Food Touring

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

Hong Kong: Dinner @ Shing Shun Seafood Restaurant (誠信海鮮酒家)

Restaurant: Shing Shun Seafood Restaurant (誠信海鮮酒家) 
Address: No. 1-12, G/F, Lee Tim House, Ap Lei Chau Estate
City: Ap Lei Chau, Hong Kong

I visited a friend at South Horizons, in Ap Lei Chau (also known as Aberdeen Island). Ap Lei Chau is an island at the southwestern part of Hong Kong. Did you know that Ap Lei Chau ranks as one of the top three most densely populated island in the world?!

I had dinner with my friend and his mom. We had two seafood dishes and one beef dish. We also had steamed rice to go along with our meal. All three dishes went really well with rice! :d Continue reading →

Posted on by Mango in China, Hong Kong

Hong Kong: Cha Chaan Teng @ Lan Fong Yuen (蘭芳園)

Restaurant: Lan Fong Yuen (蘭芳園) 
Address: 2 Gage 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.

That Food Cray has some insight into a typical cha chaan teng:

Hong Kong has an abundance of tea cafés or Cha Chaan Tengs offering quick, affordable Hong Kong style fast food notorious for terrible customer service. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of a Cha Chaan Teng, just picture an old school Chinese style diner with unfriendly waiters serving Hong Kong’s own versions of unhealthy, convenient fast food such as noodles, sandwiches, French toast, and even curry. Regardless of how unhealthy and terrible the service of Cha Chaan Tengs may be, people can’t stop, won’t stop. Locals just seem to value fast service and affordable prices above all.

I went with a friend’s coworker to grab late lunch / afternoon tea at Lan Fong Yuen’s original location in Central. This location is a hole-in-the-wall; the narrow entrance is in between Lan Fong Yuen’s storefront stand and a grocer. Continue reading →

Posted on by Mango in Hong Kong

Hong Kong: Egg Tart @ Tai Cheong Bakery (泰昌餅家)

Bakery: Tai Cheong Bakery (泰昌餅家) 
Address: 35 Lyndhurst Terrace
City: Central, Hong Kong

When in Hong Kong, you’ve gotta get egg tarts! Egg tarts are called “daan taat” in Cantonese (蛋撻).

Tai Cheong is a bakery well known for their egg tarts. They’ve been around since 1954, and holds a special place in many Hong Kongers’ hearts. CNN Travel has some info about the bakery:

Many Hong Kong residents will recollect the smell of crispy cookie crust and sweet egg custard along Lyndhurst Terrace in Central with great affection. After all, if they were good enough for Chris Patten, the last British governor and famously a fan of the product, they should be good enough for the rest of us.

We are talking about Tai Cheong bakery.

For six decades, Tai Cheong has witnessed and experienced the city’s growth, including property inflation. Its owners were forced to close it down in 2005 due to high rent, but reopened it later in a nearby spot, determined to change.

As a part of Tao Heung Group now, the once small bakery has swollen into a corporate business. Despite the convenience given by 14 branches (excluding the one in Macau), many Tai Cheong fans, local and international, still prefer to go to the Central main store, hoping to have a taste of the good old days and to sooth their nostalgia.

I had the chance to visit Tai Cheong Bakery in Central! I went with a friend’s coworker and we picked up 4 egg tarts to go (or takeaway, as Hong Kongers call it). The egg tarts were $6 HKD a piece. Continue reading →

Posted on by Mango in Hong Kong

Hong Kong: AYCE Korean BBQ @ Hon Wo Korean Restaurant (漢和韓國料理)

Restaurant: Hon Wo Korean Restaurant (漢和韓國料理) 
Address: 9/F, Emperor Plaza, 55 Chung On St
City: Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong

Hong Kong has many different types of restaurants, and it’s known to be the culinary capital of Asia. There’s cheap eats at convenience stores, all you can eat (AYCE) barbecue or buffet, street food, bakeries, and cha chaan tengs. There’s also American, European, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, African, Southeast Asian, and all sorts of other Asian food! Hong Kong’s food is predominantly imported, so meat (especially beef) tends to be on the pricier side.

My friends and I had AYCE Korean barbecue for dinner at Hon Wo Korean Restaurant (漢和韓國料理) in Tsuen Wan. Hon Wo is a restaurant chain, with three other locations in Causeway Bay, Mong Kok, and Kwun Tong.

Hong Kong is highly populated, so restaurants usually have a high influx of customers around the clock, especially if it’s popular. AYCE restaurants usually have a time limit of ~2 hours. You also know right away when a particular food item in a AYCE restaurant is really good, when someone keeps getting it and only that! Continue reading →

Posted on by Mango in Hong Kong, Korea

Hong Kong: Japanese Teppanyaki @ Pepper Lunch

Restaurant: Pepper Lunch 
Address: 4/F, Cyberport Arcade, 100 Cyberport Rd
City: Cyberport, Hong Kong

Umbrella Revolution started in Admiralty last night, so I was advised to stay away from Central and Admiralty for the time being. I cancelled plans to go to Wan Chai, and went south to watch a movie at Cyberport instead.

I watched The Maze Runner in Cyberport Arcade and went to the food court afterwards. I noticed there was a Pepper Lunch, which serves “DIY” Japanese teppanyaki! I’ve only tried Pepper Lunch USA in Milpitas, and wanted to compare it to Pepper Lunch in Asia. As soon as I looked at the menu, I noticed it was entirely different! There were way more choices to pick from! Continue reading →

Posted on by Mango in Hong Kong, Japan

Hong Kong: Tea Time @ New Blue Pool Restaurant & Bakery (新藍塘餐廳麵包公司)

Restaurant: New Blue Pool Restaurant/Bakery  (新藍塘餐廳麵包公司) 
Address: 71 Caine Road
City: Central, Hong Kong

Afternoon tea, or tea time, is a big deal in Hong Kong. It’s a light meal set in the afternoon, between lunch and dinner time. Almost everyone walks in Hong Kong, as owning a car is costly with limited parking space. Plus, the humidity is crazy and you’re sweating all the time outside. Hong Kongers are naturally hungry during afternoon, with a need to wind down and refuel before continuing their day.

A friend showed me around Central today, which included a visit to Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Museum. Sun was a Chinese revolutionary who was the  first president of Republic of China (ROC) and co-founder of Kuomintang (abbreviated as KMT and translated as Chinese National Party), before ROC and KMT were overthrown by People’s Republic of China and relocated to Taiwan.

After the museum visit, we went to a nearby café for afternoon tea. We had a bun and chicken wings with fries. I had iced lemon tea while my friend had HK milk tea. Continue reading →

Posted on by Mango in Hong Kong

Hong Kong: Guangdong Hot Pot @ Pier 88 (稻香超級漁港)

Restaurant: Pier 88 (稻香超級漁港)  
Address: 5/F, Windsor House, 311 Gloucester Road
City: Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

I am now back in Hong Kong! I flew from Beijing to Shenzhen, then took a bus across the border to Hong Kong.

Hong Kong is a highly populated country that has shops and restaurants, on literally, every street. There are cafés, bakeries, restaurants, malls, and convenient stores everywhere. You’ll never starve in Hong Kong. That is, unless you’re out of money.

As soon as I arrived in Hong Kong, two friends treated me to a hot pot dinner at Windsor House in Causeway Bay. The restaurant had air conditioning, so we were able to enjoy hot pot. The hot pot was primarly Cantonese (Guangdong) style, but with a little bit of other styles as well.

We had two different soup bases, one non-spicy and one spicy. There was also a sauce bar, where you can make your own dipping sauce. Next to the sauce bar was a self-serve beverage area. You can get hot tea, hot almond tea, and or cold drinks from the soda fridge.


Sauce Bar


Thinly Sliced Beef!


Vegetable Basket


Tofu / Bean Curd


Bean Curd Rolls

The bean curd rolls were to be dunked quickly and consumed immediately while still crispy. However, it was not crispy at all to begin with, which was a disappointment. We also had won ton (shown in the first photo above).

The steam from the hot pot kept towards me so I was warm the entire time, but slightly annoyed at the same time. There was no ventilation from the ceiling, so we tried fanning the smoke away. The food made up for this situation though, and we left with full stomachs! ^^

You also have the option of getting AYCE (all-you-can-eat) hot pot in HK, but most restaurants have a time limit of 2 hours. We opted to get each food as an individual dish towards our bill. Pier 88 also serves dim sum and Cantonese dishes.

Posted on by Mango in China, Guangdong, Hong Kong

Beijing: Northern & Western Chinese @ 王土地莜面村

Restaurant: 王土地莜面村
Address: 海淀区中关村北大街42号 (42 Zhongguancun N Street, Haidian District)
City: Beijing, China

We flew back to Beijing from Xi’an and visited Educational Services Exchange (ESEC). ESEC is known for its Total Immersion Program (TIP), which as the name implies, is a total immersion program for students (mostly from Western China) to improve their English language. Their students are required to use English at all times during the program, and are not allowed to communicate in Chinese (verbally and written). It’s a 21-day program and they’re even thinking of shortening it! Isn’t that crazy?! But it actually works! The program has been in effect since 2005. They’ve got a nice YouTube video, if you’re interested in checking it out!

We met up the founder of the program and had dinner with him, across the street from ESEC. The restaurant’s interior was vibrant and elegant. It was red everywhere, from the walls to lanterns to table markings. The Chinese are infatuated with the color red because it symbolizes joy and good luck.

 

We had a number of dishes unique to Beijing, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, and Xinjiang. Here are some of the dishes I managed to take shots of.


Steamed Spinach (Beijing)


Potato Salad (Beijing)


Lamb Skewers (Xinjiang)


Wood Ear Mushroom Salad (Shanxi)

The Chinese usually eat their dishes with rice or noodles. However, there is one type of staple food from the Nei Mengu minority from Inner Mongolia called 莜面窝窝 (yóu miàn wō wo), and Shanxi called 莜面栲栲 (yóu miàn kǎo kǎo); both are loosely translated as “honeycomb noodles”. It’s not quite noodle or rice, but it’s made from oat or buckwheat. It has a honeycomb appearance, and is served in a basket alongside a special dipping sauce.



Honeycomb “Noodle” (Inner Mongolia & Shanxi)

I highly recommend this restaurant! You get to try Chinese food from the Northern, Western, and Northwestern regions!

There’s one thing you should be wary of, when you’re eating at any restaurant in China. The country has banned smoking indoors but there are folks that will not follow the rules (those folks may consider it more of a “guideline” than a law). So if you’re sensitive to cigarette smoking, you can inform the manager to notify the smoker to stop smoking inside. However, if the smoker fails to comply, the manager or you can inform the police.

Posted on by Mango in Beijing, China, Inner Mongolia, Northeastern China, Northern China, Shanxi, Western China, Xinjiang