Saturday 23 January 2016

Recommended food from my last Hong Kong trip

Before the trip, my travel companion has been whining, "Hong Kong nothing to do one, just eat and eat only." Then there will be the question, "why you like to go Hong Kong so much?" Because... I like to eat!


I have been to Hong Kong 4 times in total. The last trip being my most memorable. There's always this noodles I must eat on every trip found in Maxim Palace. Maxim Palace is the Hong Kong equivalent of the Imperial Treasure in Singapore. I must say, their food is really good! The multiple times I have been there have always left me wanting to return for more. Their E Fu noodles, ordinary as it looks, is the best E Fu noodles I have ever had. 

Maxim Palace
B13-B18, B/F, Shun Tak Centre, 168-200 Connaught Road Central, Sheung Wan 
(Currently there's a more popular outlet at Central, but I still like the Sheung Wan one best)



While we are on the topic of Chinese food and dim sum, I tried the 3 Michelin Star Lung King Heen at Four Seasons Hotel. While the food is executed competently and service was awesome, I can't help but feel a deep sense of disappointment. From my experience, my interpretation of the 3 stars was 1 for food, 1 for service, 1 for ambience. Nothing very wrong with that however I kinda was expecting the Michelin stars to be graded purely for food. Having took the trouble to order the Chef's recommendation, 3 Michelin stars really left me not very impressed. To be fair, service was impeccable. ALL the staff can speak good English and know the food well. The quality of food. cutlery and view was nothing short of premium. My only gripe was I was there for the food more than anything else...

Lung King Heen
8 Finance St, Four Seasons Hotel 
(Lunch is from 12pm-2pm, you can make reservations online)



One surprise of the trip was Tomato Cheese Noodles. Honestly I first tried something similar during my first Hong Kong trip at Lan Fong Yuen and it really was nothing impressive. This tomato noodles doesn't taste spectacular either, but it is comfort food I can enjoy on a cold tiring day. One amusing thing the owners told me was that their main customers are Singaporeans. Considering their obscure location in a run-down building, it's funny how we tourist can keep their business going. 

Star Cafe
36 Basement Champagne Court Block A 16 Kimberley Road (Next to Mira Hotel)
Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong 
(There's another famous tomato noodles, typical Dai Pai Tong, Sing Heung Yuen, which I was lazy to try the other round)


Another highlight of my trip is the High Tea (Afternoon tea in Hong Kong context). The original plan was to have enjoy the view atop the 103th floor at Ritz Carlton, but alas the window seats were full. We settled for high tea at Intercontinental Hotel and it was a pleasant experience. Unlike Singapore, the high tea offered at Intercontinental Hotel carries seasonal themes. In my case, I was served the Christmas High Tea. My biggest gripe with high tea is that I always never finish the food. I don't enjoy desserts and the sweet part of the high tea usually is meant for my dining companion. That said, the standard of the high tea is pretty high, the scones are soft and fluffy and the savory does not come across as "jelat". Fussy Pot practically finished her half of the sweets so I suppose it's pretty good. I took one bite of mine and that's it. Haha! 

Lobby Lounge
Intercontinental Hong Kong
18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Shui 


Australian Dairy Company is another place I will be back again when I do make my 5th visit to Hong Kong. The steam milk is fantastic and the scrambled eggs on toast is uniquely Hong Kong. To be honest, prior to the visit, I was pretty adamant that the hype is exaggerated. But after eating the scrambled eggs on toast with its unique creamy buttery taste, I'll subject myself to the long queue and rude staff again. Being lactose intolerant, dairy products better be good to make the sacrifice. Trust me, the steam milk here is. 

Australian Dairy Company
47 Parkes Street 
(Closed on Thursdays)


Kam's Roast Goose is one of the places I went twice in a single holiday. The double visit actually highlighted their inconsistency in food quality. My first visit was after a long day of eating and seriously I was full when I arrived. The goose was so good that despite me and fussy pot being full, we finished the entire plate. Worth every bit of the 1 star Michelin they earned. The second visit however was pretty disappointing. The meat was hard and nowhere near the tender meats we found so much joy in eating. 
Honestly after the second visit, I'm not even sure if their Michelin star was a fluke. Anyway to enjoy your goose there be sure to order thigh meat the next time you visit.

Kam's Roast Goose
226 Hennessey Road