A Canuck in HK

[canucklehead]

I was in HK this Christmas visiting with family. Very low key stuff and we went to eat at very typical HK places. Nothing (too) fancy - I took alot of pictures, so I thought I would share. Hope you enjoy.

As you can see - HK is a very vertical city. Though HK is very urban, less that half of the available land is actually developed. So - there are parts of the city are very rural as well. It makes for an interesting dichotomy - a mix of high sophistication and rural rusticness. BTW - the tall IFC building in the picture breaks every zoning law in HK. As with Vancouver, there are view corridors and height restrictions that are supposed to preserve the view of the mountains in the background. Obviously - somehow - it did not apply to this new building.

HK people love spending their money - believe it or not - this sign was posted up at the new IFC mall - the swankiest new mall in HK.

Edited January 4, 2006 by canucklehead (log)

[canucklehead]

Because of the English colonial history - there are alot of places that serve western food with a heavy HK spin.

One place that we always hit is the Australian Dairy Co.

You get the most buttery rich softly scramble eggs with thick slabs of buttered toast. Or my other favorite would be an egg sandwich with canned corned beef (you know - the Argentinain stuff that melts when heated).

I think the reason why the scrambled eggs are so rich is because of extra yolks that are not needed when making their famous custards. The white one is a milk custard - all warm and soothing, the yellow one is an egg custard that is sharpened with ginger syrpup.

We must have eaten here 5 or 6 times. You are in and out very very fast and the waiters look like they work as gang enforcers on the side. No one dares mess with them or dawdle when you are done with your meal. I've haven't had a bad egg here yet.

[canucklehead]

When the weather is cool - I like to have congee in HK. The best I think is in Sheung Wan (Western District) - Wong Kee. The place is a tiny sliver of a restaurant tucked inside one of the many alleyways in the area.

I like to play it safe and get the beef and pork meat balls congee. You get a dipping sauce of soy, ginger, and scallions to dip you meat balls. They are delicous - with watercress chopped right into the meat balls - they have a freshness that keeps them from being too rich. My brother gets the mixed bowl - which includes a variety of organ meats. Though they may not be pretty to look at - the ingredients are always impeccably clean and fresh. If they were not - nobody would eat there. Its a very competive market.

I know... I would'nt eat it either.... I guess my Canadian squeemishness is showing.

[canucklehead]

I saw these signs in an HK subway station. I did'nt whether to laugh or cry... but really - no one eats dog in HK (proper) or takes bear bile. At least nobody I know.

Edited January 4, 2006 by canucklehead (log)

[annachan]

Thanks for sharing those great photos. I think it's about time for me to plan another trip to Hong Kong for some yummy food....

[canucklehead]

One of my standbys in HK is the Farm House in the AIA Center in Causeway Bay. They specialize in home style Cantonese cooking - and I love it! The ingredients are top notch and home cooking methods are taken to a new level.

They always sneak some small appetizer in - they just put these down on your table without being asked and they you are charged for them. No matter - they were delicous - braised beef shin and steamed bitter melon.

This is one of their signiture dishes - boneless chicken wings stuffed with sticky rice. It is fantastic.

Though we ordered a number of things - I like the homey style stuff the best. Steamed eggs with mixed seafood topping. Steamed pork cheeks (jowls) with preserved mustard greens. The pork jowls are chosen because they have a very springy texture.

Did not splurge on Bird's Nest - but this steamed whole papaya filled with hot almond cream was a perfect way to end the meal. They also do a very good hot walnut cream - rich and nutty.

Edited January 4, 2006 by canucklehead (log)

[Yuki]

Thanks for the report and haunting me with those pictures. I would like to get a decent bowl of pork feet noodle and mixed pork organ congee in Calgary.

I just have to wait for 4 more months before going back for the summer....

[canucklehead]

HK has large Indian and Muslim population - mostly centered around the Tsim Tsai Tsui.

Chungking Mansions is famous for being a bit of a warren of lawlessness - but really - it is not that bad. It is full of Indian and Halal restaurants but I have to admit I have not gone to any of them.

I did pick up some things from one of the stalls from the ground floor.

I had a samosa and a bag full of egg plant fritters. Fresh, hot, tasty and cheap - can't get much better than that.

I love the fact that all the Indians in the area speak perfect Cantonese... it really freaks out the local Chinese and keeps their little racist comments in check.

Edited January 4, 2006 by canucklehead (log)

[Mooshmouse]

Lee, I'm glad to see that you still eat like a rock star even when you're NOT in Vancouver!

I know we spoke about this earlier today but, for the benefit of our fellow eGulleters, how does Vancouver's Chinese food scene stack up against what you found in HK?

[peppyre]

Holy crap Lee! That is some impressive food. Looking forward to more.

Since I'm fairly certain that Hong Kong is a city I will never travel too, this is quite an inside peak into the dining scene.

I have to ask, were you eating 3 dinners a night?

[canucklehead]

Another place that I love is Chong Fat in Kowloon City. They specialize in chiuchow food - lots of braised and fried things. Kowloon City used to be in the flyzone of the old airport - so most of the old buildings are very low - but already some new development has moved in with 40 and 50 story condo towers.

Chong Fat has been around for decades - and I hope they stay around for decades more. But as real estate gets more pricey... well the economics get tougher.

I love all the things on display for you to pick and choose your meal. The crab you seel is called flower crab... it is tasty with good amounts of tomalley - but did not get a chance to eat any this time.

You always start out with some nice homemade pickles and 'kung fu' tea. I used to think that the name had something to do with martial arts - but I was told it actually means 'alot of work' tea. I guess it is a pain in the ass to make.

Stirred fried gai lan with fried dace. Mixed fried items - including fried dumpings, taro roots and fish balls. If you don't like something deep fried - you will never like it.

This is my favorite chiu chow item - braised goose. The ribbons you see are the goose intestines - nothing goes to waste. It is served warm with a sharp vinegary garlicky dip - good!

Though it looks homely - I love chui chow style congee. Basically it is like soup with meat and veggies over rice. I can wolf it down in no time flat.

[canucklehead]

HK McDonald's Food.

I love the weird shit McDonald's makes for different markets.

Red Bean Pie, Taro Root Pie (in Guandong only)

The pies were delcious! First of they were deep fried (none of this BS psuedo healthy baked pies we get in Canada). Secondly - they were not too sweet. We also had a grilled chicken sandwich that was basically pressed thigh meat (juicy!) with as much mayonaise they could slather on it (not so sucessful).

During Chinese New Year -they have Red Bean and Green Bean Sundaes. Insanity! I love them.

[canucklehead]

This is the one most inavertently disturbing pieces of shope displays... only in the PRC baybeee!

A preserved meat shop in Guangdong

For some reason - they decided to dress up two of the preserved suckling pigs as newlyweds. They look like they have been preserved in mid-scream.... I think we all know what would have happend to Wilbur in China, regardless of what a stupid spider decided to write in her web.

[nakji]

Chungking Mansions is famous for being a bit of a warren of lawlessness - but really - it is not that bad. It is full of Indian and Halal restaurants but I have to admit I have not gone to any of them.

I had my first ever taste of Indian food here. I was visiting a friend in the city, and he took us to Khyber Pass, somewhere in the Mansions. It was incredible! I've had lots of curries since, but nothing compares to what I had there. (Granted, I've never been to India, so....grain of salt)The funniest part, however, was when we were all seated, the waiter suggested their specialty - Lamb Rogan Josh. The table - full of New Zealanders - shouted, "No Lamb!"

It's great to see all the pictures of the food..I must admit, I'm always overwhelmed with the choice of restaurants, and can never get up the nerve just to wander into some place. I'll definitely take your recommendations the next time I go.

[canucklehead]

One of the first meals I had this time in HK was something called "poon choi" or 'platter meal' to celebrate a Chinese holiday.

It is basically a rural style celebration dish where all the food is stacked into one platter and heated through and eaten. Vegetables and lotus root are put on the bottom to absorb the flavour as the other items warm through. There is chicken, various meat balls, pork belly... you get the idea.

It has only recently gotten popular outside of rural areas and large restaraunts like Maxim's will prepare platters to be taken home. The use of one platter dates back to when people in the country side did not have lots and lots of platters to hold all the different dishes for celebration meals - so the practice of stacking the food developed. By the end of the meal - you end up with rich sauce that you can use to cook vegetables in.

I found the meal interesting - but too rich. Still it was fun trying something new.

Edited January 4, 2006 by canucklehead (log)

[canucklehead]

The local Hong Kongers are fanatical about freshness. Most people will shop each day for something fresh (most people's homes have very small refrigerators).

Much of this shopping occurs in the local wet market... The government has been buidling large tiled markets for vendors to move into in order to improve cleanliness. Everything - including meat - is sold without refrigeration.

I must admit that when I lived in HK - I did not like going to the wet markets in the summers. The heat, humidity, and strong smells did not sit well with me. I guess that made me a girly man. The Cantonese do not shy away from the more nitty gritty aspects of food - animals are laid bare, fish killed at the very last moment, vegetables are piled high. You got to respect this pragmatism... when it comes to food... people in HK remain very connected to the ingredients of their meals.

Meat shops... note the hooved leg, I thought it would be something super exotic - turns out it is a goat leg.

Vegetable vendor, hot pot stand

Fish vendor (note how insanely fresh EVERYTHING is), noodle shop

Is it any wonder why new immigrants to Canada look at our supermarkets with bewilderment?

Edited January 4, 2006 by canucklehead (log)

[canucklehead]

Well - just to round things out - I did high tea at the Peninsula Hotel. To be honest, I prefer the Mandarin's tea - but they were shut down for major renovations - they have a very sparkly temporary location at the Landmark - but it was too cutting edge to have tea in.

To be honest - I have always found the Peninsula tea time to be a bit of a cattle call. The food is a little assembly line - but the service is top notch and it is actually very good value for money (C$ 50 for two people - compare that to the C$ 90 per head at the Empress in Victoria).

The tea set consists of various tiers of sweets, savories, and scones.

I got to admit that I am a sucker for hotel silver - don't know why. The devon cream that came with the scone tasted very cooked - very little dairy flavor. In fact, if you blindfolded me - I would have thought it was whipped butter.

This little dessert was the surprise hit. Basically a mocha granita on top of a tiramisu. Refreshing, light, yet rich at the same time.

[hzrt8w]

Leeeeeee!!!! That's too much to bear! Too much to bear!! Temptation is too much to bear!

I am very happy to you. Nice trip, great food. I won't have the chance to go back until 07 it looks like. Thanks for all your pictures. (Or perhaps I shouldn't... ).

[canucklehead]

... how does Vancouver's Chinese food scene stack up against what you found in HK?

←

The Chinese food in Vancouver and California stacks up very well against Hong Kong. Basically whereever you have Chinese people with disposable incomes - they will be very demanding of their food.

This was particulary borne out by dim sum - I found most 'everyday' places in HK to subpar to Vancouver - very greasy and heavy. However, if you are willing to get into more heavy duty spending - then HK will offer you an experience you cannot duplicate.

That being said, there was a place in Shenzen where the dim sum was outstanding and ridiculously reasonable. It is called the "Laurel" in the Shenzen mall just outside of the Lowu border.

The 'yu tiao' was the most crispy and delicous I have ever had - and in the rice roll - it was perfection. The lotus root cake was equally good - fresh ingredients, imaginately prepared, well handled.

In Hong Kong - I always make a point to go to Victoria Harbour in the Sun Hung Kai Center in Wanchai. I know many people like Fook Lum Moon also - but I never got to know their menu well enough.

This being Shanghai Hairy Crab Season (a lake crab eaten for it's tommaley) - I always get the Crab Roe Steamed Dumplings - they are bursting with crab roe and rich with pork - fantastic (they run about C$2 apiece). They serve it with a special black vinegar that brings out all of the natural sweetness of the roe. I also love the roast pork - perfectly roasted with light and dark meat - just the right amount of fat running through it.

This dish also suprised me - thin rice noodles fried with shredded pork - in the style of 'dry beef ho fun'. It was light tasting with lots of 'wok breath'.

As there wasn't enough people - I could not get the flower crab steamed in 'fa dui' wine. It is sweet and briny and delicous... and when you are done with the crab, they toss the rich sauce with noodles of your choice to finish the meal off. Ahhh - heavenly.

[canucklehead]

Right in the middle of Central (where most of the offices are) - there is a little coffee shop that has earned the nickname 'snake pit' - because it where office and government workers go slithering off to slack off.

It is famous for its 'chicken pie' - which seems more like an ham and onion pie in a insanely rich short crust. Still - the service is good and it is fun to hang out with all the other slackers.

Edited January 4, 2006 by canucklehead (log)

[canucklehead]

What's for breakfast?

Most HK people will drop into a coffee shop for breakfast.

You can get ramen noodles with thick slabs of bacon (I know - it seems weird to me that you would go to a restaurant to order instant noodles - but it works). My favorite is the hot pineapple bun with icy butter. Heaven!

Everything washed down with HK style tea. This thick sweet concoction came about because the local Chinese wanted to have milk and tea like the Brits did. The price was prohibtively high though - so a local restaurant came up with brewing a hyper strong cup of tea (with three different kinds of black tea) and adding evaporated milk for richness. Most locals add heaps of sugar to it.

I got to tell ya - once you develop a taste for it - you love the tea. And if you don't like it - you can blame the Brits.

[aprilmei]

I agree with you about the Peninsula tea - I also prefer the Mandarin. The Mandarin is closed for renovations for eight months but the one in the Landmark is another hotel entirely - it's not a temporary location. The Landmark Mandarin is much more expensive than the first - it's being marketed as a boutique hotel. A friend of mine went to the bar and ordered a coke - it cost HK$85! insane...

[makanmakan]

wow, thanks for sharing, lee! looks like a fantastic time was had eating your way through hong kon.

it's been years since i've been there and it's always interesting to see what other people eat when they visit. it's such a huge city with such choices in food. i do recognize the names of a few places you've mentioned though. not bad for a 9 year absence.

sooooo, the big questions is now, is the food better there or here? or is it completely different?

btw, love the mickeydee's visit for red bean pie!

Edited January 4, 2006 by makanmakan (log)

[Shiewie]

Thanks Lee for write-up and pics - love that jook, it looks really "meen". Am dreaming of a bowl right now ... with lots of deep-fried intestines yumm! .

[canucklehead]

aprilmei - thanks for the heads up... so it is about $USD 12 for a coke at the new Mandarin? Yikes is right.

Street Food you can have instead:

Tea eggs, steamed quail eggs

Various dim sum, black corn (which was very sweet, mealy, and almost licorishy)

A rice noodle maker in Guandong. I never thought about how hard these were to make until you watch someone do it.

Eclair and Cream Puff from Papa Bakery in the basement of Sogo.

Stinky tofu - which I smelled blocks away. Cold noodles in a BAG - truly repulsive.

Various things on sticks. Overstuffed Chicken Wings

Egg puffs (which I associate with food posioning). Egg Tarts from Honolulu Bakery in Central - soft, warm, delicous!

Okay - I admit it - I am completely off of street food. It is too scary. The only thing I took part in was the elcair and egg tart. Everything else just seemed like I might as well swab my insides with hepititis viruses.

Edited January 4, 2006 by canucklehead (log)