Hong Kong Restaurant Recommendations

[prasantrin]

So one would choose to eat subpar non-Chinese dinners rather than ordering one (or two) delicious Cantonese dishes?    When you dine in non-Chinese restaurants, you still just order one entry too.  Unless you go to eat Korean...

I think it's a stretch to assume that any other food in Hong Kong, other than Chinese, is sub-par. And when I dine in non-Chinese restaurants (other than Thai, Filipino, etc.), I do just order one entree, except that entree is usually sized to feed just one person.

There are plenty of single diners too in Hong Kong.  It is true that most stir-fried entres are best enjoyed in a group so you can have the variety.  But one can also have a bowl of wonton noodle (best in Hong Kong), jook (best in Hong Kong) and order some BBQ items such as roast ducks, BBQ pork, roast pork, etc. (again, best in Hong Kong).  There are plenty of chow fun (fried rice noodle), chow mein (fried noodle), and the something-over-rice plates  (again, best in Hong Kong).

Even plates of chow fun and chow mein (thanks for the translations, however unnecessary they were) tend to be too large for me. And at the time, I was unable to find any place which would sell me less than half a duck, though if I could have, I'd gladly have partaken. And if I had known the best place to order a bowl of wonton noodle, I'd gladly have partaken in that, too, but no one offered any advice (and I did ask).

The American-chains of fast food taste about the same (e.g. McDonald's, KFC, Burger King).  Why fly over 7000 miles to have something that you can have at home?  If you try to find some other non-Cantonese food, I am afraid you would walk out with an unsatisfied experience.

←

Why would you assume I was eating at American-chains? Or eating things I could have had at home? Or that I was even from America? Those are huge assumptions, and all are false.

At the time (6 or 7 years ago), I was living in Japan, and had been there for a few years. While in Hong Kong, one of the two non-Chinese restaurants I visited was, from what I could tell, a highly-regarded restaurant/bar that catered to ex-pat clientele (from the decor I would have assumed British). I had French onion soup and fried calamari, both which are ubiquitous in places like Canada and the US, but were virtually impossible to find in Japan at the time (and still rather difficult). And both were excellent versions of what they were.

The other non-Chinese meal was afternoon tea at the Peninsula Hotel. Only because my father had reminisced about afternoon tea at the Peninsula, so I felt I should experience it at least once in my life.

I did manage to visit with a local family who took me out for Peking duck at a highly regarded Peking duck restaurant. Peking duck may not be one of the foods "best in Hong Kong", but that is where they took me, and I was pleased to be taken there as I love Peking duck. Unfortunately, in my opinion it was sub-par (very fatty, which I was told was preferred there, and as a result, the skin was not as crispy as I like) and I was forced to order some divine Peking duck during a subsequent trip to Bangkok. Oops. There I go again, eating at a restaurant which does not specialize in foods local to the country. Except the Peking duck at the right places in Bangkok far outstrips Peking duck anywhere in terms of flavour and value (though I suppose it depends on your frame of reference). There will be little to no visible fat on the skin, and the skin will be perfectly crisp.

And if I could find decent Greek food in Bali or Singapore (or Bangkok, depending on where I am) in December, you can bet I'm going to have some, as there is none to be had in Japan.

Back to topic, I also really enjoyed going to the bakeries in Hong Kong. They were great for snacks and breakfasts. There must be some better than Maxim's, but I can only remember going to that one and it was good, or so I thought at the time. So I must add Maxim's to my list of places to visit, but if anyone knows a better bakery, feel free to recommend!

[hzrt8w]

prasantrin:

First let me apologize for using the term "you" in my post. The "you" meant in general the reader of my post and not specifically directed to "you" prasantrin. The use of "one" would be more appropriate.

I made no assumption on anything. It is a discussion of general availability and probablility. For example: if I go to Paris, would I be able to find really good, authentic Chinese food? Maybe. As good as the ones in Hong Kong? Maybe - but probably not.

Can one find really good Indian, Italian, Japanese (and others) food in Hong Kong? I am sure there are probably some. Are they everywhere? I don't think so. On the other hand, one can get very tasty Cantonese food just about anywhere in Hong Kong. Abundant availability. Beside, rating something as good or not as good is subjective too. Unless one is from that country (India, Italy, Japan, etc.), his/her rating would be based on his/her upbringing. It's not right or wrong, just what one is used to. If for someone who grows up in the USA getting used to eating Chinese "chop suey" dishes and tells me restaurant XYZ is "good", that "good" would not be the same as someone who grows up in Hong Kong getting used to eating Hong Kong Cantonese food.

Anyway. foodienyc was asking specifically for Chinese restaurant recommendations (unless there is some "to-die-for" non-Chinese), for a short visit of 3 days. I am going to stop here before getting too far off topic.

Edited September 16, 2005 by hzrt8w (log)

[nycfoodie]

Wow, thanks to all for replying. This is way better than my guidebook. I kid you not when I say that one of the recommendations for TST is Morton's. Good grief! Please let no one be offended, I love steak as much as the next person but Mortons in HK?

I think it's possible to get good ethnic food somewhere other than country of origin, for example, as a VNmese person, I think you can get much better pho in California than in VN. But I just don't like fusion type restaurants. (NYC is just overrun with them and one of my worst food experience was Spice Market here in NYC which I have seen on several top 50 restaurants of the world type lists.) With only three days I want to focus solely on really good authentic Chinese food.

To be honest, I'm a little afraid of the idea of Chungking House. A woman with elderly parents and a young child might not be a good fit. We are adventurous in eating and dont mind if the service is not so great but not so adventurous if the location is going to be iffy, especially since we don't speak any Chinese whatsoever.

Last question, are there any places that we should definitely splurge? This trip is really for my parents and we probably won't be back again (or at least they might not) so I want to make it really special, and there is nothing they love more than food. (All my planning so far revolves around when and where we are going to eat our various meals and snacks.)

Again, thank you so much for all your advice

[hzrt8w]

As for me: if I only have time to visit one place in Hong Kong, it would be the Victoria Peak. It offers the magnificent view of the Victoria Harbor, North side of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. Taking the tram up to the Peak is most scenic. You can combine the trip with a visit to eateries in the Central District, some of which were mentioned here or elsewhere in this forum.

If I only have time for a second place to visit, it would be the giant Buddha Statue in Po Lin Temple, Lantau Island. Po Lin Temple is supposed to have the best vegetarian meal (Chinese style) in Hong Kong. My wife and I tried it 8 years ago and thought that was a bit over-rated. Good but not great. Going to the Po Lin Temple used to be a full-day affair. (Ferry trip + bus, round trip) With the built-out of the new HK airport, it's much easier. One can take the subway to Tung Chung, and transfer to some minibus to go up to the temple. Takes only maybe 1.5 hour to reach it from Kowloon. Maybe on the return trip, you can take the bus/taxi to Mui Wo (there are some street-side kind of eateries near the ferry terminal for good seafood), then take the ferry back to Central and enjoy the voyage.

If I only have time for a third place to visit..... sorry, you can plan according to your taste and time-budget.

While in Hong Kong, I would suggest to take advantage of the opportunity to try something that are best in Hong Kong on my list:

- Cantonese seafood (steamed fish, boiled shrimp, oyster, crab, etc.)

- Other Cantonese stir-fries (e.g. ong-choy with beef (shrimp paste))

- Meat/vegetables cooked in a clay pot

- Cantonese BBQ (roast duck, roast pork, BBQ pork, soy sauce chicken, etc.)

- Jook (congee), with cheung fun, yau zha gwai, zhong

- Wonton noodles, beef brisket rice noodles, fish balls, beef ball noodles, etc.

- Hong Kong bakeries: dan tart, bo lo bao, gai mei bao, cakes, etc. (afternoon tea)

And if you haven't had enough:

- Hot pot

- Some specialty restaurants (Chiu Chow, Shanghai, Hakka, Peking, etc.)

[torakris]

More information on eating in Hong Kong can be found in these threads:

Shanghai and Hong Kong

Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong

[jokhm]

Oh... I just got to Shanghai from HK.. a quick 4 day stint there. It was pure hell.. I can't begin to describe how awful and terrifying my experiences were. I should have checked here first too, but that wouldn't have helped too much. The guy I went with only ate Hamburgers. Seriously. He came to China for 1 month at ate at mcdonalds nearly everyday. Luckily we had the occasional meeting in HK that forced him to take down some noodles. But my three large main meals consisted of fairly decent hamburgers in lankwaifong.

I did get to one good cafe/teashop/resto in Kowloon for some pretty good food. I think it was called BiaoGe. Had some great XO vermicelli, a snails coquille st. jacques mixup and some other bits of seafood. Quite excellent for a simple place. Next time... I will take the city by storm.

[subliminalkid]

Just got back from Hong Kong (I'm there about once a year), and thought

I'd comment on Cafe Amigo, mentioned earlier.

I had lunch there with my parents last week. Hadn't eaten there for years,

before I started paying too much attention to food, so I was curious what

I would think of it after Astier, Moissonierre, Comme chez soi, etc.

We all had the cream of watercress soup. Rather unremarkable, and

bland; it perked up quite a bit after a few shakes of salt and pepper.

My oxtail braised in red wine was tender and flavorful. The Grand

Marnier souffle was nice but again not outstanding. I tasted my parents'

"coconut pudding" with fruit, which was mainly flavored gelatin

with chopped fruit, again very ordinary.

Other than the excellent oxtail, most of our meal was unremarkable and

quite overpriced. The service was good, if a bit old-fashioned and

stodgy. (That's not a criticism; that's the kind of service people go to

Amigo for!)

We also had dinner a few days ago at Rive Droite Rive Gauche, on

Wyndam Street around Lan Kwai Fong:

http://www.rivedroite-rivegauche.hk/

This is more what one expects from the other modern/hip establishments

in the neighborhood. To my surprise, there was an amuse of a fresh sardine

over potato, which was a tad too salty. I had the rabbit saddle in mustard sauce, which

was nicely done, pretty moist and flavorful. The standout was the pear gratin

with almond and Grand Marnier, very smooth and fragrant. Prices were

on the high side, but not unreasonable.

Bill

[cfusion]

"Maxim's" is the most well known organization. It started with one location in the basement of the "Lane Crawford House" then opened a branch in the Arcade of the Mandarin Hotel, but originally was part of the Luk Hoi Tong Group that owned the "Luk Kwok Hotel" made famous in America featured in the movie "The World of Susie Wong", starring, "William Holden" and "Nancy Kwong"who both especially Nancy's parent's were good customers at "Lindy's". "Maxim's" is still owned by the "Wu" Family together with the "Hong Kong Land Company", apparently the World's Largest Real Estate Company.

Irwin,

You are very knowledgeable about HK restaurants. I used to spend Christmas in HK in the late 60s and I still remember some of the best I've had in my life such as:

... the best strawberry shortcake at Maxims

... the best fried ice cream at Lindy's

It's good to know that both are still there. Is the Lindy's in Kowlook (I think it was at J. Hotung House bldg.) I also had the best and largest chicken leg at a Japanese restaurant in the basement of Hyatt hotel in Nathan road. Is that still there?

I used to go on a 2nd floor where people played mahjong and I had the best Peking duck. Where would that be?

There used to be a Japanese department store in Hong Kong side where there's a good restaurant in its second floor at the very back of the store.

And, what is the huge toy store in Hong Kong side?

I do have to visit HK one of these days again.

[hzrt8w]

There used to be a Japanese department store in Hong Kong side where there's a good restaurant in its second floor at the very back of the store.

And, what is the huge toy store in Hong Kong side? 

←

cfusion: Welcome to eGullet to you too! Many new participants. Fabulous!

If your last visit to HK was in the 60's, things might have turned over 3 times around already. The business changes in HK are frequent and rapid. Although there are a few brand names that can stand the test of time. I go back every 3 years or so and I found big changes every time.

There used to be only one prominent Japanese department store in Hong Kong, and that's Daimaru in Causeway Bay. That might be what you were referring to. It is still around. In the past 10-20 years, many new Japanese department stores have opened branches in Hong Kong. (Sogo for example)

The US based Toys R Us opened their branch at the Ocean Terminal, and became the largest toy store in town at the time. Not sure if they are still.

Edited January 4, 2006 by hzrt8w (log)

[aprilmei]

There used to be a Japanese department store in Hong Kong side where there's a good restaurant in its second floor at the very back of the store.

And, what is the huge toy store in Hong Kong side? 

←

cfusion: Welcome to eGullet to you too! Many new participants. Fabulous!

If your last visit to HK was in the 60's, things might have turned over 3 times around already. The business changes in HK are frequent and rapid. Although there are a few brand news that can stand the test of time. I go back every 3 years or so and I found big changes every time.

There used to be only one prominent Japanese department store in Hong Kong, and that's Daimaru in Causeway Bay. That might be what you were referring to. It is still around. In the past 10-20 years, many new Japanese department stores have opened branches in Hong Kong. (Sogo for example)

The US based Toys R Us opened their branch at the Ocean Terminal, and became the largest toy store in town at the time. Not sure if they are still.

←

Actually, Daimaru closed a few years ago. There are two more Japanese department stores in CWB, Mitsukoshi (which I heard will be closing) and Sogo. Sogo has a really good food department in the basement and great kitchen equipment upstairs.

I think if you try Maxim's strawberry shortcake (if they still make it), you will be disappointed. It's not known for its good pastries, although they have bakery shops in many locations. Fake cream, thick layers of jelly - it's pretty dreadful. But some of their Chinese restaurants are suprisingly good. They also have a Western division of restaurants and they're also good.

[hzrt8w]

Actually, Daimaru closed a few years ago.[...]

←

Thanks for the update, aprilmei. See, I am outdated. That goes to show... even old brand name who stood the test of time still faces the inevitable...

[cfusion]

Welcome to eGullet to you too!

hzrt8w,

Thanks for the warm welcome. I've had just pure good memories of my Christmasesin Hong Kong late 60s to early 70s. I'm sure there've been a lot of changes.

Yes, Daimaru is it.

At that time Ocean Terminal was brand new and I think that was my first taste of what you would now call a "shopping mall".

aprilmei,

Oh, it's sad to see such a fixture (Daimaru) in Hong Kong disappear. I remember there's a weighing scale next to the escalators where you sit down to get weighed. That restaurant in Daimaru is where I had my first taste of Unagi (eel). Then, had it everytime we go there.

Hmmm, I'm also sad hear about Maxim's strawberry shortcake. And, to think, that was one of the reasons I would like to go back to Hong Kong. Well, actually, there's another one: the large, plump, juicy fresh cherries they sell in the pedestrian fruit stands. We used to buy a lot and when we get to our hotel, we just watch TV and munch on those sweet cherries.

Western division restaurtants? I'll pass on that. I will always go for a very good Cantonese food. Which reminds me, we used to go to a very good Cantonese restaurant in the Mody Road area.

If the Park Hotel is still there, that's where I had my first experience of a real smorgasbord. There used to be a Viking/Nordic restaurant that I had my taste of real good buffet.

Back in Nathan Road, it was great shopping at Shui Hing during Christmas time. It was fully decorated inside out. the Wing On stores with their coupons was great too.

I remember the explosion of the jeans with the Bang! Bang! stores and ice cream next to Lane Crawford.

I tell you... I did have lots of fun memories of Hong Kong with my family.

Edited January 4, 2006 by cfusion (log)

[Tae.Lee]

woohoo! i'm going to HK in about three weeks!

have to go back through all the old threads and put together a 'best of egullet HK' haha

[hzrt8w]

woohoo! i'm going to HK in about three weeks!

have to go back through all the old threads and put together a 'best of egullet HK' haha

←

When you come back, help us to put in your list of the best.

[wesza]

"Maxim's" is the most well known organization. It started with one location in the basement of the "Lane Crawford House" then opened a branch in the Arcade of the Mandarin Hotel, but originally was part of the Luk Hoi Tong Group that owned the "Luk Kwok Hotel" made famous in America featured in the movie "The World of Susie Wong", starring, "William Holden" and "Nancy Kwong"who both especially Nancy's parent's were good customers at "Lindy's". "Maxim's" is still owned by the "Wu" Family together with the "Hong Kong Land Company", apparently the World's Largest Real Estate Company.

Irwin,

You are very knowledgeable about HK restaurants. I used to spend Christmas in HK in the late 60s and I still remember some of the best I've had in my life such as:

... the best strawberry shortcake at Maxims

... the best fried ice cream at Lindy's

It's good to know that both are still there. Is the Lindy's in Kowlook (I think it was at J. Hotung House bldg.) I also had the best and largest chicken leg at a Japanese restaurant in the basement of Hyatt hotel in Nathan road. Is that still there?

I used to go on a 2nd floor where people played mahjong and I had the best Peking duck. Where would that be?

There used to be a Japanese department store in Hong Kong side where there's a good restaurant in its second floor at the very back of the store.

And, what is the huge toy store in Hong Kong side?

I do have to visit HK one of these days again.

←

[hzrt8w]

At that time Ocean Terminal was brand new and I think that was my first taste of what you would now call a "shopping mall".

←

Ocean Terminal was the first of its kind: a cruise ship terminal with shops and restaurants along the corridor. Even a Mercedes-Benz dealership! They placed an atomic clock in the big lobby area many years ago (not sure if they are still there).

I grew up in Tsim Sha Tsui, just a block away from Ocean Terminal. Before its present form, it used to be a pier owned by Kowloon Godown where my father used to work. The company sold off the pier/warehouse and the developers turned it into a shopping mall/passenger cruise ship terminal. Since then (40 years ago), Kowloon Godown gradually sold off most of its real estate (used to be warehouses back in the 30's to 60's). They became the present-day Marco Polo Hotel, Ocean Centre and such.

And the present-day Holiday Inn on Nathan Road... that piece of land was vacated for years and years (over 10 years at least) before they finally built the hotel. I don't know why.

And the present-day Tsim Sha Tsui East, the whole district used to be a pier for cargo ships too. They reclaim the entire piece of land and built and built more hotels and business complexes.

[wesza]

"Maxim's" is the most well known organization. It started with one location in the basement of the "Lane Crawford House" then opened a branch in the Arcade of the Mandarin Hotel, but originally was part of the Luk Hoi Tong Group that owned the "Luk Kwok Hotel" made famous in America featured in the movie "The World of Susie Wong", starring, "William Holden" and "Nancy Kwong"who both especially Nancy's parent's were good customers at "Lindy's". "Maxim's" is still owned by the "Wu" Family together with the "Hong Kong Land Company", apparently the World's Largest Real Estate Company.

Irwin,

You are very knowledgeable about HK restaurants. I used to spend Christmas in HK in the late 60s and I still remember some of the best I've had in my life such as:

... the best strawberry shortcake at Maxims

... the best fried ice cream at Lindy's

It's good to know that both are still there. Is the Lindy's in Kowlook (I think it was at J. Hotung House bldg.) I also had the best and largest chicken leg at a Japanese restaurant in the basement of Hyatt hotel in Nathan road. Is that still there?

I used to go on a 2nd floor where people played mahjong and I had the best Peking duck. Where would that be?

There used to be a Japanese department store in Hong Kong side where there's a good restaurant in its second floor at the very back of the store.

And, what is the huge toy store in Hong Kong side?

I do have to visit HK one of these days again.

←

cfusion:

Lindy's was not the place for "Fried Ice Cream" it originated in Hong Kong at Leo Landau's "Jimmy's Kitchen" that may still be located at "Hotung House". Sammy Van the head waiter at "Jimmy's Kitchen" brought Fried Ice Cream to Honolulu after he emigrated from Hong Kong and opened a Restaurant.

I opened the original "Lindy's East" on Hong Kong and owned the Lindy's in Kowloon and at the Peak Tram building in Hong Kong. When I left Hong Kong I sold my interest in Lindy's to Sandy Walker [grandson of Johnny Walker] and it's possible his family still owns the restaurant. The Japanese Restaurant was in the basement of the President Hotel and changed hands when it was sold and renovated into the Hyatt Hotel.

Maxim's has become so big that's it is apparently serving in excess of 500,000 meals daily at it's various Hong Kong locations that's not counting all the Starbucks also operated by Maxims plus the Bakeries that export "Mooncakes" all over the world.

The "Toys R Us" store that opened in Ocean Terminal was one of the chains oldest stores as it wasn't long after they began business that it was decided to open a place in Hong Kong since lot's of the merchandise originated in Hong Kong. My brother-in-law was responsible for setting the stock on the exchange, ironically he also did the same for Starbucks stocks

The quasi-european style Coffee House's Restaurant Bakeries featured, HK Cream Cake, Chestnut Cake and Strawberry Short Cake all made with pure Whipped Cream. It may have changed formula thru the years.

My favorite blankets [still being used] were purchased at Diamaru Department Store in Causeway Bay across the street from "Ruby's Restaurant" that sold the largest volume of Rotisserie Chicken then anywhere else in the world and became after opening in Taiwan the first place serving Chicken and Cantonese Dim Sum in Taiwan followed by Blue Sky and the Central Hotel where we consulted thru Eric Cumine Associates the architect who did all those projects including the Ocean Terminal where Maxims owned the Oceania Restaurant.

The most comprehensive up to date posting about "Hong Kong Foods in General" is now on eGullet with a thread started by "canuckhead" who did a excellent report, he also is very knowledgeable about Vancouver, BC Restaurants. His report is very current since it's about his visit during Christmas. Sorry I'm not computer competent enough to post a link.

Irwin

[Tae.Lee]

here's the thread:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=80586

[jeanlim]

Hi anniewood,

I knew about 'Q' and that hotpot place, but not Man Jiang Hong - thanks for the suggestion! I love dumplings.... also good to know about that shop selling Sichuan ingredients.

I used to go to 'Q' and really enjoyed the food. Unfortunately, I went there recently and they seem to have been replaced by another restaurant. Any idea where they have migrated to?

[HKDave]

jeanlim, I also heard about Q having moved, and I don't know their new location. If I find them, I'll PM you.

[aprilmei]

jeanlim, I also heard about Q having moved, and I don't know their new location.  If I find them, I'll PM you.

←

Are you talking about Q in Quarry Bay? I was their pastry chef when they opened. It's long gone - about two years ago it changed to Cafe Einstein and right now, they're closed because of renovations. I don't know if they're re-opening with a new name and concept or it will still be Cafe Einstein.

[peter_nyc]

I'll be in HK in a few weeks and I plan on spending an evening at Da Ping Ho, which seems to have quite the consensus here as an excellent Sichuan outpost. Trouble is, I can't find an address OR telephone number to place a reservation! Can anybody please help me out?!

Thanks!

[peter_nyc]

Well, it appears that google is quite sensitive when it comes to spellings of foreign names (of restaurants). In this case, a missing 'u' led to absolutely no info... needless to say I figured out my error and am all set with an address and phone number!

[jeanlim]

Are you talking about Q in Quarry Bay? I was their pastry chef when they opened. It's long gone - about two years ago it changed to Cafe Einstein and right now, they're closed because of renovations. I don't know if they're re-opening with a new name and concept or it will still be Cafe Einstein.

←

The Q I knew was in Wan Chai and sold wonderful szechuan food. I am not too sure about pastries although I remember them having some sort of deep fried yam ball.

[HKDave]

Are you talking about Q in Quarry Bay? I was their pastry chef when they opened. It's long gone - about two years ago it changed to Cafe Einstein and right now, they're closed because of renovations. I don't know if they're re-opening with a new name and concept or it will still be Cafe Einstein.

←