hongkong Archives - Page 2 of 3

In Fast Food

KFC in Hong Kong

October 9, 2012

When I went to KFC in Korea, I loved it so much! I was back in Hong Kong and I was super curious about the KFC here, so I decided to have dinner here with my mom and sister. I know right? How classy.

The menu was slightly different and incorporated more rice items as side dishes.

I have no idea what we ordered but we had a little bit of everything on the menu. I didn’t want to stand in line, so my mom chose what to order.

In the basket we had a mix of waffle fries, spicy and original chicken. The original chicken wasn’t very good. The skin was not crispy and was pretty salty. The spicy chicken on the other hand was really good! Way crispier and juicier too.

The waffle fries were good and crispy.

Mushroom Rice was a side that came with one of the combos. It tasted ok.

Chicken a la King (combo size with meals) tasted ok as well, but you can definitely find better at nearby cafes.

Chicken a la king (Regular size)

Overall, the Hot and Spicy Chicken was the only thing amazing here. The rice dishes were ok, but not great. I would probably only come back for the hot and spicy chicken.

Website:
http://www.kfchk.com/

In Causeway Bay

Yo Mama: Froyo in Hong Kong

October 8, 2012

Yo Mama is a chain of frozen yogurt shops all around town. I was attracted to this place because of it’s hilarious name. I am sure you’ve heard the hundreds of jokes that are like “Yo Mama so fat…..she weights 90210 on the scale”. I haven’t had froyo in Hong Kong yet, so I decided to give it a shot!

You have 3 steps to the Yo Mama experience. Choose the size, flavour, and then the toppings. You get 1 free topping and the others are an additional $5 HKD.

They have some cool toppings like macarons and palmiers.

They also have fruit and a few typical toppings. I wasn’t too impressed by the selection of toppings.

Once you have your yogurt, you can sit down. There not too many seats available.

Small Original Yogurt with strawberries ($29 HKD) looked pretty depressing. The cup is way too big for what you get, so it seems like you get so little yogurt. I didn’t really like the taste of it compared to Pinkberry in North America.

Overall, I wasn’t impressed by it. The limited choices of toppings and the taste didn’t cut it for me.

We Rate Yo Mama:

Address:
Shop 404, 4/F Windsor House,
311 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay

Website:
http://www.yomama.com.hk/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=311+Gloucester+Road,+Causeway+Bay&hnear=311+Gloucester+Rd,+Hong+Kong&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Cafe

Cat Store Cafe: Cat Friendly Dining in Hong Kong

October 7, 2012

Cat Store is a very unique cafe that caters to cat lovers. You can dine with your friends and play with their cats. This cafe is great for people who love cats, but can’t have a cat at home. Especially in Hong Kong since apartments can be a bit small to raise pets.

The Cat Store is located inside the Po Ming Building on the 3rd floor. It took me a long time to figure out how to get inside.

Once you are inside the building, head up the elevator to the 3rd floor.

Then, you will take a left and follow the signs

Once you find this door, you know you have arrived!

Don’t be scared by the “members only” sign. You can sign up for a card inside. It’s also best to call ahead for reservations because this place can get busy!

The inside is very cluttered with a lot of cat items.

Cats are seen everywhere! Even in shelves.

You can even sit with them at your table.

There are also catnip toys, so you can make the cats go crazy!

A few cats can be seen roaming around the floors….or sleeping on the floor, so watch out and don’t step on them.

Lychee Soda ($30 HKD) was good! I love lychee!

Snowy Peach Soda with Peach ($32 HKD) was good according to my sister.

Penne with Chicken in Tomato Sauce ($48 HKD) was very poor. The sauce was thin and lacked flavour.

Smoked Duck Breast Pizza ($54 HKD) was average too. My little sister loved it because of all the cheese.

Cat Cookies with Ice Cream ($42 HKD – 2pcs) was really cute and great for kids. It’s fun to eat! Unfortunately, the taste was just OK. Nothing too special.

Overall, the food and service was pretty poor. The only attraction is the cats. All the items are pretty expensive according to Hong Kong standards for this type of food. You can easily get a meal for $25 HKD elsewhere. The service was very disorganized and they forgot a few items in our order.

Words of Wisdom:

Slow Service
Expensive for the quality of food.
It’s a good place to go if you just want to have a drink and play with cats
Membership required
Make reservations

We Rate Cate Store Cafe:

Address:
Flat D-E, 3/F Po Ming Building, Fu Ming Street
Causeway Bay

Website:
http://www.ahmeow.com/mainpage.html

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=Cat+stor,+Causeway+Bay,+Hong+Kong&hl=en&sll=22.282743,114.188976&sspn=0.089428,0.15398&oq=cat+stor&hq=Cat+stor,&hnear=Causeway+Bay,+Hong+Kong&t=m&z=16″]

In Cheung Chau

Welcome Food Court 時來食坊: Snack at Cheung Chau Island

October 3, 2012

We decided to take a day trip to Cheung Chau. Cheung Chau is a small island eat of Hong Kong Island. They attract visitors for their beaches and the Cheung Chau Bun Festival. It has a population of about 23,000. Their roadways are very narrow compared to other part of Hong Kong. Since the island is so small, people get around by walking or biking.

We went strolling around the beaches to pick up rocks, shells and even old pieces of china dishes from the ocean. Broken plates and tea cups that have eroded into shapes of rocks can be seen all over.

There are bikes everywhere! Try not to get run over by them!

You can see lots of people go on dates too. I found a guy riding a bike with training wheels. hehehe.

There were cats all over the island just chilling.

As it was over 30 degrees, we spotted Welcome Food Court for some cold snack. There were lots of people crowded around the stand, so we thought it might be something good.

Apparently some celebrities have been there too. I have no idea what that sign says…but it was on TV.

People were going crazy for their giant curry fishballs. They did look good, but I didn’t feel like hot food.

They have a few frozen item available.

Frozen Fruit Stick was long, but it really wasn’t anything special. I was also expensive too for a few small pieces of fruit. It was also hard to eat as it melted quite fast. I probably wouldn’t get this again

Address:
G/F, 150 San Hing Back Street, Cheung Chau

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=150+San+Hing+Back+Street,+Cheung+Chau&hnear=San+Hing+Back+St,+Hong+Kong&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In Cafe

Florinda Cafe: Specializing in Macau Cuisine

September 30, 2012

Macau Restaurant, also known as Florinda Cafe is very popular amongst tourist visiting Macau and Hong Kong. This location was at the Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal and was very busy during the peak hours.

They are best known for their Portugese egg tarts and Macanese Crispy Buns with pork chop. We decided to have lunch here before our ferry to Cheung Chau arrived.

It was very early in the morning around 10am, so no line ups.

They even have a cart for their tarts if people just want it to-go.

There are a lot of tables inside and most can fit 4 or 5 people.

They have a special “Yummy Tea Set” from 2:30pm to 6pm. They all come with drinks.

Portugese Egg Tart with Egg White. They didn’t have any with the egg yolks left, so we had to settle for egg whites only.

The egg mixture is a bit sweet, but it was very delicious! The tart was very flaky and housed the egg mixture perfectly. I could eat a bunch of these! Yum.

Macanese Crispy Buns with pork chop and scrambled eggs (Set A)

The set came with a drink so I got Ying Yeung (Coffee and Tea mix). It tasted average.

Scrambled Eggs were average too. You definitely want to add some salt and pepper to it.

Macanese Crispy Buns with pork chop was good. It has some grilled onion in there too. The meat was a bit chewy, but the whole sandwich did have a good flavour.

With our bellies full, we hopped onto the ferry to head to Cheung Chau Island. We had a good view of the Harbour and the other surrounding Islands.

Overall, the food at Florinda Cafe was average, but it was fun to get a taste of Macau food and how it differs from Hong Kong.

We Rate Florinda Cafe:

Address:
Shun Tak Centre, 200 Connaught Rd.,
Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=Shun+Tak+Centre,+200+Connaught+Rd.,Sheung+Wan,+Hong+Kong&hl=en&hq=Shun+Tak+Centre,+200+Connaught+Rd.,Sheung+Wan,+Hong+Kong&t=m&z=15″]

In Causeway Bay

Unicorn Restaurant 麒麟閣酒家: Afternoon Tea in Hong Kong

September 29, 2012

Unicorn Restaurant 麒麟閣酒家 has been around for 30 years providing guest with delicious Chinese food for large banquet style events or just for regular dinner. The restaurant is located inside the Lee Theatre Plaza in Causeway Bay.

Since they do hold a lot of wedding receptions, you may see the exterior overly decorated in white and pink.

Even if you are going for regular Dim Sum, they probably are setting up for the banquet in the night-time. I don’t know who Yoko or Smith are, but hopefully they had a good wedding.

Steamed Beef Ball

Steamed Pork Buns

Pan-fried Radish Cake

Spinach and celery

Durian Pastries

Coconut red bean cakes

Lettuce and oyster sauce

Spare ribs

Duck and BBQ Pork

Vermicelli noodles with vegetables

Barbecued pork fried rice noodles with barbecued pork the Seto powder

Steamed sponge cake

Spring Rolls

Taro Pastry

Egg Tarts

Overall, Unicorn Restaurant has a comfortable environment with attentive service. Its in Causeway bay and close to a lot of shopping areas and the MTR. It was a great place for my relatives to have tea, food, and chit-chat. The food was pretty solid with no complaints.

We Rate Unicorn Restaurant:

Address:
22/F., Lee Theatre Plaza, 99 Precival Street,
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

Website:
http://www.unicornrestaurant.com.hk/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=Lee+Theatre+Plaza,+99+Percival+Street,+Causeway+Bay,+Hong+Kong,&hnear=Lee+Theatre+Plaza,+99+Percival+St,+Hong+Kong&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Cafe

Tokachi Gyuu Japanese Restaurant: Gross Japanese Restaurant

September 27, 2012

Tokachi Gyuu Japanese Restaurant has several restaurants all over Hong Kong. We wanted to try something different for lunch, so we thought about coming to this restaurant.

Outside the restaurant, there is a huge menu. If you are waiting, you can figure out what you want before being seated. Or if you are passing by, you can see what they serve.

During lunch time, this place was packed. It was hard getting a table of 5.

Your lunch meal sets come with drinks. You can add a few bucks for them to make it an ice drink instead of a hot drink. We ordered chrysanthemum tea and milk tea. The milk tea was good, but the chrysanthemum tea was way too sweet! It was very hard to drink.

Ramen was nowhere near authentic. It wasn’t very good either.

Baked Seafood on rice wasn’t very large and had an ok amount of seafood. None of the seafood was very fresh, probably pre-frozen.

Kimchi noodle soup with dumplings was pretty spicy and hot. I was feeling like having something spicy so I chose this. It’s not exactly Japanese as it was Korean…but it wasn’t authentic Korean either. All the items here have a Chinese twist to it.

Spicy beef brisket with rice was what my grandpa had. It was probably the only decent dish that we all ordered. The meat was tender and had a good amount of spice.

My moms combo came with noodles and fried fish.

Noodles with fried dumplings was very mediocre.

Fried fish with salad was ok as well. Not too impressive.

Overall, if you are looking for Japanese food, don’t come here. It is nowhere close to authentic or even decent. Most of the items here have a Chinese twist to the dishes. I would not come here again. It was expensive and the service was atrocious!

We Rate Tokachi Gyuu Japanese Restaurant:

Address:
Shop L047, G/F, Tin Yiu Plaza, Tin Shui Wai

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=Tin+Yiu+Plaza,+Tin+Yiu+Road,+Tin+Shui+Wai,+Hong+Kong&hl=en&hq=Tin+Yiu+Plaza,+Tin+Yiu+Road,+Tin+Shui+Wai,+Hong+Kong&t=m&z=15 “]

In Chinese

Super Star Seafood Restaurant: Graduation Buns & Elephant Dumplings

September 26, 2012

Super Star Seafood Restaurant (or some called it Red Star Seafood Restaurant) is located on Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui. They have various locations in Hong Kong and even one location in Richmond, BC. My grandfather took us to this location for some afternoon tea as it is one of the older location where all the celebrities dine.

As you walk upstairs, there are various awards and photos displayed.

There are lots of seats and can accommodate huge parties. We ordered a lot of dishes since we had a party of 7.

Crispy Whitebait and Peanuts come complementary at the table. It is very crispy and delicious! It’s quite famous and can be purchased in packages to take home.

Salted Peanuts came to the table too. It’s something to nibble on when you are waiting to order.

Graduation Buns (Steamed Oats and Milk Bun) was a special item in the Summer since everyone was graduating in the city. It was very cute!

We realized that after you take the top off of the hat, it looks like old grandmother buns.

This inside was a nice and creamy. It was not too sweet and was a lovely dessert.

Deep-fried BBQ Pork and Vegetable Dumpling in Elephant Shape.

It was very very cute and great for little kids to devour.

Congee with assorted items. You can design your own congee and add anything you want.

Roasted Chicken with Shrimp Chips

Hainanese Chicken

Braised Vegetables and Geoduck.

Jellyfish and Ham

Assorted Mushrooms and Bok Choy

Pineapple Buns were very unique here.

If you look inside, there is BBQ pork and bits of pineapples!

Steamed Rice Rolls

Steamed Shrimp Dumplings

Steamed Spare Ribs

Steamed Meat Balls

Steamed Fish

Rice and minced meat patty

Sui Mai

Sweet Fungus Soup

Daily Soup

Red Bean Dessert

Overall, the food is pretty solid with great service. I would definitely come here again. The prices are a bit higher, but its a good place to go for a large meal with the family.

We Rate Super Star Seafood Restaurant:

Address:
1/F, Tsimshatsui Mansion, 83-97 Nathan Road,
Tsim Sha Tsui

Website:
http://www.superstargroup.com.hk/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=Tsim+Sha+Tsui+Mansion,+83-97+Nathan+Road,+Tsim+Sha+Tsui&ll=22.297792,114.172239&spn=0.010701,0.019269&hnear=Tsim+Sha+Tsui+Mansion,+83-97+Nathan+Rd,+Hong+Kong&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In Bakery

Paul Lafayet: French Patisserie in Hong Kong

September 24, 2012

Paul Lafayet is a 3 Michelin starred pastry chef who bring the citizens of Hong Kong authentic French pastries and desserts. This location is in K11 in Tsim Sha Tsui. They are best known for their yummy macarons and delicate cakes. The price is quite expensive compared to other food items in Hong Kong.

When you walk in, you will see their large display case of macarons on top with various different flavours.

Then below that are the variety of cakes. I bought a few different items about bought them home to eat after dinner.

I ordered 10 macaroons in total and they put them all neatly in a box so it doesn’t get crushed during the ride home.

Oolong Macaron was a unique flavour! The taste was very subtle, but well put together.

Chocolate Macaron was another delicious choice and great for everyone.

I loved the chocolate one because it was very chewy and rich with chocolate mousse in the middle.

Matcha Macaron also has a nice subtle flavour

Caramel Macaron was a bit more sweet than the others, but still has a good taste.

Pistachio macaron tasted good as well, but they could have done a but more to enhance the pistachio taste.

Raspberry macaron has a lot of color to it, so when you eat it, your lips and tongue turn a bit red.

Sesame macaron was one of my favorites. It’s not a common flavour to see around. Plus, they make this one look pretty.

Earl Grey Macaron is another tea flavoured macaron. I really do love tea infused macarons because it suits very well with a cup of tea. I found this particular macaron interesting because the 2 side of it are different colors!

Chocolate Mousse was what my little sister ordered. It comes in a cup and can be reused for other uses like making other desserts or drinking from it. The mousse was rich, smooth, and had a great flavour.

Cheese Cake with fresh blueberries on top was ok. It wasn’t as amazing as I thought it was, plus it was very small and quite expensive.

Overall the macarons had a nice flavours, but the texture of the macaron was not perfect. Since the weather of Hong Kong is quite humid, it made the macarons fall apart easily. You could twist the 2 side off like an oreo cookie. None of the items were disappointing, they all had great flavours.

We Rate Paul Lafayet:

Address:
Shop G23, K11, 18 Hanoi Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

Website:
http://www.paullafayet.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=18+Hanoi+Road,+Tsim+Sha+Tsui&hnear=18+Hanoi+Rd,+Hong+Kong&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Chinese

Chao and Hak: Chiu Chow Chinese Restaurant in Hong Kong

September 18, 2012

Chao and Hak has 3 locations all over Hong Kong – North Point, Sheung Shui, and Diamond Hill . They specialize in Chiu Chow cuisine. We came to the Sheung Shui location for some dim sum.

There was a large line up and getting a table for 5 took quite some time. If you come at 12 or 1pm, you will have to wait for a table.

The interior has a lot of tables and has a nice elegant decor.

Fried fish, bittermelon and vegetables in black bean sauce was not my favorite dish because I dislike bittermelon and bones. It’s also not kid-friendly either since its hard to find those small bones.

Marinated Pork Hock are the joints of the foot of the pig. You get a lot of flavourful skin, fat, tendon and bits of tender meat.

Pickled Jelly fish and Pork skin and meat in jelly tasted really good. It’s a dish served cold and makes for a great appetizer.

Pig ear, marinated egg, duck and pork sausage was quite an oily dish. This dish is great for sharing with others at the table.

Marinated eggs, beef, and marinated tofu with a side of vinegar. I enjoyed it!

Spring rolls were cool and long like bread sticks. No one else at the table seemed to like it, so I ate a majority of it.

Sui Mai was ok. We had to wait a long time for it and it was a bit disappointing.

Minced Meatball also took a long time to arrive. It was very moist and flavourful.

Xiao Long Bao was the last dish to arrive. We had high hopes for this dish, but was not what we were expecting.

Overall, the marinated appetizer dishes were very good, but the steamed dim sum items were very disappointing. Also the service was very slow.

We Rate Chao and Hak:

Address:
Shop 501, 5/F, Landmark North, No. 39 Lung Sum Avenue,
Sheung Shui

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=39+Lung+Sum+Ave,+Sheung+Shui,+Hong+Kong&hl=en&ll=22.502556,114.127629&spn=0.005739,0.009345&hnear=39+Lung+Sum+Ave,+Hong+Kong&t=m&z=17 “]

In Chinese

Lung Wah Hotel: Eating Pigeon in Hong Kong

September 16, 2012

Lung Wah Hotel (龍華酒店) in Sha Tin, Hong Kong is known for their deep-fried pigeons. My little sister loves to eat pigeons, so the relatives made sure we had pigeon during our trip. The restaurant is located in the middle of nowhere, so you can either take a long walk from the MTR or take a short taxi ride.

It does have a lot of history as it opened in the 1950s and is still in operation today. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been a hotel since the 1980s. The dining room is usually hustling and bustling with people wanting to eat pigeon. Rumor has it, Bruce Lee stayed here during the filming of his movie “Big Boss”.

From the main street, we walked up this long covered path to the hotel. You are in the right place if you see this path.

The interior is very out dated, so you kinda feel like you have gone back in time. The service is very horrible and the staff are always grumpy. If you only order the pigeon, the food comes fairly quickly since they specialize in that dish and is the most ordered.

We ordered additional dishes beside the pigeon but they lost our entire order except for the pigeon. Apparently this is a normal occurrence.

Deep-Fried Pigeon arrives all on one plate depending on how many you order for your table.

It comes with the head as well, so it can be a bit scary for some people. If you don’t want to stare into the eyes of the pigeon, you can just rip the head off. I know it seems cruel, but these pigeons were farmed especially for human consumption.

You are given gloves to eat the pigeon because it can get quite oily.

The meat is very flavourful and tender. The exterior skin is crispy and thin too. It’s way better than duck or chicken!

After our table devoured the pigeons, all that was left were the discarded bones and used up gloves. That’s what happens when you’re eating with a bunch of carnivores. Yum Yum.

Big Boy Tsingtao Beer is a great drink to accompany the food. It cuts through the greasy oily feeling of the pigeon.

Fried Noodles with mushroom, chicken and vegetables was very yummy! One of my favorite dishes since the crispy texture of the noodles blend well with the savory sauce.

Salt and peppery tofu was firm on the outside with spices on top. When you bite into it, it’s very soft and silky on the inside.

Rice noodles with beef and vegetables has very tender beef, but the sauce that accompanied the dish was a bit salty.

Tofu Pudding is another one of their specialty items.You just scoop some into the bowl and add some ginger syrup.

Afterwards, we walked about 15 minutes to the entrance of the Shatin Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery. It looked a little bit awkward with barbed wires, but it was not too scary. It wasn’t too steep compared to some other places I’ve been, but it is a workout when it’s 35 degrees outside.

Remember, if you see any monks asking for money, they are just beggars. Do not pay them money! There are signs posted all over the trail telling tourists not to fall for their tricks. On our way up, we were approached by 3 fake monks, but we just said “no” to every single one.

The walk up is very beautiful and is lined with a lot of statues. Each statue is different and some are very cool to look at.

The top has a few sights and the pagoda type of structure.

You also get a nice view of the town of Shatin.

Overall, it was an awesome day here! Having pigeon and going on a short hike was very memorable. I would still go back to Lung Wah Hotel for some pigeon!

Words of Wisdom:

Deep Fried Pigeon and tofu is a must!
Very horrible Service

We Rate Lung Wah Hotel:

Address:
22 Ha Wo Che Chuen,
Sha Tin, Hong Kong

Website:
http://www.lungwahhotel.hk/

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In Food for Thought

Mangosteen: Finding Exotic Fruit in Hong Kong

September 14, 2012

Mangosteen is a tropical fruit found in South East Asia.It is only in season for 6 to 10 weeks of the year. You can usually find really nice ripe ones from July to September.

When I was in Hong Kong in August, it was very hard to find at the supermarket or on the streets. My grandpa knew I was looking very hard for these for a few weeks. One morning, he left early to go to the market and brings back a whole bowl full of mangosteen. They looked very fresh and I was in awe.

We cracked open the leathery tough skin to find the delicious white fruit inside. It kinda tastes like a grape or lychee. At least one of the pieces inside have a seed, so better not eat it. Nothing bad will happen to you, but it’s always weird eating seeds by accident.

It is very hard to get a hold of mangosteen in Vancouver or North America because it doesn’t ship very well. It will definitely be very hard to find any mangosteen that look this fresh and plump. Plus, very expensive.

My sister found a few mangosteen from T&T, but they look horrible and was very tiny. Nothing comparable to anything you can find in Asia. If you ever have a chance to go to the Asian countries, remember to try some of this delicious fruit.

Have you ever had mangosteen before? How did it taste?

In Chinese

Grand Hall: More Dim Sum in Hong Kong

September 12, 2012

We were looking inside Silvercord in Tsim Sha Tsui for Ho Choi Seafood Restuarant, but in its place is Grand Hall restaurant. It serves the same exact food, except they did major renovations and changed their name. This was confirmed by our waitress and is still operated by the Ho Choi Group. They own various restaurants all across Hong Kong.

We went around 11:30 and it was quite empty until around 1pm. It got really busy around 1pm. We ordered a bunch of different dim sum dishes for a group of 9. There were so many dishes that it was hard to keep track of whats what.

Rice Rolls, Deep Fried Wontons, and Beef Stuffed in Rice rolls.

These all tasted pretty good especially with the sauces they are accompanied with. There were so many sauces on our table that it was hard to remember which sauce goes with what dish. As long as you dunk the rice rolls into a dark sauce, you’ll be alright.

Minced Meat Balls was very moist and contained a variety of items inside the meatball. Very delicious!

Minced Chicken on Steamed Rice tasted ok, but was a bit dry and could have used some more sauce.

This was another rice dish, but I don’t remember what this is.

Spring Rolls look like long bread sticks! It was so weird seeing them in this form!

Steamed Pork Dumplings (Xiao Long Bao) comes in 4 pieces. The skin was very thin, so no matter how carefully you picked it up, it would always break.

Big Dumpling in Soup tasted very good. The broth was delicious and the seafood stuffed inside was yummy.

Double Steamed Milk was so delicious and melted in your mouth like custard. So good!

Overall, the meal was pretty solid. Some items were a hit and miss, but it was a good venue for a large family gathering.

Words of Wisdom:

Great for large parties
Decent Prices
Gets busy around 1pm
Lots of tables
Recently renovated and clean

We Rate Grand Hall:

Address:
3 / F, Silvercord, 30 Canton Road, Tsim Sha

Website:
http://www.hochoi.com/

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In Fast Food

IKEA Hong Kong: Different Food and Drinks

September 10, 2012

After coming back from the Ten Thousand Buddhist Monestary in Sha Tin, we went to a Home Square mall and it contained an IKEA. This location is the largest in Hong Kong with 8,400 sq meters. I really wanted to see how the store layout and food compared to how it is in Vancouver.

It also won one “Best Restaurant Awards in 2012” for a Fast Food Restaurant on OpenRice.com.

All of the items in the IKEA bistro are similar to what you can find in North America. The item that I noticed that they have is popcorn. I haven’t seen this in the IKEAs in Vancouver.

There is also the Swedish Food Market where you can find frozen Swedish Meat Balls, fish, jam, juice, etc.

At the IKEA Restaurant, they have a few of the usual items like Swedish meatballs, vegetarian medallions, shrimp cocktail, and apple pie.

Their kids meal is a bit different too. Spaghetti, corn and sausages.

We were still full from a large lunch, so my sister and I got bottled drinks.

Grapefruit Juice was good and similar to the usual bottle juices.

Organic Soy Milk isn’t sweetened, so it tastes pretty bad if you are not used to drinking unsweetened soy milk. It is healthy for you, but I found it so hard to drink.

Another thing I found that was super different was the washing machine in the kitchens! It’s usual in Hong Kong. With the limited space, that’s where it goes instead of the dish washer.

Address:
L6, HomeSquare
138 Sha Tin Rural Committee Road, Sha Tin

Website:
http://www.ikea.com/hk/en/

Telephone no.:
3125 0888

Open daily:
Store: 10:30am – 10:30pm
Kid’s Playroom: 10:30am – 10:30pm
Restaurant and Cafe:
8:00am – 10:00pm (Weekday)
9:30am – 10:00pm (Weekend/PH)

View Larger Map

In Sheung Wan

Fat Boy Fruits: Fresh Juice From Street Vendors in Hong Kong

September 9, 2012

We were walking along the street markets and we all got very thirsty because the weather was about 35 degrees. There were even warnings about how hot it was outside.

On the corner of Wing Kut Street, there is a man who sells juice. The juice is made fresh right in front of you, so there are no preservatives or an other ingredients. Pure 100% juice!

He offers a wide variety of juices and you can even request your own combination. You may even want to try juices that aren’t available in North America. A small drink is $7 HKD, large is $12 HKD and extra Large is $17 HKD. Very cheap and affordable.

There were lots of people ordering especially business men that were passing by. He wait wasn’t too long as he works really fast to make the juice.

Depending on the item you order, it can be made from a juice extractor…

or if its a orange..it will be from a juicer.

You can also purchase fruit as well if you don’t want juice.

Pineapple Pear Lemon (Large-$12) and it was so good. It was a surprising combination of flavours. Unfortunately, since he doesn’t use ice, the drink isn’t cold enough. Nonetheless, the flavours were great.

You can continue doing a bit of more shopping after you get your drink! There are other places all around Hong Kong that sell juice on the street. I don’t think this particular stand is famous or anything, but it has a convenient location in the business district in Hong Kong.

Words of Wisdom:

There is an english menu
Use cash
Short lines

We Rate Fat Boy Fruits:

Address:
153 Queen’s Road
Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

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In Central

Lin Heung Tea House: Oldest Tea House in Hong Kong

September 8, 2012

Lin Heung Tea House was established in 1926 and is one of the oldest tea houses in Hong Kong. With over 8 decades of serving locals and tourists, dim sum is served with the most traditional recipes that results in an endless flow of diners. This place is packed all the time! Not many places in Hong Kong still serve traditional dim sum. You may want to come very early in the morning or late in the afternoon ( 6am and 3:30pm).

They serve dim sum during the day and main dishes during the night.

Don’t be afraid to get cozy with strangers. You may be forced to share tables, but it’s a natural occurrence in Hong Kong. It really helps if you come with someone who can speak Cantonese! It will help a lot when ordering and finding your table.

Service is quite horrendous as the servers are very rude and not very helpful. People are here for the food and not the service.

You will need to wash your utensils even if they look its clean. Just dunk it in tea! They don’t give you napkins either, so make sure you bring a pack of tissues with you.

The tea doesn’t come in a tea-pot, but they have these traditional type of tea pots. You steep the tea in the larger cup and pour it into your tea cup when it’s done steeping.

It’s really difficult to pour if you’re never tried it before.

When you need to get your tea refilled with hot water, the server brings a huge kettle and pours with crazy accuracy. Every time they come by to pour hot water, I am always so scared just in case they scald us with hot water.

Steamed Beef Balls comes in 3 pieces and are delicious!

Pork tripe is a bit scary since it’s an organ. It’s a bit tough and chewy

Beef Tripe and intestines were very chewy, but the sauce that it was in was delicious.

Steamed Sausage Bun is yummy and a great item for kids.

Braised Chicken feet is a typical dish found in Dim Sum. Some love it, some find it super scary. You kinda have to get use to it. I personally like it since you essentially just eat the skin off the bones.

Steamed Fish Head is very succulent and has a delicious flavour when you suck the meat off the bones.

This dish has chicken, mushroom, and fish maw in a yummy flavourful sauce.

Braised Liver looks really nasty, but the liver does have a chalky flavour and texture to it. If you haven’t had liver before, you may not like it.

Chicken Feet wrapped in bean curd wrap was something I haven’t seen done before. the bean curd did taste good.

Fish Cake wrapped in Cabbage was one of my favorite dishes.

Steamed Chinese Sponge Cake (Ma Lai Go) is very very tall compared to most places. It’s usually made out of flour, eggs, butter, lard and brown sugar and then steamed. It tasted very good!

Words of Wisdom:

Wake up early to order the Big Chicken Bun (“Dai Bao”)
Very unique traditional dim sum items
Good Prices
Horrible service and cleanliness
Anthony Bourdain approved

We Rate Lin Heung Tea House:

Address:
160-164 Wellington Street,
Central

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In Bubble Tea

Gong Cha: Bubble Tea in Hong Kong

September 7, 2012

Gong Cha first launched in Taiwan in 2006 and soon opened locations in Hong Kong, Singapore, Macau, China, Malaysia, and Philippines. There are a lot of locations all over Hong Kong and attracts locals and tourists. They are best known for their signature milk tea with a dollop of cream on top.

The location in East Tsim Sha Tsui was very busy and had lots of tourists ordering drinks. The menu had some english and the cashiers knew a little bit of english too. It’s not great english, but at least it will make your ordering experience go smoothly.

On top of each drink are instructions on how to consume it:

Open the lid and drink, letting the tea pass through the foamy layer.
Insert the straw and enjoy the flavour of the tea.
Use the straw to stir and enjoy the combined flavour of the tea and milk.

Milk Tea ($10) has the tea on the bottom with the dollop of cream on top. It was delicious and different than usual bubble teas. The cream does change the taste a lot and not everyone will love it. My sister liked the drink at first, but eventually started hating the cream on top.

Gong Cha Milk Green Tea ($12) needed a good mixing in order to incorporate the layers together. I tried mixing it together very well, but it was a bit hard to do that. The cream itself was salty.

Afterwards, my sister and I headed to Kowloon Park to walk around and enjoy the fountains and trees.

Overall, Gong Cha was ok, but not the best bubble tea I’ve ever had. We were not a fan of the cream on top.

Words of Wisdom:

Lots of locations in Hong Kong
Most locations have no seats, just take out

We Rate Gong Cha:

Address:
Shop A2, G/F, 41C Granville Road ,
Tsim Sha Tsui

Website:
www.gong-cha.com

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In Causeway Bay

Hakata Ippudo: Limited Summer Edition Noodles in Hong Kong

August 11, 2012

Hong Kong has 3 Ippudo locations and today I visited Hakata Ippudo across from Times Square. It is very popular and sometimes there can be long line ups during peak hours. Of all the ramen places in the world, this chain is definitely my favorite.

After going to Ippudo HK, I knew it was a great place to take Naomi out for some lunch!

Since it was about 11:30am, the restaurant was pretty empty, but it usually gets busy around 1pm when people go out for lunch. To our surprise, they were offering a limited time only summer dishes. It looked cool, so we ordered the 2 featured items.

Hakata Cold Ramen ($78 HKD) was really good! You mix this all up and it’s very easy to share. I would highly recommend this dish to anyone! This fish roe on top definitely adds a lot of flavour and character into the dish.

Hakata Tsukemen ($78 HKD – Small) comes with the sauce in one bowl and then the cold noodles, egg and seaweed in another bowl. You simply grab some noodles and dip it into the broth. Very delicious. They even had instructions on how to eat this dish.

Hakata Style Rice Dish is topped with cold Hakata roe, BBQ pork, seaweed, and egg. It was ok, but not very good compared to the ramen.

Overall, the ramen dishes were pretty good! You can’t really go wrong with either the Summer menu items or the original items. I’ll definitely be back for more!

Words of Wisdom: