Dear Jag, thank you for taking the time to write a review of the Kowloon street food and culture tour that you did with us. I am sorry that you did not enjoy the street food section in Sham Shui Po.
The Michelin Guide gives out awards to what it considers to be the best of the best in the street food category globally. The price of the food is cheap, of course, it is street food after all, and not white tablecloth fine dining. The prices have not increased since these establishments have received their Michelin recognition. They remain cheap eats accessible to all.
This tour is broken up into 2 sections. The first is the street food tour of Sham Shui Po (the poorest neighborhood in Hong Kong) where we give people an understanding of what it means to eat like a local in Hong Kong. This includes some Michelin-rated Bib Gourmand stops.
After the street food tour we continue through MongKok, Prince Edward and Tsim Sha Tsui districts. We cover a range of topics from history to culture, to local life, and the living conditions of the average Hong Konger, and we try to put into context how the city has developed over time.
The price you pay for the tour is not in any way reflective of the price of the street food which is one of the inclusions.
The main part of the pricing is for the tour guide's time and expertise in showing you around. The next part is for the company that you booked through - Viator. They keep 23% of the price that you pay for your experience. The next part is for the food/ drinks/ transport that is included. And the final part is for the admin costs of our office time in processing and administrating your booking and coordinating with your tour guide.
I have explained this mostly for the benefit of other people reading the review and wondering 'is the price of the tour worth the food?'. The answer is simply, no, if you just want to eat street food on your own of course it would be significantly cheaper. You are paying for the overall experience. I hope that makes sense I am sorry that you were disappointed that this was a street food tour. I think perhaps you might have been expecting something different.