Hong Kong Food Trip

Many people would be shocked to hear me say that the food I had during my previous trips to Hong Kong were not very memorable. It’s not only because they know how much I love to eat, but because Hong Kong is a place known for the good eats. So for this year’s trip, my sister and I were determined to experience Hong Kong gastronomically. And I am happy to say that we did just that.

Upon arrival in Hong Kong, we checked in at the hotel and made a beeline for the nearby Cafe de Coral. Our stomachs grumbling, we needed food and fast. Cafe de Coral is always a safe choice. With its many selections, and a different menu for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you won’t run out of choices. The branches of Cafe de Coral I’ve seen are always filled during lunch and dinnertime. But turnover is fast and as is customary in HK, people share tables so finding seats isn’t hard. We were spread out across different tables, which wasn’t conducive to taking pictures of everybody’s food. That, and the fact that we were so hungry we scarfed down our food within minutes, equal no pictures.

Dinner that night was at Pho24 in New Town Plaza, where Snoopy's World is located. The waiting list at Crystal Jade was too long and so we ended up eating at Pho24. (Imagine my surprise when a few months later Crystal Jade would open a branch here in Manila.)

We ordered Beef Brisket and Tendon Pho, Lemongrass Pork Chop, and Vietnamese Pork Chop.

The noodles were served al dente, unlike Pho Hoa's, the Vietnamese restaurant we frequent in Manila. I don’t know if the quality at the Pho24 branch here is the same since I haven’t tried it yet.

The pork chops were good, but I found them nakakaumay.

For lunch the next day, we tried a small noodle place near our hotel. Previous experience with similar places elsewhere in HK has led me to believe that you can't go wrong with them. We had Beef Noodles, Pork Chops, Fishball and Shrimp Dumpling Congee, and Shrimp Dumpling Noodles. The pork chops were good. (Pork chop is a noticably recurring theme in this post.) We even had thirds (not seconds, because the initial order was already two). They were definitely more enjoyable than the ones at Pho24. The congee, however, was bland. When ordering congee in Manila, we always order a fresh egg along with it, and mix it in. Due to a misunderstanding, we were given fried egg instead, cooked sunny-side up style. Since nobody wanted to eat the fried egg, we just mixed it in with the congee anyway, but it did not really add much flavor. The noodles were much better. And I wished I ordered noodles instead of congee.

(Photos of the food at this noodle place courtesy of my sister)

A short distance from our hotel in Nathan Road was Macau Restaurant, which we were amused to find, had 2 other branches located on the same street. Our dinner consisted of Fried Squid, Fried Noodles, Fried Chicken, Honey Glazed Ribs. We didn't realize that almost every dish we chose was fried until after we had ordered. We polished everything quickly, owing to our hunger due to the late hour. The food was ok, though not particularly memorable. I liked the fried noodles best, combining flat and thin noodles, and seafood bits. It was flavorful, and did not have the oily feel like other fried noodles.

Also within the vicinity of Nathan Road was the newer branch of Delicious Kitchen, where we had lunch on our 4th day. Delicious Kitchen, according to my sister's friends, was supposedly the inspiration behind Eat Well! Delicious Kitchen here in Manila. My sister has been raving about Eat Well's pork chop when she first tried it a year ago. After trying it myself, I must say though that I was not wowed. Delicious Kitchen's however, was in a different league altogether. I have to agree with my friend who said that there really is no comparison.

We were intrigued by the Double-boiled Chicken Soup with wanton and unanimously agreed to order it. When the pot arrived and the cover removed, the aroma was so delicious we knew the taste would be even more so. It did not disappoint. The soup had a cloudy hue, lending to the color of the chicken. The taste was pure chicken. It's quite unlike anything I've had before.

The recommended vegetable dish turned out to be an excellent choice. The colors were vibrant, the zucchini had the crunch of really fresh and adequately cooked vegetables, and the beef, tender. It made me see zucchini in a new light.

The Sweet and Sour Fish Fillet was also a winner. The fish was fresh and tender. The veggies in the dish were fresh and crunchy as well. The sweet and sour flavors were well-balanced. Even my sister who doesn't particularly like sweet and sour dishes enjoyed this one. I will surely come back to this restaurant on my next HK trip.

For dinner that night, we tried another restaurant in the Nathan Road area. The place didn't have an English name, or none that I saw in any sign. We had Lemon Chicken, Celery, Suckling Pig, and Roast Goose. I'm not really a fan of Lemon Chicken, but I had a taste just the same. My opinion of the dish didn't change, not that I expected it to. The rest of the dishes were quite enjoyable. In fact, my mom enjoyed the roast goose so much she declared that she would bring a whole roast goose back to the Philippines. On our last day, she went back to the restaurant to get her roast goose, which the entire family promptly feasted on upon our return.

There was one other restaurant I wanted to try before we flew back, and that was Tsui Wah, which seems to be a common recommendation across several local blogs. Luckily, there's a branch within walking distance from our hotel, and we were able to have our last lunch there.

The menu was a mix of Western and Chinese dishes. Lamb chops came with a choice of soup (tomato or creamed something) and drink (coffee or tea), and crispy bun. So did the Grilled Chicken and Scallops. Both entrees were served with rice and veggies. The rice was the Asian touch in an otherwise Western dish. I didn't try the lamb as I don't like lamb meat. But the rest of the group seemed to enjoy it. The grilled chicken and scallops was good too.

The Hainanese Chicken Rice was okay. My sister felt that Sweet Dynasty's was better. I can't say that I can appreciate a good Hainanese Chicken but I agree with her on that. I'm not as fond of it as some people are. Give me so-so hainanese chicken and good ginger sauce and I'll eat it. Some would probably argue that it's because I haven't tasted a truly great hainanese chicken. In my friend's opinion, one place offering such was Wee Nam Kee in Singapore. (Frankly, I was disappointed with the branch that opened here in Manila. But since I wasn't able to taste the one in Singapore, I can't really compare.)

Out of all the dishes we ordered, the Crispy Noodles with Prawns in Szechuan Sauce was my favorite. I have always liked crispy noodles but it's always paired with some salty sauce, never with sweet and spicy flavors. Bringing together crispy noodles and szechuan sauce was something new for me. And I totally loved it, esp. with prawns added to the mix. The peppers, which at first glance looked like prunes, I can do without. This is one dish I would definitely go back to Tsui Wah for.

After this experience, I'm confident we'll be better armed for succeeding HK trips. And I'm sure we'll enjoy the food even more.