City: Hong Kong – Page 3

Eating sushi at Yamataka Seafood Market in Hong Kong

Yamakata Seafood Market in Wan Chai is touted to bring the Tsukiji market experience to Hong Kong… well, I beg to disagree, it has really little to share with Tsukiji or any other Japanese market. Actually, it looks like a small-scale clone of Taipei’s Addiction Aquatic Development. I would describe it as a multifunction dining and shopping space.

The visit

I easily reached the venue by ferry (see the tips at the end of the review) from TST. It was around 2pm and there were relatively few customers. That was a relief because it is not a spacious place. With a lot of people it can really get overpowering.

I went past the supermarket area where seafood and Japanese products are for sale.

In the supermarket area you can find deluxe sets like the one pictured above including a small lobster.

They have quite a few fun Japanese soft drinks.

Past the supermarket area there are a number of individual dining spaces, each one specializing in a different type of Japanese food. They also have an area for lectures and demonstrations. Time to time they organize tuna cutting shows.

At this counter they were serving among other things lobster rolls. Other stations serve donburi, oysters, various cooked foods, and so on. All based on fresh seafood of course.

Finally, at the end of the pier you get to the sushi bar. They do not offer the most comfortable seating arrangements, but the view of the harbor is great. You are given a menu where you can tick off the items you want to order.

I had my unmissable serving of tuna sashimi.

Then I had a tuna mixed platter including fatty and medium fatty tuna.

Then I also ordered some additional pairs of nigiri: scallops, mackerel, amberjack and hammachi.

Overall the sushi was good and fresh, but there was really nothing that made wish to be back soon.

This was the menu available on June 2018:

The check

The check came to 430 HKD (55 USD) for 12 pieces of sushi and a portion of sashimi. Not cheap at all, but being Hong Kong not outrageous either.

Overall it was fun to eat there; I definitely would recommend to go during off peak hours to avoid crowds. Also, they may have other dishes worth trying apart from classic sushi and sashimi (those lobster rolls…). The variety of available seafood is another plus.

Where in Hong Kong:
2/F, Wan Chai Ferry Pier
Pro-tip: it may sound counter-intuitive, but the best way to get there is from Kowloon (the opposite side of the harbor). Take the Star Ferry from Tsim Sha Tsui Ferry Pier to Wan Chai Ferry Pier. Upon disembarkation the seafood market is just around the corner. Super easy. Going there from Wan Chai station is a painfully long walk dodging footbridges and construction areas.
Visit their website for more information. Have a look at their seasonal offerings.

Another casual restaurant with fine dining prices: the Pawn in Hong Kong

I was triggered to visit the Pawn because of its historic location: it is located in an old curved building with balconies facing Johnston road in Wan Chai (I supposed once home to a pawn shop). You can see the trams pass by from the balcony. The restaurant I visited was located on the second floor, while they operate a bar on the first floor (and the ground floor was occupied by what I think it was an unconnected Italian restaurant).

The visit

I made a flawless reservation through their website and the day before someone called me on my Hong Kong mobile to confirm.

Initially staff wanted to seat me outside on the balcony, but I convinced them to let me seat inside (a tad too hot on that day).

I ordered three dishes. The first was one of the pies. Enjoyed it, perfectly cooked (hot, but still edible). But it was just a chicken pie…

While the pie worked as an appetizer, the main was a massive meat dish:

The dish consisted in a big chunk of pork belly, plus pork cheek on a base of colcannon mash and pease pudding. The meat was very good, but this was not a dish for the faint of heart. I could not eat anything for the following 24 hours!

My choice for dessert was probably banal, a chocolate mousse with a scoop of ice cream.

I guess also the still water deserves a picture as it cost me 80 HKD (more than 10 USD) alone.

The check

The check came in a pot and totaled 656 HKD, or around 84 USD.

Ok, it is a premium location in Hong Kong and the food was reasonably good. But I need to note that where I sat I did not even get a table cloth… a very casual environment for fine dining prices.

Overall I do not think it was very good value for money. I must note that they change the menu frequently. My visit dates back to June 2018, now it is August and they have a completely different menu on the website.

Where in Hong Kong:
62 Johnston Road Wan Chai
Check the restaurants’ website for menus, reservations, and events.
The entrance is actually on a side street.

Japanese-grade yakitori in Hong Kong: Yardbird

In Hong Kong there are a couple of places where you can find authentic Japanese yakitori (chicken skewers cuisine). One of these is Yardbird. Hardly a hidden secret, Yardbird has been very popular since its inception in 2011. Luckily towards the end of 2017 they moved to a larger location in Sheung Wan and now if you show up the at right time (maybe between 6 or 7pm) during a weekday with a little bit of luck you do not have to queue. As in many successful yakitori places in Japan, they do not take reservations. At the helm of this restaurant a relatively young Canadian chef, Matt Abergel.

What? Wait? How can a Canadian chef serve the best yakitori in town? I think I understood by reading this interview to Matt. According to the interview, Matt “first fell in love with grilled meat on a stick when he was 17 years old and went to Japan after graduating from high school”. Retrospectively, all of his career built up to opening a yakitori place. I guess that when you care and have enough passion, you can make up any geographical and cultural disadvantage. This is certainly the case for Yardbird that is an independent restaurant, not another offspring of a chain trying to capitalize on the latest gastronomic trend.

The visit

I got a table on a calm Tuesday evening arriving around 7pm. I got one of thet last spots at the counter. I think that during the evening it would have been possible for a solo diner to find a place, more difficult for a group. What enticed me to try the venue and learn more about it was not only my passion for yakitori, but also the positive experience that I had with Ronin, a more recent creation of the same group behind Yardbird.

When I stepped in I could recognize the same relaxed and yet sophisticated atmosphere and the same friendly and hipster staff.

The menu is not limited to yakitori, but the skewers are certainly the star. The gallery below shows what I got. A digression on my only non-skewer-dish: it was a katsu sando, or a Japanese cutlet sandwich. This was uber-delicious. In practice, what I got was a lightly bread crumb coated fried chicken with seasonings between sandwich bread buns. Double. The flavor was just fantastic, all the ingredients worked well together.

My choice of skewers included skin (nicely crispy, with sake and sea salt), heart (with a lot of spring onion, good flavor even without condiments), the hardly-seen thyroid (very chewy, with strong flavor), miso breast (with an accent of parsley, basil, and garlic), the classic meatball with egg yolk dip, fillet (with yuzu and miso), inner tigh (with pepper and sea salt).

I liked all the skewers; the flavor was always distinct and delicious, even in the difficult parts such as thyroid and the heart. My only complaint is that the skewers tended to come out burned just a tad too much (but not at a point to compromise the flavor).

The check

I spent a total of 534 HKD equivalent to 68 USD for 7 skewers and and the cutlet sandwich, including an expensive bottle of water (that in these fine dining establishments I kind of accept as a form of cover charge). This is just a little bit more expensive than what I paid for an excellent yakitori in Osaka just a few weeks earlier (around 55 USD for appetizer, 8 skewers and an additional dish if I only account for one person). Comparisons are tricky. We all know that fine dining is expensive in Hong Kong. Overall I would say that the price point is acceptable for the quality of the experience and the work that takes place behind the scenes. By the way, they do not apply compulsory service charge (usually 10%) and invite you to tip if you are happy with the service. This is a place where I would certainly go back and honestly I cannot say the same for a lot of other fine dining places I tried in Hong Kong.

Bonus

In May 2018 Matt Abergel published a book titled Chicken and Charcoal (Phaidon Press, 240 pages) that goes into specifics about his knowledge of yakitori. The book is richly illustrated and covers topics such as how to break down a chicken to obtain all those exotic parts that you find in real yakitori menus, how to grill them using charcoal, how to marinate them and make the right sauces and even how to choose the right drink pairings. While at time of writing the book is not available for delivery on Amazon (release date in October 2018), I could browse a copy in an Hong Kong bookstore and I was impressed. I see it as an additional piece of evidence of Matt’s passion for what he does. It is on my wishlist (but this time I just did not have space left in my baggage…).

Where in Hong Kong:
G/F, 154-158 Wing Lok Street Sheung Wan
Address in Chinese: 上環 154-158 永樂街
For more information including the menu see their website.

Dim Sum feast in a Michelin starred restaurant for just 36 USD – Tim Ho Wan in Hong Kong

Tim Ho Wan story is quit recent. It all started in 2009 when Mak Kwai-pui, formerly a chef in a three-Michelin-starred restaurant, opened a dim sum diner in Mongkok. The restaurant earned a Michelin star of its own in the 2010 Hong Kong and Macau Guide and it has retained the award ever since. The Mongkok location does not exist anymore; three locations in Hong Kong are listed under the one-starred restaurants in the 2018 Michelin Guide: Sham Shui Po, North Point, and Tai Kwok Tsui (Olympian City 2). A bit of clarity is in order: this is a real starred restaurant, not a Big Gourmand (a category introduced to acknowledge affordable restaurants standing up for good value) or a street food entry. Second point to be made: the famed Michelin Guide rates specific locations, not brands. This means that only the locations mentioned above deserve to be regarded as “starred”; this is not the case for the plethora of locations elsewhere in Hong Kong and across Asia and other countries (while this does not mean that other locations are bad of course, especially considering that the Guide does not cover all countries were Tim Ho Wan is present).

The visit

My visit to the Sham Shui Po branch dates back to early July 2018. I showed up at noon on a weekday and I was promptly offered a seat for me and a friend. Service is fast and people keep churning at an impressive rate. You can easily spot both tourists (with their trolleys) and locals. The venue is relatively small and do not expect any privacy: you will seat shoulder to shoulder with other customers. But this is the beauty of real dim sum in Hong Kong.

A word on dim sum in case you are not familiar with it (otherwise skip to the next paragraph). Dim sum refers to the small bite-size dishes designed for brunch in Chinese cuisine, in particular Cantonese (that exercises the largest influence on Hong Kong Chinese cuisine). Tea is a mandatory complement. Someone claims that there are hundreds of such dishes. In a typical dim sum restaurant you get a menu where you can tick off the specific items you like to order. Dim sum is not really the everyday breakfast for people in Hong Kong or elsewhere in China, it is more like the weekend or holiday treat. Having said so, in a city like Hong Kong, dim sum restaurants are open and busy all week long both for lunch and dinner. Nowadays, luxury dim sum venues are common in cities like Hong Kong, however dim sum remains a popular cuisine and, in my opinion, it is best experienced in places characterized by a mildly chaotic atmosphere. (Make no mistake, in a place like Tim Ho Wan they are ultra-efficient and very quick in delivering orders.)

Tim Ho Wan has a menu divided in six sections: steamed dishes, deep fried food, steamed rice, congee, vermicelli, and dessert. I could count 36 items, including a few seasonal offerings (marked by an asterisk). In the gallery below you can find a detailed description of the dishes we ordered.

Just a few general comments. The baked bun with BBQ pork (also known as Cha siu bao) lived up its reputation. Technically it is a pineapple bun (no pineapple involved, but the bun is sweet). The sweetness of the bun combined with the savory flavor of the pork and its sauce generate a unique irresistible fragrance. My favorite were also the deep fried shrimp toast (with sizable pieces of shrimp on a crispy toast) and the beef balls (right tenderness and texture). Also the classics did not let us down, including the dumplings and the glutinous vermicelli with shrimps. I was less impressed by the chicken. The green bean cold soup was listed as a dessert, but I found it appropriate to accompany the meal as a refreshing drink.

The check

Tim Ho Wan is consistently listed as one of the cheapest Michelin starred restaurants in the world. Truth be told, I and my friend spent 283 HKD, or around 36 USD, for a feast that left both completely satisfied. Tea was included in the 2 HKD per person cover charge. Yes, for once the value for money is out of question and not only because this experience does not cost you a kidney, but also because the food is genuinely good and fresh. I should clarify that in this case the lunch was a treat, but the final receipt, in this case two, is provided on the table as a form of order confirmation so I got the picture anyway and I am not letting out any secret. My friend from Hong Kong commented that the price is reasonable even within the same category of dim sum eateries: you can easily find worse places around Mong Kok or Sham Shui Po and end up paying more. I won’t discuss the heated topic of whether the Michelin Guide applies different standards to different territories (it kind of does…), but I want to say that I appreciate the fact that this restaurant did not sell out after earning its award but continued to offer excellent food at reasonable prices.

Where in Hong Kong:
9-11 Fuk Wing St, Sham Shui Po
See website for other locations in Hong Kong and other countries.
Michelin Guide entry for the Sham Shui Po branch.

Fine Cantonese cuisine in an English-style club at Duddell’s in Hong Kong

From the end of the first Opium War that started the British rule the island and its territories to today’s megalopolis ultimately controlled by China, Hong Kong has always been a meeting point between East and West. This is reflected in so many details of its material culture and heritage. This premise to say that it should come to no surprise that you can find a place like Duddell’s in Hong Kong, British in style, beginning with the name, but with a strong Cantonese soul. Duddell’s is a restaurant, an art gallery, an elegant tea room and a club all in one. I visited it for the first time in July 2018 intrigued by its one Michelin star award.

The visit

I reserved a lunch through their website (that connects to Opentable). They confirmed the reservation calling me on my Hong Kong phone number the day before. I visited Duddell’s on a Monday; while I was one of the first diners to arrive at noon, by one o’clock the restaurant was almost full (and pretty noisy).

The entrance is from Duddell street 1, next to Shanghai Tang flagship store (you need to step into the unassuming lobby and take the elevator to the third floor). You are meters away from the bustling streets and offices of Central Hong Kong, but as you get off on the third floor you are taken in a different atmosphere.

I ordered their business lunch that, with its 6 courses, was expected to provide me a good introduction to Duddell’s cuisine. Here’s what I got:

Dim sum and barbecued selection: two pieces of glazed iberico pork (must be from Spain these days to get a Michelin star!), a shrimp dumpling and two spring rolls. All the three samples were excellent and I was impressed by the intense fresh flavor of the prawn.
Abalone broth with mixed dried seafood: it was a good soup, I cannot say that it was anything life-changing.
Steamed garoupa fillet with bean curd in soy sauce: very delicate seafood and the tofu was a perfect match keeping the dish refreshing.
Sautéed prawns with vegetables in X.O. chilli sauce: meaty and tasty.
Fried rice with crispy pork belly and preserved vegetable: I guess a rice dish could not be avoided. Excellent, but not much pork belly. If I am not mistaken, the rice also included some tofu that was a good complement to the other condiments.
Duddell’s dessert selection: it included a delicious red bean soup (with some nutty flavor), one more red-bean based jelly and a mini lemon bignè.

In the gallery below you can take a look at the individual dishes.

The check

The check came to 834 HKD (around 106 USD) after adding service charge and a bottle of still water. There was also a slightly cheaper set menu for lunch, but make no mistake, this was the cheapest option to get an introduction to the restaurant. The tasting menu starts at 1480 HKD (and it is available both for lunch and dinner) and you can easily spend thousands of HKD (if not USD) when you start ordering delicacies such as abalone, bird’s nest, lobster etc. Nothing surprising, you are in a Michelin starred restaurant in Central Hong Kong. Considering that you can easily spend close to 1000 HKD even in mediocre restaurants in Hong Kong, I think overall the check was reasonable to experience fine Cantonese cuisine with creative touches, fresh ingredients in an elegant establishment.

Before leaving the staff let me have a look at the tea room on the fourth floor: with a terrace and comfortable and colorful furniture seems a great place where to meet friends or just hang out (they have a separate snack menu for the tea room). I enjoyed the experience and I think I will go back to try more of the dim sum options, possibly during their weekend brunches.

Where in Hong Kong:
Level 3 Shanghai Tang Mansion, 1 Duddell St, Central
Menus and link to booking system on their website.

The quest for the perfect burger – Hong Kong edition

I am using this page to collect visits to burger places in Hong Kong. For me the perfect burger must have a tender and juicy (but not crumbling) patty, firm buns, appropriate condiments, and be eatable bite by bite without making a mess. In the future I might build a ranking of the places described below, but for now they are listed in no specific order.

The Butchers Club – Wan Chai

Their claim to fame is the use of dry-aged meat for their patties. Apparently they source the beef from Australia and then dry-age it in their own facilities in Hong Kong. They have been featured in the Michelin guide since 2016 when the Hong Kong edition introduced the street food category (they are not a starred restaurant or a Bib Gourmand to be clear).

In my most recent visit (June 2018) I patronized the Wan Chai joint and had a Hogtown burger (160 HKD, around 20 USD). This specific burger adds a good amount of pulled pork to the mix. I give this burger two thumbs up, as not only the patty is juicy and firm, but the various ingredients are splendidly amalgamated. Their standard burger is also excellent and at the time of writing is priced 100 HKD (12.75 USD). I added their duck fat fries (fries “washed up” in duck grease, just to add some cholesterol) and an ice-cream sandwich. This last item is not shown on the receipt in the gallery and accounted for 40 HKD, around 5 USD. The ice cream sandwich is made on the spot, using two of their classic chocolate chip cookies and vanilla ice cream. The cookies were a bit too hard for my taste, I will probably skip the dessert next time. The only big con of this joint is that their locations are very essential, you can only seat on a steel stool. I am ok for a quick burger and I will certainly go back, but I would look for other options if I was to entertain friends.

Where in Hong Kong:
Rialto Building, 2 Landale St, Wan Chai
Other locations across Hong Kong. Check their website for their locations in mainland China as well.

Beef and Liberty – Central

Beef and Liberty is another homegrown gourmet burger operation. In many ways Beef and Liberty and The Butchers Club seem to track each other… In this case the meat is not dry-aged but sourced from Scotland and ground in Hong Kong.

The result is commendable. In my recent visit in June 2018 I went to their location in Central at the third floor of California Tower (in a nice gourmet enclave just a stone’s throw away from the bustling Queen’s Road. It was a public holiday, lunch menus were not available, but some additional brunch items were. I sank my teeth into a Bacon Cheese burger and I added chili fries and an avocado and ricotta toast. The burger was excellent and honestly I have a hard time telling the difference between their meet and the one used by the Butchers Club. They use glazed buns that are ok but not my favorite. In terms of value for money, not sure that the addition of the bacon and a bit of raclette cheese justify the higher price (135 HKD, around 17 USD) as compared to the plain burger that goes for 99 HKD (around 12.6 USD). The avocado and ricotta toast was a nice side (you see, I am totally for healthy food). It should be mentioned that there was a lot of avocado, but only a hint of ricotta. I could not find any dessert to complete my meal, but that was a nice excuse to walk for an ice cream nearby. A big plus is their location in Central: it is a very nice location, ideal to hang out with friends or for business lunches.

Where in Hong Kong:
3/F California Tower, 30-32 D’Aguilar Street, Central
See their website for other locations in Hong Kong and mainland China.

Shake Shack

In May 2018 one of the big events in the Hong Kong food scene was the opening of Shake Shack on the fourth level of the International Finance Center. This is an interesting development, as the fourth level of IFC has always been underutilized in my opinion, while it offers a spectacular view of the harbor. I had an evening burger with friends in mid June and I liked their smoke burger. Smaller than other gourmet burgers reviewed on this page (but you can always order a double patty), but with the addition of crispy bacon strips (I shall repeat crispy twice) that added to the flavor and made it a favorite of mine.

I visited Shake Shack again in July 2018 and I had the smoke burger again and one of their hot dogs. I avoided lines by going right after the opening at 11am. The story of the firm is linked to hot dogs, that’s how they started. It was a very good hot dog, a rarity in Asia. But let’s be clear, it was just a hot dog.

Where in Hong Kong:
4018, IFC, 1 Harbour View Street, Central (4th level of IFC shopping mall)
They are open from 11am to 11pm.
The HK branch has a website.

Five Guys

Similarly to Shake Shack, Five Guys is another acclaimed American burger chain. Their cheese burgers come with two patties and make them a big eat. You can select the condiments, otherwise they will serve it “all the way”, with everything. It is a satisfying burger, but I would not queue for it. Part of the experience, you can pick peanuts for free and nib them while you wait.

Where in Hong Kong:
60 Johnston Road, Wanchai.
Website: http://www.fiveguys.com.hk/

Burger Room

An old player in the Hong Kong burger scene, the Burger Room means creativity. They have a ton of different burgers available. Of note also their seafood burgers. Patties come well done (which is not my favorite) and they have some decadent choice of fries.

Guacamole Cheese Burger
Portobello Bacon Burger (with Portobello mushrooms
Melted cheese twisted fries and fries with guacamole
The check

Where in Hong Kong:
Shop D, G/F, 50-56 Paterson Street, Fashion Walk.
Website: http://burgeroom.com/ (They also have another location in TST).

Honbo

Honbo is a one-shop burger joint in Wan Chai (Sun street, you may need to take a steep stair if you come from Queen’s Road East). I tried their soft-shell crab burger. I ended up trying also their signature Honbo burger that is a “dirty” American-style cheese burger. Both were excellent and worth a 20-minute wait on a Saturday evening (June 2019). “Honbo” means “burger” in Cantonese.

Soft-shell crab burger
Honbo burger

Where in Hong Kong:
G/F New Sun House, 6-7 Sun Street, Wan Chai.
Website: honbo.hk.

Hitting the noodle jack pot in Sham Shui Po – Hong Kong

Authentic hand-made food in Hong Kong is a rarity nowadays. Chain restaurants are quickly taking over all available spaces and for the long-timers the temptation to just cash-in on the touristic traffic is high. Luckily, good traditional food outlets still exist and thrive. This post is about Lau Sum Kee, a noodle place that came to a certain degree of fame with Western audiences after a visit by Anthony Bourdain and that continues to offer delicious noodles no matter what.

The shop is located in Sham Shui Po, an interesting area in itself. People used to come to Sham Shui Po mostly for the markets (there is a huge electronic market, a fashion and garment market, a Jade market, you can really find everything here). Now more and more food outlets have opened around the crowded streets and it is a perfect destination where to combine food and shopping.

The visit

I was lucky enough to be escorted by two local friends. Given the recent departure of Bourdain, I was expecting to find a long line of tourists trying to retrace the celebrity chef’s footsteps in Hong Kong. Luckily I could have not been more wrong and at around 1.30pm on a Friday afternoon there were no tourists and our small party was immediately seated (sharing the round table with two ladies, Hong Kong style for this kind of establishment).

When you step in, you can smell the aroma of fresh noodles in the air. You can see two staff members (I suppose family members as well) working on filling wontons just across the cash register. The round table are meant to be shared and, as expected, you seat on stool. The menu is in Chinese only.

I ordered soup noodles with shrimp wontons and my friend went for the classic Hong Kong brisket noodles. Pickles are available on the table to kill time while waiting for the food. Also warm water is available for free.

Finally the food arrived. You can easily detect that the noodles are hand-made: their texture is irregular and every strand seems to have its own individuality. But the real surprise was the shrimp wonton. I have eaten many shrimp wontons and so many times they are tasteless, like crunching a piece of plastic. Not these ones! The fresh shrimp flavor immediately emerged bite after bite.

Their menu is not limited to brisket and shrimp noodles. They also have fish balls, other types of meat and you can even order two or three toppings. The noodles are available both with soup and with just sauce.

The check

A reasonably sized bowl of shrimp noodles cost me 32 HKD (around 4 USD). I was extremely pleased by the experience and I plan to go back, next time probably having a combo topping.

Bonus

Not far away, we completed our short foodie excursion with a tofu pudding, another quintessential Hong Kong dish. It is a piece of cold tofu that you can mix with sugar cane. It is the perfect dessert for the summer. Among the many shops that sells tofu pudding we chose Hong Kong Kung Wo Bean Curd Factory (bean curd means tofu) that is a sort of a local institution and also offers tofu in other savory preparations. A small portion of the pudding goes for 10 HKD (1.25 USD).

Where in Hong Kong:
Lau Sum Kee: 48 Kweilin Street, Sham Shui Po
Hong Kong Kung Wo Bean Curd Factory: 118 Pei Ho Street, Sham Shui Po