire broke out at the Lower Bazaar near today’s Western Market and Jervois Street (乍畏街”) on December 1851 also called “So Hong Street” (蘇杭街). There were other markets, such as the Canton Bazaar, located where the present-day High Court is in Admiralty. Also the Morgan's Bazaar, located near the Pacific Place is now. But these bazaars are for other provisions like furniture and other goods. Because of the fires that destroyed the Chinese residence in the Central area, the Chinese population were later forced to relocate from Central to the Tai Ping Shan area. The market was then replaced by residential houses for Europeans. The bazaar was moved to Queensway, where the present-day High Court stands. It housed Chinese furniture dealers, joiners, cabinet makers and curio shops. Due to its proximity to Naval Yard and the construction of cantonment, the bazaar, shops and civil tenement had to be moved again. In the 1850s, it was moved to its current location on Des Voeux Road (then known as The Praya). Its name also changed to Central Market (中環街市). The Central Market (Bazzar) has changed location throughout its history, and there are four generations throughout its history. The first generation from 1840 to around 1858 was located in the area between the present Cochrane and Graham Streets, just next to the waterfront before any land reclamation. It was a series of matsheds structures. Matsheds are a temporary structure made of bamboo poles and palm leaves, popular in early Hong Kong buildings before the 20th century. In the 1850s, another pile of Chinese fled to Hong Kong due to the Taiping Rebellion (太平天國起義) and contributed to the new demand for new markets. The second generation Central market from 1858 to 1890 are two story brick and stone buildings relocated where the present market is located between Queen Victoria Street (域多利皇台街) and Jubilee Street (租庇利街). Again next to the praya (海傍) waterfront. Again in 1890, because of population increses, the third generation Central Market was built , between 1890 to 1895, and was opened fpr business in 1895. It was a three-storey Victorian-style structure with a tower in the middle. This structure lasted until 1937, and the fourth generation was built with a Bauhaus structure. Construction was completed in 1938, and the market re-opened on 1 May 1939. Since the introduction of supermarkets in the late 1900s, that dramatically altered the retail habits of many city dwellers, the Central Market closed its doors in 2003. Left abandoned and unused for six years, Central Market was eventually handed over to the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) in 2009 for conservation and revitalisation. Instead of simply revitalising the building into a fifth iteration of its former self, the URA opted for a different strategy that works to keep the market relevant. It was reopened to the public in August, 2021 as a new centre for retailers, eateries and public areas. The renovation retained some original architectural structures, such as some market stalls and its iconic stairwell. The market is currently operated by the Chinachem Group on a...

This was a good place with good food (although small varieties) and drinks and vibes.

But after the 1st week, it has turned into a non-welcoming place. First it’s the messy management - some areas require you to use Leave Home Safe, while some don’t. But when you entered the place from different doors, the staff told you different things - ‘you cant enter here if you dont use Leave Home Safe!!’ (but our intention was to go to area B) or some would tell you ‘its OK to get in from here if you dont step into area C.’

Also, the ‘sectioning’ is unclear, this time its not about the zonings but whether people can sit in shop A’s area while having shop B’s food. Supposiingly the staff said the place is a food court so people can grab their food and sit ANYWHERE, but the fact is that most areas were vaguely ‘blocked’ (with some stands/ shopkeepers) unless you ordered/ shown interest to order from the shop which the area belongs to.

After a lengthy period of revitalization, Central Market is finally opened again with quite a number of fancy restaurants and cafes. I-O-N is one of them. I visited shortly after the opening of revitalized Central Market, and it’s understandable that the restaurant staff lacked a bit of coordination regarding usher, order taking, payment, etc. Nevertheless, their good service attitudes made up for the hassles during soft opening stage.

Coffee here is more on the expansive side. For HKD$48 (plus a 10% service charge), I got a cup of small flat white, even though it’s a legit and delicious one. The hand drip coffee can go up to HKD$188 a cup, brace yourself and your wallet.

Food is more reasonably priced. They let you pick up to 4 different types of nibbles for a small platter. I am so glad with this as I got to try more appealing snacks on the menu! I picked French fries with salted egg yolk, field salmon cakes, deep-fried popcorn shrimp with garlic chili sauce and Kung Pao beef tenderloin with Sichuan pepper. All of them tasted so good and they were freshly served.

The salted egg yolk fries were rightly flavored and not overly salty. The salmon cakes were filled with quite a lot of salmon, very filling indeed. The deep-fried popcorn shrimp wasn’t quite what I expected, but they tasted good in the garlic chili sauce. The hot Kung Pao beef tenderloin did give me a nice surprise! Highly recommend you to try out the fusion snacks!

I just couldn’t resist this cloudy Cheesecake. It tasted supreme. The rich cheese flavor was a bit milky also! The bits of chocolate on top were surprisingly delicious...