Street food with Michelin stars always draws queues. Yat Lok is one of those places in Central. But if you go at odd hours, like at 10.30am or at 3pm, you might get a table in the small shop without too much wait. That’s what I did.
This is what the 2019 Hong Kong Michelin Guide has to say:
The signature roast geese glistening behind the window are marinated with a secret recipe and go through over 20 preparatory steps before being chargrilled to perfection. Char siu pork uses pork shoulder from Brazil for melty tenderness. Roast pork belly and soy-marinated chicken are also recommended. Expect to share a table with others. It’s been run by the Chus since 1957 and in this location since 2011.
The visit
Not much to say. I went for the classic, a quarter of goose with drumstick and some sweet iced tea.
The sauce was distinctly sweet, but in a good way. It was indeed quite unique, even if I am not sure that is something to deserve a long wait in line.
They also have other roasted meats, like pork and chicken.
On the menu they also sports some combination platters.
The check
I spent 185 HKD for the goose quarter and 19 for the iced tea, that’s 204 HKD or 26 USD. Whether it is worth or not, I leave it to your judgment.
Where in Hong Kong: 34-38 Stanley St, Central. Tip: a Venchi ice cream shop is just in front of the restaurant.
Bo Innovation is the award winning restaurant of Alvin Leung in Hong Kong (three Michelin stars). I had already tried Bo Innovation in Shanghai and found it impressive. But I was not ready for a twenty-something tasting menu that characterize the dinner experience. Luckily the restaurant offered an abridged tasting menu for lunch that looked ideal. So by email I made a reservation for my June 2019 trip to Hong Kong.
The visit
The restaurant is located in Wan Chai (incidentally, above Five Guys) and the dining room was spacious with a modern touch.
The professional waiter pointed out that the dishes were antiques collected by the chef.
There was a spectacular welcome dish: an egglet pancake filled with spring onions and other herbs. As you may know, egglet pancakes are a fixture in Hong Kong street food. This was the right start.
The first dish featured a corn mousse and crackers, Japanese cauliflower, pinenut, and Pat Chun sweetened vinegar. Pat Chun was founded in 1932 by Mr Ng Wai Sum. The words Pat Chun「八珍」refers to a phrase in the ancient Chinese Book of Rites that described precious ingredients used in concocting hundreds of sauces with different flavors. The sweetened vinegar is their flagship product and a quintessential Hong Kong ingredient. The waiter proudly showed me the bottle of the vinegar that helped to fuse the dish elements together. Most of the dishes to come would feature such ingredients linked to the history of Hong Kong.
The second dish featured a lobster tartare, black truffle, and the signature ingredient, an oil called har mi (dried baby shrimps). It is obtained infusing the dried baby shrimps in the oil for 3 days before distilling it. It is Alvin’s invention once again using a popular Hong Kong ingredient. I was even offered a couple of jars of the juice to add to the dish at my discretion.
The third dish consisted of a meaty Hokkaido scallop, Shanghainese jolo sauce (a type of red rice fermented vinegar), sugar snap peas, and some “woba” (the name the crispy burnt rice that was the leftover in rice pots in olden days before the invention of rice-cooker). Bonus: here you can find the recipe. This was one of my favorite dishes.
The next dish was the celebrated molecular xiao long bao (soup dumpling). To be eaten all at once, it did recreate the flavor of a soup dumpling on the palate.
It was now time for the foie gras that came with bamboo shoots.
The foie gras was sprayed (literally, using a perfume dispenser) with Chu Yen Ching liquor. I do not like liquor and this was not a great add on form me.
The foie gras was accompanied by a charcoal mantou.
The palate cleanser was a green concoction with the prized Chinese wine Moutai (its bottle looks like a detergent, doesn’t it?), calamansi, and butterfly pea flower. It was offered on an imperial Chinese implement. Sorry, maybe it is me that does not like alcohol, but it tasted like a detergent. I just had a sip.
For main I could choose among suckling pig leg, cod, or beef. I went for the suckling leg with crispy skin and it was great. The plate was sprinkled with Pat Chun vinaigrette, some Sichuan peppercorns and a piece of pineapple. There were also some baby greens on the side.
To finish up, I was offered a bowl of Bo’s signature fried rice.
What made it special, was that the waiter shaved on it sun-dried abalone (very Hong Kong) and dried foie gras (made by Alvin). Delicious.
The final dish was Alvin’s “no shark fin”. Alvin is opposed to the use of shark fin in Chinese cuisine (it is still commonplace I can tell you) given the detrimental effects on the shark population. The dish is meant to resemble a shark fin bowl and is presented in a traditional implement specifically used for shark fin dishes in wedding and ceremonies. I once had a shark fin soup and it is just another of those Chinese delicacies like bird’s nest and sea cucumbers that my palate cannot understand: it is mostly tasteless. This dish was not tasteless at all. It was a refreshing dessert made with yuzu, osmanthus, peach resin, and dried persimmon.
The check
After adding a bottle of water, the check was 1,078 HKD (or 137 USD). The full degustation menu served for dinner was around twice as much. There were also some lighter lunch options. Overall, I found this ten course menu the perfect size and very satisfying. There was a little bit too much alcohol for my taste, but I enjoyed all the references to traditional Hong Kong dishes throughout the meal. I could really see that the chef loves his city and has used his creativity to celebrate it.
Where in Hong Kong: 60 Johnston Rd, 60, Shop 8, J Senses. Entrance on Ship Street J Residence. Website: http://www.boinnovation.com.
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.
Vermicelli roll stuffed with shrimp
Steamed chicken with preserved pepper
Steamed beef ball with bean curd skin
Fresh shrimp dumpling
Chilled green bean soup with seaweed
Congee with pork and preserved egg
Congee condiment
Baked bun with BBQ pork
Pork dumplings
Deep fried shrimp toast
View from Fuk Wing Street
View from Fuk Wing Street
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.
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 sauces
Dim sum and barbecued selection
Abalone broth with mixed dried seafood
Steamed garoupa fillet with bean curd
Sautéed prawns with vegetables
Fried rice
Dessert selection
View of the dining room
The entrance
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.
Tim Ho Wan is consistently listed as one of the 
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.