The cute food trend taking over Hong Kong

Hello Kitty-themed treats from Hello Kitty Chinese Cuisine. Photo / Facebook

The latest food trend to come out of Hong Kong is so adorable, it's been named just that: "adorable eats".

The Asian culinary city is taking everyday foods and like sushi and steamed pork buns and turning them into cute works of art. Pork buns are being stained with the shape of a panda, while dumplings are shaped to look like swimming fish, aliens or cartoon characters.

Adorable eats have become so popular in Hong Kong that there will be a dedicated section for the trend at the Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival next week. It's already huge on social media, particularly on Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

Too much alcohol on Friday night? Let's get cured with our hearty and cute dim sums! Lunch session extends until 4 p.m. today! @yumchahk #yumchahk #foodhk #hkfood #foodporn #foodiehk #hkfoodie #foodyum #foodgasm #dimsum #chinesefood #instamood #instaphoto #instaart #instamoment #instafood #hk #hongkong #yummy #nomnomnom #dimsum #hkg #tsimshatsui #decor #discoverhongkong #fun #yumcha #lunch #brunch #hangover

A post shared by Yum Cha (@yumchahk) on Aug 26, 2016 at 9:29pm PDT

At Yum Cha in Tsim Tsui, chefs add edible eyes to egg and matcha custard buns, making them look like aliens. When the liquid oozes out, the alien buns look like they are vomiting green.

Yum Cha's baked pineapple puffs are shaped to look like birds and served in a small traditional Chinese bird cage.

There's also char siu bao shaped like piglets, and Chinese sausages wrapped in buns to look like hot dogs.

The Drunken Pot in Tsim Sha Tsui shapes fish cuttlefish balls into penguins, adding slices of carrot for beaks, and stains their heads and wings black with squid ink. The penguins are, of course, served on ice.

View this post on Instagram

Up your Instagram game with our penguin-shaped squid balls! Thanks to The foodies over at @LifestyleAsiahk listing us as one of their top 10 Insta-worthy dishes to try in Hong Kong! 🐧🐧 各位IGer集合！！感謝 @LifestyleAsiahk 的美食家們點選酒鍋為「香港十大值得登上Instagram的食點」之一，預備好先讓你的IG先品嚐我們的企鵝墨丸了嗎？

A post shared by The Drunken Pot 酒鍋 (@thedrunkenpothk) on Apr 25, 2016 at 7:54pm PDT

At Yan Toh Heen, the steamed garoupa and pork dumplings are shaped to look like goldfish.

There's even an entire restaurant dedicated to Hello Kitty food. At Hello Kitty Chinese Cuisine in Yau Ma Tei, steamed har gao (Cantonese dumplings) and dim sum are decorated with pink bows, eyes and whiskers to look like Hello Kitty characters.

View this post on Instagram

Yum cha can't be completed without these scrumptious dim sum. #cbyyytst

A post shared by 𝕓𝕠𝕟𝕟𝕚𝕖 𝕔. (@cbyyy) on Oct 5, 2016 at 2:33am PDT

The Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival will run from October 27-30. Set on the edge of Victoria Harbour, the festival will display more than 400 different food, wine, spirits and craft beer stalls from all around the world.

Expect to see lots of social media photos of food - particularly of the adorable and cute nature.

- AAP