Days In Hong Kong - Taking The Ding Ding

Even though the MTR's faster, we enjoy hopping on the tram or the Ding Ding as the locals call it, to take in the sights and sounds of Hong Kong's bustling streets. (By the way did you know that trams have been running in Hong Kong Island since 1904?)

Just saw from the Hong Kong Tramways' website that you can actually book a tram for a party. Would be perfect for a birthday celebration or even a hen's night!

Days In Hong Kong - Honolulu Egg Tarts

One Hong Kong food which I really love (besides dim sum, congee, roast meat and milk tea!) is the humble egg tart. 

Honolulu Coffee Shop is reknowned for its multi-layered, flaky pastry tarts with soft, egg custard, which are a favourite among locals and tourists.
 

Hello sunshine!

I don't know about you, but I could eat this for breakfast, lunch AND dinner every day (and grow fat).

Honolulu Coffee Shop
176-178 Hennessy Road
Wan Chai, Hong Kong

Days In Hong Kong - Ho Hung Kee

This was a recommendation by my Mom's colleague and I'm glad we gave it a try.

We ordered a bowl of congee each and a bowl of wanton dumplings to share. The congee was very tasty and the wanton dumplings were stuffed with fresh, crunchy prawn and meat. Yummyyyy. And best of all, the meal was very affordable.

 Century Egg Porridge

 Generous portion of wanton dumplings

By the way, why is the congee a lot better in Hong Kong? Is it the rice they use? Or the water? Anyone knows?

Ho Hung Kee Congee and Wanton Noodle Shop
2 Sharp Street East
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

Days In Hong Kong - Lei Garden

After reading yAnn's entry on her best meal, I knew we had to make a visit to Lei Garden in Hong Kong.

But what could have been an impeccable experience, was a little marred because of bad luck.

The famous crispy roast pork which I was so looking forward to having, was SOLD OUT!

Hey, I knew the roast pork was popular, but I didn't expect it to be gone by 1pm. The restaurant staff told us that many customers actually reserve the dish when they make their table reservations. Just too bad for us then. We ordered a plate of char siew instead.

We also wanted good Cantonese soup, but due to a miscommunication, we ended up with something more exotic than expected.

The soup of the day was sold out (again) and we were recommended to try either crocodile or seafood soup. We chose the latter of course.

When the soup came, we couldn't help but wonder why there were weird chunks of scaly stuff in the soup.

To make sure we weren't drinking crocodile or worse, armadillo soup, I checked with the service staff that this was indeed the 'hai xian tang' we ordered. Hai ya, hai ya, she said and pointed to the order chit on our table. I took a look at the chit and realised the order was Starfish soup (hai xing tang). Eeeewwww.

The husband thought the soup was chockful of flavour but I didn't like the bitter aftertaste. Perhaps they had added Chinese herbs? Or maybe it was just the thought of having a dead starfish in my soup. Bleah.

Nothing appetizing about the dried starfish

I'm glad the husband helped to finish most of the soup

Juicy slab of Honey Char Siew

The char siew was good, but the one we had in Maxim's Palace City Hall during our last trip, was better.

 

Stir Fried You Mai Cai with Salted Beans

This was delicious but my Teochew tastebuds found it a tad too oily and salty.

Stir Fried Hor Fun with Smoked Duck

You know a stir fried hor fun is the real deal when you can taste the wok hei (which according to Wikipedia, is known as the flavour, tastes, and "essence" imparted by a hot wok on food during stir frying). Loved the combination of the wok hei together with the smoked duck and we cleaned the plate, right down to the last morsel.

Despite the misses, it was still a very good meal. I hope the next time we return, we'll get to try the roast pork and a more conventional soup.

Shop No. 3007 to 3011, 3/F
International Finance Centre
Central, Hong Kong

Days In Hong Kong - Tim Ho Wan

After shopping to our hearts' content at Tsim Tsa Tsui, we took the MTR to Yau Ma Tei, where we braved the queue in the sweltering summer heat for a table at Tim Ho Wan.

 

We were given a queue number, an order chit to pencil down our orders and sweated buckets as we stood with other hungry diners waiting patiently for our numbers to be called. Considering how we had read about people queuing for 2-3 hours, we were surprised we got a table within 40 minutes.

Tim Ho Wan recently opened a second branch at Sham Shui Po which is bigger but reviews are mixed with some netizens saying it's not as good as the flagship. Maybe we will try the other outlet the next time to see if reviews are true.

Service was fast and we didn't have to wait more than a few minutes for our dishes to arrive.

 

First up was Tim Ho Wan's signature dish - the Crispy Char Siew Bun, We were told to eat it immediately as it's best enjoyed piping hot.

The light, crisp crust was a perfect compliment to the piping hot, juicy char siew filling. It was SOOO good and we would have ordered a second helping if we weren't so stuffed!

The Steamed Glutinous Rice Wrapped in Lotus Leaf was another winner.

We also ordered the Liu Sha Cheong Fun which I was misled into thinking it was Cheong Fun with Tau Sa (Bean Paste), thanks to the dish name. 

It turned out to be Cheong Fun with Pork Liver, which we didn't mind eating, but we would have preferred a more common filling which we were used to, like Char Siew or Prawns. The Cheong Fun skin however was smooth and soft and one of the best i've tried. Chef Mak, owner of Tim Ho Wan and former dim sum chef at Four Seasons Hotel, indeed knows what he's doing.

A good Har Gau to me is one where the skin is soft and thin and the prawn filling is fresh and succulent. Tim Ho Wan's Har Gau definitely met my criteria.

The Fu Pi Juan (Fried Beancurd Roll with Prawn) was also excellent (I'm running out of positive adjectives to describe the food).

And our last dish was the husband's comfort food - Lo Bak Gao or Pan Fried Radish Cake. I liked how you could taste juicy strips of radish in every bite. Yummy.

Limited seating at Tim Ho Wan

And now, for the most important question - Was it worth the wait?

My answer would be a resounding yes, provided the waiting time is less than an hour. 

The trick is to avoid the morning yum cha period and come at odd hours. (We had an early dinner at 5pm so our wait was manageable).

Where else will you be able to enjoy 6 dim sum dishes of Michelin Star standard for about 100 plus HKD (less than 25 Singapore Dollars)?

And that heavenly Crispy Char Siew Pau. Oh boy, sweet dreams are made of it.

Tim Ho Wan
G/F, Phase 2, Tsui Yuen Mansion
2-20 Kwong Wah Street
Mong Kok, Kowloon
Hong Kong

Days In Hong Kong - Wing's Catering

My first meal in Hong Kong last Saturday was at Wing's Catering, a hole in the wall eatery recommended by the husband's HK colleague.

There were raving reviews on the grilled chicken on OpenRice, so we knew we had to try that. The husband chose to have his with rice while I picked spaghetti in tomato sauce.

The grilled chicken did not disappoint. The meat was juicy and flavourful, while the skin was crispy. It was delightful. And it was affordable too. We paid 40 HKD (6 plus SGD) each for a set which included a drink - coffee or tea.

Wing's Catering is a small eatery which has limited seating, so do come early before the lunch or dinner peak hours, if you don't want to wait.

Wing's Catering
G/F 8 Anten Street, Wan Chai
Hong Kong

This Weekend

  An old photo taken some time back

There are five reasons why I can't wait for this weekend.

1) The lil sister will be back from the States

2) A much needed short respite from work

3) Lots of good food

4) Not forgetting shopping

5) And most of all, spending time with the husband whom I haven't seen in three weeks ♥

What are you looking forward to, this weekend?