Reports on Hong Kong dining

[hzrt8w]

I don't know if they have moved or not because it was the first and only time that I have been to Farmhouse.

.....

Some webpage said they are in the AIA Building, which is not correct.  They are in the Ming An Plaza, right next door.  On the second floor.  There is an escalator running to it.  Still couldn't find it, give them a call.

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Hmmmm... upon further googling, I found that some information listed Farm House's address as:

Farm House Restaurant 農圃飯店

1-2/F, AIA Plaza, 18 Hysan Avenue

銅鑼灣希慎道18號友邦中心1-2樓

Neighborhood: Causeway Bay

Phone: 28811331

Cuisine: Cantonese

And this is no longer correct. It seems that maybe they used to be in AIA Plaza. But now they are in Ming An Plaza. The pictures look different too. So probably you have been to their location when they were at AIA Plaza. If that's the case, they indeed have moved.

But the phone number is still the same though...

[aprilmei]

Oh, did they move? Didn't know that - last time I was there was about two months ago.

[canucklehead]

Thanks Ah Leung!!

[canucklehead]

Instead of starting a brand new thread - I am going to tag onto Ah Leung's thread on HK.

HK is a really interesting city - this picture was taken just steps away from Central - the main business district. Hong Kongers have a real affinity for farm fresh produce and freshly caught fish - reflecting the village life that still prevades the local culture.

[canucklehead]

Between Central and Sheung Wan is a beef noodle shop "nine". It is very famous and obviously very popular. The originator of "tsin tong" beef brisket - were the broth is much cleaner and beefier tasting than the brown gravy stewed version.

The line ups are insane but things move quickly. I like it with 'yee mein' which helps soak up the beefy juices. There are many places that now serve this style of beef brisket noodles (some arguably better) - but I like coming back to the original.

When "Nine" first opened - the owners were offered millions (HK$) to divulge their recipe. They turned down the money.

[canucklehead]

Recently my mother joined the 'Ninpo Residents Assocation' even though she is not from the Shanghai Region. She joined for the restaraunt which is just off of Lan Kwai Fong in the Central District.

The Shanghainese have had a major impact on HK - many of them immigrating during the Communist takeover.

The food was very good - and seemed very true to Shanghainese cooking, with salty and sour notes more present (which is felt to bring out the sweet fresh flavours of good ingredients).

Braised soft boiled eggs, deep fried eels. Both were excellent.

Shrimp stirred fried with salted duck egg yolks (rich and sweet). Tea Smoked Duck (succulent and juicy)

The service staff and cooks all buzz around speaking Shanghainese - in fact, after decades of living in HK, their Cantonese is still heavily accented. It's amazing how different Chinese dialects are from eachother.

[canucklehead]

Hong Kong MTR (subway) on a quiet day.

[canucklehead]

When I visit HK - one of my Holy Grails is having dim sum at Fook Lam Moon. A real bastion of old school traditional Cantonese dim sum. Service and food are stellar - everything fresh and pristine. Not a single dish disapointed.

Crispy spring rolls (not a hint of greasiness), sweet fresh har gow with house hot sauce.

Steamed char sui bow (the filling was tremendous), Steamed cake with salted egg custard.

Tried a classic winter dish - snake soup. Toppings included crispy wonton skins, cilantro, chrysanthemun petals, and thin strips of kaffir lime leaves. Fantastic - great broth (not too gloppy) and clean sweet flavors.

[sheetz]

Thanks for the photos, canucklehead!

This has nothing to do with the food, but it seems strange to me that the Chinese on the Fook Lam Moon sign would be written horizontally from right to left, especially with the English underneath written from left to right. Is it common to do this on signs in HK? Reading both languages will make one crosseyed.

[bethpageblack]

I don't know if they have moved or not because it was the first and only time that I have been to Farmhouse.

.....

Some webpage said they are in the AIA Building, which is not correct.  They are in the Ming An Plaza, right next door.  On the second floor.  There is an escalator running to it.  Still couldn't find it, give them a call.

←

Hmmmm... upon further googling, I found that some information listed Farm House's address as:

Farm House Restaurant 農圃飯店

1-2/F, AIA Plaza, 18 Hysan Avenue

銅鑼灣希慎道18號友邦中心1-2樓

Neighborhood: Causeway Bay

Phone: 28811331

Cuisine: Cantonese

And this is no longer correct. It seems that maybe they used to be in AIA Plaza. But now they are in Ming An Plaza. The pictures look different too. So probably you have been to their location when they were at AIA Plaza. If that's the case, they indeed have moved.

But the phone number is still the same though...

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I just had dinner at FarmHouse this past Sunday. I went to the Hysan Avenue address and obviously, it wasn't there. Walked around the block to the left hand side of the AIA building, and it was there. Food was good, had the stuffed chicken wings, a see dan (I thought there was too much soy, but still quite tasty), a slightly sweet pork rib (not sure if they used nam yu?) dish with napa cabbage and a nice fish bladder soup with almond and pig lung. The soup was very nice. We should've ordered a clay pot rice, but didn't. My mistake. Almost every table ordered one.

And I didn't refuse the apps. I wouldn't want to, anyways. They were pretty tasty.

I also had dinner at Victoria at SHK Centre on Monday, which I thought wasn't as good as Farm House, both service wise and food wise. Ordered a mui choi yuk baeng clay pot rice, steamed garoupa, some roast pork (which they told us that they ran out of 30 minutes after we ordered it, which is ridiculous), crab meat xiao long baos, and a crispy skin chicken (boneless) on top of sliced french bread. You would dip the chicken and bread into lemon, and then dip it into a salt and pepper mixture. Quite good, but for 200 HKD, I don't think it's worth it.

We also had yum cha at the Lei Garden in Wan Chai on Monday afternoon. I think this is the best of the Lei Gardens in HK. Dim sum was very nice, as usual. Not cheap, but very good. Roast pork, shark fin dumpling in soup, cheung fun, cha xiu baos on the menu this time around.

After Lei Garden and a bit of walking around and buying miscellaneous computer items at Wanchai Computer Centre and 298 Hennessey, we had a see mut ngai cha (panty hose milk tea) and an egg custard tart at Honolulu cha chaan teng on Hennessey Road. Both the tea and tart were very rich and flavorful, with the tart portion of the egg tart imparting a twinge of smokiness. The tart wasn't burned so I don't know how they incorporated a smoky flavor, but I'm not complaining. The richness of the tea cut through the smokiness quite well.

Also had a beef and pork liver congee at Law Fu Kee on Monday for breakfast. No youtiao because they ran out. They seem to run out of youtiaos quite quickly at Law Fu Kee. I did have the fried dace balls. As good as ever.

On a side note, I got stuck on NYE on Kimberley Road right by Observatory Road at 10:30PM. They closed Nathan Road at 10, and no cabs were in TST at all. Kinda strange and cool to walk in the middle of the street without having to look for cars. But, I had to walk all the way from Kimberley and Observatory back to my apartment (above the Elements mall) and there were loads of people there trying to find a good spot for the fireworks at IFC 2. What's usually a 20 min walk took about 45 min.

[aprilmei]

Oh, I love the Ningbo Resident's Association. Good food and quite inexpensive. Even my cousin-in-law who's half Shanghainese (other half is Taiwanese) approves of it. It used to be that anybody could eat there but now they've been more strict about admitting only members - which I'm not. Is it difficult to join?

[infernooo]

Trip to Khyber Pass in Chungking Mansions. I couldn't find anyone with good first-hand knowledge of the desi restaurants in the Mansions, and several internet sources seemed to suggest that Khyber Pass was one of the better places. "Better" might just have meant cleaner or safer, because the place was rather clean and safe-feeling, but the food was a joke. Maybe if you're the right skin tone you get better food, but what we got was straight-up Fake Indian for Cantonese Tastes. There wasn't really much flavor to speak of.

FYI, if you are looking for a terrific Indian place in Chunking mansions, go to "Swagat Indian Restaurant".

Compared to the surroundings, it really stands out (the surroundings are as mentioned earlier, quite run down and sub-standard), but this little restaurant really stands out like the gem it is. The same lovely people have been working there since I first went, and the food has been EXACTLY the same, which I really appreciate.

[hzrt8w]

Excellent! This is the "A Canuck in Hong Kong, Volume 2".

Gau Kee was on my list. But like many restaurants... too many restaurants, too little time. I was based in Hung Hom so getting to Central is a bit less convenient... I had been to Central and eat only twice: taken by Law Foo Kee and Yung Kee. Next time...

RE: Steamed cake with salted egg custard.

Do you recall the Chinese name for this dim sum?

[hzrt8w]

This has nothing to do with the food, but it seems strange to me that the Chinese on the Fook Lam Moon sign would be written horizontally from right to left, especially with the English underneath written from left to right.  Is it common to do this on signs in HK? Reading both languages will make one crosseyed.

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This is very confusing, I know. There are people writing horizontally from right to left. And there are some from left to right. I have seen both ways about equally often.

I think that for a plaque, the "right to left" is the traditional way and the "left to right" is the modern way (influenced by English/Portugese etc. couple of centuries ago).

[canucklehead]

Oh, I love the Ningbo Resident's Association. Good food and quite inexpensive. Even my cousin-in-law who's half Shanghainese (other half is Taiwanese) approves of it. It used to be that anybody could eat there but now they've been more strict about admitting only members - which I'm not. Is it difficult to join?

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I don't think its hard at all. The entry fee is only HK$ 20. When my mother told people it cost her 20 bucks to join, everyone thought she was using slang - and that it actually cost 20 thousand to join. Uh - no, 20 dollars - that's about US$ 7.

Ask a waiter how to join next time you are taken there.

[canucklehead]

Excellent!  This is the "A Canuck in Hong Kong, Volume 2". 

Gau Kee was on my list.  But like many restaurants... too many restaurants, too little time.  I was based in Hung Hom so getting to Central is a bit less convenient...  I had been to Central and eat only twice:  taken by Law Foo Kee and Yung Kee.  Next time...

RE: Steamed cake with salted egg custard.

Do you recall the Chinese name for this dim sum?

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I just wish we were in town at the same time... the steamed cake is "tsin chun go" or 'thousand layer cake'.

[ahuacatl]

HK$20? More like US$2.50 !!

[canucklehead]

I just had dinner at FarmHouse this past Sunday... 

I also had dinner at Victoria at SHK Centre on Monday...

We also had yum cha at the Lei Garden in Wan Chai on Monday afternoon...

...we had a see mut ngai cha (panty hose milk tea) and an egg custard tart at Honolulu cha chaan teng on Hennessey Road...

Also had a beef and pork liver congee at Law Fu Kee on Monday for breakfast.  No youtiao because they ran out. 

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Holy shit - you are a serious eater! I love the egg tarts at Honolulu also. Will be going to Victoria for dim sum in the next day or so - I agree that dinner is better at Farm House - where I am heading tonight. I always order the clay pot rice - even when there are only a few of us. I have the rice wrapped up - and then have soup added to the crunchy rice bits - heaven!

ahuacatl - you are right about the exchange rate. 1US$ = 7.8 HK$... I had the math backwards (and... I am a Chartered Accountant - how sad is that?)

[hzrt8w]

I just wish we were in town at the same time...  the steamed cake is "tsin chun go" or 'thousand layer cake'.

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Yeah. Me too. Perhaps we can do a eG "meet to eat" in Hong Kong next year! Eating for eight days, eight nights!

[hzrt8w]

Is the Hawaiian Teahouse that good? I passed by it a couple of times, but didn't know... List for next time...

[canucklehead]

Big Guilty Pleasure. Tai Ping Koon.

Open since 1860 - the food is that pseudo-european cuisine that people of my parent's generation though of as "Fancy". In reality - the food is stodgy, overcooked, and full of frozen vegatables.

But I can't help myself - I love the 70's Mah Jong Glamour style of the Tsim Tsai Tsui branch. I half expect Bruce Lee to walk in an all white denim suit.

The soy sauce chicken wings (Swiss Wings) are quite good if over priced at $120 for eight wings. But who cares... have a little fun I say.

[canucklehead]

For dinner - went to a street side place in Kowloon, just off the flower market - called "Ngau Kee" or the Ox.

Its a very popular local spot - and as the night progresses, more and more tables are set up along the sidewalk until the whole street is the dining area.

Best dish was this deep fried fresh water fish from Thailand. In Chinese - the literal name is Bamboo Shell - but I am not sure what the proper name is. Perferctly fried - super crispy outside, meltingly tender on the inside.

Pepah ('Lute') tofu. Beef fried noodles - thin ho fun, but greasy. Otherwise excellent 'wok-y' flavor.

[canucklehead]

Checked out the new dim sum restaurant at the Four Seasons - Lung King Heen

The space itself is a knockout - beautifully finished , georgous views. Service is attentive - but the wait staff seemed unsure of itself, like they were afraid that you were going to yell at them or something (which in HK, is unfortunately not an uncommon occurance).

Ordered a range of steamed items including lobster & scallop dumplings, prawns sui mai, and xiao long bao with crab meat. These were generally a disapontment - all of the bottoms were oversteamed and soggy. The xiao long bao broke despite the clever little baskets - and the broth lacked any real flavor. The whole ablone tart was excellent though - tender and sweet, and the pastry was incredibly flaky.

Pea shoots in clear broth was nice and fresh. The 'eight treasure' fried rice was tremendous - and included roast duck, taro root, and cured meats. The rice is stirred fried, and then put into a clay pot to bake with the 'eight treasures' - the resulting rice was very flavorful, and there were some crispy bits to boot.

The other big winner were the desserts - all crispy and light. Mini sesame mochi balls stuffed with custard. The walnut pastries were fantastic - buttery crust enclosing a sweet chopped walnut filling (all shaped like a little walnut - very clever).

It was a very civilized lunch. However - the poor execution of the steamed dim sum is kind of a black eye - I mean, most dim sum items are steamed. Otherwise it would have been a top notch dining experience - I still think Fook Lam Moon is better.

[insomniac]

Oh, I love the Ningbo Resident's Association. Good food and quite inexpensive. Even my cousin-in-law who's half Shanghainese (other half is Taiwanese) approves of it. It used to be that anybody could eat there but now they've been more strict about admitting only members - which I'm not. Is it difficult to join?

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I don't think its hard at all. The entry fee is only HK$ 20. When my mother told people it cost her 20 bucks to join, everyone thought she was using slang - and that it actually cost 20 thousand to join. Uh - no, 20 dollars - that's about US$ 7.

Ask a waiter how to join next time you are taken there.

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love it too, am a member, easy, was introduced by a Shanghainese friend...also a very convenient location when I was working round the corner and a refreshing change from expensive Lan Kwai Fong area

...and when I couldn't sleep last night I was thinking about snake soup before I read yr post canucklehead...will be in HK in a week or so and a big bowl of tummy warming snake soup is going to be be my first stop...

Edited January 3, 2008 by insomniac (log)

[bethpageblack]

Holy shit - you are a serious eater!  I love the egg tarts at Honolulu also.  Will be going to Victoria for dim sum in the next day or so - I agree that dinner is better at Farm House - where I am heading tonight.  I always order the clay pot rice - even when there are only a few of us.  I have the rice wrapped up - and then have soup added to the crunchy rice bits - heaven!

ahuacatl - you are right about the exchange rate.  1US$ = 7.8 HK$...  I had the math backwards (and...  I am a Chartered Accountant - how sad is that?)

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Well, I don't eat like that all the time, lol. Friend was in town and gf's birthday and NYE, so I decided to try different places. I'm also entertaining next week, so will probably hit a couple more places. Will try to bring my camera.

The clay pot rice looked very enticing, but I just neglected to order it. Too bad.

I did have a clay pot rice today at this restaurant called Xin Li Zhi Wan (New Litchi Bay) in Guangzhou. Food was quite nice. Ordered the daily soup (pork and chicken with green turnip), a claypot rice with lap cheung, yun cheung and lap yook (quite good), some shui dong gai choy (Chinese mustard greens) sauteed with pork fat and garlic (also very good and they use tons of wok hei because the choy was a bright and vibrant green yet was cooked perfectly), an interesting dish of yook baeng (pork and chestnut) with a chopped crab on top. A beaten egg was spread on top of this dish right before it was cooked to meld the flavors together. Quite nice with the crab roe mixing with the egg and off the beaten track. Last two dishes were a lamb pot with bean curd sheets and tong ho choy and some fan shu baeng (sweet potato cake seared on both sides). The lamb had a nice texture and good flavor; the meat wasn't gamy at all. The sweet potato cakes were good, but I had better. Cooked well, but the sweet potato cakes we order in the countryside are much better. Probably because of the freshness of the sweet potatoes? Anyways, here's the kicker - this meal with 3 beers was 320 RMB. This is supposed to be a high class gin joint in Guangzhou, but yet I still get out paying less than 50 USD.