790 replies to this topic

[markk]

YOU DIDN'T MENTION PACKING THE CAMERA. PLEASE SAY YOU'RE TAKING A CAMERA !!!!

[hzrt8w]

YOU DIDN'T MENTION PACKING THE CAMERA.  PLEASE SAY YOU'RE TAKING A CAMERA !!!!

What camera?

Yes, yes. Cameras. I bought a Nikon D80 Digital SLR for the trip. I got tired of the "dummy" digitals that don't allow for any control (auto-focus, auto-aperture, auto-everything except to auto crisp up my food pictures). I love digital SLRs. I won't ever go back to the dummy digitals. My Canon is now my wife's so she can shoot flowers or whatever that pleases her.

[Peter Green]

This is going to be goooooood............

[SuzySushi]

Oh, yum!!! I am so looking forward to this!!!

Safe flights, and have a great trip!!!

[BonVivantNL]

this is my first post like in like 5 months......... but HKG, how can i forget HKG...
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i was there in the spring, this year. was blown away. completely and utterly! the beef brisket noodle soup...... good god....<me immediately slips into a food coma upon hearing the words beef brisket noodle soup>.......good god..... i had 2 in a row.

i think it's better to use a good P&S for food pics rather than a 'fancy' camera while abroad. i have a D70s/Nikkor 18-200 VR myself and did have to use it sometimes for the food pics during the trip when my P&S crappped out on me. not recommended! however, if you have your heart set on it then all i can say is it will be a little frustrating.

bom apetit, in the city of gastronomy.

Edited by BonVivantNL, 11 November 2007 - 12:39 PM.

[milgwimper]

YAY! I can't wait to see the pictures and the discriptions. I have never been to Hong Kong but so wanted to visit. Thanks Ah Leung!

[jo-mel]

Gosh, Xiao hzrt -- that is some undertaking! You might need some help. (hint hint) Help with the language? No-- you speak Cantonese so I can't help there. How about English! Nope --- you've got that locked up too. How about a 'mama' figure to make sure you DO put on those 21 pounds???? LOLOL! With the food you anticipate, I don't think you will have any trouble in that area, either!

So, I will remain here and live your trip thru your words and eat up every bite as you describe them!

How lucky we are to have you there, especially since you plan an 'off the beaten track' food tour. Such fun you are going to have!!!! We will all be waiting --enviously!!

[judiu]

It has always been my dream, since I can't remember how long ago, to eat my way thru Hong Kong, and lucky you, you'll do it for me! I can't wait!

[prasantrin]

21 days!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?! That's horrible!!! What could you possibly do in HK for 21 days?!?!?!??!??!?!?! Why would you want to go there for 21 days!!?!?!??!?!?!?!?

Other than to make us all jealous!

I want to go, too! I'm not so far away, just fly me over for a weekend. I promise I'll tag along quietly.

Where are you staying? Did you get an apartment hotel, or a hotel hotel?

I need to plan my future trips.

[hzrt8w]

this is my first post like in like 5 months......... but HKG, how can i forget HKG...

i think it's better to use a good P&S for food pics rather than a 'fancy' camera while abroad.  i have a D70s/Nikkor 18-200 VR myself and did have to use it sometimes for the food pics during the trip when my P&S crappped out on me.  not recommended!  however, if you have your heart set on it then all i can say is it will be a little frustrating. 

Don't name a city after an airport code!

Thanks for the camera tips BonVivantNL. I did a dry run last weekend and am happy with the D80. Switched off the AF, go manual. The dishes looked much sharper. If I get a bad picture, I would have only my own fingers to blame. The Canon P&S will be my spare.

Beef brisket noodle soups are everywhere in HK. It's one of my all time favorites too. The trick is to find the extraordinary ones from the good ones.

[hzrt8w]

Where are you staying?  Did you get an apartment hotel, or a hotel hotel? 

I need to plan my future trips.

Booked at Harbour Plaza Hotel, Hung Hom Rona. This hotel is built on reclaimed land next to the Kowloon KCR (railroad) Station. Will check in under the stage name of Foo Ling Yu if you want to look me up.

Edited by hzrt8w, 11 November 2007 - 02:57 PM.

[somemale]

oh this should be great, cant wait to read your posts! hope you can visit some of my favs. like the cheese lobster at Chuk Yuen in Happy Valley, or the Pork Chop with steamed vegetables at delicious kitchen in Causewaybay.

Have fun and bon apetit!

Edited by somemale, 11 November 2007 - 03:51 PM.

[sheetz]

How excellent! I'd like to make it out to HK one day. After I've brought my Cantonese up to an acceptable level...

[hzrt8w]

oh this should be great, cant wait to read your posts! hope you can visit some of my favs. like the cheese lobster at Chuk Yuen in Happy Valley, or the Pork Chop with steamed vegetables at delicious kitchen in Causewaybay.

Thanks somemale. Is "delicious kitchen" the name of the restaurant?

[hzrt8w]

How excellent! I'd like to make it out to HK one day. After I've brought my Cantonese up to an acceptable level...

It certainly helps to speak the language (Cantonese). But you can get by with speaking English too. Most Hong Kong locals are bilingual (or you can find someone who is to help). But one bad thing is most Hong Kongers... when they see you and if you look Chinese, they automatically assume you speak Cantonese!

[sheetz]

But one bad thing is most Hong Kongers... when they see you and if you look Chinese, they automatically assume you speak Cantonese!

That's exactly the problem! Everyone would first speak to me in Cantonese and it would be nice to not have to keep switching to English.

Edited by sheetz, 11 November 2007 - 07:06 PM.

[Fengyi]

I just came back from a long weekend there! Bliss I wish you the very very best trip possible and hope you enjoy it.
As for the changes, luckily, the neighbourhood where I used to live hasn't changed much - but the rest! WOW! I knew the central Star ferry terminus had been moved but it was still such a shock to see it actually gone!!!

Can't add any suggestions for good Cantonese food (except for the usual -which I'm sure you know about already). . . we actually ate nearly all western food just because my friends thought I needed a break from Chinese food.

The roast beef and yorkshire pud at Jimmy's Kitchen was terrific as usual. So if you want a change, go there on a Sunday and enjoy

(also was invited for a function at the Mandarin Oriental - the site of many a tea in ages past! - for the new-wave El Bulli style cooking there. It was very very fascinating with such things as a tomato "salad" with bubbles of 'Olives')

Have a lovely trip - the weather is WONDERFUL there at the moment!

Edited by Fengyi, 11 November 2007 - 07:09 PM.

[hzrt8w]

Can't add any suggestions for good Cantonese food (except for the usual -which I'm sure you know about already). . . we actually ate nearly all western food just because my friends thought I needed a break from Chinese food. 

The roast beef and yorkshire pud at Jimmy's Kitchen was terrific as usual. So if you want a change, go there on a Sunday and enjoy 

Your situation and mine are quite different. Since you live in Beijing and have many good Chinese eats available, and probably have less than ideal western food, your friends are probably right.

I, on the other hand, in Sacramento will always need to endue only second best (or even third) Chinese food available compared to San Francisco and Los Angeles, during my trip I will mostly save my stomach for Chinese food in Hong Kong.

Edited by hzrt8w, 11 November 2007 - 07:53 PM.

[Ohba]

For Sichuan food, Man Jiang Hong in Causeway Bay is great. There are some others in the private kitchen category that people rate highly, and there's Shui Hu Ju in Peel Street, that a lot of people rave about (it's a look thing, I reckon). I don't think any of them hold a candle to Man Jiang Hong.

[Jaymes]

As for the changes, luckily, the neighbourhood where I used to live hasn't changed much - but the rest! WOW! I knew the central Star ferry terminus had been moved but it was still such a shock to see it actually gone!!!

I'm still upset that they moved the old railway station. Those were the days. When the station was right across the street from the Peninsula Hotel, everyone that came and went from China whiled away some time in the Peninsula lobby. There used to be a saying that if you could wait in that lobby long enough, eventually you'd see everybody you ever knew.

[maher]

How excellent! I'd like to make it out to HK one day. After I've brought my Cantonese up to an acceptable level...

It certainly helps to speak the language (Cantonese). But you can get by with speaking English too. Most Hong Kong locals are bilingual (or you can find someone who is to help). But one bad thing is most Hong Kongers... when they see you and if you look Chinese, they automatically assume you speak Cantonese!

i never had a problem with using sign language at the street stalls when english failed. somehow, a large middle eastern person pointing frantically... i want that that that... got understood and served pretty promptly.. i cant imagine why.

please make it to some of the night markets, that is some of my favorite street food in HKG, and have a great time, i know i gain about a pound a day when i am there.

[mizducky]

Oh, what a wonderful trip, Ah Leung! Enjoy it--you deserve it.

I am totally looking forward to your coverage of Hong Kong food--especially the street food. You know how I like the everyday people's food. Having it documented by somebody like you who knows the stuff so well is going to be a real treat.

[hzrt8w]

I'm still upset that they moved the old railway station.  Those were the days.  When the station was right across the street from the Peninsula Hotel, everyone that came and went from China whiled away some time in the Peninsula lobby.  There used to be a saying that if you could wait in that lobby long enough, eventually you'd see everybody you ever knew.

I hope that the water fountain in front of the Peninsula Hotel is still there. When I was 5 or so, I passed by that water fountain every few nights mesmerized by the change of color from red to green to blue to white. Fascinating. Of course that was 30 some years before they built the Bellagio Hotel.

Ever drank a bottle of "Green Spot" at the Peninsula? That was a memorable TV commercial.

Multiple sources pointed to Man Jiang Hong for Sichuan food. Man Jiang Hong it is! See how many dried chili peppers I can handle...

[Cha xiu bao]

Ah Leung, you're forgetting something.

[Prawncrackers]

Gosh 21 days!! I hope you take some comfortable trousers Ah Leung Gor
I've not been back for a couple of years now, but my wife and i used to go back fairly often to visit our relatives in Yuen Long, Tai Po & Kowloon. Half of the time they would take us to local joints serving local food which as you would expect are out of this world. Especially the street food in Tai Po Market, I still remember the sight of live snakes, the smell of snake bile and the taste of them in Black Bean Sauce! The other half of the time they would show us how cosmopolitan they are and take us to eat ‘foreign food’; Shanghai, Indian, Japanese, Korean, Thai even French! What was surprising was how good this stuff was, the Escargot and Sushi was as good as any I’ve had in France or Japan (respectively…. of course). HK is truly is a global kitchen, I think with 21 days you could afford to spend a couple of meals outside the Chinese circle.
I’m afraid I can’t be of any help with vendor names, it’s always the case that we just eat where were told to eat by our relatives! But I have no worry, with your gastroinstinct Ah Leung I know that you will find the best eating in HK.
Just remember to take lots of pictures. A tip or two for you. Like you I use a DSLR on holiday with a P&S as a backup. I find that a lot of the time when taking pics of food in cramped places the P&S is better to use. This is because the barrel of the standard telephoto lens on my DSLR is a tad too big and the built-in flash casts a shadow on the food. I’ve ruined plenty of pictures this way. At home it’s no problem just stick a flash-gun on, but it’s a bit of chore in a cramped eatery whilst the waitress is pouring your tea. And you know how rude HKers can be! Especially if you are using flash and they think you’re taking their pictures. Of course, HK is the place to go for cheap camera gear, get yourself a compact bright prime macro lens in Mong Kok for your Nikon so you won’t need to use the flash.
Have fun!

[Domestic Goddess]

Ah Leung - I remember the foods, sights and smells of the Night Market. The curry balls, the octopus tentacles, etc. There was also this tiny restaurant in Mongkok that served this fabulous Shanghai Rice with Peking Duck slices on top of the mound. Man, I still dream about that dish.

[junehl]

There are as many street hawkers in Hong Kong??

OH MY !!! That's the one memory that sticks out in my mind from my trip to Hong Kong 15 years ago! All the street hawkers with the massive amounts of food at every turn. I still dream of the chestnuts cooked in sand and a big wok...

I hope you have a great trip Ah Leung! Please find as many street hawkers as you can!

[I_call_the_duck]

Ah Leung,

We don't have any plans to visit HK anytime soon, so I'll be enjoying your trip by the comfort of my computer.

Have a great trip!!

[docsconz]

Thanks Ah Leung. This will likely be as important a resource for anyone going to HK in the future as your tutorials have been to aspiring cooks of Chinese dishes! Have a great trip!

[hzrt8w]

Ah Leung, you're forgetting something.

Cha xiu bao: You get me scared! What am I forgetting? Tell me, tell me!!!