Hong Kong Restaurant Recommendations

[annachan]

One place I do really like and have been going there since child is Spring Deer over in Kowloon. I've always love the Peking duck and shark fin soup there.

[hzrt8w]

We are going to VN for three weeks in November and stopping in HK for three days.  We would love any recommendations for restaurants and key places to see in HK in only three days.

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nycfoodie:

Where (what area) will you/family be staying in Hong Kong?

Can you order in Cantonese or Mandarin or some Chinese dialects?

What kind of Chinese food would please you most? Stir-fried entres? Cantonese noodle soups? Hot pots? Clay pot dishes? Or other non-Cantonese varieties?

Would you be willing to taste street food?

[hzrt8w]

If you have time, browse through some of the blogs by Chaxiubao:

http://chaxiubao.typepad.com/chaxiubao/eat...kong/index.html

He is local in Hong Kong. I enjoy his blog immensely. If you are not familiar with the locations of some of the restaurants, we can help you.

[HKDave]

I suggest you start here http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=63558 and follow Pan's links in the second post of that thread for more info.

[nycfoodie]

We are going to VN for three weeks in November and stopping in HK for three days.  We would love any recommendations for restaurants and key places to see in HK in only three days.

←

nycfoodie:

Where (what area) will you/family be staying in Hong Kong?

Can you order in Cantonese or Mandarin or some Chinese dialects?

What kind of Chinese food would please you most? Stir-fried entres? Cantonese noodle soups? Hot pots? Clay pot dishes? Or other non-Cantonese varieties?

Would you be willing to taste street food?

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We don't know where we'll be staying, any suggestions? I don't speak any Chinese dialect at all but I'm thinking that I might bring one of those translators thingmajiggy and everyone tells me that we can rely on English to get by. Would you disagree? Should I try to learn a few things, at minimum names of some of my favorite Chinese dishes

We love all Chinese food, but especially seafood. We're going to be VN and I think our meals will be mostly street food. I was there earlier in April and found that most street food was more simple and tasty than the fancy restaurants. (Can I say I love VNmese street food! I think I gain 10lbs in the two weeks I was there.) My problem with the fancy places was that they have great service and more like what we can expect at Western restaurants but they tend to have fusion touches to them which is so tiring in NYC. We just want a real authentic experience. When I go to Chinatown, I love to go to those little holes in wall with congee and noodles and roast meats as well as the huge dim sum places with all the carts so we can communicate with our hands.

Is there any absolute do not miss place? And what do you think of those home restaurants that I've been reading so much about? Is that a must do and can we make reservations at those or do we just show up?

I'm so glad I stumbled on to this site, there is so much good info here.

[aprilmei]

If you love seafood, you're in luck, sort of. Hong Kong has fabulous seafood but unfortunately, we're now in the middle of a mainland fish and eel scare - the fisheries in China have been found to be using a banned substance called malachite green. Fortunately, we also get a lot of fish from other countries so that should be fine - I would just stay away from eel at the moment because most of it is imported from China.

If you have time, go to one of the outlying areas for seafood. Lamma, Cheung Chau and Lei Yu Muen are all good but I prefer the latter. There are lots of seafood vendors there. You first find your restaurant (I always go to the very end one in Lei Yu Muen) and sit down at your table. Then you go find a seafood vendor, pick from all the fabulous stuff available, tell him how you want it cooked and where you're eating (oh, and better check the price, first! it can get expensive) then go back to the restaurant. You don't pay the seafood vendor, you pay it all at the end, at the restaurant. I recommend squilla (aka "pissing prawns" because they squirt water) - they're delicious and unusual - you won't find them everywhere. They look like prehistoric lobsters. Also the lobsters and crabs are excellent here. In Lamma and Cheung Chau, the restaurants have their own seafood tanks so it's a little easier. Oh, try the cuttlefish, too - they're these really cute little creatures and they taste delicious. All the seafood is fresh - in other words, alive. Some tourists get freaked out by that.

Oh, and if you have time, get over to Macau. Really excellent food at great prices. It's mostly Macanese/Portuguese food but you can also get good Chinese, including seafood. You don't need a visa but don't forget to bring your passport. And if you want a good French meal, go to Robuchon a Galera. The HK$288 three-course set lunch is a great deal for the quality of food. It's a luxurious experience and it has the best (and most reasonably priced) wine list in the region. It's in a hotel called the Hotel Lisboa, which is .... not very elegant. (to put it nicely).

I'm on deadline so gotta go now, but I can give you some names and phone numbers of private restaurants later. They're quite fun but at some of them you have to book way in advance.

[Yuki]

Our family used to go to Lei Yu Muen for seafood but recently we have been going to Lau Fau Shan. We go to the Happy Seafood Restaurant(you can't miss it because it is right beside the bus stop with fish tanks in front of the store). It is a bit harder to get to than Lei Yu Muen but it is a great place to go. After you are done with the seafood meal, walk along the narrow street to the seaside. On your way, you will see lots of vendors selling dried seafood. I really like the traditional oyster sauce(it is quite different from commercial oyster sauce since it is thinner and has a much stronger oyster flavor) and golden dried oysters(between fresh and dried oyster, you can pan fried them and dip in sugar to eat, November is not exactly the best month to get the golden oyster but it is still okay, you need to wait until December and January for the best). Once you get to the seaside, you will see stalls cooking oysters, shells, and sting ray over charcoal.

Recommendation for ordering in Happy Seafood Restaurnt

Shrimps

-if you like small and sweeter shrimp, get the plain boiled nine shrimp(it is only available in Lau Fau Shan)

-if you like bigger shrimp, pick some out of the tank and ask them to pan fried it with soya suace

Squilla, cook it in the traditional way with lot of garlic and chili or try their sweet sauce.

Soft shell crab should be appearing in November so try some

Shells

-scallop steamed with garlic and vermicelli

-a type of stick shape shell, steam it with black bean and garlic

Fish

-if you like a more delicate fish then pick a small fish for steaming

-our family like bigger fish but we are often not able to finish the huge fish but restaurant might sometimes portion out the fish for sale. If you are able to get a portion, ask them to prepare it in two style(stir fry the meat and deep fry the bony part and put it in a dark sauce.)

If there is any dish or food that you particularly want to try, I can send their Chinese name to you so you can show it to the vendor.

[infernooo]

Hi there!

I have been to Hong Kong 7 times over the past 7 years (usually once per year.. sometimes twice), and as a fellow foodie (and a dedicated shopper), it is a truly terrific place. When I last went in August (this year), the sales were insane regularly seeing 90% off already cheap prices. Anyways, back to food.

We are going to VN for three weeks in November and stopping in HK for three days.  We would love any recommendations for restaurants and key places to see in HK in only three days.

We don't know where we'll be staying, any suggestions?  I don't speak any Chinese dialect at all but I'm thinking that I might bring one of those translators thingmajiggy and everyone tells me that we can rely on English to get by.  Would you disagree?  Should I try to learn a few things, at minimum names of some of my favorite Chinese dishes

Forget the translator, English is one of the national languages, and most people you will interact with will speak some english (most people in shops, restaurants etc speak english VERY well). Even for street food and hole in the wall family run restaurants/food shops, you can just point or 90% of the time they will have a menu with pictures that you can point at, or a menu with pictures AND english.

If you like remember the names of the chinese dishes, but you won't have any problems.

For a central location that is right next to the MTR (you use the MTR to get EVERYWHERE in Hong Kong) and a nice hotel, try the Kowloon Hotel (or Holiday Inn Golden mile for more $$ but larger rooms). Also, don't forget to buy an Octopus card as soon as you get the chance so that you can hop on a train whenever you want (just put it in the back of your wallet, and when you pass through the turnstiles, put your wallet down on the scanner).

You basically have 2 choices, Hong Kong Island, or Kowloon. I have always preferred Kowloon as a lot of the cheaper shopping is on Kowloon side, but further up towards the New Territories. It really is personal preference, some of my friends prefer staying on the island, but this usually means more expensive hotels (unless you stay way out near the airport, which is a pain in the a$$). For cute touristy paintings and collectables, goto Stanley markets, for non-touristy stuff, don't goto the Stanley markets. If you are going to HK only once, MAYBE go up to the peak just for the view and the trip there (similarly, the trip to stanley via bus is quite nice with all the winding roads and scenic views), but I never go back there as I personally thing its pretty lacking besides the views.

If you are interested in *cough* legit DVD's, software, games etc PM me.

Is there any absolute do not miss place?  And what do you think of those home restaurants that I've been reading so much about? Is that a must do and can we make reservations at those or do we just show up? 

I have one suggestion that has yet to fail me on my trips to HK. One time I was walking around Kowloon (Tsim Sha Tsui) and I wandered into a building known as ChungKing Mansion which appears to be an apartment complex (I guess you could call it that) on top of a pretty run-down shopping "centre" (once again, hard to describe it for what it really is) and it is packed with the local Indian population (HK has a decent sized Indian population) and indian fast-food & small indian restaurants.

The gem is on the first floor (up one flight of stairs) and on your left (The actual address is: 1/F., 103-104, Chung King Mansion, 40, Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Tel: 27225350, 27237618) and it is called "Swagat Indian Restaurant".

Compared to the surroundings, it really stands out (the surroundings are as mentioned earlier, quite run down and sub-standard), but this little restaurant really stands out like the gem it is. The same lovely people have been working there since I first went, and the food has been EXACTLY the same, which I really appreciate. Before I continue, if you dislike "Indian food", please, just please try it. If you don't like it, leave and go grab something from somewhere else, but give it a go, it is not the usual "westernised" British/American/Australian curry house style food where people go and eat it just to be "tough" or "manly" and see how much chilli they can digest, because in Hong Kong, this wouldn't last as Hongkee's (Hong Kongers) don't eat that way.

If I may, I would recommend TWO things that you try.. and FORGET all of the previous indian curries you have tried as I guarantee these are so much more subtle and properly spiced/seasoned. Get the Rogan Josh and the Mulligatawny (its not a heavy fatty coconut soup, its light & delicate, but still has body and really hits the spot), which has to be one of the few soups I have ever enjoyed in a restaurant.

OK I know what you are thinking... why goto HK & order Indian? because, as I said, there is a decent sized indian population there and I think its always worth seeing how things are done in other parts of the world.

IF you do decide to try this restaurant, as you are walking in, DO NOT take a flyer from any of the locals standing around handing them out (they are flyers for the indian restaurants), if you take JUST ONE, they will all surround you and try and give you their brochures/convince you to goto THEIR restaurant... and when there are 10 of them doing it at once, it can get quite scary. However, as long as you don't take the brochures, they won't bother you at all, just walk past them into the centre. Having said that, it is not dangerous in the slightest, or even sleazy/trashy. It is merely one of the many buildings that aren't maintained nearly as well as most western shopping centres (you will notice this a lot in HK when not in the huge shopping centres) and so it looks run down. The people inside are friendly and just trying to make a living by trying to advertise their restaurants. In fact, if you do say yes to one of them to goto their restaurant, they escort you up to it personally.

Now onto the cantonese food.

I only found this place last time, and I just happened to choose their award winning dish by accident (only found out later), which won the "Best Beef" dish in all of Hong Kong (apparently judged by a panel of culinary wizards). If you decide to take this suggestion, and I urge you to, the dish is called "Crispy Juicy Stewed Beef". (Check it out http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/bob/20...g_beef_1.jhtml). The restaurant is called "Tai Woo Restaurant", and you will find it at 27 Percival Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong (for directions, Take the MTR to Causeway Bay, take MTR Exit C, then turn left and walk along Lockhart Road to Percival Street, you will see a big neon sign advertising it as "Tai Woo Seafood Restaurant" or something similar to that).

Finally, probably the most famous restaurant is the Fook Lam Moon http://www.fooklammoon-grp.com/chi/index.htm (53-59 Kimberley Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon or 35-45 Johnston Rd in Wan Chai) Restaurant. This is cantonese at its most luxurious (and perhaps most expensive).

If however, you are a street food/cheap restaurant fanatic, whilst browsing the markets, there is no shortage of stalls selling grilled fish & squid balls, grilled meat balls, steamed snacks, sugar cane juice etc. The good thing about HK is, there are so many restaurants, its unbelievable that they could all get business, but they do, and so look out for the ones packed with families and locals, avoid the sandwich shops, KFC & mcdonalds (stuff you can get at home) and a chain of restaurants called the Spaghetti House. If you are an absolute coffee fanatic, there are starbucks everywhere now, but quality is questionable.

Also avoid steak houses... unless you want to pay US$30 for a steak (it may be big... but $30!?) because all of the prime meat is imported.

Personally, I think the hole in the wall noodle shops are the best (usually called congee & noodle shops), you get a big bowl of steaming noodles/congee with whatever you like (I would recommend the squid/fish balls, meatballs, cha siu, salted fish roe etc). From experience, the japanese restaurants are sub-standard, as are the italian, korean and french-asian fusion ones. The vietnamese restaurants are quite good (quite authentic, but since you will have been to VN, I would stick with local food), thai is OK, but I think that since you are Hong Kong, eat what the locals have been eating for so long & go with Cantonese food. If you have any problems finding good local places (which you shouldn't), just ask some of the hotel employees (if you stay at a hotel that is) where they like to eat.

Anyways, I have just realised I have almost written an entire essay... sorry about the long windedness of my post, but I love HK & everything about it (the people are the best, there is NO condescendence from shop keepers whatsoever, and the people are just so nice), they love their food, clothes, electronics and most importantly, food (as do I).

Edited September 14, 2005 by infernooo (log)

[Yuki]

I have one suggestion that has yet to fail me on my trips to HK. One time I was walking around Kowloon (Tsim Sha Tsui) and I wandered into a building known as ChungKing Mansion which appears to be an apartment complex (I guess you could call it that) on top of a pretty run-down shopping "centre" (once again, hard to describe it for what it really is) and it is packed with the local Indian population (HK has a decent sized Indian population) and indian fast-food & small indian restaurants.

The gem is on the first floor (up one flight of stairs) and on your left (The actual address is: 1/F., 103-104, Chung King Mansion, 40, Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Tel: 27225350, 27237618) and it is called "Swagat Indian Restaurant".

Compared to the surroundings, it really stands out (the surroundings are as mentioned earlier, quite run down and sub-standard), but this little restaurant really stands out like the gem it is. The same lovely people have been working there since I first went, and the food has been EXACTLY the same, which I really appreciate. Before I continue, if you dislike "Indian food", please, just please try it. If you don't like it, leave and go grab something from somewhere else, but give it a go, it is not the usual "westernised" British/American/Australian curry house style food where people go and eat it just to be "tough" or "manly" and see how much chilli they can digest, because in Hong Kong, this wouldn't last as Hongkee's (Hong Kongers) don't eat that way.

If I may, I would recommend TWO things that you try.. and FORGET all of the previous indian curries you have tried as I guarantee these are so much more subtle and properly spiced/seasoned. Get the Rogan Josh and the Mulligatawny (its not a heavy fatty coconut soup, its light & delicate, but still has body and really hits the spot), which has to be one of the few soups I have ever enjoyed in a restaurant.

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I think I know about the famous(or rather infamous...) building that you are talking about. That building is known for its inexpensive room, and concentration of non-Chinese people. I've been warned by relatives not to go there by myself and must be accompanied by a group of people. The restaurant in there that is known by Hong Kongers would be the The Delhi Club. I think The Delhi Club are not authentic (but it still taste good) since most of their clients are not Indian. If you really want the true Indian flavor then just go to the little Indian store at the ground level and get a rice box(You only see Indian people lining there, unlike the restaurant where they have Chinese, American, and Japanese). You are also right about Hong Kongers not liking strongly flavored food.... but I guess the authentic restaurant would stay with the local Indian population and adventurous Hong Kongers.

I would recommend a website for the largest amount of restaurant reviews in Hong Kong. Most people write their review in Chinese but some do it in English. The site can be navigated using both Chinese and English.

Open Rice

Edited September 14, 2005 by Yuki (log)

[Cha xiu bao]

Hi NYC Foodie

Why come to HK for Indian Food??

Try Tai Wing Wah Teahouse in Yuen Long. The queue for dinner there is freakingly long. So go there at 5:30 pm to join the starving line. Try the 'steamed rice with lard and soy sauce.'

Try also the Lin Heung Teahouse in Central, which is easier to access for you as a traveler than Yuen Long. Near the end of Willington Street. Go there early for a dim sum lunch. Sit with the locals. No more City Hall Maxim Teahouse as told by the guidebooks...

Don't forget, of coz', the chachannteng. Like a bistro or cafe in Paris, this is what you ought to try when you're in HK.

[Tepee]

I would recommend a website for the largest amount of restaurant reviews in Hong Kong. Most people write their review in Chinese but some do it in English. The site can be navigated using both Chinese and English.

Open Rice

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Yuki dear, how does one access the site in English? My chinese is not velly good leh.

[Yuki]

I would recommend a website for the largest amount of restaurant reviews in Hong Kong. Most people write their review in Chinese but some do it in English. The site can be navigated using both Chinese and English.

Open Rice

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Yuki dear, how does one access the site in English? My chinese is not velly good leh.

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Okay, I can't help with that part....they do have most of the important stuff in English on the side bar and such. But since they have no control in what language people write the review in, it is up to you to find the English review

I know that even in the Chinese version, they have some people posting in English too. I wonder if the post that is made in English will also go on the openrice English page(most likely not)??

You can also go to the other English version of the openrice site, but of course it won't be as comperhensive since there are much less people writing in english. Here is the english version.

Open Rice English

[Tepee]

Thank you! Muahhhhh!

[Yuki]

Thank you! Muahhhhh!

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I think the English site does not represent the current food trend in HK.... How can TGI's Friday be voted as one of the best restaurants in a couple of categories?

[hzrt8w]

That's what I love about this forum. Every few months or so, someone will prompt for recommendations on restaurants and places to visit during a trip to Hong Kong or elsewhere in China. We all got together and offered our experiences. And at times debated each other about the choices. And in the end, the persons requesting recommendations often ended up getting something entirely different during the trip. And what a fun exercise! Here we go again...

[hzrt8w]

We don't know where we'll be staying, any suggestions?  I don't speak any Chinese dialect at all but I'm thinking that I might bring one of those translators thingmajiggy and everyone tells me that we can rely on English to get by.  Would you disagree?  Should I try to learn a few things, at minimum names of some of my favorite Chinese dishes

←

A good friend of mine just made a trip last October (2004) and stayed at Prudential Hotel Hong Kong:

Some info here for Prudential Hotel Hong Kong

She paid only around US $70/night - but that was off-season rate.

She also recommend checking out: Tatami Hampton Hotel Hong Kong on expedial.com. I just checked on Expedia and they offer standard room for US $58/night. Supposed to be a 19-story hotel. Should be okay. She said the rate is so low perhaps because they are grand-opening. When I looked around Expedia, most hotel rooms range from US$100 to $200.

Anyway... Prudential Hotel is at a very convenient location along Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui. It is not at the tip of Kowloon Peninsula but pretty close to it (10 minutes walking). It is on top of a MTR (Hong Kong's subway) station, very convenient. And it is very close to MongKok (2 MTR stations away) and the famous "Temple Street" where the night market is. If you want to do your tourist thing and experience hotel cafe, great view of the Victoria Harbor, excellent service and all that, go down to the tip of Tsim Sha Tsui (1 MTR station away or 10 minutes walking along Nathan Road). If you want to experience the real "local" stuff, head the other direction along Nathan road to Mongkok - the heart of the Kowloon central shopping district. You will find plenty of local eateries offering the common, day-to-day local food. Also, plenty of street food along the Temple Street area at night.

Also bear in mind that in recent years, food courts inside shopping malls are in. They are kind of like the hawker centres in Singapore and the food courts in the USA. You can do your visual shopping around different vendors before deciding what to eat.

Since I don't live there any more and my last visit was 6 years ago, it's hard for me, or anyone to make specific recommendation based on memory unless one lives there. Businesses in Hong Kong has a very quick turn over rate. In 3 to 4 years things can be totally different. Of course the good ones can last 10, 20, 30 (or longer) years...

Yes, English will get you by. But if one knows how to order in Cantonese, it can be more specific.

[hzrt8w]

Hi NYC Foodie

Why come to HK for Indian Food??

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That's my feeling exactly!

Hong Kong is the capital city of the best Cantonese cuisine. So why try to find subpar Indian food, Italian food, steak, Korean, Japanese, whatever... during a limited-time visit?

From my perspective, it's always like ordering a steak while in Boston and ordering a lobster dish while in Dallas.

And the answer is always like: I want a variety! We can have dim sum for only so many days... (but Cantonese food is not just all about dim sum...)

[Laksa]

Try Tai Wing Wah Teahouse in Yuen Long. The queue for dinner there is freakingly long. So go there at 5:30 pm to join the starving line. Try the 'steamed rice with lard and soy sauce.'

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Hi Cha xiu bao,

"steamed rice with lard and soy sauce" sounds interesting. Does the dish have any ingredient besides rice, lard and soy sauce?

Or is that something you order instead of plain steamed rice?

[Cha xiu bao]

Try Tai Wing Wah Teahouse in Yuen Long. The queue for dinner there is freakingly long. So go there at 5:30 pm to join the starving line. Try the 'steamed rice with lard and soy sauce.'

←

Hi Cha xiu bao,

"steamed rice with lard and soy sauce" sounds interesting. Does the dish have any ingredient besides rice, lard and soy sauce?

Or is that something you order instead of plain steamed rice?

←

The three is the only ingredients. You sort of toss them together in your clay bowl. A very old-fashion comfort food that you don't see often even in HK. I do have a thread about this dish in my blog so go and take a glance. I would call them the Trinity of Steamed Rice... haha!

Other than that, you may try their sweets like steamed sponge cake with custard, starchy steamed buns with custard and etc. For the mains you may try five-flavored braised chicken, steamed grey carp (from fish farms in Yuen Long), stir-fried vermiceli in village style, and so forth. Almost all the dishes are above standard. Look at the local crowds and you know you can't be wrong.

[Yuki]

Rice served with lard and soya sauce is something that lots of Hong Kongers grew up with in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Since people are so poor back then, anything can be served on the table. For my mom, one of her greatest joy in childhood would be her mother buying a block of lard. Grandma would fry the lard in some oil and after a while, all the pork fat would come out. The lard is then cooled down, then it would be placed on hot rice with some soya sauce.

I went to Tai Wing Wah but I didn't think their lard was flavorful. My mom told me that they probably used the dripping oil from the roasted meat, therefore it should be more flavorful than regular lard but it was not. I like Taii Wing Wah for its value, atmosphere, and the old style dishes. The chicken is one of the best deal in town(for around HK$50, you get a whole chicken, can't really complain about that although it is still missing the some chicken flavor), the dessert(I love the salty eggs in their thousand layer cake, not sure if they still have the salty egg in there), and all the fat. They are not afraid to use fat there so you will see lots of pork neck meat (super fatty), lard, salty egg, and fat.

I think most of the good food in HK are either concentrated in the Hong Kong Island(the traditional richer area, but the food aren't necessarily expensive because the quality is very high) and future up in the New Territories(the best place to find cheap and good food). I live in Kowloon and it is not as easy to find good food here...... I remember living with my counsin for a couple days in the New Territories and all those nice noodles shop 10min walk from the house.

If you are looking for a more rough style of dinning in Hong Kong. I would recommend Tung Po in the top level of the market building in North Point. They are close to the tai pai don style but they just have a roof on top of them. The place is clean and it is close to the MTR station, so I think you can go there with little trouble(print out the address and ask people if you need to). Even though they are Chinese, but they are quite creative and always come up with some new dishes. Some food that I like from them:

Salty Egg Yolk Fried Shrimp

Fried Chicken with Garlic

Fried Pork Feet (this is the best )

Cold Pork with Garlic

Stir Fried soft bones of chicken

Fried Rice and noodles (any place that have good dishes would have good starches since it is the fundamental part of good cooking)

I think they have fried durian now..... and I didn't know about it when I was there.

I must try it next time, if they haven't completely changed the special by then. My mom thinks I am going crazy now since I keep talking about all the food that I would like to eat next summer. I can't find a place that have good pig feet in Calgary and I miss them.

[Jaymes]

I think the English site does not represent the current food trend in HK.... How can TGI's Friday be voted as one of the best restaurants in a couple of categories?

Yeah, like the way olden days when one was told that the place to go in Hong Kong was the San Francisco Steak House.

Although I will add that at the time, I was living in Hong Kong. When one lives in a place, it's a little different than what one eats when one is traveling in search of an authentic experience.

I did go to the San Francisco Steak House on occasion, and was glad to get a taste of 'home.' And a break from Chinese food.

Much like, I suppose, Chinese folks living in Omaha. Doubt they eat only US certified beef, just because that's where they happen to be planted at the time.

Edited September 16, 2005 by Jaymes (log)

[hzrt8w]

I went to Tai Wing Wah but I didn't think their lard was flavorful. My mom told me that they probably used the dripping oil from the roasted meat, therefore it should be more flavorful than regular lard but it was not. .....

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I am not very clear...

What is "lard" exactly? Is it the raw pork fat? Or the liquid oil extracted from pork fat (Gue Yau [Cantonese])? Or the oil solidified? (Gue Yau Goh [Cantonese])? Is there some lump of meat attached to the fat or pure fat?

[prasantrin]

Hi NYC Foodie

Why come to HK for Indian Food??

←

That's my feeling exactly!

Hong Kong is the capital city of the best Cantonese cuisine. So why try to find subpar Indian food, Italian food, steak, Korean, Japanese, whatever... during a limited-time visit?

As one of those who has visited HK and eaten things other than Cantonese food, one reason (other than variety) for eating other foods is because Cantonese food is often served family style, with large portions meant to be shared. As someone who traveled to HK alone, it was very difficult to find good Cantonese restaurants which could accomodate a single diner (in terms of food portions). That meant when I ate at a Cantonese restaurant, I had to eat a lot of just one thing, and deal with left-overs. Granted, I could have chosen to order more dishes, and just had a lot of left-overs, but I was only there for two or three days and was much poorer back then.

...We can have dim sum for only so many days...  (but Cantonese food is not just all about dim sum...)

Dim sum was the one thing that I enjoyed alone in HK, since I could order more than one thing and be able to finish everything.

My only recommendation would be to find Luk Yu Teahouse. I really enjoyed it, even though at that time I could only order by pointing to pictures of dishes that looked good (at that time, they only had carts until 11 or so, and after that you ordered from a menu, only written in Chinese). If I ever go to HK again, I'd try to find Luk Yu again.

edited to fix an open quote

Edited September 16, 2005 by prasantrin (log)

[hzrt8w]

......  As someone who traveled to HK alone, it was very difficult to find good Cantonese restaurants which could accomodate a single diner (in terms of food portions).  That meant when I ate at a Cantonese restaurant, I had to eat a lot of just one thing, and deal with left-overs.  Granted, I could have chosen to order more dishes, and just had a lot of left-overs, but I was only there for two or three days and was much poorer back then.

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I am not sure if I can agree with that.

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...

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).

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.

[anzu]

Well, I've also eaten in the Indian places in Chungking Mansions. For me, the reason is that my husband is Indian, and I've lived in India, and I find it interesting to compare the different types of food.

I also stayed (alone, and as a female) in Chungking Mansions several times. I had no money and it was the cheapest place to stay, and very conveniently located also. This was more than ten years ago, maybe it has been cleaned up since then. However, at that time it WAS sleazy. At first I thought it was just run-down, but then one time I was going in from a side entrance, and someone was lying dead in that very entrance from a drug overdose, with the needle still hanging out of their arm. There were also small shops selling sex toys and such like near the smaller entrances (these entrances are not immediately visible, but still...)

It's also a major fire hazard, with all kinds of flammable rubbish piled in the stairwells. Another, earlier, time I was staying there, there was a big fire in maybe the second floor. The only reason I knew was that I had a room facing the street (unusual, most of the rooms face onto unspeakably vile light shafts with decades worth of filthy gunk thrown down them), and could see the smoke drifting past and, looking down, could see that traffic on Nathan Road had been blocked off and that people were staring at the building. There was, of course, no actual fire alarm. If the fire had got out of control, most of the people in the building would probably have died as there would have been no warning whatsoever to get out. (hint here, if you ever have to leave a building that is on fire, take a novel and a list of the restaurants you want to visit, as it will probably be hours before you can get back into the building. ).

As far as the ethnicity of the people living there is concerned: although it looks like one large building from the ground and second floor, it is actually five separate towers. One of them - I forget which - has a higher concentration of Indians, but the others mostly had Chinese (Cantonese, and also quite a lot of Shanghainese). It's a mixture of apartments, hotels, and tiny factories. Most of the Indian restaurants are no higher than the third floors, and can often be reached only via the staircases and not via the elevators - they are situated at a type of mezzanine level within the staircases.

Bottom line: maybe the building has been cleaned up and is less sleazy, and maybe the food in this restaurant is good. However, based on what I know of the place, I would never go there with kids along. Not even for a good meal.