vkeong loves good food, travel and photography!
BBQ Pork / Roasted Meat
Roast Goose @ Yung Kee Restaurant 鏞記酒家, Central Hong Kong
May 11th
Yung Kee Restaurant located at the heart of Central is one of the top restaurants in Asia according to various restaurant guides. They serve a number of award winning Chinese dishes but Roast Goose is the main reason why they are so popular. Just how popular you ask? Well, the demand for Yung Kee’s roast goose is so high that as many as 300 birds are sold daily and it is even served in first and business class on board Cathay Pacific’s flights. So with that in mind, we thought Yung Kee was worth a visit despite their reputation of being expensive.
Among the many places we ate in Hong Kong, Yung Kee is be the classiest of all. Service is much more friendlier and attentive too, which kind of explains the prices here. And maybe because we already expected the price to be sky high, we were not very shocked when browsing the menu. In fact, we found Yung Kee’s pricing is similar to what Yue Kee is charging. Half a bird (two to four person portion) costs $240 while a quarter (two-person portion) goes for $120.
Looks mouth-watering good, right? It definitely is. Sadly, the reality is that it will be very difficult for us to get a roast goose that could match the flavor, smoky fragrance and texture of Yung Kee’s in Malaysia. No matter which piece you pick from the plate may it be the thigh, drumstick or breast, the meat tastes equally juicy and delicious. And of course the crispy skin with a thin layer of fat underneath was our favorite part.
Rosdee Thai-Chinese Restaurant @ Sukhumvit Road, Bangkok
Feb 22nd
I think there will be a very slim chance of tourists eating at Rosdee because its distance from Bangkok city centre. But because the hotel we stayed at is located just a stone throw’s away from the restaurant, we decided to have a light brunch here after getting the locals’ recommendation.
Rosdee is a Thai-Chinese restaurant that specializes in braised goose, various roast meats and they also serve a wide range of typical Chinese and traditional Thai food. The menu is quite thick with over hundreds of dishes (English and Chinese translation provided) to choose from. The family-oriented restaurant’s service is friendly with a smile and the prices are affordable too – not street cheap but at least reasonable. From what we noticed, there weren’t many customers dining in like us since the majority of their sales are through take-away and deliveries.
I have eaten quite a lot of braised stuff but Rosdee’s braised goose is something new. Seems like it is not really braised – as in slowly cooked in sauce, more like roasted first then have the sauce added on top of it. Nevertheless it was quite delicious (served lukewarm, could be better if it was warmer) and the mustard greens help to add a appetizing flavor to it.
Hung Kee Wantan Mee @ Jalan Loke Yew
Jan 31st
If you travel along Jalan Loke Yew frequent enough you will notice Hung Kee restaurant, an old institution many claim to serve one of the best Wantan Mee in KL. Now that’s a claim I heartily disagree with. First of all, do know that your noodles are prepared by foreign workers (nothing personal against them, but you ought to know) while the locals only take down the orders.
For no reason, here’s a photo of wooden chopsticks.
I find the roast pork here quite terrible, soggy and tastes somewhat old. The hand-made noodle on the other hand is not bad, thinner than the usual with a nice bouncy texture but honestly nothing fantastic.
Char Siew @ Jia Jia Lai 家家来, Jalan Peel Cheras
Oct 23rd
Jia Jia Lai / Kar Kar Loi is a road side stall along Jalan Peel that is famous for their char siew, roast pork, steamed Tilapia and braised chicken feet. It has received unanimous praise from most of the people who had eaten here, but unfortunately our experience was not as great as expected. As far as char siew is concerned, I think this place might be a little over hyped.
We wanted to order the roast pork as well but was told that it is only available after 12.30pm. So we settled for char siew, steamed Tilapia with assam sauce and braised chicken feet. The complimentary soup is super tasty for a reason – heavily laden with MSG, so much that one small bowl is enough to leave you dry mouthed afterwards.
The Char Siew looks great and all and you would probably think it tastes awesome, well only true for the juicy and fatty portions. I honestly could not bring myself to enjoy the leaner parts which are tough and chewy. Personally? I would say that the Char Siew I had recently at this Jalan Ipoh Wantan Mee stall tastes better, especially on the texture.
