It was a feast that organisers and participants said helped to bridge cultures.

Rice dumplings, salmon pasta and chicken tikka were just some of the delicacies on offer in the first halal food festival in Hong Kong, held on Saturday in Tsim Sha Tsui.

Jointly organised by the Multicultural Ethnic-Link Teen Centre and the city’s halal certification board, the event attracted hundreds of people who sampled food from 12 halal-certified establishments.

Aiman, who has lived in Hong Kong for 15 years, told RTHK that she got a taste of different items, including chicken shawarma and Indian pani puri.

“Everything is very fresh, they [the restaurants] bake their food fresh, and [the event] is very well-organised," she said.

Another visitor, surnamed Ching, said she too had a great time.

"I had samosas and a chicken roll. The food is very authentic as they have Muslims cooking the food, rather than Hongkongers, Shanghainese or Taiwanese people. I learnt so much about halal culture and their food," she said.

Italian restaurant FOG was one of the businesses joining the event.

Its director, Sohel Ahmed, said food serves as a bridge among cultures.

"I did food business the last 30 years in Hong Kong. And this is my first time I want to do some halal food because halal food is for everybody: Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists. So that's why I'm planning to do some halal food in Hong Kong, so everybody can enjoy good quality food, at a reasonable price, and it’s hygienic," he said.

Ahmed explained how Italian food can be made halal.

"Typical Italian food, all the sauce contains alcohol, liquor, wine. But I think to make it halal way. I make my own ingredients, the ones that are halal-certified," he said, such as using grape juice instead of red wine in the sauce.

And the Shangri-La, the first hotel in Hong Kong to acquire the level 5 CrescentRating for halal-friendliness, said its business benefited from the accreditation.

“We already had a strong base, but getting the five-star CrescentRating gave us a stepping stone and a platform for Muslim travellers to know that we are accredited to please this clientele," said director of operations Mark Bannon.

The hotel brought rice dumplings to the event in celebration of the upcoming Tuen Ng Festival.

"We've done it to the taste. And for production, of course no pork, and separately made in our halal kitchen. So it's looking at the products and giving it a twist for our Muslim clientele. So it's very sort of like Malay tastes, but the authenticity of rice dumplings," Bannon said.

DAB lawmaker Vincent Cheng said the event allowed the local Muslim community to showcase their culture.

"I hope that we can promote this culture to all the public and let all the people know that Hong Kong is a Muslim-friendly area and let the people enjoy their time here," he said.

Cheng added there will be more promotion in future to further boost Hong Kong's image among Muslims.

In his Policy Address last October, Chief Executive John Lee proposed making Hong Kong a Muslim-friendly travel destination. As of March, around 200 restaurants had received halal certification, up from approximately 100 in early 2024.