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Travel
Roast Goose @ Yue Kee Restaurant (裕記大飯店), Sham Tseng Hong Kong
Oct 1st
Dim Sum aside, ‘Siu Ngor‘ (Roast Goose) is one of the more memorable food we had in Hong Kong. There are quite a number of restaurants selling Roast Goose in HK but the famous ones are none other than the original Sham Tseng Yue Kee and the classy Yung Kee Restaurant at Central. We actually tried both, and felt that while both are equally good and up to expected standards, Yue Kee is more appealing to us because it won’t burn a hole in your wallet like Yung Kee would.
The ‘lai pai‘ (regular) portion here is a quarter of a roast goose and it is priced at $100 for the upper part and $120 for the lower part. The lower part is slightly more expensive simply because that’s where the drumstick is at. If you were not specific enough while ordering you will most probably get the upper part like we did. So if you intend to savor the drumstick and thigh portion, do let the waiter know exactly which part you want when he is placing the order. If the menu is missing from the table, insist on it to know what is available.
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.
Wonton Noodle – Mak’s Noodle & Tsim Chai Kee Noodle @ Central, Hong Kong
Sep 11th
It is a no brainer really, Wonton Noodles is one of the must eats in Hong Kong. So after we touched down and checked in our stuff into our hostel, we had Wonton Noodle as our first meal. 麥奀雲吞麵世家 – Mak’s Noodle (first two Chinese words pronounced as ‘Mak Ngan’, loosely translated to mean stingy and skinny) at Central is one of the more popular ones in town along with a few others like Mak Man Kee, Tsim Chai Kee, Ho Hung Kee and etc.
Wonton noodles in Hong Kong generally come in small bowls, noodle on top with dumplings at the bottom. Looking at the light serving size it feels more like a snack and or for supper. In fact, having just a bowl won’t be filling enough for the average men.
There is actually a reason behind this serving style, it is to prevent the noodles from becoming soggy by keeping them ‘afloat’ on top of the soup. Then customers will soak the noodles in the hot soup (made of powdered dried flounder, dried shrimp roe and pork bones) as long as necessary to get their preferred noodle texture.
There are four wontons in a typical serving.
