Reports on Hong Kong dining

[BarbaraY]

I haven't been on-line much the past month so missed this until today. I'm actually drooling at the delicious looking food.

What are the wrappers on the Gau Choy Gow made of? They look very intersting, too.

[somemale]

if you're in macau ah leung I strongly recommend the dim sum restaurant at the lisboa hotel. it is a little more expensive however is well worth the money imo.

[Prawncrackers]

Macanese - I really love this dish.  Not sure exactly what it's called.  "Bacalhou"???  The brown shreds are fried small threads of potatoes.  It's stir-fried with some dried fish (Chinese dried anchovy), eggs and chili.  This was really good!

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Could this be Bacalhau, as in Portugese Salt Cod? The white flakes do look like it, interesting and delicious sounding dish.

[hzrt8w]

Macanese - I really love this dish.  Not sure exactly what it's called.  "Bacalhou"???  The brown shreds are fried small threads of potatoes.  It's stir-fried with some dried fish (Chinese dried anchovy), eggs and chili.  This was really good!

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Could this be Bacalhau, as in Portugese Salt Cod? The white flakes do look like it, interesting and delicious sounding dish.

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Yeah, that is exactly it! Thank you Prawncrackers! "Bacalhau". It is Portugese salt cod.

[hzrt8w]

Day 9 Teaser Pictures:

Macao specialty: Portuguese egg tart. They are sweeter than those egg tarts in Hong Kong.

Some Macao specialties: all kinds of beef/port jerkies, sold at many stores near Ruins of St. Paul's.

Lunch was arranged by the tour guide at the "Lung Kee" near Ruins of St. Paul's. I have to say the lunch was so-so. Not recommended. This was the soya sauce young pigeons.

On the other hand, dinner was great and highly recommended: We ate at the Chinese restaurant at the second floor of Starworld Hotel/Casino (Next to Wynn's). Forgot the name of the restaurant, sorry.

This was scallion pan-cakes ("Chung Yau Bang").

Garlic crispy-skin chicken. Very tasty! Though the bird was not much bigger than a pigeon.

Dessert specialty: double-boiled papaya with milk.

[Laksa]

Dessert specialty:  double-boiled papaya with milk.

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Mr. Leung, it looks like you're having a very good vacation. I'm enjoying your pics.

Double-boild papaya looks interesting. I'm suprised the papaya is still intact after cooking. Is that dessert served hot or cold?

[hzrt8w]

Double-boild papaya looks interesting.  I'm suprised the papaya is still intact after cooking.  Is that dessert served hot or cold?

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Steaming hot.

I even had a bowl of Singapore style laksa in a local food court near the Tung Chung MTR Station. And it was quite good.

[docsconz]

Double-boild papaya looks interesting.  I'm suprised the papaya is still intact after cooking.  Is that dessert served hot or cold?

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Steaming hot.

I even had a bowl of Singapore style laksa in a local food court near the Tung Chung MTR Station. And it was quite good.

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was there any resemblance to the taste and texture of a raw papaya or was it completely different? I have never had cooked papaya before.

I too am enjoying your shared experiences.

[hzrt8w]

was there any resemblance to the taste and texture of a raw papaya or was it completely different? I have never had cooked papaya before.

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Thank you Doc.

Cooked papayas are much softer than raw ones. The sweetness is about the same, and it maintains the papaya's characteristic fragrance. People in Hong Kong like to use papaya in drinks and desserts (e.g. cook it with sogo pearl balls).

[hzrt8w]

Day 10 Teaser Pictures:

My brothers and sister are pro-Cantonese food eaters. They also said the Macanese food made in Macao is not as good as the Macanese food made in Hong Kong. What an irony. Though... that's their opinion. I haven't been to Macao or live in Hong Kong long enough to taste it for myself...

Cantonese food it is... Morning dim-sum (yum cha)...

Steamed cheung fun with minced beef. This restaurant is two grades above the "hole in the wall" near Macao's border with China. It is on the second floor inside the "Victoria Hotel". It seems only the locals eat there. But we found that their dim sums are surprisingly good!

Here you go! "Ham Sui Gok"... minced pork and black mushrooms and such as filling. Wrapper is made of sticky rice flour.

See how you guys actually change what I eat in my trip!

This is called "Woo See Gok", or shredded taro cake. Made with shredded taro "glued together" and pan-fried. They added in some corns (the yellow dots).

Steamed tofu custard - it's made by mixing soft tofu and eggs. There are shredded dried scallop (yiu chu) in the sauce.

When we went back to near the Ruins of St. Paul's, there are all kinds of food vendors offerring food samples. You can get full just by eating samples everywhere...

Here is a Macao specialty of "egg rolls" (sweet). This one has dried shredded pork fillings and wrapped with a sheet of seaweed on the outside. Very tasty! You can't get enough of eating these!

A Macao specialty: Pork Chop Sandwich. We got ours at "Cafe E.S.Kimo". My sister said they make the best one in Macao and there are typically long lines.

After an hour ride on JetFoil back to Hong Kong soil, we dined at "Star Seafood Restaurant" in Yau Ma Tei (Kowloon). It is on Nathan Road Near Jordan Road.

This is yee-mein braised with shrimp.

Deep-Fried shrimp balls with superior broth inside.

The food at this restaurant is good, though I think not the best like those in Tsim Sha Tsui area.

Edited November 29, 2007 by hzrt8w (log)

[insomniac]

(e.g. cook it with sogo pearl balls).

Ah Leung, you are definitely back home

ps. have you been to Tung Lo Wan to the backstreet food yet? We lived almost opposite Aw Boon Haw when the kids were small and those streets were their favourite for eats.....

[Prawncrackers]

My brothers and sister are pro-Cantonese food eaters.  They also said the Macanese food made in Macao is not as good as the Macanese food made in Hong Kong.  What an irony.  Though... that's their opinion.

Why that's such an unusual opnion for Cantonese to have!

Keep up the good work, if i could plant a suggestion.... roast.... goose....

[Laksa]

My brothers and sister are pro-Cantonese food eaters.  They also said the Macanese food made in Macao is not as good as the Macanese food made in Hong Kong.  What an irony.  Though... that's their opinion.

Why that's such an unusual opnion for Cantonese to have!

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LOL! I'd say that attitude is more specifically Hong Kong-ese.

Mr. Leung - your last picture - what is superior broth? There's liquid in those balls when you bite into them?

[hzrt8w]

ps. have you been to Tung Lo Wan to the backstreet food yet? We lived almost opposite Aw Boon Haw when the kids were small and those streets were their favourite for eats.....

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"Tung Lo Wan"? You meant Causeway Bay? We just went there for dinner tonight... 3 hours ago. Had some "Under The Bridge" style fried crab. It was great!

Many of the street food offered by hawkers are gone. Really completely gone. The old "Street food" is now offered by people operating a small storefront. Causeway Bay is more crowded than ever. But now it is orderly crowded without the hawkers, not chaos crowded.

[hzrt8w]

Keep up the good work, if i could plant a suggestion.... roast.... goose....

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We passed by Yung Kee in Central this afternoon. But I opted to go to Law Foo Kee (hole in the wall) for lunch. Yung Kee may be dinner another night.

[hzrt8w]

Mr. Leung - your last picture - what is superior broth?  There's liquid in those balls when you bite into them?

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Yes. In Chinese they call it "Goh Tang" (High Broth). High means "superior". Just a beautified name.

Yes there is broth inside the shrimp ball. And they are quite tasty!

[I_call_the_duck]

Everything looks so tasty. I WANT! I WANT!! I WANT!!!!

[bethpageblack]

Keep up the good work, if i could plant a suggestion.... roast.... goose....

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We passed by Yung Kee in Central this afternoon. But I opted to go to Law Foo Kee (hole in the wall) for lunch. Yung Kee may be dinner another night.

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Ah Leung, how was Law Fu Kee? Like you remembered it, or different?

[hzrt8w]

Ah Leung, how was Law Fu Kee?  Like you remembered it, or different?

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Law Fu Kee is a "hole in the wall" outfit. Their seatings are very small - even for local standard. They will pack 4 different single parties in the same booth! I always try to avoid the rush hour (12:30 pm - 2:00 pm) going to eat at Law Fu Kee.

I went there for a few things that they make well:

- Wonton noodle soup

- Jook (congee)

- Deep-fried dace fish balls with fermented clam sauce (you gotta try this)

And don't order beef briskets... I heard complaints from a patron just yesterday saying the briskets are too tough.

So I would not recommend this for foreign visitors because one feels really uneasy eating there. But if you are used to this kind of shops, it would be all right.

Edited November 30, 2007 by hzrt8w (log)

[hzrt8w]

Day 11 Teaser Pictures:

My liquid breakfast!!! Haven't had one of these for a long, long time. Vitasoy. A local dairy company. Famous for their soyamilk products. This is "Mak Jing" Vitasoy (malt based soya milk).

Roasted geese at Yung Kee!!! Not today... Not enough time. Instead, I opted to go to the nearby "hole in the wall" Law Fu Kee for some wonton noodles. Yung Kee for another day.

Law Fu Kee is a very small shop. Seatings are very tight and uncomfortable - even for typically small-body-type Chinese. So be warned!

This is deep-fried dace fish balls ("Lang Yue Kow") with fermented clam sauce. There are tiny clams in the condiment dish. This is their house specialty that you should not miss if you go there.

Their wonton noodle soup is also very nice.

Their jook (congee) is also famous and excellent. They really put a lot of ingredients in the congee - more so than any of the restaurants I have visited.

This is sliced beef congee ("wut ngau jook").

Dinner was at "Under The Bridge Spice Crab" in Causeway Bay - the shop featured in Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservation". The food is really great. The crab prices are ridiculously expensive compared to other eateries. (e.g. small crab HKD280 while others charge HKD130-180, medium crab (what we had) - HKD380, which is about US $50 just for one crab). The taste is really great. So... people pay for what they want to have...

This dish is snails in hot spicy wine sauce.

There! This is the famous "under the bridge spicy crab". Those are fried garlic all surrounding the crab. Very tasty. But also very salty. There is no way one can finish all the fried garlic with all the salt in it.

Edited November 30, 2007 by hzrt8w (log)

[Tepee]

Wah! That jook is really loaded! And all that garlic! You certainly didn't get shortchanged.

This thread is definitely going to be bookmarked for a verysoontobe trip.

Carry on indulging us (and yourselves)....

[somemale]

where is the under the bridge crab place?

[HKDave]

where is the under the bridge crab place?

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3 locations, all close to each other. The bigger ones are at 405 and 429 Lockhart, and there's a tiny additional one around the corner (this is the one that's 'under the bridge', and recommended if you want the full experience, it's only got about 6 tables) on Canal St. Tel 2893 1289.

If you go under the bridge along Lockhart Rd toward Causeway Bay, there's another chili crab place (different owner) that has similar food but is a bit classier. Opposite the back of the fire station. I can't remember the name at the moment.

[SuzySushi]

Macanese - I really love this dish.  Not sure exactly what it's called.  "Bacalhou"???  The brown shreds are fried small threads of potatoes.  It's stir-fried with some dried fish (Chinese dried anchovy), eggs and chili.  This was really good!

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Bacalhou (or bacalau) is the Portuguese name for salt cod; it's also the name of a Portuguese dish made from salt cod and potatoes -- the Macanese dish undoubtedly is a version of the Portuguese dish.

[prasantrin]

Those look perfect! How did they taste? Did they have a good filling to dough ratio? I get really disappointed when there's barely any filling in my hum sui gok.

Can you not get Vitasoy in the US? My dad used to buy it a lot when we were younger. I never liked it much, but I should probably give it another try.