Food Touring

Trying food from all over the world, at home & abroad!

Hong Kong: Dim Sum @ House of Tang (唐宮中餐廳)

Restaurant: House of Tang (唐宮中餐廳) 
Address: 2/F, Metropark Hotel Kowloon, 75 Waterloo Road
City: Ho Man Tin, Hong Kong

Today is my last day in Hong Kong…sadface! A family friend asked me what kind of food I wanted. I told her I wanted dim sum! So we went to Metropark Hotel Kowloon and dined at House of Tang, one of the restaurants in the hotel.

House of Tang is a upscale restaurant, with elaborate and exquisite dishes.

We had dim sum dishes that were based from a variety of places: Hong Kong, Fujian, Guangdong, Shanghai, and Sichuan. Continue reading →

Posted on by Mango in Hong Kong

Hiroshima: Okonomiyaki

Restaurant: Yakimasse 
Address: Shop 3-007, Level 3, New Town Plaza Phase 3, 2-8 Sha Tin Centre Street
City: Sha Tin, Hong Kong

I went to the Hong Kong Heritage Museum in Sha Tin with a friend, which had exhibits on Cantonese opera, HK’s history, and Bruce Lee. Then we went back to New Town Plaza to do some last minute shopping before I leave HK back to SFO. We stopped at the food court and got a light snack from Yakimasse.

We had okonomiyaki and takoyaki. This post will focus on okonomiyaki, also called “Japanese pancake”. Yakimasse makes their okonomiyaki Hiroshima style, stacking all the ingredients starting with noodle on the bottom. Here’s how Yakimasse makes their okonomiyaki (on the left side of the video):

This was actually my first time having okonomiyaki! It had lots of noodles and cabbage. Yakimasse also served their okonomiyaki with Japanese mayo and dried bonito shavings on top. Continue reading →

Posted on by Mango in Chūgoku, Hiroshima, Japan

Osaka: Takoyaki

Restaurant: Yakimasse 
Address: Shop 3-007, Level 3, New Town Plaza Phase 3, 2-8 Sha Tin Centre Street
City: Sha Tin, Hong Kong

I went to the Hong Kong Heritage Museum in Sha Tin with a friend, which had exhibits on Cantonese opera, HK’s history, and Bruce Lee. Then we went back to New Town Plaza to do some last minute shopping before I leave HK back to SFO. We stopped at the food court and got a light snack from Yakimasse.

We had okonomiyaki and takoyaki. This post will focus on takoyaki, which is also dubbed as “octopus balls”.

I first heard about takoyaki when my sister and her friend made them for a high school club fundraising event. I then learned that the process of making takoyaki can be somewhat tedious. First, the batter is poured into a pan with circular molds. Then, a piece of octopus is placed in each circle. (Other ingredients may be added, but most restaurants in the Bay Area may only use octopus.) Then the batter is flipped halfway through cooking, to form its round shape. Continue reading →

Posted on by Mango in Japan, Kansai, Osaka

Hong Kong: Cha Chaan Teng @ Super Fast Food (美好快餐)

Restaurant: Super Fast Food (美好快餐) 
Address: Shop 109, 1/F, Fortune City One, 1 Ngan Shing St.
City: Sha Tin, Hong Kong

Cha chaan teng (茶餐廳) is on almost every corner in Hong Kong. In the United States, they are known as “Hong Kong style café”. Here’s a short description of the term, from Wikipedia:

Cha chaan teng (lit.: tea restaurant) meaning tea restaurant, is commonly found in Greater China, including particularly Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and parts of Guangdong. They are known for eclectic and affordable menus, which include many dishes from Hong Kong cuisine and Hong Kong-style Western cuisine. Since the 1980s they can also be found in the Chinatown districts of many Western countries like Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, and the United States.

When visiting Hong Kong, you’ve gotta eat at cha chaan tengs as often as you can! We had breakfast at Fortune City One, a mall in Sha Tin. Yep, we came back for a second day in a row! Continue reading →

Posted on by Mango in China, Hong Kong

Hong Kong: Wife Cake @ Hang Heung Cake Shop (恆香老餅家)

Bakery: Hang Heung Cake Shop (恆香老餅家) 
Address: G/F, 400 Shan Tung St.
City: Mong Kok, Hong Kong

Han Heung is a bakery known for their wife cake (老婆饼). They closed their Mong Kok location on Nathan Road but reopened a shop on Shan Tung Street by the Ladies’ Market. Edit on 12.19.2016: This location is now closed! Please check Han Heung’s website for their current locations. Continue reading →

Posted on by Mango in China, Guangdong, Hong Kong

Hong Kong: Tofu-fa @ 廖同合荳品廠

Restaurant: 廖同合荳品廠  
Address: 1067 Canton Road
City: Mong Kok, Hong Kong

Two friends and I walked around Mong Kok to check out the Umbrella Revolution that had spread to the city, also dubbed as “Occupy Mong Kok”. There were tons of protestors sitting on the streets, and metal barracades to block road traffic. We were handed yellow ribbons by volunteers, which we pinned on our shirts right away to show our support. I was also wearing a black T-shirt and had my black & yellow Timbuk2 bag over my shoulder, to match the Umbrella Revolution colors! ^^d

We stopped at a tofu/soybean snack shop and got tofu-fa (豆腐花) to cool down. We actually went when the shop was closing, so we ate it quickly before heading back outside. Continue reading →

Posted on by Mango in China, Guangdong, Hong Kong

Hong Kong: Cha Chaan Teng @ Super Fast Food (美好快餐)

Restaurant: Super Fast Food (美好快餐) 
Address: Shop 109, 1/F, Fortune City One, 1 Ngan Shing St.
City: Sha Tin, Hong Kong

Cha chaan teng (茶餐廳) is on almost every corner in Hong Kong. In the United States, they are known as “Hong Kong style café”. Here’s a short description of the term, from Wikipedia:

Cha chaan teng (lit.: tea restaurant) meaning tea restaurant, is commonly found in Greater China, including particularly Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and parts of Guangdong. They are known for eclectic and affordable menus, which include many dishes from Hong Kong cuisine and Hong Kong-style Western cuisine. Since the 1980s they can also be found in the Chinatown districts of many Western countries like Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, and the United States.

When visiting Hong Kong, you’ve gotta eat at cha chaan tengs as often as you can! I had breakfast at Tsui Wah this morning, before we made our way up to Sha Tin.

We had afternoon tea at Fortune City One, a mall in Sha Tin. At this restaurant, orders are placed at the front counter and picked up at the window when your number is called. The dining area is self-seating and usually packed with several shared tables. Continue reading →

Posted on by Mango in Hong Kong

Hong Kong: Pontikege (糬波波球)

Bakery: Das Gute 
Address: No.3-006, YATA Department Store, New Town Plaza 3
City: Sha Tin, Hong Kong

We went to New Town Plaza so I could check out MUJI (無印良品) and Snoopy’s World. We grabbed some sweet bread to munch on from Das Gute, which is part of A-1 Bakery that started in Japan:

In 1948, A-1 Bakery was first to establish a distinct lineup of health-conscience and fresh bakery in Osaka, Japan. In 1984, General Manager Mr. MOTONOBU YANAI imported into Hong Kong baked goods that are based on three simple key principles: 1) made only with natural and premium ingredients 2) freshly-baked everyday 3) delicious and nutritious. In recent years, our company has expanded further into the Asia market and is operating more than 50 bakery, Japanese and Western cuisine outlets in Hong Kong at present. Our company is distinctive for delicious, natural, and health-wellness foods always presented in our own originality.

Gute is presented in 2 brands; they are “Das Gute” and “Café Gute”. Both of them inherited the bread making skills from villages in South of Germany. Gute produces a great variety of natural and healthy German bread which contains high fiber. In some of our outlets, we provide dining service as well. This is the good place to spend your time with friends and enjoy a nice cake, sandwiches, salads, pastas, steak and more.

One of my friends loves Das Gute’s pontikege and wanted us to try it! There were different types of pontikege to choose from- coconut, chocolate, cranberry, sesame, and cheese. A piece was $4.5 HKD, while a bag of 5 pieces was $16 HKD. Continue reading →

Posted on by Mango in Hong Kong

Hong Kong: Cha Chaan Teng @ Tsui Wah Restaurant (翠華集團)

Restaurant: Tsui Wah Restaurant (翠華集團) 
Address: G/F-2/F, Hong Kong House, 17-19 Wellington St.
City: Central, Hong Kong

Cha chaan teng (茶餐廳) is on almost every corner in Hong Kong. In the United States, they are known as “Hong Kong style café”. Here’s a short description of the term, from Wikipedia:

Cha chaan teng (lit.: tea restaurant) meaning tea restaurant, is commonly found in Greater China, including particularly Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and parts of Guangdong. They are known for eclectic and affordable menus, which include many dishes from Hong Kong cuisine and Hong Kong-style Western cuisine. Since the 1980s they can also be found in the Chinatown districts of many Western countries like Australia, Canada, United Kingdom and the United States.

I started my day with breakfast in Central at Tsui Wah Restaurant, a cha chaan teng chain. Cha chaan tengs are a way of life in Hong Kong; food is affordable and service is quick even though it’s unhealthy. Tsui Wah started in Mong Kok in 1967 and have expanded all over Hong Kong since then. Continue reading →

Posted on by Mango in Hong Kong