Reports on Hong Kong dining

[hzrt8w]

Actually, there's a 4th floor as well, but you can only access it from the elevators in the hallway on the other side of the take-out area, not from the main elevator in the restaurant. It consists of private rooms and is reservation only. As far as I know, the menu and prices are the same for 2/F to 4/F, but there's a hefty minimum charge for the private rooms, and if you're not a regular (or famous) they'll tell you they're full.

←

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.

[hzrt8w]

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!

Edited December 11, 2007 by hzrt8w (log)

[miladyinsanity]

I've been to Hong Kong twice, but what I remember is a pancake (kinda) like thing that looks sort of like bubble wrap.

Am I making this up?

←

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

←

Sweet. Roadside vendor. And it's just a pancake--sort of. You basically pluck off one bubble (I should add, the bubbles are quite big) at a time and stuff them into your mouth.

[hzrt8w]

Sweet. Roadside vendor. And it's just a pancake--sort of. You basically pluck off one bubble (I should add, the bubbles are quite big) at a time and stuff them into your mouth.

←

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...)

[HKDave]

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.

←

As far as I know, Yung Kee only has a minimum charge for the private rooms.

You almost always have to share tables on the 1/f, that's part of the appeal (at least to me!) Most 1/f patrons are solo or couples who just want a quick goose rice or congee. The advantage is that you can usually get a seat there without a reservation, which isn't true for the other floors.

Yung Kee also offers inexpensive take-out on their roast meats and rice, and is one of the very few HK restaurants that use cardboard rather than styrofoam take-out boxes. Their char siu is excellent, too.

I'm happy to see you made it to Wing Lai and Man Jiang Hong! I love both places and I have to give thanks to former eG poster anniewood, who introduced me to MJH in 2003. Their Sichuan chicken is the best in town; the only way it might be improved is if they used the smaller 'heaven-facing chilies', but you rarely see those in HK.

[hzrt8w]

I'm happy to see you made it to Wing Lai and Man Jiang Hong! I love both places and I have to give thanks to former eG poster anniewood, who introduced me to MJH in 2003. Their Sichuan chicken is the best in town; the only way it might be improved is if they used the smaller 'heaven-facing chilies', but you rarely see those in HK.

←

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

[hzrt8w]

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.

Edited December 11, 2007 by hzrt8w (log)

[NancyH]

Braised "Fa Gau" (fish bubble) with shittake mushrooms over lettuce.

Ah Leung - what exactly is the fish bubble?

You photos have made me hungry for China!

[CFT]

Braised "Fa Gau" (fish bubble) with shittake mushrooms over lettuce.

Ah Leung - what exactly is the fish bubble?

Fish maw: http://felixcheung.spaces.live.com/blog/cn...8!881.entry

[Dejah]

Braised "Fa Gau" (fish bubble) with shittake mushrooms over lettuce.

Ah Leung - what exactly is the fish bubble?

←

I think it's the same as fish maw.

Ah Leung,

and a variety of kiwis (far left in the picture, grey in color with black seeds)

That variety of kiwi looks more like slices of dragonfruit. The fruit I tried was so colourful, but there wasn't not much taste. That may be due to degree of ripeness...

[hzrt8w]

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.

[hzrt8w]

Day 18 Teaser Pictures:

We went back to the Whampoa food court to try some other eateries this morning. I had decided to try out "Fung Sing Restaurant" as they advertised to provide some "Shun Tak" style dishes. I always wanted to try something different other than mainstream Hong Kong Cantonese. The result, however, was disappointing.

A plate of "Yuk See Chow Mein" (pan-fried noodles with shredded pork). This was very good. Something that I hadn't had for a long time. The Chinese restaurants in the USA just couldn't do it right. Many times ordering this dish, I have seen the chefs using thick pork slices or simply cha siu (BBQ pork) to make this dish. Those lazy chefs!

This was done right: thinly shredded pork cooked with black mushroom slices and bean sprouts. Just as what I had 40 years ago. The "wok hey" is a little lacking, but otherwise good.

One of their "Shun Tak" specialty dishes: This one was whole shrimp pasted on a bread slice and deep-fried. Kind of like a "shrimp toast" Chinese style. The condiment was, guess... Mayo! It was okay. But the bread had soaked up much frying oil. Not something that we liked.

This was another "Shun Tak" specialty dish: "Dai Leung Yeah Gai Quon" ("Dai Leung" is a city name in China. "Yeah Gai Quon" means "wild chicken rolls"). I never had this dish before in my life, though I have heard of the name. I don't know whether this is their restaurant's execution or that's just the way this dish is... it didn't do it for us.

The rolls were made with some bits of chicken meat (very little) in the middle. The rolls were some kind of flour mixed with... chicken fat? Or lard? They were very greasy. I could taste the thick chunk of fat. Felt like drinking oil. The condiment was a dish of Worchestershire Sauce. The sauce tamed down the taste of grease a little bit but still... not a good experience.

This food item did not agree with my wife digestive system and she paid for it at the end of the day (as it turned out, the only food item that caused her problem throughout this trip).

The dim sums at Fung Sing were okay, but not outstanding. I don't think I can put this restaurant on my recommended list.

Dinner was a Ming Sing Restaurant again (the one that we ate at after our Macau trip). Nathan Road near Jordan Road. Food was better.

Half a roast duck. Condiment was a small dish of "plum" sauce. The duck was very good. Not great as at Yung Kee but a heck lot better than any roast duck you can find in restaurants in USA.

A clay pot dish: "Ga Lei Ha Bo" (Curry shrimp with mung bean threads in clay pot). Very good.

[miladyinsanity]

Sweet. Roadside vendor. And it's just a pancake--sort of. You basically pluck off one bubble (I should add, the bubbles are quite big) at a time and stuff them into your mouth.

←

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...)

←

I hope that you are making that up, because I'm too young to have a good excuse for asking a question, getting an answer, forgetting that I got an answer and asking again.

I am so totally going to make use of the recommendations you have in here when I get there this weekend, so thanks!

[hzrt8w]

Day 19 Teaser Pictures:

I know what I need to do differently: I need to turn these teaser pictures into a marketing event!

Day 19. Lunch. After witnessing the big BOOM!!! noon gun in Causeway Bay, made it to the famous Farm House Restaurant inside the AIA Building, also in Causeway Bay.

Before we put on our napkins, two dishes of appetizers were already placed in front of us: braised beef (tendon?), and cooked bitter melons slices with sesame sprinkled on top. The condiment in the back was a dish of delicious, Farm House's own XO Sauce. It was excellent!

For a close-up look on the XO Sauce, stay tuned for my full report!

Ah! This is their famous house specialty "Chicken Wing Stuffed With Glutinous Rice". What's the big deal? It's just a chicken wing! Ah! On the surface, it looks like an ordinary chicken wing. The difference is on the inside...

The bones of the chicken wing have been taken out. In their place, the chicken wing was stuffed with some glutinous rice. This was a classical Cantonese recipe of "Nor Mai Gai" (Glutinous Rice Chicken), except in a smaller scale - a chicken wing instead of a whole chicken. The wing was deep-fried and sheened.

Marvelous!

It's just a piece of cake (or perhaps "chicken little") compared to what you have done, right, sheetz?

Another excellent dish was their Steamed Eggwhite With Seafood. Or they called it "See Dan" on their menu. "See Dan" is a Cantonese slang. It means "whatever". Why was it named "See Dan"? The captain at the restaurant told me a story.

What did he tell me? Stay tuned for the Day 19 Full Report...

BTW if you are going to Hong Kong and want to sample some excellent Cantonese food, Farm House is definitely on the top of the list. Be warned though that they are pricey. Lunch for two persons: HKD400 (US$50.00). But the service and food are indeed excellent.

Back on the street. Saw a store selling "Shui Poh Bang" (Lifesaver cracker). Gosh! Haven't seen these in ages!

Did I buy some?

Since we were in the Causeway Bay area, I made another stop to Shun Yee Milk Company (Lockhart Road) to have some more goodies. This was their Mango Milk. A smoothie made by blanding fresh milk with fresh mango. It was Good!!!

What else did I order?

Dinner: made it back across the harbor in the Jordan area. Went to a restaurant named "Federal Palace Restaurant" ("Luen Bon Wong Gong"). On Nathan Road near Jordan Road. They had a special: for HKD59 (US$7.50), you can have a...

What does it look like?

For dinner details, stay tuned for the Day 19 Full Report.

[aprilmei]

Oh, the see dan at Farm House is so good - so subtle and smooth; who knew steamed egg whites could be so flavourful? (and yes, I know why it's called see dan but I'll let you tell). Was your chicken wing huge? I don't know where they get chickens that have such large wings - maybe they put them on steroids?

re: Whampoa food court, there's a really good Hainan chicken rice place there.

[Seitch]

Braised "Fa Gau" (fish bubble) with shittake mushrooms over lettuce.

Ah Leung - what exactly is the fish bubble?

←

I think it's the same as fish maw.

Ah Leung,

and a variety of kiwis (far left in the picture, grey in color with black seeds)

That variety of kiwi looks more like slices of dragonfruit. The fruit I tried was so colourful, but there wasn't not much taste. That may be due to degree of ripeness...

←

Dragonfruit is definitely sweet when it is ripe. The ones I've tried in the States haven't been very sweet but the ones I had in China were very sweet.

[hzrt8w]

This is amazing! Dragon fruit looks (after skinned) and tastes so much like kiwi. Are they related?

[canucklehead]

Oh, the see dan at Farm House is so good - so subtle and smooth; who knew steamed egg whites could be so flavourful? (and yes, I know why it's called see dan but I'll let you tell). Was your chicken wing huge? I don't know where they get chickens that have such large wings - maybe they put them on steroids?

←

I'm crying tears of envy.

[HKDave]

This is amazing!  Dragon fruit looks (after skinned) and tastes so much like kiwi.  Are they related?

←

Nope... Dragon fruit is from a couple varieties of cactus; it's originally from South America but is now mostly cultivated in SE Asia.

Kiwi fruit grows on a vine and was originally from China.

[Tepee]

I've got a red dragon fruit plant growing in our garden. The ugliest plant you ever did see. Looks like a cactus without support, all droopy.

So, are you out of your post-binging stupor yet?

[hzrt8w]

Day 20 Teaser Pictures:

Our third hiking during this trip: destination - Sai Kung, Tai Long Wan

Needed to take care of some last minute hotel pick up details, we found ourselves in Tsim Sha Tsui. Needed to rush and grab a bite, instead of exploring we went back to Guong Dong Restaurant on Hankow Road.

A bowl of "lai fun" in soup with BBQ pork. The BBQ pork was succulent and juicy. Excellently done!

This was not suckling pig. It was just their regular roast pork. The skin was crispy, no less. The roast pork was also excellent.

In the TST MTR station, we went to Arome Bakery to pick up a couple of their bakeries to be used as our snacks during the hike. Their bakeries were excellent. This was a roll with tuna and ham filling.

It was a long journey just to get to the trailhead itself. MTR train ride, followed by a mini-buy ride, followed by a taxi ride. It took almost an unbelievable 2 hours. Once there, the hike to Tai Long Sai Wan (the beach) didn't take long at all. Only 45 minutes. And from Tai Long Sai Wan to Tai Long Wan (another beach), another 45 minutes.

Here is some of the scenes that we came here to see. Tai Long Sai Wan. The Sai Kung peninsula is one of the last places in Hong Kong where you don't find any residential/commercial real estate development.

At the Tai Long Sai Wan village, I found a store that carried... Green Spot! I have not seen this soft drink in almost 20 years! I still remember they made a TV commercial where a boy rode his family Rolls Royce to the Peninsula Hotel and ordered a bottle of Green Spot. It is a pretty good orange flavored soda. Not available in the USA, unfortunately.

Dinner was seafood back in Sai Kung. Steamed shrimp with minced garlic (Sheun Yung Ha).

Steamed pomfret with light soy sauce. This dish was excellent.

After dinner, we went back to the Jordan area. Since this was our last night of staying in Hong Kong, we hung out later than usual. Went to do some last minute shopping along Temple Street.

Last chance! I summoned my courage to try a bowl of turtle jelly. I was glad I did! The taste was quite bitter. With some sugar syrup, it helped to reduce the bitterness. It actually was quite tasty. A good dessert.

We could feel the herbal function of turtle jelly working: an hour or so later, we could feel the blood circulation in the body.

Close to midnight. What's life in Hong Kong without some midnight snack? A bowl of congee (jook) with pork liver. This slice of pork liver was almost as big as my palm! Comes tomorrow I would regret that there are as many food opportunities in the USA...

[aprilmei]

Oh, I like turtle jelly too. It's very cooling so I tend to eat it in the summer. It's supposed to be good for the skin.

[junehl]

Ah Leung, your picture of the Fa Gau gives me a craving for fa gau and sea cucumber braised with mushroom on a bed of napa cabbage.

Now if I only knew how to prepare fa gau and sea cucumber

[hzrt8w]

Now if I only knew how to prepare fa gau and sea cucumber

←

Actually it is not that difficult. I am not sure how to prepare sea cucumbers from their dried form. I suspect it would be something similar.

While eating that Fa Gau dish, I asked my aunt who sat right next to me (she is one of those iron house-wife chefs in Hong Kong, rare in modern days) how to prepare it. She said soak the dried Fa Gau in water overnight. Next day, rinse the water, boil the Fa Gau for an hour or so. Leave it in the water for another day. Then use it to cook (rinse the water) the third day.

Edited December 17, 2007 by hzrt8w (log)

[junehl]

hmm doesn't sound too hard, I'll have tot ry that, and maybe experiment some w/ sea cucumbers.