Reports on Hong Kong dining

[aprilmei]

Prawncrackers, Xiao Nan Guo is a chain of about eight to 10 restaurants but the quality is mostly very good. I've seen some very famous (famous in HK, I mean) Shanghainese people eating there. Quality can be erratic, though, and for awhile I avoided it because it had gone down but then when I ate there again recently, it was excellent.

HKDave, I actually like some of the Maxim's restaurants. For such a massive chain, the quality is pretty high and consistent (I'm talking about their proper restaurants, not the fast food places). I really like their Hunan restaurant in Central.

Hi Spike, welcome! I do read your blog (but very rarely your BC column). But sorry, I can't help you on where to eat in Sai Kung.

[SpikeHK]

HKDave, I actually like some of the Maxim's restaurants. For such a massive chain, the quality is pretty high and consistent (I'm talking about their proper restaurants, not the fast food places). I really like their Hunan restaurant in Central.

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Aprilmei, I agree with you re: Maxims. I had two terrific dinners at their Hunan Garden at Times Square last month. I've also been to their Peking Garden in Central a couple of times and wasn't disappointed at all - the Peking duck I had there was better than any I ever had in Beijing.

[hzrt8w]

Anyway, I know I have a lot of catching up to do in terms of reading the posts, so forgive me if I'm asking something that's already been asked, but am wondering if anyone can recommend any places for Yum Cha in or near Sai Kung Old Town. 

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Any reason for it being in Sai Kung? Is it because it's near where you live/are staying? Seafood dinners are terrific, excellent. But I don't recall seeing good dim sum (yum cha) places. Perhaps things are different now.

If you want something nearby, a taxi ride to Ma On Shan area (Saddleback Peak) might give you more choices - if you want something near Sai Kung.

[SpikeHK]

Any reason for it being in Sai Kung?  Is it because it's near where you live/are staying?  Seafood dinners are terrific, excellent.  But I don't recall seeing good dim sum (yum cha) places.  Perhaps things are different now.

If you want something nearby, a taxi ride to Ma On Shan area (Saddleback Peak) might give you more choices - if you want something near Sai Kung.

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Hi WK, that's exactly right. I live in Sai Kung. I usually don't travel far on Sundays because I have two dogs and it's the maid's day off. I can never have enough dim sum so am hoping there's something closer.

Ma On Shan is close, of course. Can you make any specific recommendations?

I'd also go for spots around Hang Hau, Po Lam, Tseung Kwan O, Kwun Tong if anyone can recommend any spots.

[hzrt8w]

Ma On Shan is close, of course.  Can you make any specific recommendations? 

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I have not lived in Hong Kong for years. But my brother does. He lives in Ma On Shan and here is what he recommends:

Hit Hot Chiu Chow Restaurant

Room 3049, 3/F, Sunshine City Plaza, Ma On Shan

Tel: 2633 4829

潮州好棧

馬鞍山新港城商業中心

He said they are a small restaurant. You order dim sum items on a card (no cart rolling out). The variety may be limited but he does like it.

He also suggests that you can try to locate the Chinese restaurants inside a hotel in Sai Kung or Ma On Shan area. Typically hotels can hire good dim sum masters.

The one and only hotel in Ma On Shan is:

Horizon Suite

Tel: 3157 8888

You may call them and see if their Chinese restaurant serves dim sum.

Good luck!

[SpikeHK]

Ma On Shan is close, of course.  Can you make any specific recommendations? 

←

I have not lived in Hong Kong for years. But my brother does. He lives in Ma On Shan and here is what he recommends:

Hit Hot Chiu Chow Restaurant

Room 3049, 3/F, Sunshine City Plaza, Ma On Shan

Tel: 2633 4829

潮州好棧

馬鞍山新港城商業中心

←

Thanks! I'll post something here if I have a chance to check them out.

[SpikeHK]

In case anyone's interested, it turns out that one of the tourist seafood restaurants along the waterfront in Sai Kung does offer dim sum. It's Tung Kee, the closest one to where the buses all stop.

The way it works here is that you get a table and a ticket, then go over to a steam table in the center of the restaurant where you can lift the lids on the steamers and see what they've got. If you don't see what you want, ask for it and they might have some floating around the kitchen. The woman will stack the steamers on a tray for you, mark off your ticket, and then you carry it back to the table yourself. Six dishes and several cokes came out to $171. Quality is not great but not horrible either.

Also noted ... $388 set dinner for two, nice selection of stuff (sorry memory fails me as to the exact dishes). And you can bring your own fish! They have a $88 cooking charge per dish if you bring your own stuff for them to cook; $68 cooking charge per dish if you're selecting stuff out of their own tanks. Yes, seems quite high, especially in these recessionary times. I've always felt these places are more for tourists than for locals.

(all prices in HKD)

[achiu]

For Dim Sum in Ma On Shan, I would recommend King Harbor Restaurant in Sunshine City Plaza. Their roast goose is also quite good but be prepared to wait for a table as it is packed for lunch and dinner on most days.

Alex

Ma On Shan is close, of course.  Can you make any specific recommendations? 

←

I have not lived in Hong Kong for years. But my brother does. He lives in Ma On Shan and here is what he recommends:

Hit Hot Chiu Chow Restaurant

Room 3049, 3/F, Sunshine City Plaza, Ma On Shan

Tel: 2633 4829

潮州好棧

馬鞍山新港城商業中心

←

Thanks! I'll post something here if I have a chance to check them out.

←

[nakji]

I'll be in Hong Kong in February, and I'm thinking I want to go on a bit of a char siu bao crawl. What are some likely candidates for stops on a pork bun crawl of this nature?

[gaf]

Cantonese Memories – Lung King Heen – Hong Kong

By some accounts Lung King Heen, the three-star Michelin restaurant on the fourth floor of the Four Seasons Hotel in Hong Kong with its stunning view of the harbor, may the best Chinese restaurant in the world. Certainly no other Chinese restaurant has received such Michelin praise. When I visited Hong Kong last month, Lung King Heen was on my agenda. I had read about the strengths of the restaurant and was fortunate to rely upon the experience of “Ultimate Epicure,” and so did not choose blindly from the extensive menu, although I also relied on the guidance of my savvy server.

There is much to commend the food. But what I remember most clearly relates to the fact that I was dining alone. When I sat down, I was provided reading material for the time between courses: Travel and Leisure and Christophorous Magazine, a magazine designed for Porsche owners, perhaps LKH’s market niche. Should I have been grateful (or disappointed) that I was not given the Guangzhou edition of Maxim? Different stokes, as they say.

Cantonese cuisine used to be China’s culinary ambassador to the global maw, but today the style is seen less as exotic, but as fusty. However, Lung King Heen demonstrates that such a patronizing perspective is not essential. With its lengthy menu of well over 100 items, the kitchen is both skilled and flexible. I have had others Chinese dishes whose taste adheres to memory, but few that make such a claim to sheer opulence. The meal was superior, and yet surprise sometimes bowed to technique.

The innovative chef amazes from the first bite: the amuse astonishes. This was not the case at Lung King Heen, where my first bite was the saddest. I begin with a tiny plate of crispy squid, tomato, and cucumber. The squid, heavily breaded was anything but crispy, and rather tough. What was I doing here? Were the Michelin inspectors asleep?

My appetizer selection was imperfect, but more satisfying. I received a trifecta of roast goose with plum sauce, BBQ pork with honey, and BBQ suckling pig. The technique impressed me, but the small dishes varied in their pleasure. The goose was somewhat tough and the sauce was too cloying for pleasure. The pork was impressively sumptuous, but perhaps overly fatty. In contrast, the pig with a square of crackly skin atop was a memorable travel into the heart of pork with skin as crisp as crème brulee.

Shark fin soup is not likely to be available much longer. One bends one’s knee to animal rights. I received a wallop of criticism from friends who don’t blink at eating eyeball tacos or blanch at foie gras. Still diners wish for a full life, if that can’t be said of the object of their appetite. I selected a $100 US soup: Braised Superior Shark Fin Supreme Broth with Lobster and Gold Leaf. Here is conspicuous consumption that Thorstein Veblen would appreciate. The taste of this soup is not overwhelming, but the aroma and the texture is powerful. Perhaps I will never again choose shark fin, but this experience will last. The dish was a concatenation of subtleties, and in this revealed the artistry of Cantonese cuisine. The chicken broth was a divine gift. The shark fin amazed, slightly chewy and slightly slippery: translucent but solid. The small amount of lobster was a fair partner for the broth. The gold, not strictly necessary, reminded me that this was to be the only C-note soup I would ever order.

I followed this extravagance with a plate of wok-fried prawns with dried chili and shallots. Unexpectedly the chilies were not Sichuan-hot, but intensely flavorful. During my travels in southern China, I was served only a handful of dishes that reminded me of the “spicy-oily” dishes so common in American Chinese restaurants. At Lung King Heen the heat never overpowered the ingredients, with shallots and cilantro providing a depth of flavor. Not a novel combination, the dish was intensely satisfying.

I completed my entrees with a luscious dish that I surely would not have selected had it not been for Ulterior Epicure’s advice: braised e-fu noodles with fresh Alaskan crab meat in Champagne sauce. East meets west. The sauce was as rich as any pasta sauce I can image: a roll in butter and bubbles. Crab, tender and sweet. The sauce had a French consistency, and the noodles a Chinese bite. E-fu power was the echo of luxe. For a moment I became a titan of industry passing between two worlds.

What Cantonese banquet would be complete without a Bird’s Nest? Rather than selecting a savory bird’s nest course, I chose dessert: double-boiled egg white milk custard with bird’s nest. The flavors were never overpowering, but the textural subtly matched the flavor notes with hints of ginger. The dessert was so remarkably smooth and so light that it might have been avian.

In all, I felt well-satisfied with Lung King Heen, even if I recognized the many leagues between the Four Seasons experience and the traditional Cantonese table. Still, when in Hong Kong, one might as well pretend to be Governor General.

Lung King Heen

Four Seasons Hotel

8 Finance Street

Central

Hong Kong, China

(852) 3196-8888

http://www.fourseasons.com/hongkong/dining/lung_king_heen.html

[gaf]

First Day – Hong Kong – Shanghai Xiao Nan Guo Cuisine

The Jumbo Kingdom Floating Restaurant off Hong Kong Island, near the Aberdeen Fishing Village (more like a very large and diverse marina) is a sight to be seen. It is a huge Hong Kong dim-summary: a gathering for parties, banquets, and tour lunches, although not a place to eat more than serviceable dim sum, less impressive than good (not great) establishments in New York, San Francisco, or even Chicago.

I spent much of my first day in Hong Kong on a Gray Line tour to gain a sense of the city, and the Jumbo was where they parked us for lunch. The dim sum selections, understandably, if sadly, were from the dark edge of the menu: a dry Steamed Barbequed Pork Bun, a greasy shrimp egg roll, bland curry noodles, and a flavor-challenged shrimp dumpling. The only two passable dishes were those that I ordered personally, a sweet Chinese Ginger Juice Pudding although with only a whiff of ginger, and a crispy fried sesame beef ball dumpling. The greatest compliment that such a meal can receive is: filling.

Things improved in that evening when my host – a Hong Kong native – selected a Shanghai restaurant, the Tsimshatsui branch of a chain, Shanghai Xiao Nan Guo Cuisine. The ambiance was clean and pleasant, muted, although somewhat generic, more what one describe as international style than distinctly Chinese (if Hong Kong can, in fact, be considered distinctly Chinese).

The first surprise came at the start of the meal when water arrived (Jetlagged, I didn’t care for tea). The water was served hot, which my friend informed me is considered healthful in China. The second liquid surprise was the Chinese rice wine – rather like a sweet, dark sherry, also served warm (like sake). When a dried sour plum was added the wine gained a distinctive and pleasant musky fruit aspect.

Even though there were only two of us, we ordered enough for a platoon: Asian trenchermen. The meal began with pungent marinated duck tongues. The enjoyment of the meat (and the very idea of the dish – no worse, surely, than foie gras) was moderated by the difficulty of consumption, nibbling the edges of cartilage while mismanaging chopsticks when half asleep: getting the tongue in my maw was easy, in removing less picturesque.

The tongues were soon followed by a pair of lightly fried crispy yellow fish – a small white fish with a yellow tail (not tuna-type yellowtail), the size of a large herring. It was beautifully fresh, airy, and crackly in all of the ways that fried food reveals its perfection.

Steamed pork dumplings are a well-known Shanghai speciality, and these bocce balls, with soup hidden inside were sturdy if not startling examples of the genre. Less special – and heavy – was sticky rice with pork rib. I am confident that this dish is no worse that how the dish was intended, but it lacked a special appeal.

For me – and my companion – the high point of the night was Fish Maw with Crab Yolk, advertising the Shanghai expertise with seafood. Astonishingly this dish was both eggy and slightly sour, a citrus note that cut through what could have been the unctuous quality of the loose egg sauce. Its revelatory golden color added to its appeal, as did the delightful fish maw and sweet crab. This plate was both inspired and awakening.

We ended the evening with two sweet soups. First, was a light and fresh Papaya in Broth: a wake-me-up that would served as a palate cleanser had it not been warm. The final soup was a sugary rice wine soup with gelatinous rice balls. Had it remained with these ingredients, it would have been too heavy for a final note to this long symphony. Fortunately, in the liquid were some dried flowers which transformed this dessert into an incredibly fragrant memory – enough to recharge us into the warm January Hong Kong night on our way to the elegant Felix bar at the Peninsula.

Jumbo Kingdom Floating Island Restaurant

Aberdeen Fishing Village

Shum Wan Pier Drive

Hong Kong

2553 9111

Shanghai Xiao Nan Guo Cuisine

Unit 2, Level 6, MegaBox,

38 Wang Chiu Road,

Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong, China

2369 8899

Vealcheeks

[hzrt8w]

I'll be in Hong Kong in February, and I'm thinking I want to go on a bit of a char siu bao crawl. What are some likely candidates for stops on a pork bun crawl of this nature?

Sorry for the lateness. I don't get on food forums as often as I once did.

The best char siu in Hong Kong, IMO: West Villa Restaurant

They have one in City Plaza Phase 2 (Tai Koo MTR station).

And one in Central.

Had their char siu. And their char siu bao. Really excellent!

Edited February 22, 2010 by hzrt8w (log)

[gaf]

Pushing Asia – Bo Innovation – Hong Kong

Molecular Cuisine has become a global brand, a reality that has led some to suggest that its time has passed: the sun has set on foam, night has made deconstruction invisible. As an avid diner, my suspicion is that some of the bubbly enthusiasm has waned, but this is not necessarily a bad thing for the cuisine. We are at the point where experiments are not done for their own sake, but because they actually taste good – they create memories on the palate.

In my attempt to collect stamps from all of the global molecular post offices, I knew that I would have to visit Bo Innovation on my trip to Hong Kong, presided over by “Demon Chef” Alvin Leung. In the 2009 Michelin Guide to Hong Kong, Bo Innovation received two stars, but in the 2010 guide was demoted to one (perhaps revealing the danger of palling around with Anthony Bourdain on “No Reservations” and god knows where else! How many bad boy chefs can one world take?).

But one star or two, Bo Innovation is a happening place, and eating at the kitchen “bar,” chatting with the cooks and servers, it reminded me of an Asian version of Washington’s Minibar. I give a lot of credit to AJ, the maitre d’, Mark, one of the servers, and Leah who was staging, for making my evening so congenial.

Bo Innovation’s ploy is a relatively simple one – clever and generally successful. Chef Leung marries the techniques the molecular cuisine (cuisine agape) with a mixture of Asian and western flavors, but with an emphasis on luxe ingredients: the restaurant describes themselves as creating “x-treme Chinese cuisine.” Diners are required to order the tasting menu, which on the night I visited was approximately nineteen courses (depending, of course, on how one counts such things).

As is so often true, not every course was fully satisfying. (The fact that French Laundry, Alinea, and a few others do makes their three stars all the more impressive). However, the ratio of hits to misses was agreeably high. While at times it seemed as if each dish was centered around a single Chinese ingredient, rather than being fully Asian, the incorporation of mou-tai, dried shrimp, lotus, or yak cheese added a sense of Orientalism to a menu that was structurally not so different from Minibar. One wonders if molecular cuisine can ever be truly Chinese, given different styles of cooking and presentation – and theories of food – or whether experimental cuisine will inevitably Western with Chinese touches. Bo Innovation does not fully answer the question. But if Bo Innovation is not stratospheric in its creativity, there was enough vision to allow the meal to be worth recalling with delight.

Chef’s table menu: January 23, 2010

1) Mou-tai Sour combined with fluffy egg whites – a pleasant amuse and palate cleanser. Although Chef Leung incoporatored Mou-tai (the Chinese liquor made from sorghum molasses, giving the drink a light molasses taste), it was basically a standard molecular treatment.

2) Escargot with compressed watermelon, Sichuan vinaigrette with crispy garlic, fried greens – beautifully composed, but again the style is Western with Chinese ingredients.

3) Caviar with smoked quail egg and crispy taro – Kaluga caviar from China – reminiscent of Thomas Keller’s Pearls and Oysters – a beautiful dish

4) Hamachi with black sesame, crispy rose essence ginger – beet juice for ginger, amazing Japanese inspired – for my taste this was the most accomplished dish of the evening.

5) Sea Urchin, ink noodles, chili oil, and “har mi” (Sun-dried shrimp) – very distinctive taste, brave flavors, although perhaps too strong in terms of what came before and after.

6) Black truffle sandwich, “chian dan chee” – crispy spam and egg sandwich with truffles – one of the best sandwiches I have had with a distinct truffle aroma. Chef Leung is in this menu quite partial to truffles.

7) Iberico 36 (months cured ham) with morels and porcini, Korean vermicelli, and onion foam – one of the best dishes of the night, a one-bite wonder that effectively combined tastes.

8) Molecular “xiao long bao” – a “dumpling” in a bladder – pork stock with a line of pickled ginger on top, but how Chinese was it really. A cute and pleasant dish, but limited in its appeal. The idea overwhelmed the taste.

9) Yak and Mac – with black truffle bits – ok, but not so different than mac’n’cheese – Yak cheese, not as good as the yak butter tea that I had from a Yunnan food stall a few days before. But another cute idea.

10) Frog Leg “beggar style” – frog thigh stuffed with lotus and shiitake – on small diced vegetables (again, despite the fact that it was based on a traditional Chinese dish, one wonders how Chinese it was? It seemed like a Western appropriation of Chinese cuisine.) Still, the flavors were impressive.

11) Scallop with sesame, kaffir lime, grape aspic, quite beautiful and contemporary in conception

12) Foie Gras with black truffle and turkey congee, looked the same as the yak and mac – a joie d'esprit – a savory donut underneath (no photo – see the photo for Yak and Mac)

13) Halibut with shiitake soil, “yun nam” ham powder, extra virgin olive oil, reminiscent of the “soil” dishes of Wylie Dufresne at WD-50 (no photo)

14) Sweetbread – oyster sauce (somewhat think but bright) lettuce tempura, artichoke puree – excellent dish; impressively prepared, but it is the oyster sauce than made it Asian.

15) Chalon duck with longon, red rice and preserved kumquat – too gingery to my taste, and one of the least successful dishes of the night.

At this point I was served several desserts, which in general were not as inspirational as the savory courses:

16) Almond with sandalwood smoke – a nosegay that is reminiscent of some experiments at Alinea – “Chinese temple”, nice almond ice cream but not revelatory.

17) Shui Jing Fang – poached caramelized banana and dark chocolate ganache (but served without chocolate since I am caffeine sensitive) mint, rice wine liquor – very nice, and probably better with the ganache.

18) Chinese petit fours: kaffir lime macaron, red date marshmallow, salty fudge (no photo)

19) Jasmine kiss – jasmine flowers with liquid nitrogen – another fragrant moment with a tip of the toque to Grant Achatz at Alinea.

I left being fully satisfied by the evening. Bo Innovation provides four-star cuisine, but in its glory raises the question of how Asian molecular cuisine can truly be. Is molecular cuisine always and ever to reflect Western culinary imperialism?

Bo Innovation

Shop 13, 2/f, J Residence

60 Johnston Road (lift on 18 Ship Street)

Wan Chai, Hong Kong

852-2850-8371

http://www.boinnovation.com

Vealcheeks

[nakji]

Sorry for the lateness. I don't get on food forums as often as I once did.

The best char siu in Hong Kong, IMO: West Villa Restaurant

They have one in City Plaza Phase 2 (Tai Koo MTR station).

And one in Central.

Had their char siu. And their char siu bao. Really excellent!

Thanks anyway! Too late for this trip, alas, but there is more Hong Kong in my future. Actually, I was at that very train station, which kills! My friend lives near there. Perhaps you can tell me - what came first, the sugar, or the place name?

[...]but in its glory raises the question of how Asian molecular cuisine can truly be. Is molecular cuisine always and ever to reflect Western culinary imperialism?

What are the tenets of molecular cuisine, and do they conflict with (all) Asian cuisines? How so? This is a very interesting question, but I don't know enough about either cuisine to comment thoughtfully. I'd like to hear what others have to think about it, though.

[hzrt8w]

..... My friend lives near there. Perhaps you can tell me - what came first, the sugar, or the place name?

Oh. Okay. A bit on the history of Hong Kong.

"Tai Koo".

First it was a shipyard. (From way back, probably before second world war or even turn of the century.)

Then sugar refinery. (In the 60's and 70's. I used to live right next to the sugar refinery, which was in 1967). Coca Cola used to have their bottling plant there too.

Then they closed out those businesses. The developer (Swire was it?) did some landfill towards the Victoria Harbour and turned the whole place into a residential estate (City Plaza).

[nakji]

Crazy! The sugar I use on the mainland is "Tai Koo" brand. It never occured to me (despite the spelling) that it had its origins on Hong Kong.

[hzrt8w]

Crazy! The sugar I use on the mainland is "Tai Koo" brand. It never occured to me (despite the spelling) that it had its origins on Hong Kong.

"Tai Koo" is the Chinese name for the Swire Group in Hong Kong. A small historic piece on Swire on Wiki:

Swire Group

I love their sugar cubes.

There is a hand-me-down story about how Swire got the Chinese name "Tai Koo" as translation. This was told by my father. I am not how true it is. But here goes:

Way back when Swire was trying to find a suitable Chinese name for their busness, they had choosen the Chinese phrase "Dai Gut" [Cantonese], which means Very Lucky. The 2 Chinese characters look like this:

But for some reason, the person who wrote it up moved that little dash from the character "Gut" to the character "Dai". And the phrase became "Tai Koo" as we know it.

The name has stuck. Tai Koo is the dockyard name, the name for their brand of sugar cubes, and lately Tai Koo Shing - the name of the residential estate where the MTR passes through.

[DeliciouslyLekker]

Hi,

Will be visiting HK in August and have a few questions.

Is Lung King Heen really all that good?

Is there anywhere else you would recommend? We love street food and will probably have our fill as my partner has a friend working in HK so would be more interested in a meal at a restaurant (not crazy expensive).

I was checking out the menu at a few Michelin star restaurants in HK and the prices seem quite reasonable (cheaper than Europe). However, the wine sounds very expensive! A glass of wine at a Michelin star restaurant in The Netherlands is about 6-8 euro (house wine or paired wines). Similar wines at such restaurants in HK seem to go for about 200-350 HKD (+- 22-35 euro) per glass!?

[Sher.eats]

Hi,

Will be visiting HK in August and have a few questions.

Is Lung King Heen really all that good?

Is there anywhere else you would recommend? We love street food and will probably have our fill as my partner has a friend working in HK so would be more interested in a meal at a restaurant (not crazy expensive).

I was checking out the menu at a few Michelin star restaurants in HK and the prices seem quite reasonable (cheaper than Europe). However, the wine sounds very expensive! A glass of wine at a Michelin star restaurant in The Netherlands is about 6-8 euro (house wine or paired wines). Similar wines at such restaurants in HK seem to go for about 200-350 HKD (+- 22-35 euro) per glass!?

LKH - good, but not the best.

Are you focusing on Cantonese/Chinese cuisine? Depending where you're from and the level of international travel you've done, I'll suggest you not eat any French restaurants because even though they're good, HK's best offerings are its Cantonese food.

The "street food" in HK is more like small shops on the ground level that specialises in one (or a few) dishes; like a wonton noodle shop or a roast pork. These places you can get a very good light meal/snack for $3 euros.

Tell me how many days you have; how many grand meals you want and we'll see

[DeliciouslyLekker]

Thanks.

We'll be in HK for 4 days.

Regarding meals, the majority will be street/cheap food. Looking for perhaps 1 'expensive' dinner (preferably no more than HKD1500), 1 higher end lunch and perhaps afternoon tea. The kind of food we'd be interested in is Chinese but if I were to be completely honest, 'expensive' Chinese food has never been a favourite of mine (you know, like the typical wedding/Chinese New Year food like Four Seasons,Brocolli with scallops, Lotus Rice etc). My ethnic background is Chinese so pretty much ate Chinese food all my life.

Streetfood is not problem. Not too worried about that part as partner's friend will probably take us to some local stalls.

[mathewr]

i highly recommend tim ho wan in hk. i was there in may. i went there cause its the cheapest rated michelin guide restaurant in the world. Dinner for my father and I was like 150 $HK.

[hzrt8w]

.....

Regarding meals, the majority will be street/cheap food. Looking for perhaps 1 'expensive' dinner (preferably no more than HKD1500), 1 higher end lunch and perhaps afternoon tea. The kind of food we'd be interested in is Chinese but if I were to be completely honest, 'expensive' Chinese food has never been a favourite of mine (you know, like the typical wedding/Chinese New Year food like Four Seasons,Brocolli with scallops, Lotus Rice etc). My ethnic background is Chinese so pretty much ate Chinese food all my life.

So I gathered that you wouldn't want abalone and shark fin soup?

What kind of Chinese food would you like to have and which part(s) of town will you be in? Tsimshatsui? Central/Wanchai? (The usual suspect) Or will you venture out of the tourist areas?

HKD1500 (assuming per person) can take you far. I was there in Dec/Jan and the typical dinner for the 2 of us was about HKD200-400. But I didn't dine in 5-star hotels.

We had many roast ducks during our trip. The best was still Yung Kee in Central. Half a duck was about HKD150. And their duck liver sausages are the best too. Went to Yue Kee in Sham Tseng. Roast duck was very good but still I thought was not as good as Yung Kee's.

The best BBQ pork: West Villa Restaurant. There is one in Central. But the one we went to was in Tai Koo.

One of the best dim sum experience: probably Maxim's Palace in City Hall, Central. View of the Victoria Harbour was very nice - if it is not blocked by the construction scaffold. 15 or so dishes, 2 persons, HKD500 or so. If you want great close-up view of the Victoria Harbour, Serenade (also run by Maxim's) in Tsimshatsui - inside the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Good dim sum (not as good as Maxim's palace I think) and a great view. Arrive around 12:00 pm you will avoid the lunch rush hour (which starts around 12:30 - 12:45).

Afternoon tea: Intercontinental Hotel Lobby Lounge - best view of the Victoria Harbour.

Lobby Lounge

Or if you are on a budget, go to Starbuck's 2/F patio seating next to New World Centre next door. Similar view of the harbour.

Edited July 20, 2010 by hzrt8w (log)

[DeliciouslyLekker]

mathewr:I thought it was a typo and you meant to say HKD1500 for 2 but you're right! HKD150 is extremely good value. Not sure about the 1.5-2hour wait though...

hzrt8w: To be honest, not sure which area we'll be at. Central for sure as our hotel is there. Certainly willing to travel if it's not too difficult to get there. Abalone, shark's fin soup etc. all fine (although these days eating shark's fin soup is so politically incorrect....). It's not that I don't like the food, it's more like "hmm nothing special..what's the big deal...". Thanks for your suggestions!

P/S: No comments on the prices of wine? Is 200-300 HKD per glass the going rate in restaurants in HK?

Edited July 20, 2010 by DeliciouslyLekker (log)

[tkscooks]

I just got back from a semester/stage abroad in Hong Kong, and coincidentally am now doing the same thing in The Netherlands. Anyways, as a poor student I ate a lot of street food and noodles. I would say that the best place to go looking for street food is between the Mong Kok and Jordan MTR stations (get your octopus card as soon as you get to HK as it enables you to do everything from ride busses, trams, the MTR and even make purchases in 7/11) on Temple street. Temple street is the home of the night market, street food is everywhere and the street is lined with small restaurants that probably have what you want. My first off-campus meal was on this street and it took about five minutes until we saw the tanks of living seafood and shellfish and decided that we had to eat there. It was a great meal. If you are into doing some walking then I would suggest getting out at the Mong Kok MTR station, get on Portland Rd, or the other side of the tracks and get on Ladies St (Tung Choi St.) which is an open air clothing market, and walk south past the Yau Mau Tei station, around there Portland Rd leads turns into Temple St and you will then be in the heart of the night market and can absolutely get your fill of street food. Keep walking until you get to the Jordan MTR station and then head to TST (tsimshatsui) or LKF (lan kwai fong) for a night out on the town.

Mathewr recommended Tim Ho Wan, it's probably the most inexpensive michelin starred restaurant in the world and is incredible. Phenomenal dim sum and so cheap! Hzrt8w recommended Maxims in Central for Dim Sum, that is a great "traditional" dim sum place, big, bustling, bright, but Tim Ho Wan has really great dim sum in what is more reminiscent of a tiny diner of cafe. But get there early because there are no reservations and they hand out numbers on a first-come, first-serve basis, so show up early and order (at least) one of everything. They are known for their char siu bao (steamed pork buns), and rightfully so, they have a delicious, sweet and crispy outside to the pillowy and porky inside... get a few orders. Also, just next-doorish is a place that sells great shaved ice. Really really tasty and beautiful.

If you're into dumplings (and you should be) then go to Tin Hau and right across the street from the MTR exit (the one that exits on Kings Road) there is an excellent (cheap) dumpling place. I'm sure there are others like this, but a friend of mine lived in Tin Hau so we always went here. There is also a very good japanese place in that neighborhood that has a great lunch special. If you are interested I can contact my friend to find out exactly where it is.

There is also a great (cheap) noodle place in Mong Kok, right on ladies street, I think something like 78 Tung Choi st... but not positive.

Also, if you want to pick up anything kitchen related (maybe a new wok for the home) go to Shanghai Street from the Yau Ma Tei MTR station. I loved that place, just store after store offering things for home kitchens to professional kitchens.

And this list of recommendations wouldn't be complete without me plugging the location of my stage, Bo Innovation. It is expensive, but I would say that it is absolutely worth it. I got to get the chefs tasting for dinner and it was epic and delicious. They do some really good lunch deals and offer some cool dim sum variations. It is in Wan Chai (go there for their wet market too, also good bar scene).

Thanks for giving me the chance to reminisce about my time in HK, it is an incredible city with great food, great outdoors and great people, I look forward to going back.

[mathewr]

DeliciouslyLekker- yup 150HK is accurate. I waited about 30 minutes at around 6 pm. So good and a fun experience. Im not sure if you have time to sight see or what not but at night you have to take a tram to the peak. u see the whole city lit up. its a must see thing.

tkscooks-i went to bo innovation with my dad. i chose that place cause the guy is a whacko/unique. i thought the food was good and an interesting experience. I was disappointed that the owner/chef wasnt there. But service was excellent and everyone was very friendly. im the kind of person that doesnt like stuffy rests so id go back and do it again.

edit: tkscooks. after rereading ur post u worked at bo innovation?

Edited July 20, 2010 by mathewr (log)