Hong Kong - Lunching at the Ritz Carlton

One of the biggest pluses about eating or drinking atop the 100+ storey Ritz Carlton is that the views are never the same.  And it is a stunning one no matter where you sit, no matter the weather and no matter the time of day.

Even when the clouds are so low that you can hardly see anything, it is but a different drama but dramatic nonetheless.

And on 102, there is a choice of Italian or Chinese.

Good breads on offer at Tosca are a welcome start especially the squid ink roll.

Bufala beef carpaccio, ricotta cheese cream, spring sprouts and homemade tomato jam

Grilled Octopus

Appetizers are decent enough although the centimeter thick beef carpaccio was a surprise.  Presentations were just short of stunning when compared with the view.  Produce used was superior so no real complaints there.  Pastas were only a so-so and my trio of spaghetti mounds with scampi and tomatoes were a just a tad underwhelming compared with the first course.  

Lemon tart with meringue

A citrusy sweet finish let us off with a happy enough ending and the meringue cigarettes were highly addictive.  So much so it stole the show from the tart itself.

If I could choose however, lunching at Tin Lung Heen is a little more exciting for the variety of dim sums that you can get.  Well, this is Hong Kong after all.

Baked Abalone Puffs with Minced Chicken

I haven't exhausted the menu yet but this is my favorite so far.  The abalone has a nice bite but isn't chewy and is a nice contrast to the crust which is firm but breaks down easily when in the mouth.

Baked Barbequed Buns

These are a nice alternative to traditional steamed BBQ pork buns.  A milky fragrant exterior that is fluffy with a good pork filling which was just a tad sweet for me.

Crispy roasted pork belly

Well, you can't really go wrong with this Cantonese roast staple.  TLH's version is a squatter piece which means the ratio of perfect crispy crackling to meat and fat is well, perfect.

Crispy noodle with Abalone and Chicken

This was a souped up version of the usual with the addition of abalone.  Crispy noodles well done and not greasy and abalones used were fresh and crunchy.  Lots of action on the palate with the different textures.  The fermented bean paste based sauce was surprisingly mild.

Poached Kailan with Conpoy

The use of good vegetables and conpoy came through in this really simple dish and it was a pleasure to enjoy the natural but diverse sweetness of both together.

Petit fours

The osmanthus jelly with wolfberries is a cool and light way to finish lunch without feeling like a tank before heading back to the office.  The floral scent may not be welcome by some but I love it and am usually sold to any dessert where it is represented.  Cashew cookies in the background were pretty decent too.

If you are looking to decompress and have a nice lunch where you can enjoy the views, decent food and actually converse without straining and still be heard, but don't mind paying for the experience, the Ritz actually isn't a bad choice.

Tin Lung Heen 天龍軒 ｜ Tosca
Level 102, International Commerce Ctr.
1 Austin Road West
Kowloon, Hong Kong
Tel: +852-2263 2270

Hong Kong - Yung Kee 容記小菜王

Not to be confused with its English namesake in Central, Hong Kong for a certain style of goose, this is  right in the heartland of Kowloon.  Sham Shui Po was developed commercially very early on but has mainly become an old residential area now with one of the most well known computer centers in the territory.  The other attraction is Apliu Street where electronics are traded in big volumes.  All the hustle and bustle means folks gotta eat and there is no shortage of choice in the area.

Packed even at 10pm

Yung Kee, as the Chinese name suggests, serves up a myriad of home style dishes, with a twist, says its owner.  His philosophy of less salt, less oil and less MSG, is apparent in the food, all designed to make you feel like you're dining in a Hong Kong home away from your own.  Small, tight, spartan and with the air-conditioning way too cold.

Old style tea pot and tableware

We went way too late to try any of the specialties but what we got, we came away pretty satisfied and look forward to going back next time, and pre-ordering the specials, especially now that we know that Mr. Chatty Boss knows one of our cohorts for many a decade..

Preserved vegetable and pork congee 菜乾豬骨粥

Cutting back on carbs meant I passed on rice, also so I could try a lot more of the dishes ordered.  But to warm myself from the North Pole A-C, I settled on the congee which was nicely done.  And yes, tasty but not salty so you feel can drink this endlessly without any guilt.  Smooth with just a little bite from the broken grains. 

Pan fried Pork Patties 鹹魚茸煎肉餅

By far the winner of the night, these were as good as any I've ever had, and I've had quite a few.  Bouncy insides and a subtle hint of salted fish for that added umami.  Any thought that this was too big a pattie each for one person was thrown out the window, since I could have done with more than half a pattie after they halved it.  

Stewed pork trotters in Italian Balsamic 意式豬腳薑

This was my other fave for the night.  Presentation was underwhelming since the vinegar looked thin and tasteless, but the taste was definitely there.  Unlike traditional ones which tend to have a caramelly finish to the tartness, this had a cleaner sweetness and we were told by Mr. Chatty Boss himself that he combines balsamic with fruit vinegars to keep it light.  He insisted we drink every last drop of the gravy, and I had no difficulties complying with the order.  The ginger had some heat to offer a kick but not overly so as to take away from the dish so you can literally polish this off without remains (save for the bones).

Steamed tripe 薑蔥牛珀葉

This is one of those touch and go dishes since I give up if the tripe has the texture of tyres.  But this one was executed to perfection, crunchy but not chewy.  Oh so easy to pop, especially in a sauce that has hints of sesame oil, and a dip that is soy, spicy chillies and fresh garlic.  

Other dishes were competent but less to write home about.

Sweet sour pork ribs 菠蘿生炒骨

With just enough sauce to quote and ribs still "juicy" as Mr. Chatty Boss calls it, yes, this was delivered almost to perfection although I like my pork pieces just a tad crispier.

Stir fried little cabbages with fermented tofu 椒絲腐乳白菜仔

These vegetables are usually just fried without much else or served in a roasted garlic bulb laced superior stock.  This way was different and darn tasty.  LIKE!

Stir fried lettuce with dace 油麥菜炒鯪魚

Even those who don't like to eat the greens would enjoy this.  Always a tad oily since that's how they preserve the dace but just pretend it's spinaci with anchovies, then it's all good again.

Chicken and pork liver casserole 

Since the special chicken was sold out, this was recommended as an alternative.  Tasty and good with a bowl of rice, chicken was succulent and gives you a hint of what they can really do with their own farm-reared chickens which we were assured were not from north of the border.  Pork liver slices were done just nice to be tender and soaked up the essence of the gravy.

Tofu barrel 竹筒肉碎豆腐

This was where the dish didn't live up to its looks.  What I conjured up in my mind when I  saw the wooden barrel was a rustic beany taste from the tofu in a robust sauce.  What I got on my palate was just regular tofu pieces with ground pork and Chinese mushrooms.  Won't be a repeat order from me.

One more thing: Mr. Chatty Boss raves about his home made soup which goes on the boil forever.  I found it a little tasteless and thin.  If you don't get access to soups often because of your lifestyle you might make do but otherwise skip it since it ain't cheap compared to everything else.

That said, I will venture back to the heartlands to sample his supposed specialties of crispy roast pork, steamed chicken with secret sesame sauce, and his vegetarian tofu rolls.  Stay tuned.

G/F, 118-120 Fuk Wa Street

Sham Shui Po, Kowloon

Tel: +852-2387 1051

Hong Kong - Kowloon Tang 九龍廳

The Elements Mall is not a mall I frequent.  And frankly, I haven't been all that impressed with the F&B scene there so it really is a tad much effort to trudge there for lunch even though it isn't all that far away.  A chance errand required me to get there and so with E, we decided to try out the of late, much reviewed Kowloon Tang. 

The restaurant is beautifully fitted to look like a posh dining hall from 1930s Shanghai.  Stepping in, it smacks of nothing like the Chinese restaurants Hong Kong has come to know.  It was quiet, very quiet.  No doubt we were early for lunch but still, no clanging of tableware nor loud chatter from the staff.  Makes for an excellent venue to have quiet client meals.  Service is trained efficiency although it did lack a little warmth.  I didn't get the happy staff feeling but oh well, who am I to judge. 

We weren't looking for a lot to eat since we needed to manage time and our appetites.  But what we had was actually quite decent, and not overly re-created, and still true to its Chinese roots.  Many reviews had raved about the Peking duck here but perhaps one duck between 2 people would have been a little too much to handle.  

Goose liver in Huadiao

 This was chilled, creamy and exuded alcoholic fragrance.  Couldn't ask for a better starter on a hot and humid summer's day.    

Steamed crab meat and egg white dumplings

This looked quite ordinary when it showed up at the table, but one bite and we were suitably impressed with the freshness of the crab meat and the natural sweetness which filled the dumpling.  And of course, as true Cantonese demand, the skin was thin, yet had the requisite bite.  Quite good, really.


Deep fried spring rolls with taro wrapped in a steamed rice flour roll

This was a good twist to the usual steamed rice rolls.  For crisp, they are usually stuffed with dough fritters.  This one, however, was stuffed with a high quality spring roll which was well deep fried and drained of grease, and in turnr stuffed with a creamy taro mash and other vegetables for crisp and crunch.

Wok fried four angled beans with crispy pork lard and garlic

For greens, we decided to forgo the usual leafy greens to try this more sinful one.  It was an interesting vegetable we don't normally have in Hong Kong.  The closest I've ever had is the winged bean we eat with sambal in Peranakan food, but this was bigger, and required a little more effort to bite.  Using lard, fermented black beans and garlic bulbs flash fried together to release a heavenly taste and aroma is quite a clever way of making this vegetable palate pleasing.   

Overall, a very pleasant experience.  Very decent surrounds so you can actually hear yourself and your companion without fear of losing your voice.  And the food was pretty good too.  So I will make it a point to go back and try the duck.  Afterall, many have proclaimed it the best in Hong Kong.  So I might just break my rule of never eating the bird outside the capital.

Shop R002-003
3/F, Roof Deck, Elements
1 Austin Road West
Tsim Sha Tsui
Tel: +852-2811 9398

Hong Kong - a tale of 2 suckling pigs

The Cantonese are famous for their roasts.  No, not the kind you eat with Yorkshire pudding, but the kind where the carcass is hung or pierced through with a steel rod, then licked by open flames till crisp and done.  And where roast meats are concerned, some would take the view that the suckling pig is the holy grail.  And for good reason.  To cut short poor piggy's life because the skin is crispier and the meat more succulent and tender when cooked is reason for the premium it warrants over traditional roast pork.

And for that reason also, it is not meant for the everyday.  In the old days, if you were average Joe, perhaps wedding dinners were the only time you might see the roast piglet.  Nowadays, many Cantonese restaurants do the dish, and for those who want a treat every now and then, it is readily available, at least in Hong Kong.  But there are only a few which really tout it as the house specialty.

For traditional roast piglet, I do like the one by 新鬥記 (pronounced Sun Tow Kei in Cantonese or Xin Dou Ji in Putonghua).  I couldn't find an official English name for the place though.

Traditional Roast Piglet at 新鬥記

The crackling is done to a perfect crisp, with the fat underneath roasted away so that the taste is not greasy and on the contrary, quite addictive, especially if you've got cold beer at the table.  The meat underneath absorbs the spices rubbed on and is fragrant (none of that "piggy" taste) and tender.  Just quite perfect, really.

Kimberley's Roast Piglet

In contrast, the roast piglet at Kimberley is served 4-D, so you can still see the head and general shape of the pig.  Not for the faint-hearted who are used to eating everything filleted and balk at the sight of source of the meat they consume.  The wonder of this is the effort which goes into making this dish, where the insides of the pig are cleaned out to make way for a stuffing of richly flavored glutinous rice.

Cross-section view of Kimberley's roast piglet

The result is every diner at the table gets a "swiss roll" of rice on the inside enveloped by tender meat, then an "icing" around the cake of crisp crackling.  The combination of textures and flavors overwhelms and it is really quite rich as you struggle to fit it all in, especially since they served this as a final course.  Note to self: go even lighter with pre-dishes or just get at least 10 people at the table to enjoy this one comfortably.  For obvious reasons you cannot get a half order which you can at Sun Tow Kei.

For an overall experience, I actually like the menu at Sun Tow Kei better.

Sun Tow Kei's steamed crab on rice

The steamed crab on rice is what lures me back time and again, alongside the roast piglet.  Order these 2 dishes and you're all set.  The crab is really nothing to speak of but the rice soaks up the juices from the crab and is then accentuated liberally with roast garlic and spring onions.  Egg white is purely for texture to give the semblance that there is more crab than there is.  The result is pure carbo heaven.  I can down 2 bowls of this easily.

Whatever you fancy, both restaurants offer up their own specialties and make for an authentic Cantonese restaurant experience in Hong Kong.  If you prefer to avoid the decibel levels associated with most restaurants in Hong Kong, go to Kimberley.  Otherwise, brave the crowds at Sun Tow Kei and be prepared to wait (even if you make a reservation).


新斗記
2/F, Express By Holiday Inn, 33 Sharp East Street, Causeway Bay
Tel: +852-3162 8899

君怡閣中菜廳 Kimberley Chinese Restaurant
M/F, The Kimberley Hotel, 28 Kimberley Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
Tel: +852-2369 8212 / 2723 3888

Hong Kong - Sun Tung Lok Chinese Cuisine 新同樂魚翅酒家

Finally hit the highly touted newest 3-star Michelin Chinese restaurant in the latest version of the Hong Kong/Macau guide.  Oddly located in a mass-market mall in TST, decor was comfy, and reminiscent of a brighter T'ang Court.  Comfy chairs and tables that aren't too close to each other like in most Chinese restaurants.  Service was efficient and professional even if impersonal.  And the food?

生磨杏仁露 Fresh-ground Almond Broth

It's not often I start a review with dessert.  But this was actually the star of the show.  Possibly the best bowl of almond broth I've ever had in my entire life, and believe me I've had quite a few since it's my default dessert of choice.  The quality of the almonds used was undeniably high.  And just like all good Chinese restaurants, dessert was prepared table-side.  And as the broth heats up, the aroma of the almonds fills the room.  The broth itself was extremely smooth, and with none of that chalky taste of lesser versions.  Pleasantly sweet but not cloying, it made for a nice finish to an unspectacular lunch.

梅菜扣肉包 or Stewed Belly Pork with Preserved Vegetables

This is a classic dim sum special.  I do love 梅菜扣肉 or belly pork stewed with preserved vegetables Hakka style.  So I never pass up on an opportunity to eat it, not even if it's just one serving slipped into a steamed bun.  Taste was pretty authentic, although I would have been happier with a smoother piece of pork.  This was a tad dry, and the separation of the fat from the meat too distinct.

鵝肝芋角 Yam Pastry with Goose liver

As far as dim sum went, this was by far their best performance of the meal.  A smooth yam paste with a piece of liver enveloped in a fluffy pastry and deep fried without a trace of oil.  So important especially since it could have gone really wrong and turned out a be a whole grease bag.  Deserving of applause here.

鮑魚批 Abalone Pies

Decent but nothing to write home about.  Bits of abalone visible on the inside but without much abalone taste.  Pastry was mediocre so overall, it made for a forgettable course.

鮑汁鵝掌意粉 Linguini with Goose Web in Abalone Sauce

This was by far the biggest disappointment.  The goose webs were tasty enough but for some reason the noodles were as tasteless as tasteless can be.  I think their choice of a linguini was flawed since it could not pick up the supposedly abalone-based sauce.  So I ate the goose web and left the noodles.  And split by 4 people, I was surprised we barely got one goose web each...

黃橋燒餅 Northern Style Yellow Bridge Meat Pasties

These pastries weren't bad but by no means the best.  Even Victoria City's version was comparable if not better.

My conclusion: Sun Tung Lok is probably just not a yum cha place.  Perhaps I gotta do the un-PC thing and just have their sharks' fin and suckling pig dishes.  Maybe I might agree with the 3-star rating then.  Otherwise, it's just a very comfy place to have above average Cantonese food.

Shop 4D, Miramar Shopping Centre
132 Nathan Road
Tsim Sha Tsui
Tel: +852-2152 1417

Singapore - Oversea Restaurant

Make no mistake, this is not Cantonese food.  This is Malaysian Chinese food (of which Cantonese forms a sub-group), cooked the way that a mere 3 to 4 generations ago, was the stuff of weekend family dinners, weddings and other happy occasions. But it is sanitized, in a good way.  This is a lot less greasy than it used to be.  Still tasty and more importantly, delivers the distinct nostalgia we've been craving.

And Oversea has delivered it right to the shores of Singapore.  While I've not tried their original shop in Kuala Lumpur, fans rave about that one and that the one in Singapore is a lesser cousin.  But little to nothing takes me to KL, so who's complaining?

Char Siu or Honey glazed roast pork

This is their piece de resistance.  This is what the kind person who takes your reservations on the phone will remind you to reserve.  They don't seem to be able to make enough of this.  Unlike the Hong Kong versions, this is sweeter, more caramelly in taste, with edges roasted till it's charcoal fragrant and crisp.  A delightful way to start especially since it's served warm.

Siu Yoke or Roast belly pork with crackling

While some rave about this also, I was less than impressed.  If you're used to having this in every other Cantonese restaurant in Hong Kong, Oversea's version is a tougher cut, with disproportionate ratios of meat to fat, and the crackling was not as crisp or aromatic as it should have been.

Double boiled chicken soup with Abalone

This was much tastier than it looked.  The clarity is not to be mistaken for bland.  The soup was flavorful from the chicken and abalone but surprisingly the chicken was still tender to the bite.

Scrambled eggs with fish maw

This was another winner for me.  Eggs were well scrambled in a style reminiscent of the old days, when banquets offering a cold dish combo platter used to have this as one of the items.  Fish maw is used in place of politically incorrect sharks' fin but there was no detraction from taste.  Great with the lettuce leaves that are served together as receptacles for the eggs.

Steamed Tofu with dried shrimps and soy

Home-style tofu, period.  A good quality soy that was slightly sweet made for a good sauce.  Otherwise ordinary, since it is a piece of cake to reproduce this at home, especially since the imprinted edges suggested that all you have to do is lift it out of the box in which it was packed.

Eggplant and fish cake in claypot

This was just plain tasty and perfect to down a bowl of steamed rice with.  The addition of little rounds of fish cake was an interesting twist to the classic version but the bouncy pieces made for an interesting crunch to the dish.  

Tofu with Shrimps

We lamented the use of such big prawns in this dish since they were tasteless and failed to impress as a result.  The sauce was created from shrimp roe, and a fair bit of it at that, but lacked a shrimpy robustness about it.  A far cry from Joo Heng's version.  The only element which won here were the tofu pieces.  Very smooth, and encased in what tasted like an egg-based casing, that was well deep fried.

Steamed Patin (Catfish) with minced ginger

This is a great fish to eat, if you like fatty fishes.  The Omega 3 content is probably sky high and makes for an easy fish to steam since you don't have to worry about overcooking it.  The only unfortunate part of execution was that all you can taste is the ginger.  Granted, if you like ginger, you will love this.  However, I'm not a huge fan, and would have preferred a little more fish to come through.

Stir fried Kailan in ginger and chinese wine

Vegetables used were good quality.  A teenage Kailan that made for perfect crunch and sweetness where florets meet leaves.  A light ginger and Huadiao wine sauce enhanced.

Chilled honeyed sea coconut and longans

Dessert was quite blah.  It was refreshing, but again something you can create out of a couple of cans of honeyed sea coconut and longans.  The lemon wedge was the twist that cut through the cloying canned syrups.

While some comment that Oversea is pricey for what it is, and they're not far off, but in this day, where this style of food preparation is few and far between in Singapore, it is probably still a steal since it's all about instant gratification and not having to speed down the North-South highway for 3 hours to get the same thing for less.

100 Beach Road
#01-27 
Shaw Leisure Gallery
Shaw Towers
Tel: +65-6294 2638

Macau - Shing Kee 盛記白粥

One of the luxuries of being on vacation is having the time to enjoy breakfast.  Even better if it's a breakfast you don't often get to enjoy.  And even better is because you've had a lie-in, there's no breakfast rush, since everyone else is having lunch.

Shing Kee is one of those places that is a throwback to the good old days when breakfast meant having the traditional goodies.  No juice, fruit, yogurt or coffee.  And the slight wait outside the shop at 2pm in the afternoon is testament that people still hanker for that bit of nostalgia.

Congee 白粥

As the name suggests, people come here to have a warm bowl of congee to start the day.  Chinese believe this magical bowl of gruel cleanses and detoxes the digestive system.  A Chinese physician I used to see recommended that I have this every morning.  Unfortunately, I haven't found a life partner to satisfy all my material needs to be able to wake up to a steaming bowl of congee every morning without having to worry about rushing to work.

This version is really almost reduced to 98% fluid, with bits of rice grain you might break down without any chewing.  The fluid has hints of Fu Chok (腐竹), bean curd sheets which they throw into the pot to cook the congee with to give it a distinct yellow hue and flavor.

Steamed radish cake and fish dumpling 燒賣糕 

Of course, the Chinese physician also said to avoid other tasty condiments when consuming congee but when on vacation, nobody remembers what the doctor says.  The radish cake was very soft and tasty.  A touch of heat from white pepper within.  The steamed dumpling is not the usual one we find at dim sum restaurants but is one that is stuffed with minced Dace and bouncier than most.

Steamed rice rolls 腸粉

The rice rolls had decent sauces (combo of sweet, peanut and chili) over making it pretty tasty but the rolls themselves weren't great.  A little too much of a rice flour aftertaste and not soft enough.

But, this place is all about the nostalgia.  Nothing to it.  The food isn't spectacular but just good old-fashioned brekkie items we used to wake up to as kids.  Yes, the good old days..

77A Avenida do Ouvidor Arriaga R/C
Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro
新馬路蘇雅利醫生街1號
Tel: +853-2892 2901