Hong Kong: Kong Chai Kee Fish Ball 江仔記魚旦大王 @ Central

After mass on Sunday, we had planned to visit Lan Fong Yuen, the legendary hole-in-the-wall cha chaan teng that serves a mean "silk stocking milk tea" ((絲襪奶茶). 

To our dismay and disbelief, it was closed! Refusing to believe the closed shutters (because I heard the hole in the wall is hidden behind the deceivingly small store front), we tried to find, well, the hole to enter into the place. 

Upon a closer look, sigh, it was really closed. Every Sunday. Disappointed, we trudged on. 

In between Central and Sheung Wan is actually a "hipster" and indie place along and around Gough Street. As we were still early, the shops were not open yet and while meandering through the streets, we chanced upon this under-the-radar gem along Kau U Fong Road. As the few eateries around this area were either a) Western or b) not open yet, we settled for this because hey, there are photos of celebrities on the store front, so we surmised it can't be that bad. 

As we hovered at the entrance looking at the celebrity photos and trying to decipher if the eatery was open (as the door was closed), the chef opened the door and welcomed us in, which was definitely a first in the food nazi world of Hong Kong. 

Everything happens for a reason, because I had one of my favourite meals here at Kong Chai Kee! 

We ordered Water Spinach "kang kong" (通心菜; HKD16) which came with a special fermented beancurd sauce. It was a unique flavour as the veggies we've been having so far on the trip were just drenched with Lee Kum Kee oyster sauce.

From the photo above, you may tell that the dumplings are quite large. Filled with black fungus, fresh and succulent prawns (two of them!!), and pork, this is definitely way better than the usual ones we have in Singapore.

What I enjoyed the most was the Quartier - Four Fish Ball Types (四寶河; HKD30). Kong Chai Kee is actually famous for their fishballs and is one of the few restaurants in HK that have their own, gasp!, family-run factory to produce fishballs and wantons. The soup broth was tasty and comforting, all the more flavourful with the condiments and garnishes like spring onions and onion oil. Of special mention is the fish dumpling, which I absolutely adored. Unlike the local fish dumpling you find in bak chor mee or fishball noodles which is small and puny, this is the real deal. The dumpling skin was just the right thickness, and the pulverished fish meat was savoury and packed with flavour. I wanted so much to order a bowl of fish dumplings after this but alas, the flesh is weak. 

Definitely coming back here for my next visit to Hong Kong. 

G/F, 2 Kau U Fong, Central 
中環九如坊2號地下

Opening Hours: 10am - 9pm 

http://kongchaikee.com/ 

Hong Kong: Tim Ho Wan 添好運 @ Sham Shui Po

The legendary cheapest Michelin-starred eatery in the world needs no further introduction. For my previous trip and the recent one, I went to the branch at Sham Shui Po. Though it's not the original branch, the lack of a queue and satisfying quality keeps me happy. Both times, my travel companions and I went between 6pm-7pm. 

Signature Baked Bun with BBQ Pork 酥皮焗叉燒包 (HKD18 for 3) 

Never disappointed. Now that there are THWs opened in Singapore, to be honest, I think the quality is comparable. Topped with sweet, flaky Polo (pineapple) on the outside, and the bun inside fluffy in texture, the honeyed sauce and large chunks of BBQ pork inside was oh so good. Not to mention it always comes in such rounded, wholesome goodness. 

Rice roll (chee cheong fun) with prawns 韭黃鮮蝦腸 (HKD22)  

Wrapped in silky smooth rice roll, the prawns inside are fresh and succulent. I maintain that having tried so many dim sum eateries/restaurants in Singapore, nowhere comes near to the chee cheong fun served at THW. The skin just rolls easily down your throat, easy on the palate and not floury at all.

Siew Mai 鮮蝦燒賣皇 (HKD25) 

Another quintessential dish when having dim sum is of the siew mai, which is a safe but unexciting choice. 

When I first had the Pan fried carrot cake 煎臘味蘿白糕 (HKD14)on my first visit, I was awed by how, again, silky smooth it was. None of the doughy texture you have at some dim sum places, but this was filled with real radish fillings and pieces of lap cheong (preserved meat). 

The steamed egg cake 香滑馬拉糕 (HKD15), although looking unimpressive in its appearance (looks like huat kueh which some locals use as prayer offering  ), was soft, fluffy, moist, and not too sweet. 

Spring Roll with Egg White 赛螃蟹春卷 (HKD20) 

This was a unique dish different from our local version of popiah. Besides the radish, it also has egg white and crab meat inside. 

How much was spent per pax: Approximately SGD12 per pax! With some leftovers to take away as well. 

Would I come back? Oh yes definitely. 

Address: 9-11 Fuk Wing Street, Sham Shui Po 

九龍深水埗福榮街9-11號地下

Opening Hours: 8am - 10pm  

Directions: MTR Sham Shui Po, Exit B2 

Other Branches: 

MTR Hong Kong Station, Exit A1

Shop 12A, Hong Kong Station (Podium Level 1, IFC Mall), Central

中環香港站12A鋪(IFC地庫一層)

Opening Hours: 9am – 9pm daily

MTR Olympic Station, Exit D3

Shop 72, G/F, Olympian City 2, 18 Hoi Ting Road, Tai Kok Tsui

大角咀海庭道18號奧海城二期G樓72號舖

Opening Hours: 10am – 9.30pm daily

                                                                                        MTR North Point Station, Exit A1                                                                                                                                               Shop B, C, & D, G/F, 2-8 Wharf Road, Seaview Building, North Point                                                                                                             北角和富道2-8號嘉洋大廈地下B,C及D鋪                                                                                    Opening Hours: 10am – 9.30pm daily

Hong Kong: Australian Dairy Company 澳洲牛奶公司 @ Jordan

When I first visited this place in Jan 2013, I was blown away because at this place where the waiters act like food nazis, they definitely serve the BEST SCRAMBLED EGGS EVER. My second visit here in Apr 2014, the impression stays the same. Besides their scrambled eggs, they're also known for their steamed egg white pudding with milk (HKD23). This place is thronged by locals and tourists alike. Right in front of us in the queue, is a family from Singapore. Wherever there's good food, there's bound to be Singaporeans, queuing, to the ends of the earth. 

There were about 30 people in front of us in queue at 9.30am, we waited for about 20 min before we got a seat. 

With the extensively varied menu (see below), one can get overwhelmed at all the (yummy) possibilities. Fret not, the fuss-free (ok actually, maybe not so at ADC) breakfast set meals save the day. ADC is also known for their extremely impatient (bordering on rude) waiters. Why do we subject ourselves to such service for the sake of good food?! Sometimes I wonder. 

Anyway, here are some tips on managing these waiters and avoiding their wrath. Although there are set meals, you still need to tell the waiter whether you want your eggs scrambled (炒蛋), or sunny side up (煎蛋）, and coffee or tea. When your drink doesn't come and you want to check with them, you don't have the time to ask them to check if your drink is coming (or rather, the waiters don't have the time to wait for you to finish your sentence). You just tell them, "餐茶", and they'll know that your drink, which comes with the set meal, has not arrived yet. Don't say, "奶茶", as they may think you want a new order. 

The table behind us, the waiter was just short of telling the girl off because the girl was looking at the menu (plastered against the wall) while ordering, and the waiter couldn't hear her (of course, the place was bustling with activity). The waiter went, "看着我说，看着我说！" It was exasperating but funny. 

Ultra smooth texture with aroma of milk. The macaroni and ham is nothing special actually.

Here comes the bomb! The toast is buttered, while the eggs are scrambled to pefection. Light, fluffy, moist and flavourful, it was simply one of the best things I've tasted (and the cheapest). This is always what I dream of when I think about Hong Kong.

For now, yes I agree.

Address: 

G/F, 47-49 Parkes Street, Jordan 

佐敦白加士街47-49號地下

Opening Hours: 

Mon to Wed & Fri to Sun: 07:30-23:00

Closed on Thu

Directions: Jordan MTR Exit C2, go straight, turn right at Parkes Street

Hong Kong: Honolulu Coffee Shop 檀島咖啡餅店 @ Wan Chai

We stayed at Metro Park Hotel (Wan Chai) which was close to quite a few good eateries. Our second stop right after our wanton noodle stop was this place. 

The menus at these HK-style cha chaan teng (tea cafes) can definitely be daunting for people who do not read Chinese characters. An easy way out is to see what other customers are eating and point and say that you would like the same too. What I do sometimes is also to ask them what they are eating, and the locals would gladly point to the menu, or even order for you. This cafe offers what most cha chaan tengs do - from an assortment of drinks, to light bites such as sausages/fries, toasts/sandwiches, curry/baked rice, macaroni etc. We were here at 5 plus in the evening on a Friday and the dinner crowd was slowly streaming in. 

Our main aim for visiting Honolulu Cafe was to try the famous egg tarts, so it didn't take long for us to make our order. 

I seldom take egg tarts in Singapore, because they're usually just so meh. The ones here (HKD8/pc), were flaky on the outside (the crust), and soft as beancurd on the inside. Not too sweet, the crust and custard blended so well together in terms of texture and taste. It was a sweet ending to our earlier meal at Wing Wah. 

We ordered their milk tea (HKD19) and coffee (HKD19) to go along with it. The HK milk tea is essentially what we call teh c siu dai or teh c kosong at our local drinks stalls. I must admit, I still prefer teh tarik, as the carnation milk doesn't sit well with me.  

I had the most wonderful polo bun during my last trip to HK at Kam Wah, and this time, we decided to try a polo bun at another place first in order to have a better comparison. All I can say is, you need not bother with the polo bun here (HKD11).  

Most of the cha chaan teng offer these items to-go as well. 

Address and Directions: 176-178 Hennessy Rd, Wan Chai MTR Exit A4 turn right 

灣仔軒尼詩道176-178號地下及閣樓

Opening Hours: 06.00 - 00:00 

Hong Kong: Wing Wah Wanton Noodle Restaurant 永華面家 @ Wan Chai

For the first meal of our recent trip to Hong Kong, we passed by this wanton noodle shop near our hotel. There were some celebrity photos and newspaper articles at the shop front so we thought, it can't be any bad. 

There's a decent variety of dishes to choose from, and being our meal, we decided on wanton noodles and dumpling noodles, one dry and one soup. 

Little did we know this eatery was actually listed in CNN Travel's Top 5 noodle specialists in Hong Kong!  The noodles here are handmade traditionally, kneaded with bamboo. What I couldn't figure out was how come their dry noodles (HKD62; approx. SGD10.30) cost twice as much as their soup version (HKD38)! Their gravy for the dry version is simple - Lee Kum Kee oyster sauce. Perhaps the sauce cost a lot? S$10 for a plate of wanton noodles in HK?! That's more pricey than Crystal Jade. 

The dumplings were filled with real stuff, as you can tell from the photo. The wantons were also pleasing from the first bite. Although the noodles had the springy texture to it, I found the dry version a bit soggy.

 

89 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai 
灣仔軒尼詩道89號地下

Mon - Sun 11.00 - 01.00