Reports on Hong Kong dining

[insomniac]

But forget about that - more food pictures Rona.  And not to be out of line - you're a looker!

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You mean a funny-looker?

I just noticed how sad that fish's mouth looks. Poor little fishy.

I would have posted more in almost real-time, but by Sunday night, I had started to feel very much under-the-weather, and by Monday, I was most definitely sick. I still managed to eat (though not with as much abandon, so I'm glad I got some really good meals in before the sickness set in), so there are still pics and posts to come!

I'm due to return to Japan today, and I'm hoping they let me go! I'm quite sure I still have a slight fever, and if the SARS-era initiated protocol is still being enforced, they may just detain me!

If not, well, I'll just use the time in quarantine to post a little more. I sure hope they have wi-fi in quarantine!

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...bummer....but a good reason for another trip to HK

[achiu]

If you head back to Sai Kung again - try Ming Yuen - they have an absolutely killer roasted duck.

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Our plans are lunch in Mongkok then dinner at Yung Kee. I want some roast goose, even if I can't taste it!

Any other suggestions for Yung Kee?

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I actually prefer the roast goose at Yue Kee in Sham Tseng but it is quite far to go without a car.

If you decide on Yung Kee, I would highly recommend the soy chicken and the roast pigeon. I prefered the pigeon to their roast goose.

Alex

[prasantrin]

I actually prefer the roast goose at Yue Kee in Sham Tseng but it is quite far to go without a car.

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I wonder if that's the place my friend's husband mentioned. We were discussing roast goose while we were eating at Yung Kee, and he said he thought the goose at another place was even better (I can't remember the name, I only remember it had "Kee" in it, and it was near where my friend teaches). I'll find out and post about it when I get to my last meal.

Since I wasn't detained at the airport, I can continue posting about my meals! I should add that I hope you all forgive my transliterations. I know they may sometimes be way off, but I really do try!

Day Two also happened to be Easter Sunday. My friends were going to attend Easter services from 11 till 2 or 3 (Easter services are long at their church because they usually have baptisms on that day, too), which meant I'd be on my own for much of the time. I was thinking about going to Victoria City for dim sum (alone! How sad!), but then my friends suggested I go to breakfast with them near their church, and then I could wander around on a full stomach before we met up later.

Their church is right by the Prince Edward MTR, so we went to a small local place called, I think, Sai Kee. It was full of locals of all types, and it specialized in congee. The place reminded me of a place in Macau I ate at 10-ish years ago where someone horked on the floor while I was eating my dessert. Luckily, that didn't happen here.

You can see all the fried doughnuts and stuff in front of the restaurant. I was there primarily for the one at the bottom left. I can't remember what it's called, but it translates to "Cow's Tongue", said Felix. I loved them when I was a child, but the place in Winnipeg that sold them stopped making them. They're sweeter and not as chewy as yu tiao (which I also like, but I would dip them in sugar, not eat them with congee).

Felix and Erin--Erin and I worked together until a year ago when she and Felix moved back to HK from Japan.

Cha siu cheung fan--it was OK. I thought the noodles were a bit thick, and the cha siu and sauce weren't as flavourful as they could have been, but it was good enough.

Most of our meal--and no, I didn't eat all this by myself! We shared everything, of course! Except the congee (I don't really like congee), and the cold soy milk (mine--Erin had hot soy milk).

And of course we had to have two orders of these! They were a bit greasy, but I enjoyed them. Anything fried is good, after all!

All that food only came to about $7, and it was enough to fill the three of us (plus I had a bit of leftover sweet doughnut for a snack later).

Before Felix and Erin went to services, they showed me around the area a bit, or at least showed me two very well known barbecue places. Then Felix pointed the way to the prostitute area (I'm still not 100% sure why he wanted me to see it...), and I was off!

[hzrt8w]

You can see all the fried doughnuts and stuff in front of the restaurant.  I was there primarily for the one at the bottom left.  I can't remember what it's called, but it translates to "Cow's Tongue", said Felix.  I loved them when I was a child, but the place in Winnipeg that sold them stopped making them.  They're sweeter and not as chewy as yu tiao (which I also like, but I would dip them in sugar, not eat them with congee). 

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Yes, "Cow's Tongue". Doesn't it look like a cow's tongue?

All that food only came to about $7, and it was enough to fill the three of us (plus I had a bit of leftover sweet doughnut for a snack later). 

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Good for you! In the USA, they charge just about US$5.00 for the Zha Leung alone.

[Ling]

Dammit, I forgot to get gnau lay so in HK!

Delicious pics, keep 'em comin'!

[prasantrin]

It's lunchtime!

After leaving Felix and Erin, I browsed around the area for a bit (including the red light district!), then headed to Wan Chai. I was on a mission to find Victoria City Seafood Restaurant, which I think some people refer to as Victoria Harbour. Or maybe it's an entirely different restaurant. The directions I had said to take the footbridge from Wan Chai Station to SHK Centre. Well, following the arrows to SHK Centre (if you can even find the arrows) means spending no less than 30 minutes walking around in circles. Oh well, it's not like I didn't have time to kill!

I finally arrived around 1:30 and asked for a table for one. I was told it would be about 20 minutes, which was fine since I was still full from breakfast. But then who should call but Felix! Turns out services finished earlier than planned, so they were free to join me! I changed my "reservation" (I use that term loosely, since no one took my name, and everyone I talked to just nodded and then walked away without a word...) to a table for three, and waited around. They finally arrived around 2, and we could eat!

Of course we started out with sweets.

Truthfully, I don't really like egg tarts, but I didn't order these. Felix had been told they had just been made, so he thought they would be a good choice. The crust was flaky, but a bit too delicate for my tastes. The crust, to me, had the lack of body (I don't know if that's the right term) often found in a just-microwaved crust, but I'm sure that couldn't have been so...right? The filling was light, but I also thought the flavour was light. So light that I didn't notice much of it, but then, I don't eat egg tarts enough to know what kind of flavour they should have.

Next was char siu in pastry. Again, the pastry was delicate, but seemed almost microwaved with its ease in falling apart and almost sogginess. The char siu was a bit sweet, but I liked it. We also tried to order char siu, and baked char siu bao, but they were all out of both of them!

Steamed char siu bao--I probably enjoyed these most of everything we ordered. The bao was light and airy (why aren't my bao ever light and airy?), and the filling was flavourful, though I did think it was a bit sweet. It was much saucy-er than my filling, and much redder, too.

And of course we had my beloved hum sui gok. These were perfectly fried, and I loved the casing. They had a much stronger leek flavour than others I've had, but not in a bad way. They were on the small side, though, and there was a higher casing:filling ratio than I usually like, but the flavour of the casing made up for that.

We also had xiaolongbao, which Erin liked, but I thought were just OK. I'm not a huge xiaolongbao fan, though, so that may have tempered my enthusiasm for the dish.

And har gau--good-sized shrimp in the filling, but not enough flavour and the casing was too thick and not delicate enough.

And fried milkfish with pepper salt (or some kind of salt). Perfectly fried, but perhaps I was expecting too much in terms of flavour. All the flavour came from the salt and soy(?) dip that was provided.

In all his 30-something years, Felix had never eaten at Victoria City before, though he had heard of it. He said the food was above-average, except for the har gau which was just average. I would definitely agree with his har gau assessment. As for the rest of the food, I would put it at just slightly above average overall, but as far as individual dishes go, the baked items seemed microwaved to me, putting them below average. Only the filling of the hum sui gok and the bao of the steamed char siu bao were solidly above average. And the rest were just slightly above average or average.

Edited March 30, 2008 by prasantrin (log)

[Dejah]

Victoria City Seafood Restaurant,

In all his 30-something years, Felix had never eaten at Victoria City before, though he had heard of it.  He said the food was above-average, except for the har gau which was just average.  I would definitely agree with his har gau assessment. As for the rest of the food, I would put it at just slightly above average overall, but as far as individual dishes go, the baked items seemed microwaved to me, putting them below average.  Only the filling of the hum sui gok and the bao of the steamed char siu bao were solidly above average.  And the rest were just slightly above average or average.

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Dare I ask how the HK Victoria Seafood restaurant compared to the Winnipeg Victoria Seafood?

[prasantrin]

Dare I ask how the HK Victoria Seafood restaurant compared to the Winnipeg Victoria Seafood?  

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Evil, evil woman!

I think I might actually prefer Winnipeg's VS's har gau, though. That's something, isn't it! I'll have to try it again when I'm home, though. I wonder if I can go through their entire menu just ordering seafood items...

[prasantrin]

After lunch, we walked. A lot. It was good because I could see more of the city through the eyes of people who knew it. But it was bad because I was getting sicker and sicker as the day went on. Plus I had already walked a lot, so I was tired!

We came upon this little place in a busy area. We didn't buy anything, but I had a little taste. Just kidding!

This place was one of Felix's favourite restaurants when he was a child. In Japan, as far as I know, this type of restaurant isn't very common except in Kyoto or at temples. Felix said it was like shojin ryori--vegetarian food eaten by monks at temples.

I wanted to try the hum sui gok, but I was still full!

The next stop on our itinerary was Joy Hing Roasties in Wan Chai. It was on my list!

Before I get to that, let me say that I had 49 places on my list. It wasn't a "must have" list, just a guideline. Like a "If we happen to be in this area, let's try this place" kind of list. I never intended to try everything on the list. But Felix is the consummate host, and he wanted me to try as much as possible. So despite having just finished eating 30 minutes earlier (if that), we went to Joy Hing.

Luckily, it was closed! But I stood in line, anyway, just in case the shutters magically opened!

Then we went to Sheung Wan. I had mentioned I wanted to buy a wok in HK, since I thought they'd be cheaper than the minimum US$30 prices I was finding in Japan. According to Felix, a good wok should cost you about $30, anyway, but he was game for trying to find a reasonably-priced one for me.

We walked all around the dried fish area.

They had some interesting things which I had never seen before. I have to say, the hygiene in these places had be a bit worried, though. As much as I love cats, do I really want some dried fish that had a cat's a** on it all day long? She was a very nice kitty, though

What's this big mushroom used for?

Here's another kitty. It wasn't as friendly as the other cat, and it meowed at me. But it wasn't a "Hello, nice to meet you" meow, but more like a "If you touch me you're going to lose that hand" meow. I stayed away.

We didn't find my wok, since all the wok stores were closed that day (Sunday, and Easter Sunday at that). So we moved on to try to find another place on my list, a Sichuanese place called Man Jiang Hong in Causeway Bay.

But guess what? They moved to Central!!!! Without telling me!!! Shocker of shockers! So we took the MTR to Central, and called them again from the station. Turned out they were way too far for us to walk comfortably (they're by the US Embassy/Consulate, near one of the YWCAs, if you're planning on going). But another Sichuanese place, Yellow Door, was in the area so we set off to find it. The directions we got were rather vague, however, and we had no luck finding that place, either.

In the end, we had dinner at a really crappy Mexican place in Soho. I didn't mind eating Mexican in HK, especially since I was exhausted, and sick. But this place was really really bad. I would not recommend it, even if you live in HK and are craving Mexican. I think it was called Taco Loco or something like that. Even the pictures I took of my food reflected the badness that was my dinner.

That's the end of day 2!

Edited March 30, 2008 by prasantrin (log)

[hzrt8w]

...  So we moved on to try to find another place on my list, a Sichuanese place called Man Jiang Hong in Causeway Bay. 

But guess what?  They moved to Central!!!!  Without telling me!!!  Shocker of shockers!  So we took the MTR to Central, and called them again from the station.  Turned out they were way too far for us to walk comfortably (they're by the US Embassy/Consulate, near one of the YWCAs, if you're planning on going). 

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This is amazing! I was just there last November. Things change fast in Hong Kong. But moving usually is not a good thing, for whatever reason. They will lose a good portion of patronage that they built up over the years. Now to start over.

Causeway Bay is a much better location. Lots of foot traffic, day and night. Most of Central is a ghost town after dark. So the patrons really need to know they are there and make a visit to eat there.

[prasantrin]

This is amazing!  I was just there last November.  Things change fast in Hong Kong.  But moving usually is not a good thing, for whatever reason.  They will lose a good portion of patronage that they built up over the years.  Now to start over.

Causeway Bay is a much better location.  Lots of foot traffic, day and night.  Most of Central is a ghost town after dark.  So the patrons really need to know they are there and make a visit to eat there.

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I think the place underneath it moved, too. The business on the ground floor was shuttered, too. Something may have happened with the building or with their lease. But I thought the Causeway Bay was a good location, too. There were a lot of other stores nearby, and it was relatively close to an MTR station! Now it's much too far away to be convenient.

Luckily their phone number hasn't changed, but unluckily, they didn't mention their number or new location on the sign outside their old place (we were luckily enough to have their number with us, so we were able to call).

[prasantrin]

Day three--I awoke to a very sore throat and sinus congestion, and most probably a fever, but I couldn't very well let my time in HK go to waste!

Our first stop for the day was West Villa Restaurant in Tai Koo. According to chaxiubao's blog, it was voted to have the best cha siu bao in 2006, so I had to go!

Look! Peter Green joined us for a guest appearance! (Maybe you'd have to read his Japan travelogue to get the humour in that.)

But then he had to leave...restaurant rules, you see.

Erin was happy to be there, too.

They have a trophy case, but I don't know what the trophies are for.

We arrived around 11:30, and the mall the restaurant was in was dead, but the restaurant was hopping! It was quite busy considering it was a Monday (it was the beginning of spring break, but most of the people there weren't really of the age to get spring breaks).

I can't remember what this was (some kind of vegetable), but it tasted like it had been doused in Thai sweet chili sauce. We were charged for it, but I think it was only HK$8. Or it might have been $10 and our tea was $8

On this trip, one of the things I really wanted was a good spring onion pancake, so when we saw it on the menu, we ordered it! Imagine our surprise when we got this:

This wasn't a spring onion pancake! It was some sort of fried bun! At first we thought we had made a mistake, but we double-checked the menu, and I had definitely checked off "spring onion pancake". Either they ran out of spring onion pancakes and were substituting, or they have reinvented them. It was very very good, though. I'd have ordered them again.

Next were the cha siu bao. These were good! The bao was just as light as those at Victoria City, but I thought the filling was much tastier, and it wasn't as sweet (which was a plus in my book, though Erin preferred the sweeter VC version). I've noticed with both this version and VC's that the cha siu is sliced rather than cubed. I usually cube mine, but maybe I should start slicing it. It might be easier to eat. I also noticed that the HK versions I tried don't have as much filling as I like. They have a good bao:filling ratio, but I'd like more meat in the filling. They tend to have more sauce. Either way, this was my favourite cha siu bao of the trip (it was also the last cha siu bao I had).

Erin selected shrimp spring rolls. I really liked the wrapper on these--they were light and crispy, but not greasy at all. Do dim sum places ever make their own spring roll wrappers? I'd have thought these were homemade, but I'm not an expert).

This was definitely the best version of lo bak go I've ever had. I don't normally like lo bak go because it's usually pasty and heavy, but this was lighter and it had a lot of flavour. They also cut it into smaller cubes before frying it, so it had a good ratio of crispy exterior to tender interior. Very well done!

As a special treat, we also ordered a little pigeon. Poor little pigeon head...It was tasty, but greasy. I wasn't up to eating much (sore throat, fever, congestion), so I just had a little while Erin polished off the rest (except his poor head).

In case you're wondering, there was no hum sui gok on the menu they gave us, so we asked to order it. There was no way I could leave without having hum sui gok--it's my favourite!!! And when the waitstaff told us they didn't have it, my brow furrowed and my mouth dropped! Literally!! I looked almost like Munch's The Scream except my hands weren't on my face. The waitstaff even chuckled a little at my obvious distress (which I thought was rather insensitive, because I really was distressed!!!)!

Seriously, what kind of dim sum place doesn't have hum sui gok? It's too important an item to leave off a menu!! Do a lot of dim sum places not carry it?

Aside from this very obvious mis-step, West Villa was definitely my favourite dim sum place, and so far, it's the only place to which I would return the next time I visit HK.

Edited March 31, 2008 by prasantrin (log)

[Peter Green]

Look!  Peter Green joined us for a guest appearance!  (Maybe you'd have to read his Japan travelogue to get the humour in that.)

But then he had to leave...restaurant rules, you see.

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I thought my red cummerbund in the picture would've been perfectly acceptable for their dress code. Some people have no fashion sense.

[Peter Green]

March 31, 2008 - Chaos Theory and its Application to Dim Sum

I’m in reverse sticker shock.

After two weeks of Japan and “Hey! That’s only 1,000 yen! That sounds reasonable!” I’ve descended again into the wide world of reasonably priced things.

The in-flight mag on Cathay had talked about a number of the older places in Hong Kong. I had only, really, the one day. My arrival had been late in the evening, and I was still feeling rough from the final night in Tokyo. So it was a wash.

What I found myself with was the morning. Last night had been a fog, and that in turn had given leave to the soft drizzle outside today. The sort of rain that challenges you to put up an umbrella, knowing that it will find a way to carry itself around your pathetic shield. This isn’t the weather for carting around a video.

First, from my place in Causeway, it was the Metro to Central. There were a pair of old places there, the Luk Yu Tea House, dating back to 1933, and the Lin Heung Tea House, which went 7 years earlier, to 1926.

At the Metro station, I was momentarily perplexed to find that the underground wouldn’t take bills. How could it not take bills? But then someone steered me in the direction of the change office. That helped. I was going to need to adjust.

Alighting at Central I worked my way back up the hill, through the little markets and the eternal backdrop of clothing stores and beauty salons, and through the food.

I passed first the venerable Luk Yu Tea House, and considered stopping there. But then I thought, better to get to the Lin Heung first, and if I’ve the room, I can stop back here. Otherwise it may be a morning stop tomorrow before my flight.

I found the Lin Heung down at the far end of Wellington. I climbed the stairs and followed the basic lesson for dining in Asia.

I stood there and looked large and dumb.

Instantly a helpful waiter came by, said “only one?” and then escorted me to a table where I was pinned into a chair against the wall, my 7 companions at dining not paying the least attention to me, they were busy talking, eating, and reading the morning papers.

The water dropped of bowl, chopsticks, and tea cup, and then brought a small basin of water over, which was for “wash your cup!”

I can deal with that.

I’d read the the Lin Heung still carried on the trolley service. But I didn’t know how my patience would do with this. Observing the others, I found that the trolleys would appear from the far side of the room laden with food, and then be set upon by an angry mob who would ravage the contents.

So, I took my chit, and very gingerly extracted myself from my chair, moving like a spastic mantis to make certain I didn’t upend any of the large aluminum teapost strategically meaning the floor space in between the tables.

I grabbed three steamers, had my chit chopped, and then reintroduced me to my seat, successfully avoided any full facial falls into my food.

The neighbors did look up at this point, and there were some smiles. I suppose three at one time for one person may not be the standard routine.

I was in a mushroom mood.

There was a mouse ear fungus wrapped in cabbage (I think) with another mushroom imbedded in some very tender chicken meat.

And there was some eel, good and oily, with a bit of chili oil worked in there as well. Not too bony, only the main spine giving me pause.

Back to mushrooms, there was another one of some form of meatball with three big solid brown mushrooms capping the rather amorphous mass of mystery meat (shrimp?). Unfortunately, this appears to have escaped my mad picture taking. I must be getting old.

The screaming and yelling was growing on me. The fellow at the next time was either insane, or attached to a blue tooth device, as he was bawling his head off. Countering that, however, the two older people by me said nothing, only read their papers and drank tea. The blind woman to my left was gaily chatting with her two friends, and the older fellow with his daughter, who had just sat down, were busy waving for a cart to come over.

I ventured another steamer, this a standard dumpling affair, but it’s usually good.

Finishing up, I considered dallying. My teapot had just been topped off again. But then I thought that it might be more considerate to clear the space, as the throng was going.

I took my chit, smiled to my lunchmates (of whom at least four smiled back! People are friendlier nowadays) and went to pay my bill.

I had the brief enjoyment of an unexpected reaction. She was engrossed in her receipts, and when I passed her my bill, the cashier didn’t look up. But when she did pass me the money, she raised her gaze which probably encompassed a field of vision of my chest, and then went “Whoa!” and looked up farther and smiled.

I was surprised at her surprise, this being a fairly famous place, but I figure, if I can make anyone’s day a little more surreal, then I’m doing my job.

Next – Aimless Wandering (sound familiar?)

P.S. - I promise now that Ill get back to work on the Japan stuff!

[prasantrin]

I thought my red cummerbund in the picture would've been perfectly acceptable for their dress code. Some people have no fashion sense.

I didn't think you'd see that!

P.S. - I promise now that Ill get back to work on the Japan stuff! 

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Ya, get outta here and finish that, and let me finish my HK trip!

Your visit to Lin Heung looks just like my visit, and mirrors my experience in so many ways! But I'll get to that later.

Snacks...snacks are important. Knowing that, we set out for Tsim Sha Tsui to look for the newly-opened Jean-Paul Hevin at the Harbour City Mall. I knew it was a chocolate shop, but I thought there might be a cafe there, too. I was wrong, and it was just chocolates. Being well-prepared, however, we walked a few more minutes to the Debailleul Cafe I scoped out on the internet, just in case Hevin didn't work out.

Erin had the tea set, which included a very pretty cafe latte and these antoinette.

I have only found evidence of antoinette as a sweet on the Debailleul website, so I think they must be an original creation. Erin chose two: strawberry bavarois with candied rhubarb and chocolate mousse with almond and pear.

Innards

She enjoyed them, especially the strawberry one, but she's a sucker for all things rhubarb.

I had the symphonie, which was chocolate mousse, mocha mousse, and caramelized almond dacquoise. I love all things dacquoise, but I couldn't really find the dacquoise in this, or the mocha. It was quite chocolatey. I think I would have enjoyed it more had I had been in good health, but it's hard to truly relish your food when you can barely slide it down.

On our way to Yue Hwa, we passed the temporary market where Ah Leung had a really good bowl of noodles at the yellow spoon orange bowl place. I was tempted, but we decided against it. We were still full, and I was too tired to eat much more.

[CFT]

What's this big mushroom used for?

Isn't this "ling zhi" (靈芝, Ganoderma lucidum) ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingzhi

http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%81%B5%E8%8A%9D

[prasantrin]

Isn't this "ling zhi" (靈芝, Ganoderma lucidum) ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingzhi

http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%81%B5%E8%8A%9D

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Interesting! So it would be used for medicinal cooking? I wonder what it tastes like, other than "bitter".

After browsing through Yue Hwa (I was looking for linen bread basket liners for my mother, who neither eats much bread nor uses baskets to serve it, but she really wanted some), I decided I really needed to rest. We went back to Erin's place, and I went straight to bed while she went grocery shopping.

Four hours later...I finally crawled out of bed. It was a little late (8pm) and they had been a bit worried if they should wake me or not. I could have stayed in bed till the next morning, but I knew they'd be waiting for me before starting dinner, so I forced myself to get up. Luckily Erin had already purchased all the necessary ingredients for a fabulous dinner at home!

Steamed fish with ginger and tangerine peel. This was great, and just what I needed! The fish was perfectly cooked--tender and moist. She adds a lot of cilantro as a garnish (but she eats it all, too).

Felix picked up a couple of orders of Thai-style Hainanese chicken rice, too. I love chicken rice, though it was a bit greasy for my stomach that night.

And he also whipped up stir-fried vegetables with chicken. It was just supposed to be stir-fried vegetables, but they had some chicken that needed cooking, too.

My dessert! This was one of the other things on my "must have" list! Gai mei bao! Erin picked one up for me while she was shopping, since we hadn't seen any good ones, yet. I haven't had one of these since last summer. I love them! I thought this was an almost perfect version--the bun was soft and buttery, and the filling wasn't too sweet. I'd have liked more filling, but I think the amount of filling in this one was probably standard. She picked it up at a chain called St. Honore.

That's the end of day 4! Or was that day 3...

[prasantrin]

I'm on a roll, and I hope to finish this before I leave for Tokyo tomorrow (and before Peter invades again)!

Day 4 (I'm pretty sure it's Day 4)

Breakfast was simple--just another coconut bun that Erin picked up with the gai mei bao. It was bigger, but I thought it wasn't as good. It was drier, and there was too much bread and too little filling. The filling is the best part, after all!

Then we went on our way. I think we went to Mongkok, but I could be wrong. We were going to the outdoor market, and also the flower market (I have to see something other than food, after all!).

But then I got side-tracked along the way...Look at this pretty bakery!

I left with a pineapple bun, another kind of pineapple bun, and a bun that Erin said was a cocktail bun. It wasn't, but it was still a good piece of bread.

Then we found a stall selling all these different things. Where else but HK can you get your offal fix and your crepe fix at the same time?

Moving on...oops, I got stuck again! Who can resist a display of cocktail buns? It's impossible, I tell you! There was less filling in this one. Not bad, but the St. Honore one was better.

I also had a pineapple bun--the special kind with a stick of butter in the middle (butter is good, but I didn't care for the bun too much), and some tea. Erin had a luncheon meat sandwich! We all know luncheon meat is just another name for spam! Erin has developed a liking for it since moving to HK, but shhhh! Don't tell anyone! It's one of those secret guilty pleasures!

We sat for a bit, then decided we needed to move on.

[prasantrin]

Now I was really full, so we had to press on. No excuse for not walking given how much I was eating!

We came upon this market, so strolled through just to browse.

What kind of fish are these?

And these?

Poor froggies

Leaving the market (we didn't make it to the upper floors), I found a store selling peanut candies. I knew I didn't have the energy to get to the place Ah Leung went to where they were freshly made, so I picked up several kinds here.

We finally got to the market. I couldn't believe the variety of fruits available, and the prices!! What I would give to have a place like this in Japan! Just look at those mangoes--it's been so long since I had a decent mango! And papayas, too!

Little kiwiberries--there was one in the fruit tart we had at tea at the Four Seasons. We were intrigued by them ("What are these? Baby kiwi?" went the conversation), and found them here! What's the fruit in the bags next to them?

And what are these? They looked like something I'd like.

We picked up some coconut juice to go.

And what are these? Some sort of pickled things? Are they cooked in certain dishes, or eaten as sides? I think the third picture might be buddha hand citrus, judging by the appearance and the character for "hand" I see.

Lots of prepared sweets for sale, too. We bought three sticks of the candied fruit.

These were interesting. They weren't as smooth as reptiles, but they looked like them!

And I thought these looked like preserved larvae.

[prasantrin]

Our next stop was lunch. Both these places were on my list, and we devised a way to eat at both.

First we went to Wing Hub Lung Roasties in Mongkok (near Prince Edward MTR) to get some xiu yuk. They supposedly have the best (or one of the best) xiu yuk in town, and I wanted some. We got a small portion to go, but that small portion was HK$50! It was more than I would have paid in Winnipeg!

Then we walked a few doors down to Guangdong Barbeque Restaurant. It supposedly had the best cha siu in town. We were going to eat here, but we still weren't that hungry, so we decided to share a plate.

Look how moist and tender it looks!

I snuck a look at the siu yuk while we were there, and added a few pieces to our plate.

The cha siu was very moist, and very flavourful. I would have liked a few more crispy bits on it, as the crispy bits are my favourite parts, but the cha siu itself was the best I've had. The siu yuk was also very tender and moist. I think they could have done a better job injecting some flavour into the meat, but that and the cha siu made for a very good lunch (the cha siu plate was only HK$20!).

The funniest thing happened here. Throughout this trip, people have spoken to me in Cantonese. I'm mostly SEAsian, but have some Chinese blood running through me, so it's an honest mistake, but I speak none of the Chinese languages. Erin, on the other hand, is most definitely not Chinese, but she has a flare for languages and speaks Cantonese well enough to get by.

At Guangdong, the staff who took our order spoke to me (in Cantonese), but Erin was the one who placed the order. As we were leaving, she came to our table and again looking at me, started speaking, nothing of which I could understand. Erin replied to her, and we left.

Turns out she was telling me how nervous she had been when she saw us walk in, because she couldn't speak English, so she was afraid Erin would speak English to her. She then told us she was very relieved when Erin spoke to her in Cantonese and that she wouldn't have to try to speak English!

Little did she know she was talking to the wrong person...She still should have been afraid, but of me, the Chinese-looking one, not the gweilo!

Edited April 1, 2008 by prasantrin (log)

[Dejah]

Rona,

I'm so proud of you...soldiering on bravely...eating and photographing for "our sake"...

Thanks so much for all your effort!

[aprilmei]

The fruit next to the kiwi is sea coconut. The reptilian looking fruit is snakefruit (and I've never seen it before in HK; only in Malaysia) and the dark larval looking thing is sea cucumber.

[hzrt8w]

First we went to Wing Hub Lung Roasties in Mongkok (near Prince Edward MTR) to get some xiu yuk.  They supposedly have the best (or one of the best) xiu yuk in town, and I wanted some.  We got a small portion to go, but that small portion was HK$50!  It was more than I would have paid in Winnipeg!

←

What street are Wing Hub Lung and Canton restaurants on? If you remember.

I used to live one block away from the Prince Edward MTR station.

[prasantrin]

What street are Wing Hub Lung and Canton restaurants on?  If you remember.

I used to live one block away from the Prince Edward MTR station.

←

Wing Hub is at 392 Portland Street, and Guangdong is just a few doors down on the same street. My friends' church is on the corner of one of the PE MTR exits! It's a small world! Which side of the station did you live on? Not toward the red light district, I hope!

The fruit next to the kiwi is sea coconut. The reptilian looking fruit is snakefruit (and I've never seen it before in HK; only in Malaysia) and the dark larval looking thing is sea cucumber.

Sea coconut? That's the one we were talking about earlier, isn't it? The one on the sign of the coconut juice Ah Leung drank. So that's what it looks like!

Snakefruit is certainly a good name for the reptilian fruit! Except it was rougher than a snake, I thought.

Sea cucumber kind of looks like dried cat poop, too, doesn't it? I know, I know, I have a mind like a juvenile...

I'm so proud of you...soldiering on bravely...eating and photographing for "our sake"...  

I know, I'm a trooper! The things I sacrifice for all of you!

I'm almost done, too!

Edited April 1, 2008 by prasantrin (log)

[prasantrin]

After lunch, we took the MTR somewhere, but I can't remember where. I think we caught the ferry to go to the other side where the Peninsula Hotel is. Or maybe it was the other way around. Anyway...

I thought these subway advertisements were appropriate given my "condition".

Subways are very educational places in HK! Here's another good one on washing machine safety. Erin and I were wondering, "Are washing machines really that dangerous in HK?" Dryers I understand, but washing machines?

Then we went to the Walk of the Stars! I don't know if that's the official name, but that's what I'm calling it. Bruce Lee fan, anyone?

I like him.

Look how wimpy John Woo's hand prints are! I'm sure I could kick his butt!

Jackie Chan, however, has good solid prints. He's a real man's man!

Just in case you thought I didn't see anything, here's a scenic shot of the city.

Actually, in the very first shot I posted of myself, if you look really carefully you can see the skyline through the fog. But you have to look really really carefully. (I swear it was there when we took the picture, though!)

But enough of the sightseeing, here are a couple of pictures of the candied fruit on a stick we bought. I didn't like it. It was kind of dry, and it didn't really taste like anything. What were these things? They had seeds in the middle, so I don't think they were berries, but they sort of looked like berries.

Edited April 1, 2008 by prasantrin (log)