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Yes the practice of having 10% service charge has been around for a long time. And way back when, they used to charge what they called "mustard" charge (Cha Gai, where Cha = tea, Gai = mustard). It is for that small dish of hot sauce and yellow Chinese mustard mix that they put on the table. From what I understand, that used to be for the benefits of the waitstaff so that they can have some extra income besides straight salaries. Tea has always been charged on a per person basis - if they ask you for your choice of tea before you sit down. Though there are low priced places that they don't charge 10%, don't charge for appetizer (as there will be none), and don't charge for tea (and you don't get your choice of tea - they will bring out the "house" tea in a glass or plastic cup). That "mustard" charge has just evolved in becoming the "appetizer" charge. These appetizer charges are minimal, usually HKD5.0 or so (US$0.60). But sometimes as high as HKD10.0 (US$1.20), which is enough to buy a beer or half a bowl of wonton noodle soup.

No we didn't try to refuse the appetizers. Yes it would probably be considered bad etiquette because it is the industry's standard practice. And I think they do disclose the 10% service charge, tea charge, and the "appetizer" charge on their menus but I wasn't all paying that much attention (until the bill comes).

Yes, thank you CFT. Fish air bladder it is. I was trying to find the right term for it but couldn't at the time of composition.

Yes aprilmei I sure had the chicken wing stuffed with glutinous rice. (Previews coming up). It's another great suggestion, thank you! I might be confused about the sliced celery. I have to refer to my pictures later on. Their XO sauce is really great! One that I don't mind paying extra for, definitely. (And as their extra-charge appetizers) But some of these eateries just brought fish-skin peanuts and wasabi-coated peas... come on... I can get those at any snack shops in MTR stations thank you.

One thing from my home-coming visit to Hong Kong is: Most restaurants (those who charge 10% service charge - you can count on it) charge for "appetizer" in addition to the tea charge on a per person basis. It usually ranges from HKD5.0 to HKD10.0. It is an industry "standard", pretty much. The actual appetizer served depends on the restaurant. Most serve fried peanuts. But I have had different (unique) ones: - pei dan (fermented duck eggs) and pickled ginger slices: Yung Kee - #1: braised beef (or pork?), #2: celery slices: Farm House - some provides a mix of wasibi flavored peas and "fish skin" peanuts - some serves pickled leek(??) These are "mandatory" charges. I don't think this practice can fly in the USA. The restaurants can be sued to no end. How can a restaurant charges on something that the customers did not order? These are "forced upon" appetizer. Most serve peanuts. What if I have an allergy to peanuts? Not only the restaurant is putting me at risk, and it is charging me for putting me at risk? How do you feel about these mandatory appetizer charges? Have you had any other unique appetizers in some of these restaurants?

Just one advice on Din Tai Fung in Arcadia: Their restaurant is a high-volume, rapid turn-over style with table-sharing. Not a fine-dining place or a place to sit for long if that's what one is looking for. The xiaolongbao and dan dan mein are excellent but their menu choices are limited.

How is that "ham sui gok" experiment coming along? One thing that I kind of wondered is: in "ham sui gok", as in "geen dui" (deep-fried glutinous rice flour dough with sweet (red bean paste) filling), how do they create the hollowness in the "gok"? When you wrap the "gok", isn't it flat? What's the trick to get the air bubble in? Or the thing would just automatically inflate when you deep-fry it?

← Of the 21 days I spent in Hong Kong and looking at menus in every Chinese restaurant I ate at, I did not find egg drop soup offered on their menus. Perhaps time has changed and the taste of the society has changed. Perhaps it is an evolution happened outside of China. I don't know how one can describe something as "very popular" when it cannot be found or had. Or at least change the verb from "is" to a past-tense.

The topic of "authenticity" is indeed a big discussion. But being "popular" and being "authentic" are two very different things. Kylie Kwong's products (TV shows, books, etc.) may be wildly popular and well-liked, but are not necessarily authentic as her publicists want people to believe. I have not read any of Kylie's books. But I have seen all her "Simply Magic" cookshows. If the recipes in her books are similar to those presented in her TV shows, then I would question how one can label them as authentic. I have posted my evals on her show in this thread: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=93760 Just a repeat of some of my points: - Why use fresh chilis and sichuan peppercorns in many of the Cantonese recipes? You don't usually find those in Cantonese cuisine. - "Chinese" Iceberg Lettuce Salad... Huh? - Fish sauce in Chinese cooking. Why? - Sesames sprinkled on noodles... Hmmmm Calling it "her version" of something or Cantonese/Chinese-inspired, I have my peace of mind. Calling that "authentic", I beg to re-evaluate.

Day 17 Teaser Pictures: Breakfast was breakfast buffet at the hotel (Harbour Plaza Hotel) again. Their buffet was very nice, though everyday is the same. What we liked: croissant, chicken sausage, smoked salmon with capers and dills (really good), some fruits (pineapple, honeydew, cantaloupe, and lychee). I had about the same, with some watermelon and a variety of kiwis (far left in the picture, grey in color with black seeds) that I have not seen. It tastes just like the regular green color kiwi that I am familiar with, but not as sweet. From our hotel room, we saw a "Star Cruises" cruise ship sailed through the Victoria Harbour everyday (or maybe every other day). These ships enchor at the Ocean Terminal. It must be a regular voyage between Hong Kong and other short-haul Asian destinations. Today, visited the Hong Kong Museum of History. Ate some snacks at their museum snack shop: pan-fried pork chop over a bowl of Vietnamese pho. They threw in some carrots, cabbages, green onions and preserved vegetables (Tung Choy). A slice of the beef jerky bought at Ying Kee in Macau. Theirs is the best among the shops. Street snacks: I couldn't resist passing by a cauldron of bubbling beef organs (Ngau Zhap). I had a skewer of beef lung. Chop, chop, chop... I saw the vendor skillfully used a pair of scissors to clip off the amount I ordered (HKD6.0 an order) and pierced them together with a bamboo skewer. THIS, you cannot find in the USA!!! My niece treated us to a nice banquet-style dinner at Tao Heung 稻香 (this location was on Nathan Road near Jordon Road). Nice place for seafood and banquet-style dinners. Pictured is the dish "Dungunese crab baked with superior broth over yee mein". Stuffed Italian squash (with whole dried scallops) braised with straw mushrooms. Braised "Fa Gau" (fish bubble) with shittake mushrooms over lettuce. 8 courses in all, plus sticky rice, longevity baos and fruits. A very satisfying banquet meal indeed! If you go to Hong Kong and want a banquet meal, worth considering them.

I didn't plan it that way but Day 16 just turned out to be a Sichuan food day - for both lunch and dinner.

Ah! I think you are talking about "Gai Dan Tsai" (the literal translation is "little chicken eggs"). They are sold everywhere. They are made like waffles, with an waffle iron and charcoal-burnt. When they first come out of the waffle iron, they look like honeycombs. You twist one off as you go. I think you have asked about this in some other threads. (Or am I making this up??? ) They are sold everywhere, really. What would you like to know more? (I don't think I had taken a picture of them during this trip...)

Day 16 Teaser Pictures: We decided to try out some of the eateries in the Whampoa centre within 3 minutes by walking next to the Harbour Plaza Hotel. We wanted to have something that we don't usually have. We went to "Wing Lai Garden" (Wing Lai Yuen in Cantonese), who is specialized in Sichuan cuisines. We were not disappointed. They do a good job and the prices are reasonable. Being in Whampoa, which is a medium priced residential area, their pricing would not be as high as in TST or Central/Causeway Bay areas. I wanted to try Ding Tai Fung (xiaolongbao specialty shop). But learned that their location at Whampoa was closed. Pictured is a bowl of Dan Dan Mein. The flavor of peanut, sesame and chili all present. Very nicely done! Slices of braised beef shank (cold appetizer). Full of five-spice fragrance and a touch of sesame oil. Very nicely done too! Twice Cooked Pork. (Wui Woo Yuk in Cantonese). Thin slices of cooked pork, stir-fried a second time (thus the name "twice cooked") with cabbage and chili/garlic. Some of the best I have ever had. Today's program included a walk from Deep Water Bay to Repulse Bay. Got thirsty on the beach. Found a vending machine selling canned lemon tea (Vita brand). That's what I love about Hong Kong. It's not just Coke/Pepsi or 7up. You can find all kinds of soft drinks from vending machines. After dark at Stanley... only found a few bars/restaurants offering European cuisines. There are 4 different restaurants at the Murray House serving German/Thai and a few other styles... Hmmmm.... Decided to take a quick mini-bus ride back to Causeway Bay. Right off the mini-bus stop: a small store selling some of my favorite snacks - fried dace fish paste with all kinds of things: tofu, bell peppers, egg plants, wonton skin, etc.. Also selling: dace fish paste in broth with lettuce, and (faked) shark-fin chicken soup! Dinner was at Man Jiang Hung in Causeway Bay. Found it! Thank you for the suggestion! It was very good. A plate of house specialty "La Ji Gee" (Sichuan style chili chicken). HOT! NUMBING! That's it! Tons of dried chilis and Sichuan peppercorn for the hot taste and numbing effect. My tongue muscles kept bouncing from the novacain effect. The whole plate was full of dried chilis. I begged the question again: what can you do with 1000 dried chilis that you cannot with 500 of them? Smoked Tea Duck. This one was also very nice. The duck meat remained moist and tasty. After a soft cone at McD in Stanley, some beef jerky snacks, fried dace fish paste with bell peppers, the main meal at Man Jiang Hung and house dessert (red bean soup)... as if I have any room left in my stomach... we went to Yee Shun Milk Company in Lockhart Road - since we are in the area, and I am not sure if we would make it back again... Double Skin Milk (Sheung Pei Lai in Cantonese), chilled. It was just soooooooo good! My stomach exploded and I couldn't walk to the bus stop. But it was worth it!

So that's what it is! Minimum charge. I just saw that on the 1/F, it was packed and they forced patrons to share tables. And the 3/F was relatively vacant. Two of us spent over HKD400 for lunch. So I guess it qualified us to sit on the 3/F? I don't know what they would do if we were just to order one roast goose over rice plate.

Sweet? Or savory? Did you have it in a restaurant? Or roadside vendor? What's there besides the pancake?

aprilmei: yes! their yun cheung is the best! Thanks for the suggestion. They are really amazing. I did have the mutton clay pot too (pictures to be provided in the full report). But not sea cucumber stomachs or hairy crabs. We have only 2 small stomachs... so much food... so little time.

Day 15 Teaser Pictures: Does this look familiar, Kent? Made it to Yung Kee in Central. Among power lunches and wives of the elites. A plate of Pei Dan (fermented duck eggs) and pickled ginger slices was served before you have a chance to sit down and put on your napkin. If you ever go to Yung Kee, definitely go to the 3/F. The G/F (1/F) is packed with commons rubbing elbows. The 2/F is nicer. The 3/F the best. I am sure there is a price differential (but don't know how much) between floors. The hostress asked me if I had a reservation. I said no. She hinted that the 3/F was only for patrons with reservations but I sweet-talked her into letting me in by promising to be done by 1:00 pm (Hong Kong's lunch prime time), since we arrived early (around 11:15 am). That already gave us 1.75 hours of enjoyment. And as it turned out, we were the first party arrived on the 3/F since they opened. I was slightly uncomfortable getting so many staff attending to us. A must have: Roasted Goose. This one was the standard size. Next time I vow to consume half a goose. It is their best, and Hong Kong's best. On the side the waitress ordered some Chinese liver sausages (yun cheung). It was the best liver sasauge I have ever tasted. You can feel the rice wine flowing down your tongue. After lunch, we ran into a street vendor selling a traditional Cantonese sweet - Wun Tsai Gow (Small Bowl Cake). Gotta try one. This vendor didn't make it as good. Barely sweet and gummy. Oh, well. What can one expect... HKD4.00 (US$0.50). Night fall. We dined at a place that we didn't expect. Not because of the food. But because of the view. This is the view you can see from the dining room. Bubba Gump, The Peak, Hong Kong. Run Forest Run!!! Baby Back Ribs, Fries, Cole Slaws, Katsup. What can I say? Ah... So... American?

Snails in hot spicy wine sauce - you got my attention. Any idea how they made that one? ← Snails are probably boiled separately first. The sauce: I tasted chili sauce, garlic, bean paste (??) and heavy rice wine. Combine the above and add the cooked snails, you might be close... I don't know how they do it. I will be working at Under Bridge Spicy Crab if I do.

I agree... why save a 15 minute drive while one can have the best Chinese food in southern Cal? That said... I had some good experience at Panda Inn (not to be confused with Panda Express, though run by the same corp) in Pasadena. They claimed to have award-winning Mandarin dishes. Their services are very good compared to other Chinese restaurants. Atmosphere is usually very nice. I had dinners at their Pasadena, San Diego (Horton Plaza) and La Palma locations and they were all good (>6 years ago, hopefully still are good). Not Cantonese cuisine. Order things like Kung Pao, Smoked Tea Duck and such (Sichuan and "Mandarin"). http://www.pandainn.com/ PASADENA PANDA INN 3488 E. FOOTHILL BLVD. PASADENA, CA 91107 PHONE: (626) 793-7300 DIRECTIONS: CROSS STREETS - ROSEMEAD BLVD. & HALSTEAD

I like to go to: New China Buffet located in that Asian mall: 65th Street and Stockton Blvd. I think their Chinese food buffet is better than the other typical Chinese buffet places. Dinners are better than lunches because they bring out some seafood dishes. Be warned though that the crabs (salt and pepper style) they use are typically not fresh. But their clams in black bean sauce and steamed oysters in half shells are pretty good. Salt and pepper shrimps are good. Other Chinese stir-fries are pretty good too.

Landed safely at SFO this afternoon. The view was gorgeous! From Shasta Lake all the way to San Jose during landing, we could see over 100 miles from the plane. Compared with the visibility in Hong Kong of only 2 miles when we left (couldn't even see Tai O from the plane during take-off), like nights and days! The custom officers at SFO didn't give a pip on what we brought back. I smuggled in some salted eggs! Sorry aprilmei!... No... just kidding. I did bring back some dried fruits. I wish I could bring in some beef jerkies, salted fish and laap cheung and such. That would have been fantastic. 29 hours up straight, stuck in a cramped economy class seat, seeing the sunset the second time on the same day... From a place where I sweated and sweated... now to a meat locker... I need some adjustments... I need to catch up with some z z z z...

Folks: See you back in a few days when I am back in the states to continue posting pictures.

That's a fantastic idea! A revolving blog with "Eats in Hong Kong" as a theme. We will pass the torch from one to another... I know reading this thread again in a few week's time will make me feel sorry for myself, that I will really miss the great food opportunities here in Hong Kong, and let alone at a lower price compared to the States.

Yes, there is. In Hong Kong, they call ex-pat "Tsui Tsai" (little piggies)... "suckers"!!! But they know. We walk slow, we think slow, we tend to listen to everything they say. And when the bill comes, we tend to sign quickly with a smile and add another 15% tips to the already included 10% service charge...

Friends: I have only one more days of being on-line and I will be off-line and enroute back to US soil this weekend. I regret that I would not have the chance to post teaser pictures everyday during my stay. When I get back to the USA: would you prefer I finish posting the teaser pictures (previews) for each day of my stay - including the missing Day 5 and 6. Or just go right to the trip report (which will take a little time)?