vkeong loves good food, travel and photography!
Hong Kong Style
HK Style restaurant – Char Chan Teng
菠蘿包 (Pineapple Bun / ‘Polo Bao’) @ Kam Wah Cafe, Mongkok
Sep 19th
I think 菠萝包 (Pineapple Bun or Polo Bao) hardly needs any further introduction. Surely you must have seen and eaten it at least once at some point in your life. You haven’t? Well, just head to the nearest Old Town Kopitiam outlet because they actually serve it on the menu. You might think it is nothing to shout about and I do agree with you on that – if only you are talking about the Pineapple Buns we have locally.
As one of the most eaten buns in Hong Kong either as breakfast or snack during tea break, Polo Bun is yet another thing you shouldn’t miss there. But just so you know, these pineapple-skinned-buns in HK are not halal because the top crust usually consists of pork lard.
The best Polo Bun is said to come from Kam Wah Cafe‘s oven. This unassuming-looking ‘char chan teng’ at Bute Street, Mongkok has been featured on countless media with their proudest being able to make it to CNN. I know I haven’t eaten enough Polo Buns to pass any judgement or claim that this is the best out there, the fact is that Kam Wah’s Polo Bun is pretty darn good.
You can have the Polo Bun plain or sandwiched with butter or egg @ $7, with the former being the more popular choice. The salted butter is said to be home made and gives a good contrast of flavor since the Polo Bun’s crust tastes sweet.
胜香园 Sing Heung Yuen Tea Restaurant @ Central, Hong Kong
Sep 14th
This is Central, the central business district of Hong Kong. Tucked among the super high-rise buildings are a mix of modern and old restaurants – with some even being Hong Kong’s oldest. Busy in the day and relatively quiet at night, you will definitely step foot here if you plan to visit The Peak or have a drink at Lan Kwai Fong. Our objective here? To have tea break at the most famous Hong Kong style tea restaurant, none other than Sing Heung Yuen.
Since there are already countless hawker and mamak stalls in Malaysia, something like Sing Heung Yuen is already very common for us. Part of the reason why Sing Heung Yuen is so popular is due to the fact that they are one of the few ‘Dai Pai Dong‘ in Hong Kong that is still standing. Most roadside eateries have moved into shoplots over the years, making this traditional type of restaurants a rare sight. And I don’t think I am alone, Sing Heung Yuen actually reminds me of Penang’s Toh Soon Cafe.
When you are eating in Hong Kong and especially at establishments like this, it is best to expect the worst service and attitude from the staff. So even if you got treated with a unhappy looking face, at least you seen it coming. That being said, the menu here is quite simple and consists of mostly toasts, a couple of macaroni and noodles and complete with drinks you would expect from a coffee shop.
Prince Cafe Hong Kong Cuisine @ Kepong
Feb 3rd
Prince Cafe is a chained Hong Kong style cafe that have a few branches in Klang Valley. As far as I know they had branches in Kepong, SS2 and Mid Valley (closed down) From the recent closure of their Mid Valley branch I am thinking they aren’t doing too well.
It’s kinda obvious (at least to me) that they are aiming to tap into the Yum Cha market, and might want to emulate the success of Kim Gary and Wong Kok Char Chan Teng alike. But as far as I am concerned, the food served at Kim Gary and Wong Kok in Malaysia are not up to the standards. Well I could give their Yin Yong or HK Milk Tea a pass but their food is just a let down.
What I said is based on the fact that I have tried the Kim Gary in Singapore and I feel there is a heaven-and-earth difference. So when your competition is not strong, standards are low hence less room for improvements. That being said, it’s obvious my experience with Prince Cafe to follow was a disappointing one.
Macau style Pork Chop Burger @ RM6.50. While I could tolerate the idea of purposely arranging the pork chops in such a messy way in creating an arty impression – there’s nothing to like about the overly dry pork chops and excessive use of mayonnaise.
Pork Chop Cheese Baked Rice @ RM16.90 had a huge portion but it arrived cold and tasted dry – really dry. They were generous with the mayonnaise on my pork chop burger but decided to stinge on the curry sauce for the cheese baked rice lol. Well luckily the waiter happily obliged to bring us extra curry sauce so it was bearable.
For this kind of pricing and food quality, you are better off sticking to Kim Gary or Wong Kok. Or better still, support local Yum Cha scene and have white coffee at Old Town instead.
Prince Cafe (info provided for the lulz)
No 22, 24 & 26, Jalan Metro Perdana 8
Taman Usahawan Kepong, 52100 KL
One Noodle La Mein @ Kepong Baru
Apr 30th
A stone throw away from KTZ at Kepong Baru is One Noodle, a Hong Kong char chan teng type of restaurant that serve mainly noodles and dim sum.
If you didn’t know, One Noodle is also a subsidiary of The Fruitti Stall just like KTZ. And because of this, the noodles you ordered at KTZ Kepong Baru are actually prepared at One Noodle then delivered to you by the waiters across the road on foot. Because only certain noodles are available at KTZ, you gotta head to the One Noodle’s outlet if you want to see and try the actual full menu.
I was particularly interested in the Superior Seafood La Mein @ RM13.80. When the noodles arrived I knew I made the correct choice lol. Just look at the the generous portion of seafood given.. there were prawns, mussels, scallops and clams! Click here to continue reading >
