More Good Food in Hong Kong

When one is in Hong Kong, how can one not try their famous Roast Goose Drumstick? So during my recent visit, I went in search for one of the best 燒臘 restaurants highly recommended by DJ Ah 蘇.

It was not difficult to find once you know where to look. This famous restaurant 永合隆飯店 is well known and located at Prince Edward Portland Street (太子砵蘭街) near the Ki Lung Street (基隆街) junction. It is only a short walk from the Prince Edward MTR Station.

The roast meats are excellent, so succulent and full of flavour. The 叉燒 char siew and 燒排骨 pork ribs came in a plate together with sweet plum sauce. The char siew was not too lean and was juicy and tender, while the pork ribs were roasted just right, not too burnt. The 燒肉 roast pork was really a treat. The skin was so crispy you can hear the crackling sound when you bite, yet the meat was so tender it almost melts in your mouth. We also thoroughly enjoyed the 燒鵝腿 roast goose drumstick. The skin was crispy and the meat succulent and tender. We only had one regret. The famous roast suckling pig was not yet available, still being roasted in the back.

This gives us a reason to visit the restaurant again when we go back to Hong Kong in the near future.

Another wonderful find is the Lin Heung Tea House (蓮香樓) located at Wellington Street (威靈頓街) in Central on Hong Kong island. It is at the corner with Aberdeen Street (鴨巴甸街).

This is one of those old-fashioned dim sum tea house that is so rare nowadays. And it was packed. You need to stand around and fight for seats. And even then, we had to share a table with total strangers. It transported us back to the 1960s and 70s Hong Kong style yum cha culture and was a new experience for my son. The food was pushed around on trolleys with steamers and served hot by the dimsum aunties. You literally had to fight for your food, as everyone crowded around the kitchen exit and snatched up the food as it came out. If you sit and wait for the aunties to come around, you will be disappointed.

 Beancurd skin rolls

 Rice flour rolls

Pig stomach 

 Quail egg siew mai

 Beancurd skin egg roll

 Char siew bao

 Thousand layer cake

 咸水角

 炸雲吞

 馬萊糕

 Lotus paste bao with salted egg yolk

南乳豬手

Traditional dim sum at its best. Simply delicious. I especially want to recommend the lotus paste bao (蛋黃蓮蓉包). It is their specialty and it did not disappoint. The bao was so fragrant and the lotus paste was not so sweet when balanced with the salted egg yolk. The entire experience was very pleasant, and the variety of dim sum is way better than most restaurants in Singapore.

Lin Heung Tea House, a definite must try.

         

Some of My Fave Food in Hong Kong

In preparation for my recent trip to Hong Kong, I did extensive research into the food that I was going to try there, based on recommendations by DJ So Sze Wong (Ah 蘇), my Hong Kong friends and travel blogs I have come across. Here is the verdict.

Firstly a friend of mine brought us to Satin to try the roast pigeon at the Lung Wah Hotel restaurant, which is reputed to be the best. To find the hotel, you need to go to Satin Police Station, then cross the overhead bridge because the hotel is on the other side of the railway track.

It is an old hotel with over 60 years of history. From the overhead bridge, you walk through a sheltered walkway where you can find mahjong rooms and a small garden, before you reach the restaurant which has outdoor and indoor seating.

The roast pigeon was absolutely delicious. Piping hot, the skin was crispy but the meat was still tender and juicy. You can either have the birds chopped into quarters or as a whole. We preferred to tear the bird apart ourselves, which added to the whole experience. The restaurant even provide transparent gloves so you won't get your hands oily. Truly worth the trip to Satin.

Next we ordered the Claypot lamb stew (羊腩煲). This dish is great especially during the cold winter weather. The meat was tender and full of flavour, while the vegetables soaked up the flavourful gravy, especially the radish. Now I can understand why so many people in Hong Kong love this dish.

Finally, we ended with a tub Beancurd Jelly in Syrup (石磨山水豆腐花). It was excellent. The beancurd jelly was soft and smooth. Supposed to be made from mountain water, it was really refreshing and definitely better than any I have eaten here in Singapore.

After the fabulous meal, we took a short walk to the Satin Plaza for tang yuan (湯丸) as it was the Winter Solstice (冬季). We went to Honeymoon Dessert, a popular chain of dessert shops in Hong Kong. It was so crowded, we had to take a number and wait. After almost half an hour, we managed to get a small table for 4. The desserts were good. We had the walnut cream with dumplings, sesame cream mixed with red bean with dumplings and the sesame cream mixed with walnut cream and dumplings. Of special mention is the egg pudding which came in an eggshell. It was really good.

Another restaurant I wish to highly recommend is Tat Cheong Fishball (德昌魚蛋粉) in Kowloon City on Fuk Lo Tsun Road (九龍城福佬村道). You cannot miss it, just look out for the queue outside the shop.

Strongly recommended is the fish skin dumplings (魚皮餃). They are freshly made all day, and taste absolutely delicious. And the soup is so tasty and rich without being overpowering. You must taste it to appreciate how good it is.

The fishball hor fun soup is also good. You can actually taste the fish in the fishballs and the large pieces of fishcake is almost crunchy. Excellent fare. This place was recommended to me by a good friend in Hong Kong and I am glad I made an effort to find it and try the food there. Definitely no regrets.