Shoot First Eat Later

Fabulous Lunch at Wu Kong

Wu Kong is one of our favorite restaurants in Hong Kong. We eat there at least once per trip sometimes more. I can guarantee that whatever you order it will be good. No hit or miss in this restaurant.

You can order this refreshing drink made with fresh pear and longan either hot or cold.

pear & longan drink HK$20

Their peanuts with seaweed is my favorite.

peanuts with seaweed

As I’ve written in my other posts on Wu Kong, their xiao long bao is the best ever. It definitely beat Crystal Jade and Din Tai Fung in Hong Kong. The meat and soup ratio is perfect and both are extremely flavourful. The skin has an al dente texture and the meat is not mushy.

xiao long bao HK$24

If you don’t like lamb then you have to try this dish to be convinced. It doesn’t have any gamey taste or smell. If you didn’t know what it was you’d think it was beef. It was super tender and just sublime.

lamb with green peppers HK$92

I don’t like eel so I can’t comment on this dish. I did eat some of the crisp bean sprouts.

sautéed eel with bean sprouts HK$96

I love anything made with bean curd skin and this was no exception. It was soft on the inside and crisp on the outside. It was filled with mushroom making this a vegetarian dish. A quick dip in black vinegar was all it needed.

fried bean curd skin HK$60

An order of soup was good for 6 small bowls. The taste of smoked ham was very evident in the broth. Delicious!

Yunnan ham & wintermelon soup HK$78

Usually we eat shad fish in Spring Deer and it’s on a sizzling plate. This time the fish was steamed with Chinese ham and shrimp on top. Shad fish is a freshwater fish from the Yongtzi River in China and is almost extinct that’s why it’s so expensive. This order was only half a fish and it cost HK$700.

清蒸鰣魚 shad fish HK$700 for half a fish

The waiter cut up the fish for us. The fish was full of bones large and small. I usually pick out all the bones carefully and pile the fish meat in a bowl and top it with the flavorful sauce and eat it. The meat is ultra fine and milky. It’s not like any fish I’ve ever eaten. It was worth every dollar. You should try this fish at least once in your life.

Without the fish it’s not too expensive but then you’ll be missing out on a gastronomical experience. But I do urge everyone to try Wu Kong if only for the xiao long bao.

You can check out my other post on Wu Kong here, here and here.

Wu Kong Shanghai Restaurant
Basement, Alpha House,
27 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
telephone: 2366 7244
website

Dinner at Macau Restaurant

Here’s another restaurant to add to your list of “cheap eats” in Hong Kong. Although they also have expensive items in their menu you can get a really good meal for not too much money.

I’ve eaten in Macau Restaurant once several years ago but I wasn’t impressed despite the long lines that always form outside this popular eatery in Tsim Sha Tsui. Maybe I ordered the wrong thing so I figured it was time to give this place another chance.

When we went there for dinner there wasn’t any line to get a table and I was nervous for a second. Did the food quality decline? Isn’t it popular anymore?

I wonder if their Portugese egg tarts are any good?

We ordered one pigeon which was pretty reasonable for HK$35. It was small but quite tender and juicy. I loved it with lots of fresh lemon.

fried pigeon HK$35

This next dish was more Chinese than Portugese and it was my favorite dish that night. Pieces of garoupa belly and head were fried and stewed together with dried bean curd sheet and lots of garlic giving this dish amazing flavor. The bean curd sheet was soft and absorbed all the flavor of the sauce.

sizzling garoupa belly & head, dried bean curd skin in pot HK$98

Look at all the good stuff in the bottom of the clay pot.

Even though the sardines were big and looked like “galunggong” the meat was really fine and it was delicious simply baked with garlic on top.

Portugese roasted sardines HK$62

For a change we ordered string beans instead of the usual leafy veggie. I liked how crisp the string beans were. I loved the spicy ground pork even more. If only I ate rice this would have been a great topping for it.

fried string beans with spicy minced pork HK$52

We were very pleased with all the dishes we ordered. They also had more exotic and expensive items in the menu like abalone, crab and sea whelk.

Macau Restaurant’s menu

Macau Restaurant
25 Lock Road Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
telephone: (852) 2366-8148

Good Eats at Dundas St., Mongkok

I went to Dundas St. in Mongkok just to try the coffee at 18 Grams. I ended up finding Tim Ho Wan and discovering a street filled with lots of food stalls selling everything from frozen yogurt to stinky tofu.

I went in a shop called Wonder Farm and found lots of interesting food products. The pictures of the wagyu steaks were what caught my attention.

They sold an assortment of food items from Korea, Japan, Italy and France.

They also carried Milk Top brand ice cream from Hokkaido Japan.

Milk Top ice cream

Next time I will try one of these steaks.

Next door was a traditional Chinese bake shop.

Here’s where the fun begins. The frontage of all these food stores was a narrow sidewalk filled with people eating on the street.

pizza cone, frozen yogurt

Ireland’s Potato

Fancy some dim sum?

King of Coconut

Popular bubble waffles are a mainstay in Hong Kong’s food streets.

Here’s something familiar – Gong Cha!

I guess the frozen yogurt craze has hit Hong Kong too.

This is the typical cook-to-order street food found in many streets in Mongkok. You have to try any one of their snacks at least once.

From Dundas St. you will also hit the Ladies Night Market at Tung Choi street.

It’s fun just to walk along this street and try to spot some bargains. Don’t forget to haggle the price! The next time I go back to Dundas St. I will go with an empty stomach.

Wonder Farm
九龍旺角廣華街1號22B鋪(向登打士街)
Kwong Wa Street, Mong Kok, Kowloon, 22B Shop (Dundas Street)
telephone: 852 2789 0363

Tim Ho Wan

I just left 18 Grams full and happy when I checked out what else was nearby using Yelp. I was surprised when the magical words “Tim Ho Wan” came out. Who doesn’t know about Hong Kong’s cheapest Michelin Star restaurant opened by a former chef of Lung King Heen?

I’ve been wanting to try Tim Ho Wan forever but never found the time. Armed with my iPhone’s Google map I found Kwong Wa Street a short 3 minutes walk from Gala Place.

There wasn’t anything much on this except this street save for this small, simple restaurant with lots of people waiting outside. I knew then I found the right place and not because I could read the Chinese words.

This was at 4:30 pm!!! I guess there are lines outside Tim Ho Wan at from the time they open until they close. I can just imagine the lines during lunch and dinner hours.

The restaurant was very small and very full.

There was even a couple of foreigners. That’s how popular Tim Ho Was is.

Since I was so full and didn’t want to wait in line I just decided to order for take out. There were so many dim sum that caught my eye but I ordered their most famous item, the baked bun with bbq pork which happened to be my favorite too.

Tim Ho Wan’s menu

An order of baked bun with bbq pork has 3 pieces for HK$15 and I got 3 orders. They charged HK$2 for the take out box. My take out took less than 15 minutes to come out.

The buns were piping hot. They were just a tad smaller than in other restaurants but these had a sweet crunchy topping which others don’t have.

baked buns with bbq pork HK$15 / 3 pieces

I just had to try one while it was hot. Oh my, oh my it was fantastic! The bread literally melted in my mouth and the filling was perfectly tender, saucy and had the right balance of salty and sweet. I had some at room temperature the next morning and it was still so good.

I can’t wait to try their fried bean curd sheet roll and sticky rice in lotus leaf next. Please do try their dim sum!! It’s worth the wait I promise.

I’m sad that this branch has closed as of January 2013.

Tim Ho Wan
Shop 8, Taui Yuen Mansion Phase 2, 2-20 Kwong Wa Street, Mong Kok, Hong Kong
旺角廣華街2-20號翠園大樓2期地下8號舖
telephone: (852) 2332-2896

The newest branch of Tim Ho Wan is at:
Shop 72, G/F, Olympian City 2, 18 Hoi Ting Road, Tai Kok Tsui, Kowloon
telephone: 2332 2896

18 Grams

With nothing better to do I sought out one of the better coffee places as listed on this site. I plan to check out all those places eventually but the closest to me was 18 Grams in Mongkok.

I’ve been to this part of Mongkok once or twice before but I’ve never gone inside Gala Place. The fastest way to get here is to take the MTR to Mongkok and take the E2 Bank Centre exit. The street right ahead of you is Sai Yeung Choi St. S and turn right and walk all the way to the end and you will see Gala Place on Dundas St. Along the way you will see lots of Broadway, Fortress, CitiCall and other electronics and camera stores.

18 Grams is in the basement of Gala Place. The entrance is next to Starbucks.

Gala Place basement

There were a few restaurants in the basement including a shabu shabu restaurant which looked quite interesting.

The place was very small. I had to wait in line for a table. This was around 3:30 pm. I guess people were having their afternoon tea.

This was the coffee beans used for my house coffee. A 100g bag of beans sells for $58

Since I was dissatisfied with my lunch at Serenade Chinese Restaurant I had a light afternoon snack of smoked turkey cubes, green apple, celery, raisins, honey toasted walnuts with a few leaves of salad greens and honey mustard mayonnaise. It was a pretty good and satisfying salad. I’m glad I requested the ultra sweet dressing on the side. Just a little dab was more than enough.

smoked turkey waldorf salad HK$58

I was thrilled to discover really, really amazing coffee. The coffee was dark, rich and complex. I felt like I was back in San Francisco enjoying Third Wave coffee. Just look at the thick crema. I will definitely be back to fill up the frequency card they gave me.

house coffee HK$28

18 Grams menu

18 Grams
B04, 56 Dundas Street, Gala Place Basement, Mong Kok
telephone: (852) 2770-1339
Monday-Sunday: 11:30a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
website

Dim Sum at Serenade Chinese Restaurant

A friend told me about Serenade Chinese Restaurant located at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Imagine I live a stone’s throw away and I never knew about it.

Sure I’ve watched Mama Mia and Phantom of the Opera at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre but I didn’t know they had restaurants too.

Just follow the arrow.

And up the stairs.

Look at the view!!

Serenade was part of the popular Maxim group of restaurants.

I was so excited to discover a huge Chinese restaurant with an amazing view of the Hong Kong harbour and the famous skyline.

They had an extensive dim sum menu too.

Just tick your selections and give it to the waiter.

Prices for the dim sum were ok. Small – HK$18, Medium – HK$26 and Large – HK$30

They had the most dessert choices I’ve seen so far.

peanuts

As nice as the restaurant, view, menu and plating was the food was very disappointing. The only positive thing was the service was extremely fast. This barbecue pork pastry was cold and the pastry was not flaky at all.

barbecued pork pastry HK$26

This was the most disappointing of all. The pastry was super sweet and there was hardly any filling inside. I’m sure I didn’t taste any goose at all.

baked pastry with mushroom & goose meat HK$38

Our usual favorite, ham sui kok, was cold and oily. I kept thinking about my favorite dim sum place, Chuk Yuen that was in a basement and didn’t have a view but their ham sui kok comes out piping hot and filled with lots of meat.

deep fried sticky dumpling filled with minced pork & dried shrimp HK$18

No wonder the service was fast. The waiters seemed to just grab plates of cold dim sum to serve.

baked turnip & Yunnan ham pastry HK$26

I was really impressed with their presentation though.

pan fried minced pork, beef & pepper buns HK$48

But then you can’t eat presentation. The pork bun had little filling and was more bun.

The steamed pork spareribs was at least warm and fared better than the baked dim sum selections.

steamed spareribs with pomelo peel & black beans HK$30

On the other hand their desserts were yummy and definitely made up for the unsatisfactory meal. I loved the coffee gelatin balls and together with fresh fruit, tapioca and coconut milk it was a very refreshing dessert.

chilled sweetened sago cream with fresh fruits, coffee & taro puddings HK$26

I was curious about the sweet glutinous dumplings which I’ve never encountered before.

glutinous dumplings stuffed with candied fruits, coconut & nuts HK$26

I really liked the contrast in texture between the soft and sticky exterior and the crunchy filling of coconut and candied fruits. I would definitely go back just for their desserts. Maybe I’ll give their a la carte menu another try since the pictures looked good. Take a gander of their menu complete with pictures here.

If you want really, really good dim sum then go to Chuk Yuen seafood restaurant. It’s my favorite!

Serenade Chinese Restaurant’s menu

Serenade Chinese Restaurant
1-2/F, Hong Kong Cultural Centre,
10 Salisbury Rd. Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
telephone:2722 0932
website

Dinner at Tsui Wah Restaurant

I’m happy to introduce all my readers and future travelers to Hong Kong another ‘good and cheap’ restaurant in the heart of Tsim Sha Tsui.

Tsui Wah Restaurant is located on Carnarvon st. right behind K11 mall. It’s just steps away from Nathan Road. It’s quite a spacious restaurant with two levels.

Where’s the salt?

Tsui Wah has a really extensive menu with Chinese favorites to steak, pasta and lots of international dishes. Mostly we ordered from their top 10 dishes menu.

A big bowl of rice noodles topped with 4 large fish balls and 2 fish cakes for HK$30 is a really good deal and the best thing was it’s really good.

fish balls & fish cakes with rice noodles in fish soup HK$30

I didn’t want noodles so I ordered the combination of 4 kinds of fish concoctions and it was even better in my opinion. I loved the one made with bean curd skin the best. Plus there was lots of seaweed which I loved. I wasn’t so enamored with the fish soup since it had a heavy flavor of cilantro. I would order this again on my next visit. It should be included in their top 10 menu too.

fish combination & seaweed in fish soup HK$39

The Hainanese chicken rice is their most popular dish and rightly so. The chicken was one of the best I’ve tried. It was very flavorful and extremely tender even the breast meat. The skin was thick and fatty so we didn’t eat that. The sauce wasn’t the usual ginger mixture but it was a bit sour and spicy. The rice was delicious but a bit hard.

Hainanese chicken rice HK$56

Another excellent milk tea!!!

milk tea HK$16

This hot drink was not too sweet and good for the health.

red dates & longan tea HK$19

Now I know why the place is always full when I pass by. Good and cheap, the perfect combination.

Tsui Wah Restaurant
G/F & Cockloft, 2 Carnarvon Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
Business Hours
Sun To Thu : 07:00 – 02:00
Fri & Sat : 07:00 – 03:00
telephone : (852) 2366-8250
other branches

website

Dinner at Guangdong Barbecue Restaurant

I did a post on the shops and restaurants I love in Hankow rd. in Tsim Sha Tsui. I have to add this restaurant that my friend Tisay recommended.

I’ve passed by this restaurant numerous times but I had no idea it would be so good.

Sure all the lovely meats hanging looked tempting.

But the interiors was hardly tempting. Although I’ve eaten at worse looking places and I’ve loved the food specially at this place that had the best fish ball noodle soup.

The only downside to this restaurant was all their menus were in Chinese. Their menus had some pictures though and you could probably get through a meal by pointing at pictures or maybe print this post.

I love milk tea or “nai cha” and this one hits the spot. It’s really strong tea mixed with rich Black & White evaporated milk. It’s a must order!

nai cha or milk tea HK$14

It must be really good to have a sign in English and only HK$5!

We ordered 2 chicken livers and this is what we got. I’m not really fond of liver unless it’s in the form of paté but this was really, really good. It was sweet, savory and milky. The texture of the liver was exquisite. The flavor reminded me of teriyaki but better.

famous roast chicken liver HK$10

The chicken breast was a bit tough but overall it was very tasty and fragrant.

Hainanese chicken HK$80

When I last went to Yung Kee their roast goose was sold out and I’ve been yearning for some since then. Oh wow this goose was fantastic! So moist, juicy and full flavored. Now I don’t have to go all the way to Hong Kong side just to have my roast goose.

roast goose HK$100

Here’s all the fatty skin and bones from all the roast goose I ate. Even without rice I loved it!

Yup no rice since I was avoiding carbs but I couldn’t resist these noodles. They were perfectly al dente and the mild cheese sauce was simply yummy with it. Even without the shrimp I would have been happy. This is another must order!

shrimp with noodles in cheese sauce

I wasn’t a big fan of the soup since it had an overwhelming taste of wansuy or cilantro which I hate.

fish soup

I couldn’t put the prices of all the food we ordered because no one can understand the writing of the waiter. Maybe a Chinese doctor can figure it out?

The lesson is don’t judge a restaurant by it’s ambiance (even though Erap says differently ;p). Holes in wall like this restaurant can yield pleasant surprises. I’m definitely adding this to my list of ‘must eats’ in Hong Kong.

Guangdong Barbecue Restaurant menu

Guangdong Barbecue Restaurant
~~43-49A Hankow Road,~~ ~~G/F Hankow Apartment~~

Ashley Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
telephone: (852) 2735-5151

Caffe Habitu

When ever I go to Hong Kong it’s a frenetic haze of shopping and eating. I’m sure most Pinoys are the same way when they step into the shopping mecca that is Hong Kong. Sometimes it’s good to just slow down in the middle of the day for some good coffee and dessert.

So that’s what I did and my choice was Caffe Habitu at The One mall in Tsim Sha Tsui. It wasn’t my first time to try their coffee and since I liked it I went back.

I loved the cool lighting fixture that was the focal point of the restaurant. They also served light meals. Check out their complete menu here.

I was delighted that my expresso lungo or black coffee came with a cinnamon stick. I’ve never encountered that anywhere. I usually sprinkle powdered cinnamon on my coffee.

Le Louvre HK$38

Described as chocolate brownie, dark chocolate mousse, toasted nuts and a chocolate macaron, the Le Louvre was better than my expectations. It was simply sublime. The brownie was chewy and fudgy while the mousse was rich and not too sweet. The topping of chopped pistachio was just perfect. The macaron was too small to enjoy. hee hee.

espresso lungo HK$33

Even though my espresso lungo was just really an Americano it was still strong because they used two shots of espresso. They use Antica Tostatura Triestina or ATT caffe beans. I liked the coffee so much I bought a can of beans from their store.

I asked for my bill and they gave me a book.

Cute huh?

Caffe Habitu
Shop L608, The ONE, 100 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
telephone: (852) 3572-0622

Monday to Thursday 11:30am-9:30pm

Friday 11:30am-11:00pm

Saturday 10:30am-11:00pm

Sunday & Public Holiday 10:30am-10:00pm

other branches

website
Facebook

Empire City Roasted Duck

In Hong Kong there are more restaurants than you have days and stomachs to try them all. There are cuisines from around the world but naturally as a tourist you’d want to eat Chinese food. Filipinos have a penchant for Peking duck and I’ve discovered a restaurant in K11 mall that specializes in duck.

As much as we wanted to order the Peking duck there was no way two people could conquer even half a duck that’s why we settled with my next favorite duck dish pictured above.

These two huge pictures outside the restaurant gave us an idea what kind of food and prices the restaurant had.

Flinstones meets glam?

This tasting menu for two is quite reasonable since it included Peking duck.

This restaurant had Shanghai cuisine influences like the two cold appetizers we ordered. Cured ham topped with a savory aspic was quite nice. I usually don’t like aspic (savory gelatin) but this was quite delicious.

crystal pork cold cut HK$50

The shrimp was marinated in a vinegar mixture which was very refreshing specially when eaten with the cold slices of cucumber.

marinated shrimp with peony HK$58

Frankly the duck meat lacked salt. The food as a whole was on the bland side which wasn’t a bad thing. It’s better to add salt to taste than start with food that’s too salty. It was the first time I asked for salt in a Chinese restaurant. After a few dashes of salt the fried duck meat was quite yummy. I specially loved the inclusion of fried sweet potato wedges.

deep fried duck meat with salt HK$78

I’ve been abstaining from carbs (sweets not included) so these ‘noodles’ made from bean curd sheet were an absolute delight. They’re my kind of noodles. The stock had a rich flavor from the Chinese ham and together with the veggies it was a complete meal in a dish.

bean curd sheet bun with Chinese ham HK$68

If you like eel then this dish is quite a good deal (wow rhyming!). A bowl of noodle soup comes with a plate of thinly sliced eel sautéed with lots of crunchy bean sprouts.

noodle in soup with sliced eel HK$50

The fried dumplings were incredibly juicy. It reminded me of xiao long bao. This is how good fried dumplings should look like, firm golden brown crusty bottom and well steamed soft body.

pan fried pork dumplings HK$38

Overall the food was quite satisfactory. I definitely will go back to try their Peking duck to see how it fares against my favorite from Peking Garden. Besides they had a LOT more dishes I want to try from their extensive menu.

Empire City Roasted Duck
Shop 221, Level 2, K11 Art Mall, 18 Hanoi Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
telephone: (852)2628-0662