Reports on Hong Kong dining

[ahuacatl]

Daan taat 蛋撻 "egg tart" is the name for the regular kind. Po taat 葡撻 "Portuguese tart" is the kind with the caramelized top. I'm just guessing here... but like 5 or 6 HKD at KFC? I don't really remember.

[hzrt8w]

Yes, in Hong Kong the Portugese Tarts are named "Po Gok Tart". "Po Gok" is translation for Portugal or Portugese. In short, that is "Po Tart".

When I was in Hong Kong, regular egg tarts (Hong Kong style) are about HKD3 to HKD5 each. Po Tart usually are higher. Probably in the HKD5 to HKD7 range? I had some in Macau. HKD6 each. (Yes they use HKD in Macau. The conversion is about the same.)

Welcom to the familiy ahuacatl!

Edited December 21, 2007 by hzrt8w (log)

[ahuacatl]

Lunch @ Mum Chau's, Lan Kwai Fong

I thought it was cute that the little "this dish is hot" pepper clip art was obviously used to draw the plate of peppers.

Yibin noodles

Sichuan-type wontons with chili sauce

Cabbage with dry chilis

Dry, chewy Sichuan ham in a delicious chili oil

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Macarons and caramel tea @ Le Gouter Bernardaud, IFC Mall. Expensive, yes, but you get comfy chairs to sit in and a nice view.

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Steamed chicken and mushrooms over rice, Tai Po Market.

Some choy

The most massive ha gao ever

Wontons

At a dessert place around the corner, milk-covered mango pudding

Fresh, frothy sai mai lo (coconut tapioca)

The really cool sign for the Cooked Food Centre, Tai Po Market

[hzrt8w]

The really cool sign for the Cooked Food Centre, Tai Po Market

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I haven't been to Tai Po Market for many, many years. I learned that they have moved the KCR (train) station.

Where is this Cooked Food Centre in relation to the KCR station? Is it nearby?

Do they run this like the food centres in Singapore? Every stall has a standard size (I noticed the numbering (address))? They share tables and chairs?

[ahuacatl]

I haven't been to Tai Po Market for many, many years.  I learned that they have moved the KCR (train) station.

Where is this Cooked Food Centre in relation to the KCR station?  Is it nearby?

Do they run this like the food centres in Singapore?  Every stall has a standard size (I noticed the numbering (address))?  They share tables and chairs?

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It's right down the block from the KCR (now MTR East Rail) station, about 0.5 km if I remember correctly.

And yeah, it's a huge set of standard-size stalls with tables and chairs in front. I've got some pictures I haven't uploaded yet from some of those stalls. The other floors of the Complex are a wet market and small stalls with vegetables and dried stuff and so forth. I think the idea was to build this complex so the wet market would have more sanitary conditions and the food vendors would have to get off the street.

[ahuacatl]

Some photos from the Tai Po Complex:

The previously described stalls, tables, and chairs

Fish ball noodles at Ping Gei (平記). This is the place run by the old guy who makes his own noodles with the big bamboo pole, as featured on No Reservations. The noodles were good enough, but the dish was seriously bland overall...

Some dim sum items from one of the other stalls.

Cheung fun

Chicken congee

Fish congee

Jaa long

Chow fun, mei fun

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Some photos from the markets in the Complex

[ahuacatl]

A guy selling jackfruit in a Tai Po street market

Very large wonton noodles at Sing Zai Gei (成仔記) in Tai Po Centre

[faine]

Yum...I really appreciate these photos. Keep it up!

[ahuacatl]

Here's some photos from Fung Shing restaurant near the Prince Edward MTR. Like hzrt8w, I found it to be fairly unimpressive. It seems to have a strong reputation even though the food is just about average.

Complementary pickles

This is a soup I would describe as "egg drop soup"

Chopped pigeon with pine nuts, to be wrapped in lettuce

here

Fish, celery and snow peas

Delicious roast chicken... needs shrimp chips

Suckling pig

Choy with dried scallops and roasted garlic

"Fried milk," which is a savory milk pudding. Not as exciting as it looks. Has sort of a chalky taste. This is the dish discussed here.

Shrimp toast

Complementary bean soup

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B仔涼粉 Dessert Restaurant, Yuen Long

These are some kind of rice-and-bean-based paste with a Malteaser in the middle, and bad chocolate on top... not great

The most mind-blowingly awesome mango pancake I've ever had... fake whipped cream and all

Edited December 21, 2007 by ahuacatl (log)

[annachan]

I AM HUNGRY!!!! Can't wait for our next trip to HK....

[muichoi]

What a great country. The fake indian for cantonese place has a great deal in common with fake indian for english places!

[ahuacatl]

Lunch at a chachaanteng in Mongkok

Chicken rice and complementary soup

Instant ramen with beef and an omelette

Pineapple french toast

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A different home cooking Sichuan-esque type place at Kwai Fong Metro Plaza

Beefy meaty rice

Fish and lobster ball noodles

Wontons buried in garlic

Pile of cabbage with oyster sauce

More delicious gai dan zai

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Australia Dairy Company, Jordan

Milk tea, lemon tea, superb scrambled eggs and toast

HK-style club sandwich

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Rainbow Dessert, Tai Po Centre

Mango pudding

Fruity sai mai lo

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A couple other tidbits:

A stall selling bean pancakes and such at Tai Po Market

I think this was in a mall somewhere, or in a MTR station... same thing, really

Edited December 21, 2007 by ahuacatl (log)

[NancyH]

Wonderful photos and descriptions - I too am hungry now!

[canucklehead]

Australian Dairy Company rocks!!!

The slightly scary ganster style waiters are awesome - when they tell you its time to go, you'd better go.

Best scrambled eggs ever - I have no idea what they do to get them so rich and buttery. Perhaps add extra yolks - as the whites are used to make the white custards.

Great pictures - nice to see all the 'neighbourhood' specialties from Tai Po. I'm more of an Hong Kong island guy myself.

Edited December 21, 2007 by canucklehead (log)

[canucklehead]

I remember travelling out of China - and San Francisco was referred on the departure board as Gold Mountain. Most other American cities are referred by a translated name (actually, San Francisco is usually referred by a proper name).

Seeing Gold Mountain at the Airport seemed so old fashioned and charming.

[prasantrin]

What's in the HK-style club sandwich? It looks like egg, pickles, thin luncheon ham, and processed cheese in the lower layer, but I can only recognize what I think are tomatoes in the upper layer.

An acquaintance originally from India used to joke that all good Indians know that any food with western origins (samosas--fried food probably originated with the Portuguese) should be served with ketchup.

[ahuacatl]

What's in the HK-style club sandwich?  It looks like egg, pickles, thin luncheon ham, and processed cheese in the lower layer, but I can only recognize what I think are tomatoes in the upper layer.

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The tomato layer has some kind of meat in it... in the ADC version it has some kind of chunky meat sauce stuff. Other versions I've had usually contain some kind of sliced roast meat (chicken breast or beef).

[ahuacatl]

Here's a few shots of home-cooked food.

Steamed shrimp

Siu yook (from the market)

Abalone and vegetable

Strawberry sai mai lo

Gargantuan mango pudding (from the market)

Tong yuen (glutinous rice balls with sesame/peanut paste, from the market)

[hzrt8w]

That's the beauty of Hong Kong.  You can get a really good meal for 100 HKD without much difficulty.  When I'm in New York we would go eat and spend about 50 USD per head for a standard meal and it's not a big deal.  If I was in HK (let alone GZ) doing that, my gf would kill me.  There are just too many options and price ranges - which is a good thing. 

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How much does a meal cost in Hong Kong?

From my experience in this trip... and we are talking about just a casual lunch/dinner, not the elaborate ones:

Lunch: around HKD 30 to HKD 50 pp. I know a bowl of wonton noodle soup is about HKD 17. A rice plate is about HKD 25. Eating dim sum would be higher, definitely.

When we went to the "upscale" eateries like Yung Kee, Victoria City and Farm House, we spent about HKD 200 to 300 pp. So that's the high end.

Dinner: around HKD 50 to HKD 100 pp, typical. Of course you can have a Big Mac for 10 or so. Or Cafe de Coral for 20 something. The private kitchens charge around HKD 300 to HKD 500.

There are these "banquet" style packaged meals that my family members like. And they run typically HKD 600 - 800 for "half" (means for 6 people), or HKD 1000 - 1500 for "full" (means for 12 people). Those are meals and drinks (beer and soft drinks or fruit juices) included. So it's roughly HKD 100 pp.

In "upscale" eateries, I would imagine that would be from HKD 200 to 500, depending on restaurants.

(Note: Conversion - HKD 7.6 = USD 1.00)

So the spectrum is quite wide. You can get yourself stuffed with as little as HKD 20 (USD $2.50), or a typical of HKD 50 (USD $7.00), or eat "nicely" by paying HKD 200+ (USD $25.00+). But whichever level you choose, the food is mostly decent. I had only a few so-so meals in Hong Kong out of my 21 days.

Edited December 22, 2007 by hzrt8w (log)

[hzrt8w]

Complementary pickles

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It may not be quite "complimentary". They charge you for these. HKD 5 to 10 pp. In addition to the tea charge. They are "mandatory" appetizers.

As discussed here.

ahuacatl (Your online monikor is about as hard to spell as mine. ) BTW: do you live in Hong Kong? Or you are visiting?

[Dianabanana]

Whoa, that HK-style club sandwich looks good! So prasantrin guessed correctly--eggs, ham, processed cheese, pickles, and some kind of tomatoey meat sauce? What kind of flavor does the meat sauce have?

[canucklehead]

Hong Kong Club - the meat sauce is actually fried canned corned beef (the kind you get from Argentina). Welcome to the colonial influence in HK cooking.

I gotta tell you though - I love 'em.

[bethpageblack]

Australian Dairy Company rocks!!!

The slightly scary ganster style waiters are awesome - when they tell you its time to go, you'd better go.

Best scrambled eggs ever - I have no idea what they do to get them so rich and buttery.  Perhaps add extra yolks - as the whites are used to make the white custards.

Great pictures - nice to see all the 'neighbourhood' specialties from Tai Po.  I'm more of an Hong Kong island guy myself.

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I love seeing people getting dirty looks from cashiers trying to get people to leave. If they give me a dirty look I'm going to ask them if there's food stuck on my shirt or face. Sometimes it's a little too much. You're barely done with your meal and they want you to get up, pay, and leave. I understand turnover, etc., but you can't sit for a minute? Ridiculous. I'm not singling out Australia Dairy, but there are quite a few cha chaan teng's in HK that do this during lunch hour. ok, rant over!

That said, those scrambled egg sangys are pretty damn good. I'm going to have to try a club sangy next week. Wash that down with a sheung pei nai and a cup of HK style coffee and that's a perfect snack.

[ahuacatl]

hzrt8w: I live in the U.S.

Dianabanana: flavor? hm... not sure. Savory? Nothing too pronounced.

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Dim sum at a divey local place in Tai Po Centre

Typical chachaanteng junk food

Noodles with ham

Pork chops

Mushy spaghetti with hot dog and lettuce

Instant ramen with omelette

Pork chop sandwich at a mall restaurant

Mostly flavorless gelatinous blob... no idea what this is called

Mostly flavorless spongy cake

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Cheers Restaurant, Tai Po "Mega Mall," Tai Po Centre

Suckling pig

Hollowed-out daikon filled with dried scallop

Shark fin type soup

Mango puddingfish!!!!

Red bean and coconut soup

[heidih]

hzrt8w: I live in the U.S.

Suckling pig

Mango puddingfish!!!!

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Is that pig really that small on a platter or is it an illusion?

The mango pudding fish is lovely- taste??

Thank you so much for your photos and explanations- loving the ride.