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What exactly is Hong Kong cuisine? Egg tarts? Afternoon tea? Dim Sum? We trudge the backstreets of the city in search of a taste of the real Hong Kong.
Haute cuisine is well and good, but where do you find the best of Hong Kong’s classic dishes? Paul Mcguire takes a culinary tour of Hong Kong in a quest to find the city’s most famous and revered establishments in search of the best of local cuisine.
DIM SUM
Address: 63 Sing Woo Road, Happy Valley Tel: 2834 8893
Step off the streets of Happy Valley into a recreation of 1930’s Shanghai and join the throng scrambling for gourmet dim sum. When a seat becomes available, diners can relax mostly in comfortable rosewood booths gently cooled by individual fans and order from a dazzling array of over a hundred exotic combinations. Typical is siu mai, which is served here with shark’s fin as well as minced pork and shrimps. Or how about steamed lobster and shrimp dumplings covered in a paper-thin skin? Just reading the menu is a culinary delight. Prices are certainly not the cheapest in town but with excellent quality and genuinely artistic presentation this is a place to savour dim sum crafted with more care and attention than the mass-produced fare of many neighbourhood haunts.
Service: A small number of staff provides helpful tips on appropriate choices.
LUK YU TEAHOUSE
Address: 24-26 Stanley Street, Central, Tel: 2523 5464
Popular for more than seventy years, Luk Yu is no slave to fashion either in its décor or cuisine. The ground floor is almost opulent but the other dining rooms have an old-school nostalgic charm that continues to draw regulars as well as curious tourists. The dim sum menu changes every week, but the quality of food is consistently good. This is dim sum without ostentation and the drier textures and strong flavours are a culinary tribute to well-established traditions. Barbecue pork buns, for example, are drier and heavier than the average and are served in two large portions rather than three. That is not to say that the chefs do not innovate. Tea is served in metal pots that look as if they date from the restaurant’s inception and are refilled from giant kettles. Prices are very reasonable and the people watching is an experience in itself.
Service: Waiters wear the tailored white jackets with practised informality
MAXIM’S PALACE
Address: Low Block, City Hall, Connaught Rd, Central Tel: 2526 9931
The vast dining area, dominated by gold and red fittings, seats hundreds and is one of the most popular dim sum locations in town and a quintessential Hong Kong dining experience. Be prepared to take a number and queue for a table as it is not possible to book in advance. The atmosphere is noisy and vibrant despite the softening effect of deep-pile carpeting. Trolleys full of delicious morsels circulate freely tempting diners if they are not distracted by the stunning views of the harbour. All the food is good but particularly recommended are shrimp and pork dumplings. Prices range from $23 to $42.
Service: Frenetic activity is the order of the day and appetites are satisfied almost breathlessly.
YUNG KEE
Address: 32-40 Wellington Street, Central Tel: 2522 1624
This restaurant’s reputation as one of Hong Kong’s finest Cantonese restaurants is well justified. Its menu is packed with mouth-watering selections but it is roast goose cooked in its own juices that takes pride of place. Passers-by can look through the kitchen window to see chefs preparing the birds, while diners witness endless platters packed with freshly-cooked geese stream out of the kitchen to meet the heavy demand especially at lunch time. The goose is served on a bed of soya beans and can be ordered whole, halved or in a smaller portion for just over $100. For those too busy to sit at a table and admire exquisite pieces of Chinese art there is a healthy take-away trade.
Service: Smartly-dressed and experienced staff members know their cuisine and their customers.
SPRING DEER
Address: 1/F, 42 Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui Tel: 2366 4012
Despite the brightly-lit and colourful sign on a busy Tsim Sha Tsui street the narrow staircase to this restaurant is easy to miss. It’s just as well the restaurant is not more accessible as it is already bursting at the seams most nights. The décor is no-nonsense and there are few distractions from the food here, which is served with panache, especially the specialist dishes. Peking cuisine at competitive prices dominates the menu and the roasted duck takes star billing. It is sliced theatrically at table and served with floury paper-thin pancakes to roll the meat and spring onion ready to be dipped in a rich plum sauce. Fans of culinary theatre will also enjoy the spectacle of diners being invited to smash the clay covering on beggar’s chicken before it is served.
Service: Long-serving waiters are the epitome of efficiency.
AMERICAN PEKING RESTAURANT
Address: 20 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai Tel: 2527 1000
When a restaurant serves basically the same menu for decades you can guarantee consistency. Locals, tourists and celebrities alike flock to this Wan Chai institution in droves and return regularly for a familiar dining experience. The name was designed to attract American GIs during the Vietnam War and the Beijing-style cuisine still attracts visiting servicemen and is skilfully adapted to suit international tastes. Gone are the days when a duck carcass would be whipped away to make a warming broth but it is still worth ordering. This classic dish is cooked to succulent perfection by experienced chefs. Other favourites include dried, spicy beef in sesame seed pockets, generous bowls of crab and sweet corn soup and sizzling prawns brought to table with a flourish on a hot-plate.
Service: Ancient retainers are laid-back and can design an appropriate order better than most diners.
MEGAN’S KITCHEN
Address: 5/F, Lucky Centre, 165 Wanchai Road, Wan Chai Tel: 2529 0160
G/F, Cyber Plaza, 237 Temple Street, Jordan, 3188 5223
Anyone wary of eating hot pot in grim surroundings should head to Megan’s Kitchen. Padded seats, thick tablecloths and modern décor make for an upmarket ambience. The menu is extensive but hot pots create the most interest. Specialist soup bases draw from world-wide influences and include delicious fresh lobster borsch ($108), a zesty Korean kimchee tofu soup and English-style oxtail soup. Seafood dominates the main ingredients offered. As well as a good range of crab, scallop and fish, premium abalone or leather jacket fish can be added to the steaming pot. Prices reflect the quality especially if accompanied with one of the good range of mostly French wines.
Service: Service is professional and focused.
GUM HOI GOK SEAFOOD HOTPOT
Address: 31-35 Tang Lung Street, Causeway Bay Tel: 2573 0552
Traditionally a winter ritual, sitting round a blazing hot pot cooking up a storm can be enjoyed year round. Gum Hoi Gok is typical of a growing number of restaurants using creative bases and innovative ingredients to elevate a basic meal into a gourmet feast. Hidden on a dark Causeway Bay back street, busy door staff organise the queue. Diners can choose two soups in a split pot ranging from basic chicken broth to drunken chicken with Hua Tiao or a perky satay version. Main ingredients include delicious sashimi, the more unusual South African crocodile meat ($65) or Canadian sea cucumber. Traditional and more basic additions to the pot are available, including every conceivable part of a pig, and the home-made pork and leek dumplings which are particularly recommended.
Service: Cheerful waiters have fun dealing with the throngs and will help the uninitiated.
SANG KEE CONGEE
Address: 7-9 Burd Street, Sheung Wan Tel: 2541 1099
Buried deep in a small side street, this very basic eatery is definitely unappealing at first sight. Rickety old folding tables and wobbly stools are crammed into a tiny dining space more resembling a utility area than a restaurant. However, a kitchen should be judged by the quality of its food and customers are offered an impressive range of additional ingredients to complement delicious congee. Prices are very reasonable and can be ordered in regular ($26), Combo ($32) or Deluxe Combo ($38) for the ravenously hungry. Prices are actually a little higher than can be found in some competitors but for an authentic, unpretentious dining experience it is worth every dollar.
Service: The emphasis is on getting hot congee to the table with as little fuss as possible.
LAW FU KEE
Address: G/F, 140 Des Voeux Road, Central Tel: 2541 3080
G/F, 144 Queen’s Road, Central, 2543 3288
G/f, 50 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central, 2850 6756
People who live in Hong Kong and make excuses not to eat congee are missing a treat. The basic rice porridge alone (at $9) may only appeal to a minority but when it is packed with tasty titbits the result is a satisfying bowlful of culinary delight. Sitting in a regular neighbourhood place like Law Fu Kee with its glass-topped tables and simple furniture slurping away with friends and neighbours is an ideal way to grab a quick bite. Adventurous diners may plump for lean meat and century-old egg or pig’s kidney and liver but a popular standard is lashings of fish slices topped with a handful of fresh spring onion. At between $19 and $23 the bowls are fabulous value.
Service: Staff members are very helpful and will advise the inexperienced.
MAK’S NOODLES
Address: 77 Wellington Street, Central Tel: 2854 3810
Owner Mak Chiming is justifiably proud of his modest eatery’s fame. His grandfather opened the original establishment in Guangzhou in the 1850’s and the public and media have been beating a path to his door ever since. The décor may be functional but there is nothing ordinary about the delicious wonton noodles. The secret is in the subtle flavouring and clean, fresh taste of the soup, a welcome antidote to the featureless, bland fare found in many similar establishments. Dumplings are still made on the premises but the noodles are now made to Mak’s specification elsewhere. In keeping with the original quality of the dish, the noodles are served in smaller bowls than usual and over a thousand are produced each day. At $25 this is one of the best bargains in town.
Service: Past their first flush of youth, waiters do not dress for effect but food is served efficiently
HO HUNG KEE
Address: 2 Sharp Street East, Causeway Bay Tel: 2577 6558
This is one of the more interesting noodle restaurants in town. Both the décor and the recipes are slightly upmarket and for example, congee is available with abalone as well as fish slices. Lighting in the small dining area is an interesting mix of art deco elements that work despite the incongruity making for an upbeat feel. The English menu has two pages of colourful pictures of the dishes: half are noodles and the rest congee and a small selection of alternatives. House speciality wonton noodles ($25) are firm and tasty and the soup is seasoned with liberal amounts of black pepper. The basic dish can be supplemented by a range of alternatives including standard shrimp dumplings or the more unusual pig’s knuckle in red bean cheese.
Service: Service is friendly and cheerful even at busy times.
TAI CHEONG BAKERY
Address: 32 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central Tel: 2854 3810
Chris Patten, Hong Kong’s final Governor, liked to blame his expanding waistline on the egg tarts from this bakery. One visit explains why. The light, flaky pastry-case barely holds in check the thick, rich and creamy filling. While your brain tells you the calories are unnecessary your stomach demands more. And at less than $4 a tart, the wallet does not complain either. Iron willpower is necessary to resist. Do not confuse these wicked, tempting delights with their tasteless copies available elsewhere. Staff members are constantly on the move and seem to be collecting fresh trays almost continuously from the oven to cope with a constant stream of locals and tourists as they queue on the narrow pavement outside. Despite its fame, the shop still retains an authentic neighbourhood feel.
Service: Young servers struggle cheerfully to keep up with demand.
HOOVER CAKE SHOP
Address: 136 Nga Sin Wai Road, Kowloon City Tel: 2382 0383
Legend has it that Kai Tak airport workers and cabin assistants ordered egg tarts from here by the truck load. Well that business may have dried up with the opening of Chek Lap Kok but the little shop has been going strong for over thirty years and seems no less busy churning hundreds of pieces out a day. A massive oven and kitchen takes up most of the space leaving a tiny retail area with narrow shelves packed with the baker’s results. The tarts themselves have thicker pastry cases than the average and the custard filling an extra sweetness. Prices were reduced to $3 in the nineties when there was a coin shortage and have been pegged there ever since.
Service: The few staff are remarkably cheerful given their cramped space and hot working conditions
CHILLI CRAB UNDER THE BRIDGE
Address: Shop 6-9, G/F, 429 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai Tel: 2573 7698
For an authentic typhoon-shelter crab-eating extravaganza, head for Wong Ching-tuen’s original tiny eatery (actually on Canal Street) nestled below a traffic overpass. Watch as fresh Australian crabs are grabbed from temporary polystyrene tanks on the street and immediately flame-fried in huge woks with lashings of garlic and chilli in full view of passers-by. Sit at tables sensibly protected with plastic overlooked by photos of local celebrities. The crab is available from mild to super spicy ($380) and huge prawns are another speciality. Nowadays there is an English menu with photos. The Fujianese owner has expanded the concept with several venues in the same area called Under Spicy Crab but none has the same cachet.
Service: Waiters wear the corporate maroon jacket but treat customers as personal guests.
RAINBOW SEAFOOD RESTAURANT
Address: 16-20, 23-24, First Street, Sok Kwu Wan, Lamma Tel: 2982 8100
This has grown from a small family restaurant in the eighties into one of the largest on Lamma seating over eight hundred. You can either take a public ferry and run the gauntlet of the hustlers drumming up business or take the Rainbow’s own shuttle ferry direct that leaves regularly from Central Pier 9 or Kowloon public pier. Once you arrive you can choose from the menu or safely put yourselves in the hands of staff who know the most popular dishes. As well as prize-winning fried crab with black pepper sauce, fresh shrimp salad garnished with mango is popular. Prawns, lobster, scallops and squid are excellent but try whole garoupa either steamed or fried and sliced. Individuals and couples do visit but large groups of friends and relatives dominate. Prices are very reasonable.
Service: Confident staff members make meals go with a swing.
THE PENINSULA
Address: 1/F, Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui Tel: 2315 3169
One of the last bastions of old colonial grandeur and self-styled ‘Grande Dame of the East’ the Peninsula oozes style and elegance complete with its fleet of fourteen Rolls Royce Phantoms. The Lobby resplendent in cream and gold is full each day with punters paying $248 ($368 for two) to listen to a live string quartet and nibble on a range of delicacies and drink tea as they did in the good old days. Immaculately dressed waiters present a menu that is more extensive than might be expected. As well as the traditional platter and selection of teas – including the hotel’s exclusive blend – there is a range of sandwiches, desserts and extras that include, bizarrely, a jumbo hot dog. Spoil yourself and sit beneath the splendid ornamental ceilings and spend an afternoon reliving the past.
Service: Bell hops decked out all in white set the scene by opening the doors for every visitor.
THE MANDARIN ORIENTAL
Address: 5 Connaught Road, Central Tel: 2522 0111
The Clipper Lounge overlooking the impressive lobby is an ideal place to kick back from the frenetic activity of life in Central and relax over traditional high tea. Disturbed only by the gentle clinking of porcelain crockery, those with the time to spare can sample a definitive range of white, black, green or herbal teas and soak up the elegant ambience punctuated by fresh orchids and tasteful artwork. Delicacies accompanying the tea are delicate and designed to nibble on while chatting. The quality is excellent. Pastries include a sumptuous lobster and crab puff and moist chicken and tarragon pie. The pickled Japanese cucumber and cream cheese sandwich is delicious. Diners may choose two pastries, two sandwiches and two sweeter concoctions for $188, but take a friend and pay $368 for two.
Service: Service maintains the hotel’s world-class standards.
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My friend and I are tired of sitting next to noisy patrons in the restaurants. For our next gathering, we would like to have a private space to enjoy ourselves. We are looking at numbers between 6-20. Can you suggest some venues? |
