Archive for March, 2009

Lamma Island, Hong Kong.

March 31, 2009 at 6:23 am · Filed under Food, Travel


Idyllic Lamma Island

Even before I planned my HK trip itinerary I knew I wanted to head over to Lamma Island (南丫島). Afterall, quaint, peaceful, tranquil etc has all been used to describe this charming island. Furthermore, it’s only a 35 min ferry ride away from Hong Kong (Pier 4 at Central ) which we shared with mostly Caucasian kids and their Filipino maids (before realizing Lamma island is a haven for expats!). Our afternoon there was probably one of the most memorable excursion during our 4 day HK break where even the foggy weather we encountered gave way to clear blue skies. Reached the northern village, Yung Shue Wan (榕樹湾 or Banyan Tree Bay) and followed the picturesque walking trail towards the eastern village of Sok Kwu Wan (索罟湾). Due to the gorgeous weather, we decided to take a break near one of the pavilions along the trail to watch the sunset and it was definitely a humbling experience to see the island washed aglow in the golden light.

Most of the shops along the main street of Yung Shue Wan village sold food or souvenirs. We passed by this fella selling Egg Waffle Balls (鸡蛋仔), Waffles and Takoyaki balls and opted for the egg balls @ HKD 10 per portion.

The egg waffle balls were pretty interesting as it had a slight crisp crunch to it, yet was somewhat chewy and soft on the inside. Probably not the best in HK, but it sure made a nice snack as were walking down the street.

Having read on a touristy pamphlet that Lamma Island had great tofu fah (豆腐花), we spotted this eatery on the main street and decided to have tea here. Only one table was occupied by a bunch of locals and they were talking at the top of their voices but that only added to the charm of Lamma Island.

Had to have the specialty and ordered the tofu fah and leong fun (凉粉). The syrup on the tofu fah had a orangey-red tinge to it which we later found out was due to the ginger. Even the sugar was in the same shade of colour! Very smooth and not too sweet. And the leong fun was very refreshing.

As we made our way towards Hung Shing Yeh beach, we spotted this shack also selling tofu fah and then only realised that this was the famous Ah Po Tofu Fah that was mentioned. Haha. But we were quite pleased with what we had earlier and didn’t stop by.

Continued our walk and Hung Shing Yeh beach was gorgeous. Couldn’t resist climbing the rocks (even though I slipped and scratched my Ixus badly hence its new nickname – Scratchy) and sitting on them while soaking our feet in the ice cold water. By the time we reached Sok Kwu Wan after our few detours, it was already getting dark. Sok Kwu Wan is less picturesque than Yung Shue Wan as it’s more of a fish farm, lined with seafood restaurants. Even the ferries don’t run a frequent enough service here in comparison to Yung Shue Wan.

We still decided to experience seafood dining the HK way while waiting for the next ferry and chose Rainbow Seafood Restaurant (天虹海鲜酒家), the largest seafood restaurant there. And lucky we did as they ran their own ferry shutter back to HK and we managed to get a free ride back, while enjoying the brilliant night view of the HK skyline in the cool breeze.

It was fun picking out the live seafood from the tanks but we couldn’t afford to have much as we still planned to go to a couple of restaurants upon returning in HK. This plate of Flower Snails (花螺) was very fresh as it was scooped out from the tanks just mere minutes before being served. At HKD120.

This prawn dish was prepared with a dry garlicky soy sauce and was very yummy. This dish cost around HKD 180 for 4 large prawns.

Despite the steep price tags (in comparison to M’sian seafood lah), it was still quite a dining experience and the seafood can’t get any fresher as all of them were picked from the live tanks. Service too was top notch and the free ferry shutter def. helped.

Other review on Rainbow Seafood Resurant ;
- the gobble gazette
- asianish

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Congee Wonderland 知粥嘗樂 , Hong Kong

March 30, 2009 at 7:01 pm · Filed under Eating Out, Food, Travel, non-halal

It was the Chinese name that attracted me. with the same pronunciation as the chinese saying on contentment; “知足常乐” in which to know contentment and gratitude is to know happiness, it was quite a memorable name. it was just down the street on where I stayed in HK and I’d pass it on the way to the MTR station. Anyhow it was a place that served rice congee in fast food style. On our last day staying in HK island, we popped in for a quick bite and found out that they also served various c

Rice congee is very much the staple breakfast item as noodles and dim sum in HK. And for the uninitiated, rice congee is basically a very thin porridge, or rice gruel. Eaten with various condiments, the most well-known and popular of all is yau char kway (油炸鬼) or fried dough crullers.

The interior is very modern, a far cry from what you would expect of an old school congee eatery with its shimmery mosaics, and wood veneered booth seats, but very inviting and comfy nevertheless. The air-cond was switched on full blast, but the hot congee would soon warm one up.

We started off with zhar leung (炸兩), fried dough crullers encased in a thin sheet of cheong fun (肠粉) or rice rolls . The rice roll skin must be thin yet not break when picked up. It was alright but would have preferred crunchier dough crullers. Hehe.

I am sure those of you would have followed TVB dramas religiously would have heard of the “Teng Jai Jook” (艇仔粥) or Sampan Congee before. The story goes that boat people sold porridge with chockful of ingredients to passerbys and it became a specialty. The blend of ingredients included fish (碎魚肉), lean pork (瘦肉), jellyfish (海蜇), cuttlefish (魷魚), peanuts (花生), crunchy dough crullers etc and this version also included pig skin (豬皮) and some deep fried crunchy vermicelli. Tastewise, it was quite good as I love the almost paste like consistency but I found that the presentation was sloppy as the congee was overflowing.

Considering that it’s more a fast food place, the service is on the abrupt end, but still tolerable. And the choices of congee available is quite impressive for me, so if you’re around the area and rice gruel is your thing, do pop in. Apparently their claypot cheong fun dishes with curry or beef are quite popular too.

Congee Wonderland 知粥嘗樂
175, King’s Road,
Fortress Hill, Hong Kong.
北角炮台山英皇道175號
Open: 0630am – 2am

other reviews; (all in mandarin)
- openrice.com
- angelofsan
- goldenstar

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Fu Sing Dim Sum, Hong Kong.

March 26, 2009 at 6:39 am · Filed under Eating Out, Food, Travel, non-halal

i actually heard about this place only after reading pinkpau’s “guide to HK” and was curious to see how it fared in comparison to the old school dim sum places recommended so I went to seek it out. Got out at the Wanchai MTR station to find that Lockhart Road is actually quite a long stretch, with tile shops, bathroom ware shops etc lining the road and we were on the wrong side (better to come out of Causeway Bay MTR station). So we had to walk (much) further down to find Sunshine Plaza, which is in actual, quite nondescript.

Despite the walk down so many blocks, we were still a good 30 minutes early! They open only at 11am. The staff were only setting up the tables etc so we sat at the waiting area and twiddled our thumbs. Heh. However as soon as they were ready, we were ushered to a table near the window. And slowly, groups of dim sum lovers trickled in…

Instead of the usual peanuts and pickled vegetable appetisers we Malaysians are used to, we were given this small dish of chilli beancurd with cubed ham. A pleasant change and it tasted quite good. Was delighted to bite into the dark coloured cube to find that it was chinese ham. Yum.

I decided I wanted good ole chinese dim sum and ordered THE typical dishes of siew mai (烧卖) or pork dumplings, and har gao (虾饺); shrimp dumplings. As these were steamed upon order, waiting time is considerable.

Even the look of the siew mai entices with the yellow, green and orange. Packed tightly with minced pork, shrimp and vegetables, this was indeed a parcel of steamed deliciousness. The meat was juicy, with a bit of a crunch and topped with a pea, bits of salted egg and diced mushrooms.

The har gao was also wonderful with it’s very fresh prawns and translucent skin. Apparently a good shrimp dumpling pouch should have 7 to 10 pleats and I think this was achieved here.

Pinkpau also raved about the polo char siew bao (酥皮叉燒包) so I decided to go ahead and order it and I must admit I am glad I did! It’s really as good as she claims. The skin and texture of the bun is akin to a mexican bun’s and smells really aromatic and inviting. The warm, fluffy bun couple with the char siew filling is really enough to send any char siew bao lover to heaven.

As sang chow lor mai fun (生炒糯米饭) or Stir fried glutinous rice is one of my favourites in M’sian dim dum restaurants, couldn’t resist ordering it when I saw it in the menu. If I thought ours was good, this certainly trumps it by miles. Not only is it not oily, the aromatic rice is a sight to behold with the bits of mushrooms, diced lap cheong (waxed sausages), piquant green onions and stringy egg omelette. Paired with chili oil, which spiced things up a little . A wee bit on the sinful side perhaps, but nevertheless a much appreciated indulgence.

Actually we also ordered a portion of the char siew but our order was overlooked (thanks to the slip of paper falling to the ground unnoticed) so we were given a complimentary dessert. I opted for my favourite, the Mango Pomelo Dessert (杨枝甘露). Even though it was creamy and milky, I wasn’t as wowed as I hoped to be. Instead the pomelo pulp infused a light bitter aftertaste and we joked about having to export Tambun pomelo to HK for that much needed sweet note. Hehe.

Total damage was HKD 212 which is on the high side. But we probably had the best dim sum here during our 4 days in HK. Everything was fresh and well prepared and had that dainty finesse that I have come to expect of these steamed baskets of tiny meat parcels. During our wait, I also overheard the maitre d’ taking orders for dinner reservations, suggesting that this place is also quite popular for their other Cantonese dishes. They have also recently been featured in the 2009 Michelin guide, recommending their stewed abalone and goose web, braised cow’s tail in red wine.

Fu Sing Sharkfin Seafood Restaurant 富聲魚翅海鮮酒家
1/F, 353 Lockhart Road,
Sunshine Plaza,
Wanchai, Hong Kong.
灣仔駱克道353號三湘大廈1樓
Open : 11-3pm, 6-11pm.

other reviews;
- big in hong kong

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Tsui Wah Restaurant, Hong Kong.

March 25, 2009 at 2:48 am · Filed under Eating Out, Food, Travel, non-halal

Just opposite Yung Kee is Tsui Wah, a cha chan teng (茶餐厅) chain that has outlets in Causeway Bay, Aberdeen, Yau Ma Tei, Tsim Sha Tsui etc but the one here in Central draws in the crowds thanks to it’s proximity to Lan Kwai Fong.

Despite it being after dinner hours, the place was crowded and noisy. Spotted an empty table and quickly grabbed in. Apart from the given menu, there are some recommended dishes’ flyers sandwiched bet. the table and the glass for one’s reference. Noticed that the menu’s quite extensive but have only got my bestie’s recommendation, the pork chop bun in mind.

To drink, we went with the Milk Tea which is any HK char chan teng’s signature drink. Generally, I find that milk tea in HK has too high a milk to tea ratio and I actually prefer teh tarik given that it’s kurang manis.

So yes, the item I came into Tsui Wah for – the pork chop bun. I expected it to be somewhat similar to the Macau pork chop bun and it was, but with some extras, the pickles, lettuce and mayo. Truth be told, while it tasted good, it couldn’t compare to the authentic Macanese ones. But then, they never did claim that it was the Macanese one, so I shall not make a comparison anymore. The pork fillet was thinner than what I hoped for but the bun was good. Lightly dusted and all.

I spotted the Spinach Shrimp Dumplings on one of the flyers on the table and went for that. When it was served, must admit I wasn’t too impressed as the soup was the colour of watered down milk and tasted bland. The dumplings were alright though, but not exactly fantastic.

Overall, despite Tsui Wah being one of the more popular chain restaurants in HK, I can’t rate much of the food as we were really there to snack only and not for a full fledged meal. We later found out that the Hainan Chicken Rice and curry is highly recommended here so if we stuck to those, we would have probably have had a better dining experience here.

Tsui Wah Restaurant 環翠餐厅 (www)
15-19, Wellington St,
Central, Hong Kong.
中環威靈頓街15D-19號

Open 24 hours.

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Yung Kee, Hong Kong.

March 21, 2009 at 10:09 pm · Filed under Eating Out, Food, Travel, non-halal

Yung Kee, 鏞記 has been touted as THE place to get roast goose in Hong Kong ever since it bloomed into the successful enterprise that it is now. Upon obtaining the name and the address, I didn’t think of doing anymore “research” on the place and was a wee bit overwhelmed when I found myself in front of Yung Kee. I certainly wasn’t expecting an entire building as I was thinking more along the lines of a roasted meats shop (烧味店). Tsk Tsk. Anyway, since we were there, and I was determined to get my roast goose (燒鵝) and waxed sausages, so we headed in . Once we stepped in, we were ushered to the lift, where a lift attendant was waiting, and whisked upstairs to the 4th floor where it was rather empty and quiet as it was past 9pm. I later found out that it was a blessing in disguise as waiting time could peak at more than an hour during meal times.

We were attended to by the assistant Captain and she was very friendly and courteous. We didn’t really have a need for the menu as she immediately asked how big a portion of the roast goose we would like. Then next, was if we wanted century eggs (皮蛋) as well. Ah, such predictable tourists. Hehe. But we were left the menu anyways and it was quite interesting browsing it and taking in the number of Cantonese dishes they serve here. But most enlightening was probably the page where it listed all the awards won, including for best restaurant, best service etc. and recently, the prestigious Michelin star.

The gorgeous century egg with pickled ginger. Century eggs are basically preserved duck or chicken eggs in a clay and ash mixture for months, and not exactly a hundred years. Lol. I would say that the century eggs here are divine – with the clear translucent tea-coloured “egg white” and the creamy, grey yolk. The green of the yolk is normally due to reactions to the alkali in the lime and has a slight ammonia aroma to it but it’s akin to eating blue cheese, an acquired taste. One that I can’t get enough of. Nearly licked my chopsticks clean of the sticky yolky spots. Hehe.

And the piece de la resistance… served with plum sauce, the glistening skin tempted me as I struggled to get a worthy shot of the dish. The goose is reputed to be massaged and marinated before roasted over a charcoal fire. For those of you who have never tasted goose before, imagine a richer, slightly more gamier version of duck. I have always liked goose, esp. the braised versions made by my grand aunt when she visits from China. Anyway, I digress.

At first bite, the skin wasn’t as crispy as I hoped for, nor was the goose served as warm as I liked it to be. In fact, it was rather cold and the fats had started to take a gelatinous texture. But the flesh was tender and juicy with flavour. And the succulent meat tasted delectable with the plum sauce. And underneath the pile of meat is some fermented soybeans which are yummy to pick at.

I feel that even though the roast goose here is one of the bests I have had so far (save for it being served like a cold cuts dish), I also felt that it was a tad overpriced at HKD420/goose. But since we were only two, and didn’t even order half a bird, I reckon our portion (例牌) hovered somewhere around HKD150.

After all that indulging, we needed a vegetable dish to balance the meal out and opted for Stir-Fried Baby Bak Choi with Garlic. It was a simple dish but the baby bok choi was prepared so well that it was still crisp and light and had that delightful crunch.

Our meal came up to above HKD220 for two but I had no idea how much each dish costs as HK restaurants don’t seem to give detailed receipts much. In fact, no receipt is given until you insist on it and mostly it’s a printout of the total figure. Having tried their goose liver sausages in Elegant Inn and wanting to get some for my gramps and parents, asked the assistant Captain who attended to us if they were still available and she was so nice that she asked me what I wanted, packed it and brought it to our table! But these don’t come cheap though, at HKD198/catty (斤) or 600g. But they are so sinfully good… should know as I revisited the taste by making this.

Anyhow, overrated or not, Yung Kee still warrants a visit if it’s your first time in HK. Or if you can only head to one place in HK for roast goose.

Yung Kee Restaurant 镛记酒家 (www)
32-40 Wellington Street,
Central, Hong Kong.
香港中環威靈頓街32-40 號

Open: 11am – 11:30pm

other reviews;
- gen.u.ine.ness
- food4thot
- eatinout
- foodnut

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Hong Kong Wonton Noodles (Mak’s vs. Tsim Chai Kee)

March 16, 2009 at 5:37 pm · Filed under Eating Out, Food, Travel

Hong Kong’s cuisine is synonymous with wonton noodles and dim sum. One can’t go to Hong Kong and not try one or the other.

Even before I made my trip here, I have heard about Mak’s. Even Anthony Bourdain made his way here for a taste of this world famous noodles. I wasn’t actively seeking it out yet stumbled upon it while searching for Lin Heung so it must have been fate. LOL.

Now, Mak’s is well-known for its small portions. The noodles are served in a bowl as big as a standard rice bowl and is justified by their own theory that this is to keep the noodles from absorbing all the bouillon and going soggy.

While we were waiting, I kept myself busy by watching how the workers went about wrapping the wontons and sui jiao dumplings (水饺). I liked the fact that they used almost a whole prawn for one wonton. I say almost because I notice him slicing one end off, yet putting in another small chunk. The way their deft fingers fold in the wonton skin is quite admirable and boasts of their many years of experience.

True enough, portions were small (one bowl is def. not enough if you’re hungry) but the noodles were wiry and springy. I don’t buy much of their theory as there’s not much of noodles in the bowl to begin with. Hehe. Apparently, duck eggs are used instead of the usual chicken eggs which is the “secret” to their family recipe for that different taste and texture. But the shrimp wontons were truly sublime, with the fresh and well-marinated prawn. And the broth. Wow. Clear but brimming with taste. Apparently it’s simmered continuously and made with dried shrimp roe, powdered dried flounder and pork bones. Just the sound of that makes me salivate. Each bowl costs HKD28.

We also ordered a portion of the sui jiao dumplings (水饺) and these are not as tightly packed as the shrimp wonton but has a liberal amount of diced shrimp,minced pork, bamboo shoots and wood ear fungus. The broth tastes lighter than the one for the noodles and I wondered if the extra oomph in flavour came imparted from the noodles? But nevertheless this little bowl of goodness was yummy and costs us HKD30.

Even though the prices are a bit steep for the portions, I found the delectable soup stock, wontons and dumplings to be worth it.

Mak’s Noodles 麥奀雲吞麵世家
77 Wellington St.
Central, Hong Kong.
中環威靈頓街77號地下

other reviews;
- ho chiak
- precious pea
- greg & nee on the go

***

Just across the road is Tsim Chai Kee, also another noodles shop that was highly recommended. We came back on another evening to try it and by then Mak’s was already closed. Apparently they are very punctual in closing shop by 8pm. Heh.

The eatery is not like your typical old HK noodle houses and has undergone a modern facelift. Dark and sleek interiors with a touch of oriental charm. It was quieter when we were eating there but I understand that sharing tables are the norm here during peak hours too. With only 3 toppings to their noodles, we opted for the shrimp wontons, and fish balls and chose to forgo the sliced beef.

Our shrimp wonton noodles. Portion size is more substantial than Mak’s for sure. Even the shrimp wontons look bigger. But despite that I wasn’t as thrilled with the taste. I expected the same freshness and crunchiness to bite but prawn chunks were used here instead. And it wasn’t as tightly packed as I hoped for. The noodles were great though, al dente to bite. The bouillon too was tasty but had a light lye water (碱水) taste to it… probably seeped in from the noodles.

We asked for the fish balls ( 鲮鱼球) to be served with no noodles and certainly wasn’t such huge ones. They are bigger than a ping pong ball, I reckon! The fish used is of the Chinese Mud Carp (or Dace) variety and the flesh is normally minced finely before being mixed with starchy flour, minced pork, garlic and dried tangerine peels before being cooked. I noticed that a lot of places in HK/Macau served them deep-fried and with good reason to, as the cooked meat ends up being bouncy to bite. These however, have a more chewy and coarse texture to it, similar to our lekor from Terengganu. Even though it tasted pretty alright, I didn’t take to it much. I am still a sui jiao girl. Hehe. And I also preferred the fish balls to be coated with rice vermicelli and deep fried as the ones I had in Macau.

The two bowls costs us HKD16 each which is a steal in comparison to Mak’s in terms of pricing and portion size. And p.s, Wang Fu is just next to them, and is well-known for their dumplings. Definitely going there next trip. :)

Tsim Chai Kee 沾仔记
98, Wellington St.
Central, Hong Kong.
中環威靈頓街98號地下

Open : 8am – 10 pm

other reviews;
- food4thot
- greg & nee on the go
- motormouth from ipoh

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Lin Heung Tea House, Hong Kong

March 13, 2009 at 4:02 pm · Filed under Food

Seeing that Hong Kong is famous for its dim sum, we wanted a taste of what the locals liked. Our foodie guide states that the locals kickstart their days with a pot of tea, 2 dim sum items and the newspapers and first up on the list is Ling Heung Tea House in Wellington Street, an 80 year old establishment that is still packed day to night. Even recommended by TIME in its 10 things to do in HK in 24 hours article.

It took us a while to find the place as Wellington Street span over a few blocks, and boy, the hilly streets were unexpected to me. :P But it was good for working up an appetite! Lol. When we finally spotted the place, wooh, relief. The quiet bakery downstairs didn’t deter us from entering and up we went to find…

this! Every table was filled and we were directed to wherever that had empty seats. Sharing the table is def. the norm here as our table was filled with people from all walks of life, with the biggest group being a band of 3. Heh. And yes, they were comfy with reading the newspapers, completely oblivious to the hustle and bustle around them.

The trolley dollies only came as far to the corner of our table and as she walks up and down calling out the items she has, we can barely hear her over the din. Asked an uncle and he said it was alright to go grab whatever you want from the kitchen or from the trolleys. Still for the uninitiated, it was a wee bit daunting.

I think the only reason why the locals have few dim sum baskets on their tables is simply for the lack of space! Encroaching into another’s space seemed like such a faux pas. Oh and maybe worn out with trying to hail the trolley dolly. :P

Maybe it was nearing lunch, but I couldn’t hear any of the classics being served but hey, we’re open to trying new stuff so we kept looking around at other tables to see what other people were having. The guy next to us had this heavenly chunk of char siew with rice which was definitely not ½fat½lean but more like ¾fat¼lean! Fried rice was also big with the locals as lunch.

So what did we get to try? The beef balls for one. Steamed with beancurd skin, this was actually quite yummy. But use of meat tenderiser is liberal, so you get smooth, juicy and bouncy beef balls. The dash of Worchester sauce does compliment the beefy taste well. Even the beancurd skin has absorbed all the flavours.

The same uncle we talked to ordered this steamed swamp eel (蒸鳝) and we followed suit. It was firm and tasty, with a hint of fatty fish taste (if you know what I mean). My favourite of the lot.

This was the only item I grabbed off the trolley, the lotus leaf wrapped rice. I think the versions we Malaysians are used to are the ones where the accompanying filling to the rice is using diced pork, sausages, mushrooms, chestnuts etc. so this one was somewhat different with the minced meat and dried shrimp topping. However it was well flavoured and tasted quite good but after a while, we gave up on the rice as it was starting to fill me up.

Overall, dining here was an eye-opening experience. Food wise, I wasn’t particularly blown away but there are many more items available that we didn’t have the space nor chance to try. But for dim sum, this place was rather reasonable in comparison to the other place we went to, i.e. this meal came up to around HKD60. And you’re sure to get your money’s worth as each piece is err, for the lack of a better word, solid and unpretentious.

Lin Heung Tea House 蓮香樓
160-164 Wellington Street,
Central, Hong Kong.
Open 6am to 11:30pm (closed bet. 4:30 to 5:30pm)

other reviews;
- motormouth from ipoh
- food4thot
- precious pea
- travelling hungryboy

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Ngor Kee 鹅記渣咋, Hong Kong.

March 11, 2009 at 12:47 am · Filed under Dessert, Food, Travel

After dinner at Mido, we went down Nathan Road (which by the way, is really long, spanning over a few MRT stations!) in search of dessert. Entered this chinese dessert specialty shop, which seems to have originated from Macau. They serve a variety of hot and cold desserts, from to fu fah (豆腐花), sai mai lo (西米露), liong fun (凉粉) to tong yuen (湯圓) etc.

But their signature dessert is the Portuguese dessert Ja Ja (HKD 14), or Cha Cha which is a sweet Mixed Bean soup dessert. Different types of beans incl. red bean, green beans, kidney bean, chickpeas etc is cooked with yam, sago and other ingredients to come up with this nutritious dessert. Coconut milk and coconut strips (椰絲) are also added for that aromatic rich touch. Quite similar to our Bubur Chacha, but this features beans more than the yams or sweet potatoes.

I opted for something less rich and went for the Cincau with Milk (牛奶凉粉 @ HKD 11). Refreshing and light combination.

For the even healthier option, one can have fresh fruits with the cincau (鲜果凉粉 @ HKD 17).

Ngor Kee Ja Ja 鵞記渣咋
509, Nathan Road,
Yau Ma Tei,
Hong Kong

香港油麻地彌敦道509號

other reviews;
- penang tuapui
- open rice (in mandarin)

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Lap Mei Fan (腊味饭)

March 9, 2009 at 9:59 pm · Filed under Cooking, Food, non-halal

Over the long weekend, I decided to make a one dish meal and made Lap Mei Fan based on this recipe. It’s essentially steamed rice topped with preserved meats like Wax Sausages (腊肠), Liver Sausages (膶肠), and Waxed Duck (腊鸭). Yes, I know that CNY has passed but I kept a waxed duck drumstick from then in the fridge and since I brought back the waxed sausages from Yung Kee (for my parents actually, but am sure they don’t mind me sneaking one or two :P ), it’s the best time to cook the whole lot. Hehe. As I don’t own a claypot, I could only make this using the rice cooker.

Artery clogging or carcinogenic inducing aside, this festive delicacy is delightful when you try your best to forget how sinful it is. The waxed meats slowly releases the juices if you leave it on the rice long enough. Sometimes it gets a tad oily, but the tender sausages and little bursts of flavours is more than enough to make up for it. The waxed produce are seasonal simply because most of it is wind dried and only the north wind during winter is cold enough to do the job properly. So I guess a sinful bowl once or twice a year ain’t all that bad?

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Mido Cafe, Hong Kong.

March 8, 2009 at 5:00 am · Filed under Eating Out, Food, Travel, non-halal

I am sorry I am taking forever to come up with my food adventures in Hong Kong (HK). Who would have thought a week off work would see so much backlog? Even the total unpacking of the suitcase had to wait. But better late than never eh? And here I am. Starting off with something that’s totally old school Hong Kong. This place has been featured often in TVB series and was not actually something on my list but we met up with Lissie’s friend and it was he who brought us here. He did the ordering so I have very little idea about the dish names.

Just at the corner of Temple Street, where one of the many famous HK night markets are, this place is easy to locate. There’s a retro feel to the interior of this cha chan teng, where booth seats line the windows and we chose the corner one where the table looked like some triangle off my trigonometry books. I loved that I could peep out and see men busy setting up their stalls. A glance around and I could spot some old items that probably have been there since the shop opened – an old cash registry, the antiquated ceiling fans etc. Felt surreal to be in HK somehow where things seem so familiar just because we have seen them almost everyday on telly.

Once you’re seated, glasses of hot chinese tea are plonked down in front of you, as per the custom of HK coffeeshops. The menu is sometimes wedged under the glass table for easy reference, but there are also recommendations on the walls.

Our first dish was this Stir fried Hor Fun with beef slices. I noticed that the eating places in HK like to serve mustard as a dipping sauce with meat and this place was no different. The Hor Fun (河粉) is thicker than the ones we’re used to, but smooth nevertheless. As for the beef slices, flavourful and tender to bite, was probably due to meat tenderizer being used. And the mustard does add a certain kick to the overall blend of flavours.

The next dish was apparently a special one, recommended on the wall menu by the name of 錦卤云吞 featuring of wontons and a sweet & sour dish consisting of various ingredients from tomatoes, bell peppers, ham chunks, cauliflower florets, chicken chunks, pig stomach, to shrimps. The way to eat this was to dip the deep fried wrappers and dip them into the sweet & sour gravy. It was honestly an interesting dish that I have never heard of before. But the taste takes some getting used to as the gravy was a tad too acidic for my liking. Very intense.

This vegetable dish however scored thumbs up from all of us. It also had a lot going on with baby bok choy, bean sprouts, carrots, mushrooms, lettuce, bean curd sheets etc. But it was a nice combination.

It was quite a enjoyable meal, with great company and the english speaking boss was actually quite friendly, contrary to what they say about HK people. Heh. Menu’s really extensive and apparently web reviews suggest that their Baked Spareribs rice is the thing to try. Even though we didn’t try a rice dish, overall what we had, I liked. But this cafe is worth visiting for the ambience alone, if not for the food.

Mido Cafe 美都餐室
63, Temple Street,
Yau Ma Tei,
Hong Kong.
Open : 8:30am-9:30pm

other reviews;
- the simplest aphrodisiac
- Greg & Nee on the Go
- tasting hong kong

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