Reports on Hong Kong dining

[hzrt8w]

excellent plate of fried rice noodles, also with dried scallop on top

←

I agree whole-heartedly. Of all the places I have been to, Victoria City makes the best XO Sauce Fried Cheung Fun (rice noodles). The thin shreds of dried scallops, the touch of hot sauce and the soy sauce. So perfect!

This picture brings back vivid taste-bud memories... (And it hasn't been that long ago...)

Edited February 19, 2008 by hzrt8w (log)

[aprilmei]

Wow, I live in Hong Kong and go to Victoria quite frequently but I've never tried the fried brisket. I'm going there with my relatives on Sunday so will be sure to order that dish.

[BonVivant]

very nice, Ling. lovely photos, too. they are a bit shocked to know we [2 of us] order 9 baskets of dimsum [in the course of 2 hours]. yes they always try to take the menu away but i need it to take pictures of what i order so i can ask someone to translate the script when i get home.

17 more days until HKG

Edited February 19, 2008 by BonVivantNL (log)

[CFT]

they are a bit shocked to know we [2 of us] order 9 baskets of dimsum [in the course of 2 hours].

That does not sound at all much to me!

[Ling]

I agree whole-heartedly.  Of all the places I have been to, Victoria City makes the best XO Sauce Fried Cheung Fun (rice noodles).  The thin shreds of dried scallops, the touch of hot sauce and the soy sauce.  So perfect!

←

Yes, it was pretty perfect! I loved the touch of spice as well.

aprilmei: The waiter said the crispy brisket was his favourite on the menu, so that's why we got it. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

[hzrt8w]

My father, a typical retiree, used to order 1 to 2 dim sums for his breakfast every morning.

From my experience, the average is about 3 to 5 dim sum orders per person depending on how hungry we are. My record was 10-12 dim sum orders (can't remember exactly) per person. But that was with my buddies the day after our Outward Bound training where we were starved of decent food for over 25 days (and I was 18)... Back in those days, they kept the dim sum baskets on the table for tallying up how much you need to pay at the end of your meal. Between the four of us, empty dim sum baskets stacked up so high that we couldn't see each other's faces...

Edited February 19, 2008 by hzrt8w (log)

[canucklehead]

Great pictures! You and Henry look great.

I am glad that you liked FLM and Victoria City - they are definite winners.

Was your nerves a result of a TV appearance? Ha!

Did you notice that things were less crowded in HK? EVERYONE tries to leave during CNY - less Lai See to give out.

Did you take pictures in Tawian? Would love to see the night markets there.

[Ling]

canucklehead: No, the Bourdain show has already aired a million times down here so I wasn't nervous about that! I just heard some good news about a possible job opportunity that morning that I didn't think I had a shot for, and it gave me butterflies in my stomach. That is funny that a lot of people leave during CNY--the city was pretty crowded when we were there, but we got there a couple days after CNY. I'll start a new thread about the food we ate in Taiwan, but a lot of it was home-cooked. I do have lots of pictures of the markets though.

Edited February 19, 2008 by Ling (log)

[I_call_the_duck]

Wow! Looks like you guys had a great time. I'm constantly amazed at the amount of food you two can eat in a day.

Looking forward to your Taiwan photos.

[helenjp]

fatty slices of crispy (fried) brisket! Oh joy!

That made me laugh! I'm looking forward to your joyous experiences in Taiwan, too - an acquaintancewho used to go to Taiwan regularly on business maintained that Chinese food in Taiwan was better than anywhere else she knew.

Those "egg-white egg tarts" took me by surprise. I've never seen them before, and now wonder if it's part of some massive egg-tart revoution that's passed me by, or just an aberration. Did you see them anywhere else in HK?

[Ling]

fatty slices of crispy (fried) brisket! Oh joy!

That made me laugh! I'm looking forward to your joyous experiences in Taiwan, too - an acquaintancewho used to go to Taiwan regularly on business maintained that Chinese food in Taiwan was better than anywhere else she knew.

Those "egg-white egg tarts" took me by surprise. I've never seen them before, and now wonder if it's part of some massive egg-tart revoution that's passed me by, or just an aberration. Did you see them anywhere else in HK?

←

Helen: No, I only saw the egg white tarts at this one bakery. And we only got them because Henry's friend's (health-conscious, skinny) husband usually gets them while she gets one of the regular egg tarts, so H was curious as to how the egg white ones tasted. It tastes like how you would expect--a not-so-rich, egg custard with the pastry made with wheat flour (or a blend of white flour and wheat.) It was not terrible, but I much rather prefer the real thing.

[Ling]

My father, a typical retiree, used to order 1 to 2 dim sums for his breakfast every morning.

From my experience, the average is about 3 to 5 dim sum orders per person depending on how hungry we are.  My record was 10-12 dim sum orders (can't remember exactly) per person.  But that was with my buddies the day after our Outward Bound training where we were starved of decent food for over 25 days (and I was 18)...      Back in those days, they kept the dim sum baskets on the table for tallying up how much you need to pay at the end of your meal.  Between the four of us, empty dim sum baskets stacked up so high that we couldn't see each other's faces...   

←

That's interesting...wow, I can't imagine just having 1 or 2 baskets for yourself.

I think Henry and I average 15 or so baskets when we're in Richmond/Vancouver, BC. And that's on a regular day--we are not even stuffing ourselves in the least at that rate.

[aprilmei]

I think the food in Taiwan is amazing but it's very different from Cantonese food - it seems richer and more strongly flavoured. I don't know if I would say it's "better" than Chinese food anywhere because it's too hard to compare such different types of cuisine - it just depends on what you like. Even the joong-zi are different there. And I love the savoury hot soybean milk - I've never eaten that anywhere else (although I'm sure it exists)

My Taiwanese cousin-in-law thinks Cantonese food is too subtle

[JasonTrue]

There is some Chinese-produced matcha which I've generally found disappointing.

The "best" stuff from a Chinese vendor I know of tastes worse than the culinary grade I use from Japan.

But sometimes Japanese products use large amounts of cheap, bitter matcha (a lower grade than what I usually use) which, to many people, tastes more "matcha-like". Some people prefer this to milder, higher grades because it is more intensely flavored.

sanrensho: The green tea was matcha, unless there is a powdered Chinese green tea that I'm not aware of. They photo on the package of the green tea wife cakes from Wing Wah show the brush used when preparing matcha (along with a cup of matcha) but the ingredients label just says: "green tea powder". I did see matcha desserts sold in Taiwan as well (matcha cheesecake, matcha mochi) so I assume it's popular, at least in the last few years!

Thanks for the clarification, Ling.

The reason I ask is because I've always been disappointed when buying "green tea" goods from our local Chinese bakeries here in Vancouver (and moon cakes from HK).

I never detect much macha flavor, so I had assumed they were referring to the use of "green tea" as a broad category, rather than Japanese macha.

←

[sanrensho]

There is some Chinese-produced matcha which I've generally found disappointing.

The "best" stuff from a Chinese vendor I know of tastes worse than the culinary grade I use from Japan.

But sometimes Japanese products use large amounts of cheap, bitter matcha (a lower grade than what I usually use) which, to many people, tastes more "matcha-like". Some people prefer this to milder, higher grades because it is more intensely flavored.

Thanks for the info, Jason.

I can't say that I'm an expert at detecting the grade of macha in baked goods, but I can see how the cheaper grades of Japanese macha might come across better in a finished bread product (as opposed to something more delicate like a mousse or cakes).

Needless to say, if something is advertised as containing macha/green tea, I expect some flavor to come across, and not just green color!

Edited February 20, 2008 by sanrensho (log)

[Ling]

I think the food in Taiwan is amazing but it's very different from Cantonese food - it seems richer and more strongly flavoured. I don't know if I would say it's "better" than Chinese food anywhere because it's too hard to compare such different types of cuisine - it just depends on what you like. Even the joong-zi are different there. And I love the savoury hot soybean milk - I've never eaten that anywhere else (although I'm sure it exists)

My Taiwanese cousin-in-law thinks Cantonese food is too subtle

←

Henry also finds a lot of Cantonese food too subtle, as he grew up eating Taiwanese and Hunan food. I think Cantonese food is more refined, but refined doesn't necessarily mean "better". I enjoy eating Shanghainese food best, actually!

Taiwanese food is indeed a lot stronger in flavour than Cantonese food, generally.

Edited February 21, 2008 by Ling (log)

[Ce'nedra]

Would you say Taiwanese food is mainly based on Fujian cuisine? I always thought Fujian cuisine was considered fairly subtle in its flavourings though hmm...

[Shelby]

Ling, I really enjoyed this and your Taiwan trip. I absolutely LOVE seeing all the different sights and foods.

I REALLY want some of that tripe that was pictured.

Thanks for taking the time.

[prasantrin]

All you HK travellers are evil, evil people! I have now been forced to book a ticket to HK during spring break, so I can eat all those delicious-looking foods. EVIL!!

[hzrt8w]

All you HK travellers are evil, evil people!  I have now been forced to book a ticket to HK during spring break, so I can eat all those delicious-looking foods.  EVIL!!   

←

I think this thread has served its purpose.

[aprilmei]

Ling, I went to Victoria on Sunday with my relatives and we ordered the fried beef brisket. The waiter approved of our choice, saying it was delicious. And it was - so good we ordered a second plate of it.

On our waiter's recommendation, we also ordered the baked chaxiubao - something I never order for dim sum because it's so easy to get it at Hong Kong bakeries - and at much cheaper prices. This was amazing - the perfect chaxiubao.

The outside was soft, delicate and thin, holding an impressive amount of chaxiu. I'm a convert and will order the chaxiubao whenever I go to Victoria.

[prasantrin]

I think this thread has served its purpose. 

←

Uhhh huh! My ticket is about 1/3 more expensive than I thought it would be, so I must really be desperate for some good HK food! And now I'm up at 3:30 am, compiling my list of what to eat where! I'll be there on Easter Sunday...I'm sure things won't be closed that day, and I may even score a family dim sum with my friend and her in-laws (important, because then I'll get to try more things ). But I may have to suffer through Easter services to join them...

[hzrt8w]

Have a good trip, Rona! And be sure to bring back some photos to add to this wonderful thread and share your experience. (We can help you compile a "must eat" list. )

[Ling]

aprilmei: So glad you liked the beef brisket! We were going to order a second plate of that as well but we were already beginning to suffer from meat overload.

Rona: Have a great time in HK! I expect pictures when you come back =)

Shelby: it was my pleasure to share our trip! We wouldn't have found some of these places without EG.

I will finish my Taiwan picture post tonight...I have been working like crazy and had no free time lately. (Well, actually I did have yesterday off work but I spent it shopping. )

[hzrt8w]

...

Did you notice that things were less crowded in HK?  EVERYONE tries to leave during CNY - less Lai See to give out.

...

←

During Chinese New Year in Hong Kong: while it is true there are many people going out of Hong Kong, the eateries are not necessarily less crowded as a result. Reasons:

1) During CNY, most of everybody don't need to work. There are more people on the street than usual. More people = more demand for meals.

2) Many of the Chinese restaurants are closed for 3 days during CNY. Typically the big restaurants. They let their workers "go back to their home village" to spend time with family.

Eating out during CNY in Hong Kong has alrways been a challenge. Less places open, more people. Most would stay home and enjoy home-cooked meals during this time to avoid the dine-out hassle.

Edited February 28, 2008 by hzrt8w (log)