For this trip, I did a lot of research on the food places and here’s a full entry solely on FEASTING IN HONG KONG 😀
Day 1, Breakfast @ 新香園 (堅記) Sun Hang Yuen
Address: G/F, 38 Kweilin Street, Sham Shui Po
深水埗桂林街38號A地下
Nearest MTR: Sam Shui Po MTR
Openrice HK Link: http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=14488®ion=0&s=3
My experience:
It was about 10:30am when i entered the shop. Since it was weekday brunch timing, there was no problem in getting a seat for 1. As it was my first day, first meal and first meal alone in Hong Kong, I was a little overwhelmed with the traditional chinese menu.
Despite knowing what I want to order (from the openrice pictures), I couldn’t identify which chinese characters they belong to *under the stress of people staring at me as I was obviously not local*. AND the worse part was that I forgot how to call the service staff to get them to take my order. (The correct word to use is “erm goi” which means Excuse Me/Please/etc. )
I painstakingly stared at the forever busy staff for a good 3 to 5 minutes while the other diners who were staring at me, obviously knowing I need help but were probably too shy to help. Alas, the waiter caught my eye contact and came over. Do you know how I ordered? I pointed to the two pictures you see in the menu below – the drink in the middle and the beef omelette sandwich. (I supposed that best sellers are usually featured in the menu and it was indeed a good choice!)
The milk tea was served pipping hot and unsweetened. I had to add my own sugar from the metal container on the table. The tea taste was very thick and it leaves you with a sticky after taste. The best part of breakfast was definitely the beef omelette sandwich. The bread was so soft and fluffy and it goes perfectly well with the salty beef and egg. Well, I haven’t eaten beef omelette sandwich before so I don’t exactly have a basis of comparison but the taste was really good!
I could not take many photos as the seat was rather cramp and the whole table was staring at me. My table includes a 3-generation family (grandma, mother, daughter) and 1 ahma and 1 middle-age gentleman. We were all strangers and sharing tables like this is the authentic Hong Kong way.
Flyhoneystars Rating: 4/5 – definitely worth a visit if you plan to alight at sham shui po to walk the streets which sells really cheap things.
Day 1, Lunch @ Shanghai Po Po 336 上海婆婆336
Address: Shop 181, 1/F., East Point City Shopping Arcade, 8 Chung Wa Road,Tseung Kwan O
將軍澳重華路8號東港城場第1層181號舖
Nearest MTR Station: Kwai Fung MTR (Tsuen Wan Line)
Openrice HK Link: http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=148864
My experience:
I was looking for a place to rest as I was dead tired (barely slept on the plane) and found this place, once again, using the Openrice app. Thought it was really good to eat xiao long bao in the rainy weather. Although it was a table for 1 in a proper restaurant, I didn’t feel too lonely as there were 3 to 4 other tables for 1 too!
This was the view where I sat. They gave me a table facing out so I could people-watch (if any).
Apart from xiao long bao, there were a couple of shortlisted dishes to order, but the drunken pigeon dish won in my selection battle as pigeon is not something that I can find commonly in Singapore.
As the pigeon was so neatly arranged, i decided to eat it neatly too =p Anyway, the xiao long bao was far from ding tai fung and imperial treasure (my favourite) standards. It wasn’t folded nicely (as seen in the pictures) and the taste just wasn’t there. I guess there are still food which taste better in Singapore.
Flyhoneystars Rating: 2.5/5 – shouldn’t waste your time and eat shanghainese food in Hong Kong. it was a big mistake for me.
Day 1, snack + Day 3, lunch@ Kwai Chung Plaza (Place with cheap shopping)
Nearest MTR Station: Kwai Fung MTR (Tsuen Wan Line)
From the MTR Station, alight at the exit at the platform, walk towards the new mall, turn left to the older looking mall. Go up to level 3 and you can see a heaven of cheap snacks and street food.
This is a very popular drink among the youngsters. It is called “Mang Ye Ye 芒椰椰” & I felt a little embarrass when ordering this mango & coconut drink. I didn’t know the Cantonese way of saying and Mang Ye Ye just sound so weird. It was only 7 HKD for a cup like this. If I am not wrong, mine came with nata de co co bits.
This is a very popular street food in hong kong. It involves choosing packets (noodles or ingredients) and then passing it to the staff and tell them if you want it to be spicy. They will open all your packets and put it into one packet and add this delicious sauce and mix it for you before returning it back to you. The price depends on the number of packets you choose. It doesn’t matter if you choose more staple or more ingredients. The price is still the same.
This is a very bad photo but it is the only one that I have taken of it.
Curry fish ball – something which seems so simple and only taste delicious in Hong Kong. This time round, it a little too spicy for us.
Crepe – was attracted to this stall as there was a super long queue. Bought the pizza flavour which looks promising but its actual taste was far from expectation. The crepe wasn’t crispy at all and the taste just wasn’t there. The cheaper ones I had in KL and BKK was so much more delicious.
This was also the place I made this magical tri-colou r cotton candy flower! I’ve been wanting to try this for the longest time ever. It was a pleasant surprise to find it at this random shopping mall in Hong Kong =p
Video 1:
Video 2:
Day 1, Tea @ Sweet Tooth 甜牙牙
Address: Shop 4, G/F, Paradise Square, 3 Kwong Wah Street, Mong Kok
旺角廣華街3號百利達廣場地下4號舖
Nearest MTR Station: Yau Ma Tei or Mongkok MTR (Tsuen Wan Line)
Openrice HK Link: http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=70959&reviewlang=en%2Chk
My experience:
I was brought to this dessert shop by my HK friend as I love green tea. I guess green tea dessert is really a big thing in Hong Kong and now that I am googling, there seem to be a 101 dessert shops which serve green tea items.
The one on the left was really delicious. If I’m not wrong, it is called matcha pudding cake? I did some google translation and ‘sawdust’ came out. I guess it could be apt in describing it’s texture of how millions of flavoured fluff melt in your mouth =) I love the red bean paste too. We need to have more of such dessert shop in Singapore!
Flyhoneystars Rating: 3.5/5 – worth a visit if you are around the area. otherwise, you can visit any other random dessert shop which serves the same thing. i’m sure the taste wouldn’t be too far off!
Day 1, Dinner @ Supreme Restaurants 至尊重慶雞煲
Address: 16/F, Chong Hing Square, 593-601 Nathan Road, Mong Kok
旺角彌敦道593至601號創興廣場16樓
Nearest MTR Station: Yau Ma Tei or Mongkok MTR (Tsuen Wan Line)
Openrice HK Link: http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=104069&tc=sr1
My experience:
The same HK friend who brought me for dessert brought me to this chicken hotpot place. It was a pretty interesting experience as it was the first time I have eaten hotpot/steamboat on the 16F of a building D: There’s hardly any ventilation and it’s a major fire hazard :/ Once again, this dining experience is something this is uniquely Hong Kong. We had to wait for 15 to 20 minutes before given a seat. The entire restaurant looks like a mess. Though not obvious in the photo, it is rather cramp, noisy & the smell of the restaurant lingers not only in the air, but in the lift and on your clothes even after I return to the hotel:/
This is an alacat buffet whereby you have to order your steamboat dishes from a paper with massive chunks of traditional chinese words, half of which i don’t understand. Luckily my friend did all the ordering. Firstly, you will get this pot full of seasoned chicken and onion (left). It was delicious and I love the onion to bits =p
After you are about 3/4 done with the chicken, you can add soup (right) to the pot and start on your steamboat! and the smartest move they made is to provide you with drinks too. This includes beer and a lot of gassy drinks (which obviously help to fill your stomach so that you will eat less in the buffet). I got myself Jolly Shandy Lychee flavour which wasn’t of a significant enough taste to remember.
It was an interesting experience but I was really full that day to begin with so it was kind of not that value for money as we couldn’t each much. Furthermore, I don’t recall it being cheap, like 150 to 180 HKD. Nevertheless, it was tasty and not MSG-infested as I didn’t feel extra thirsty. I was glad to have visited a super localised place too. I doubt there were other tourists in the restaurant that day =p
flyhoneystars rating: 3/5 – great place to go if you’re on long holiday/stay in Hong Kong. Otherwise, I wouldn’t recommend to waste your precious stomach space for a buffet like this.
Day 2, breafast @ The Match Box 喜喜冰室
Address: G/F, Highland Mansion, 8 Cleveland Street, Causeway Bay
銅鑼灣加寧街8號海倫大廈地下
Nearest MTR Station: Causeway Bay
OpenRice Link: http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=41969&tc=sr1
My Experience: I found this place using the OpenRice app and it was highly recommended and also short listed for some awards. This place is popular for it’s retro decor which is deliberately themed and designed. Its ‘traditional’ look and feel is fake as the furniture and fittings were so neatly organized. However, it is still a good place for photo taking and for people to re-live the past. Actually, I’m wondering why this vintage themed idea can sell in Hong Kong when there are so many existing food places which are authentically old and vintage. Hmm..
As it was my second day, I was still clueless with the chinese words. I stared at the menu for an extremely long time and finally decided to ask the waiter what was in this menu. As the traditional chinese character for the word “noodles” look a little unfamiliar, I wanted to re-confirm. I asked the waiter in chinese, “if this was noodles” and guess what, he ordered the set for me! (Similar to my Australia Diary Co experience where I didn’t get to choose my food but I guess I’m not a fussy eater) Then, I re-confirmed by superfail chinese when Vitasoy came to my table. I thought it was Vitagen =/
The cake tasted quite normal. I was so shy in taking photos since I was alone and this was all that I snapped.
And so, the main course came and I was still unsure of whether it was noodles or not as the waiter didn’t answer my question earlier on. He just placed this on my table and said ‘Wait 3 minutes’ in English. I guess he didn’t think I spoke to him in chinese earlier on and I have a I don’t know chinese face? Maybe they assume I’m korean again becauase of my fair skin..
After three minutes, the surprise was maggi mee with sausage and egg. wow. 38 HKD for that.
I was a little disappointed at the fact that it was maggi mee and not something more exciting. HOWEVER, this plain looking dish was very delicious! The noodles were at the right chewy texture and I don’t know how did they fry their egg so well that it taste so delicious and not soggy despite being in the soup. My disappointment slowly filtered to delight 😉
Flyhoneystars Rating: 4.5/5 – if the maggi mee tastes so nice, i’m sure the other dishes will taste even better. the fact that it was shortlisted for the awards, it must have been really popular with the locals. Furthermore, the deco & ambiance, even though is man-made, can be a beautiful backdrop for photo taking.
Day 2, dessert @ Crumbs – Causeway Bay
Address: G/F, 6 Cannon Street, Causeway Bay
銅鑼灣景隆街6號地舖
Nearest MTR Station: Causeway Bay MTR
OpenRice Link: http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=56147&tc=sr1&con=newadd
My Experience: To date, this is still my #1 frozen yogurt store. It tastes so good that I want to franchise them over to Singapore. Last year, I ate it twice during my 5 day trip. When I went to KL, I made it a point to visit its franchise (shifted from Pavilion Mall to KLCC). When ordering, do not hesitate and order the large size which comes with 3-4 toppings. Always get the house crumbs and the mochi (if available). They are also usually very generous with their toppings. As I wanted to indulge on this dessert, I ended up taking a 10-20 minutes walk from Causeway Bay to Wan Chai. Just to eat my froyo and to attempt to walk off the extra calories. heh.
Flyhoneystars Rating: 5/5 – i really love it. it is my #1 frozen yogurt choice. it’s a little pricey though – $39 HKD for one cup. It was almost the same price as my breakfast set earlier on.
Update: Crumbs no longer exist in Hong Kong when I visited in Sep 2016 =(
Day 2 (Cheung Chau), very late lunch @ New Baccarat Seafood Restaurant 新金湖海鮮酒家
Address: 9A G/F Pak She Praya Road, Cheung Chau, Cheung Chau
長洲北社海傍路9號A地下
Nearest MTR Station: Take Ferry from Central Terminal
OpenRice Link: http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=18275&tc=sr1
My Experience: The only reason why I chose this restaurant was because someone blogged about this place in English. However, the food we had that day (perhaps we didn’t choose the specialty) was rather crappy.
To get to the place, after exiting the ferry terminal, turn left and walk all the way. This restaurant is the last one of its kind, at a corner. As it was at 3-4pm, the shop only had one other table occupied. There were only two of us and we didn’t exactly know what we wanted to eat and we deliberately over order to get more variety.
Left: Fried calamari with some curry powder? It was only okay tasting. The dish on the right was the worse of all. Its english name was baked grouper with cheese or something along the line. You know how my heart sank when i saw this dish being served to me. As this was a seafood restaurant, I was expecting a full fish with cheese on it’s skin, and baked till it looks roasted.
Out of all the dishes, 蒜蓉粉絲蒸扇貝 (left) was the best. At least I could have a taste of their fresh seafood in this supposedly seafood restaurant. The dish on the right was a joke too. I remember the english name being very appetizing and when it came we were like arghhhh. I guess we were scammed by their flowery english translation of the dishes.
The total bill came up to be $380 and that was like $190 HKD each. Pretty steep price we paid for the could be improved seafood.
Flyhoneystars Rating: 2.5/5 – do not waste your time eating seafood on this island. the street food in cheng chau is so much nicer than the seafood.
Day 2 (Cheung Chau), Dessert @ E – Hap Dessert House 二合甜館
Address: G/F, 113 Tai San Praya Street,Cheung Chau
長洲大新海傍路113號地下
Nearest MTR Station: Take Ferry from Central Terminal
OpenRice Link: http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=108422&tc=sr1
My Experience: I vaguely remember that this shop exists as my cousin brought me here last year and there was this super memorable mochi. Thankfully, my sense of direction was still not bad and I managed to find this shop. There was a little renovation done and the re-shifted some of its furniture.
First up, we ate the mango mochi together with the egg pudding. My friend agreed that it was delicious and ended up bringing some back. As for the milk pudding, it apparently tastes nicer than the yeeshun milk pudding! I don’t know why but it tastes really good.
So, we were still feeling a little greedy and we managed to taste the best mango pomelo sago ever. The mango paste was just so thick and the mango bits were mainly sweet and the bitter pomelo blends so well and there were even nata de co co. The combination was just perfect.
I ended up dabao-ing more mango mochi and durian mochi. how do i describe to you the mochi skin. it is so sticky and chewy and tasty. and there’s a 50-50 luck on whether you will get a sour or a sweet mango.
Flyhoneystars Rating: 4.5/5 – I would have given it a perfect score if all the mango that I have tasted was sweet.
Day 2, Dinner @ 神谷日本料理 (Kennedy Town, west of Hong Kong Island)
Address: Shop A6, G/F, 22 Sands Street & Shop B, G/F, 1 Sands Street, Kennedy Town, Western District
西環堅尼地城山市街1號E地下B舖及22號地下A6舖
Nearest MTR Station: westwards of Sheung Wan MTR, took bus/tram to get here.
OpenRice Link: http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=14258
My Experience: This place was introduced to me by my cousin’s friend (HKU student), in my visit last year. Maybe I wasn’t too hungry that night or perhaps the standard really dropped. It was a semi-disappointing visit. Using google maps for the directions to this place, it brought us on a walking route which involves walking down flights and flights of stairs (at least 10 floors) down a hill/mountain. I cannot imagine myself walking everyday.
It took us a bit longer than expected to find the shop because they shifted their second shop. Thankfully, there was a short queue outside the shop and this was a big indication that I have found the correct place. As I reached the place only at about 9pm+, I only queued for 30 mins instead of 2 hours (last visit). With chairs and 3G, it wasn’t a difficult wait! The picture on the right is the newly renovated shopfront which is located at the corner, opposite of the original outlet.
To dine at this place, I googled for the menu (traditional chinese) and translated it to english and wrote down the names of my favourite sushi. My chinese knowledge of japanese dishes was so terrible. Thankfully I was all prepared! Later on when we entered the restaurant (we were given seats in the new outlet which was a lot more spacious than the old one), we discovered there was english menu available. *facepalm*
You can use this to test your knowledge of chinese. It looks fine like that but when you are staring at nothing but just the chinese characters alone, you will just end up blanking out totally =/
The new dishes we tried: Beef Enoki and Beef Tongue (my friend challenged me to eat this and gosh it is delicious! the taste and texture feels like chewing on the fatty part of the sirloin steak)
Flyhoneystars Rating: 4/5 – This place should have deserved a perfect rating but I was disappointed with the drop in standard. Nevertheless, the food is still great and I may return again in my future visits to Hong Kong. In recent years, Jap food is on the rise in Hong Kong and I’m pretty sure there are other outlets which serve delicious jap food too. Only worth a visit if you’re in the area.
Day 3, Breakfast @ Capital Café 華星冰室
Address: Shop B1, G/F, Kwong Sang Hong Building, 6 Heard Street, Wan Chai
灣仔克街6號廣生行大廈地下B1號舖
Nearest MTR Station: Wan Chai, Causeway Bay MTR
OpenRice Link: http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=41467&tc=sr1
My Experience: Found this place via the openrice location function. Visited this place as it was shortlisted for one of the awards. guess it must have been pretty famous. We waited about 5 minutes before entering and we were given the Hong Kong Cafe treatment of having to share the table with strangers. Could be kind of awkward as we were sitting on the couch seats, directly facing the two strangers who were staring at us when we took the photos >_<
This is the interior of the cafe. Packed and everyone is pretty much eating the same thing – macaroni & egg.
Since the menu was equally clueless to me, we ordered what everyone else ordered. To be honest, I don’t exactly fancy macaroni at all but once again I gave myself another chance to think about why Hong Kong people love it so much. The conclusion is I still don’t know. However, I love the scrambled egg to bits <3 We ended up ordering two types of eggs because we didn’t know what was the difference between scrambled and fried in chinese :/
Flyhoneystars Rating: 3/5 – the scrambled eggs is pretty awesome but that’s it. i didn’t try the pork burger which was a best seller too so i can’t judge entirely. concept seems familiar to australia diary co. so depending on which part of hong kong you are at, you can visit either shop to get a taste of hong kong’s most popular breakfast set – macaroni and ham + scrambled egg and toast. do tell me if you go bananas over the macaroni. i want to know why.
Day 3, Dinner @ Mido Cafe 美都餐室
Address: G/F, 63 Temple Street, Yau Ma Tei
油麻地廟街63號地下
Nearest MTR Station: Yau Ma Tei
OpenRice Link: http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=2310®ion=0&s=3
My Experience: This place wasn’t in our plan at all. The plan was to eat claypot rice at Temple Street but since it was Qing Ming Festival, only two claypot rice shop was open and the queue was ridiculously long :/ There were more than 20 people in line and more than half of their tables were still waiting for their food. If we were to wait, I think it would have been midnight when we start eating.
Using the location app, we discovered that somewhat famous retro Mido Cafe was around the corner.
Unlike the match box cafe which I visited 2 days ago, this mido cafe was authentically vintage and old. You can just feel the different atmosphere the moment you step in.
Sadly, the food was rather crappy and my friend was like, are you sure we can trust open rice ratings and popularity? Well, look at the food. The colouring look so artificial and it looks unappetizing at all. True to its look, it wasn’t nice at all and we can’t believe that we actually paid $13 each for this. The only thing nice were the drinks. Reading the newer reviews, there seem to be many others being increasingly disappointed with this place on their repeated visits.
Flyhoneystars Rating: 2/5 – need i say more? do not visit unless you want the vintage backdrop for photo-taking.
Day 4, breakfast @ Lin Heung Tea House 蓮香樓
Address: 160-164 Wellington Street, Central
中環威靈頓街160-164號
Nearest MTR Station: Central MTR
OpenRice Link: http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=1868&tc=sr1
My Experience: We were looking for an early morning breakfast place as we had to rush to disneyland. Openrice app to the rescue and we found our way to this very traditional dim sum house. Having read the reviews online, we were mentally prepared for the dimsum cart fight =p Being early (8am), we were lucky to find seats with this very helpful ahgong (left picture, left).
Using our very limited canto knowledge, he signaled us to be patient and wait for the dim sum trolley lady to come. We were given this paper (to be used when getting the dim sum) which could be inserted underneath the table glass. As we were sitting at the area furthest from the dim sum trolley path, by the time the trolley came to us, we were left with dishes that we have no idea what they were.
The first dish we had from the dim sum trolley (no idea what the name was) was a little on the salty side =/
Where were all my usual siew mai and har gao??? Finally, we saw more familiar looking dishes like chee cheong fan and luo mai gai which they called he ye fan.
This was the receipt paper that you had to give the dim sum ladies every time you take something from their trolley. It will be used for payment later. I guess there are different prices depending on the type of dim sum you choose. There isn’t prices at all and we had no idea how much we were paying till we reached the cashier.
At that point in time, we were thinking very hard if we should leave to chiong the dim sum trolley the moment it leaves the kitchen. However, we were afraid that kind ahgong will scold us as he kept signaling us to take it easy, slowly, enjoy and relax. For himself, he has already finished his breakfast and reading his newspaper.. Finally, kind ahgong realise we were not eating a lot and he then signal us to chiong for the dim sum trolley and that was when we finally got a plate of the popular Ma Lai Gao. True to its reviews, this ma lai gao was indeed a delicacy. The fluff was perfect, the sweetness was just nice and the warmness makes you want to finish it immediately. We ended up having two servings of Ma Lai Gao, assuming that we shouldn’t spend too much on food in Disneyland.
Finally, I saw har gao at the dim sum trolley right at the kitchen exit.
We paid 74 HKD each for this meal. Pretty steep for breakfast but I guess the experience was a good one. Chiong-ing to the dim sum trolley is exciting as you will never know what new dishes will be out and whether there will be any left for you. You might just never get to eat your favourite dish (like my liu sha bao) as you cannot place any orders for anything with the exception of porridge.
Flyhoneystars Rating: 3.5/5 – Go for it if you have not tried out the traditional hong kong dim sum dining. it can be fun and exciting. Otherwise, it is definitely less nerve-wrecking to just visit a dim sum place which you are allowed to place order instead of waiting/snatching for random dishes.
Day 4, Lunch and Dinner in Disneyland (to be reviewed in disneyland entry)
Day 4, Supper @ my #1 tangyuan place – 福元湯圓 Fook Yuen
Address: 北角炮台山福元街7號利都樓地下I-1舖
Nearest MTR Station: Fortress Hill MTR
OpenRice Link: http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=3874
My Experience: This is my favourite tangyuan shop and my repeated visit has not disappointed me. So far, everyone that I have intro-ed to this place has love it! My favourite is still the sesame flavour. The sesame sugar is so fine and you can taste it melting in your mouth!
Didn’t take much photos this time round as I had already taken photos the previous time(s). I visited that place 3 times in my last trip =p
Flyhoneystars Rating: 5/5 – definitely worth a visit! its #1 tangyuan reputation remains unshaken.
Day 5, breakfast @ 再興燒臘飯店 Joy Hing Roasted Meat
Address: 灣仔軒尼詩道265-267號地下C座
Nearest MTR Station: Wan Chai MTR
OpenRice Link: http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=1491®ion=0&s=3
My Experience: This place ain’t exactly a breakfast place but since we started our day late, this became our breakfast at about 10am+ Due to the odd timing, we didn’t have to queue at all! Once again, we had to share table with strangers. It’s kind of funny because I remembered that the mother was telling the son on how important it is to speak languages such as mandarin and English instead of solely Cantonese. I guess she must have heard how me and my friend were speaking so fluently in English?
Anyway, seeing how touristy we look, the staff recommended us to order their specialty – 3 ping which includes soy chicken, char siew and duck. The char siew was really delicious and it was a good start for the day! The only thing that i didn’t like was that the bones were annoying. Apparently going ‘boneless’ is not a common thing in Hong Kong and sometimes I wonder what their reaction would be if I requested it. Ha.
Flyhoneystars Rating: 5/5 – Yes this place is a worth a visit. The next time I am going, I’m gonna get every single meat that is available. Including Lap Chiong and Roasted Pork =p This was the only shop which we dined twice in this trip. On our last day, we bought a packet of char siew rice and brought it to the airport.
Day 5, snack before lunch @ 星座冰室 Star Cafe
Address: Shop No. 36, Champagne Court, 16-20 Kimberley Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
尖沙咀金巴利道16-20號香檳大廈地庫36號舖
Nearest MTR Station: Tsim Sha Tsui
OpenRice Link: http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=6428®ion=0&s=3
My Experience: We didn’t make a deliberate effort to come here. We were just in TST for Chunking mansion and decided to walk the entire Nathan Road up to Prince Edward Station. Along the way, my friend saw the name “Star Cafe” while peeking through the random buildings we were walking pass. The positive reviews of Open Rice made me bookmark this cafe in my google maps. However, I was a little skeptical about visiting this place as I had earlier on read a blog which exclaimed on the poor hygiene standards. Despite being very full from our heavy breakfast, we gave this cafe a shot.
It was located at the basement and the entrance was like totally old school to the max. No joke. This place looks authentically aged and i really wonder if they had ever renovated the place at all.
From the furniture to the table to the signboard to the font to the kitchen, to the clock and to the bowls to the fans to the air con to the tiles on the floor and the door and grill – this place was totally old school and vintage and everything looks so tired and worn out and badly in need of renovation. I honestly wonder if it is deliberate or they just can’t be bothered!!
Being very full, we ordered one bowl of tomato egg noodles (maggi mee) and two drinks. The staff was very nice and automatically gave us two sets of cutlery. If I am not wrong, a meatless dish like this costs around 20-30 HKD. It was quite an interesting taste and I have never eaten anything like this before. Eggy Tomato noodles. Worth a try, only if you can maintain sanity in a place which looks like the 50s or 60s.
After leaving the shop, I wanted to explore the other parts of the basement and made a left turn. This was what we saw. Hmm. While trying to take some photos with this unkempt backdrop, one random guy actually directed us the way out. Probably this is one of the many labyrinths of Hong Kong. If I were to return, I will spend more time in appreciating such places (aftermath of researching on Chunking Mansion).
Flyhoneystars Rating: 3.5/5 – Great for tomato lovers as they can make anything taste awesome with tomatoes. *Not recommended for the OCDs and hygiene freaks. Lower your expectations by plenty when you enter*
Day 5, late lunch @ One Dim Sum 一點心
Address: Shop 1 & 2, G/F, Kenwood Mansion, 15 Playing Field Road, Prince Edward
太子運動場道15號京華大廈地舖1-2號
Nearest MTR Station: Prince Edward MTR
OpenRice Link: http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=18164&tc=sr1
My Experience: This was quite a heavy rated dim sum paradise as it was given one Michelin star which was of comparable standard with the already famous Tim Ho Wan. Despite walking the entire Nathan Road in an attempt to digest our food, we were still very full but heck it, we had to enter. Look, NO QUEUE!
*Random* We saw the two Singaporean girls whom we met at Joy Heng earlier in the morning. They were easily recognizable by their dressing style and the huge dslr. Not sure if they saw us too. There you go, this is indeed a touristy place.
As this was a modern dim sum place, we were able to choose and order the dishes and not wait for the dim sum trolley. THE CHAR SIEW BUN WAS DELICIOUS. I can’t decide if i prefer this on Tim Ho Wan. Well, it ain’t fair cause I’ve eaten Tim Ho Wan more than 3 times..
Average tasting chee cheong fan you tiao. Ordered the curry cuttle fish because reviews said it was good. It was not too bad. Something that I haven’t tried before. The curry in Hong Kong is just so different from the curry that we have here……. same curry as the curry fish ball though. Insisted to order this Malay Cake so I can compare it with Lin Heung’s one we ate yesterday. Conclusion is that Lin Heung’s one wins.
Flyhoneystars Rating: 4/5 – Do visit this place if you have already tried Tim Ho Wan. I love the char siew bun to bits <3 Also, remember to visit this place at odd hours or be prepared to wait in line outside the shop =p It was such a good feeling to walk in like a boss after reading reviews of people queuing so long to enter..
Day 5, Drinks @ Sugar (Bar.Deck.Lounge) – East Hotel
Address: 32/F, EAST, 29 Taikoo Sing Road, Tai Koo
太古太古城道29號東隅32樓
Nearest MTR Station: Tai Koo MTR (Island Line)
OpenRice Link: http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=42060&tc=sr1
http://www.sugar-hongkong.com/en/Pages/index.aspx
My Experience: Visited this place for the 32nd Rooftop Bar = Harbour view. My initial wallet-has-no-boundaries plan was to visit the level 118th Bar @ Ritz Carlton Hotel. Sadly, that was not possible. Maybe in my next visit. Level 118th, wait for me 😀
Before visiting this place, Tai Koo was a MTR station which never exited in my radar. It is actually not very far, only a few stops after Fortress Hill.
The MTR exit links up to the hotel entrance so finding our way there was a breeze.
As expected, the indoor area was rather empty as everyone would have preferred the outdoor harbour view seats. I quite enjoy the overall decor of the place. The music was rather unappealing to me that night :/
Photo with lousy iPhone 5.
We didn’t stay for too long. FYI: the toilet is very pretty.
Flyhoneystars Rating: 4/5 – This place is worth visiting for the beautiful harbour view. However, it would be better to visit this place during the early evening when they sky is still bright. It would be hotter and perhaps prettier =)
Day 5, Supper @ Tsui Wah Restaurant 翠華餐廳
Address: G-2/F, 15-19 Wellington Street,Central
中環威靈頓街15-19號地下至2樓
Nearest MTR Station: Central
OpenRice Link: http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=3837&tc=sr1
My Experience: We ended up at this place as it was 24 hours and because we didn’t exactly have dinner due to overeating for breakfast + lunch. Being really tired and not a regular supper person, I ordered the lightest thing in the menu – Toast Bread. The drink – almond with egg was a gamble and I didn’t like it. I should have just ordered the popular milk tea. I like the toast bread with condensed milk. It was crispy and warm.
Flyhoneystars Rating: 3/5 – Seems like a pretty standard Cha Chan Ting (HK Tea House) with english menus which serves practically everything that a usual tea house would serve. Do remember to try the milk tea. It is one of their specialty!
Day 6, breakfast @ Law Fu Kee 羅富記粥麵專家
Address: G/F, 142 Queen’s Rd C,, Central
中環皇后大道中144號金利商業大廈地下
Nearest MTR Station: Central & Sheung Wan MTR
OpenRice Link: http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=1825&tc=sr1
My Experience:
This place was introduced to me in my previous trip and yes I’ve returned for my second attempt. Thankfully, it wasn’t disappointing at all. In fact, the pipping hot bowl of porridge was perfect for the impending rain. As usual, I got my favourite pork + pork liver porridge. I should try something different the next time :/Yes it is very delicious and I love thick watery porridge like this!
Flyhoneystars Rating: 5/5 – Definitely worth a try. One of the reasons why I love to stay in Hong Kong Island. The other reason is for my #1 Tang yuan. heh.
Day 6, macaron indulgence @ Pierre Hermé
Address: Shop 1019C, Podium Level 1, International Finance Centre Mall, 1 Harbour View Street, Central
中環港景街1號國際金融中心商場二期1樓1019C舖
Nearest MTR Station: Central MTR
OpenRice Link: http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=135630&tc=sr1
My Experience: I love this macaron brand to bits..
When we first walk past this shop, I told my friend I’m gonna get it because there is finally an outlet in Hong Kong. My friend replied: Wa! get bonus rich already la. Then I’m like okay lah, but don’t know how expensive it is but my cousin bought it back from London previously. Then I realised that my friend thought Pierre Herme was a bag brand and that I was gonna buy the bag on display. It’s upsetting that they do not sell macarons by the piece in Hong Kong. The minimum quantity was a box of 7 for 210 HKD o_o which is almost $5/piece. If I don’t recall wrongly, it was only 2.80 euros in Paris. Despite the high price, I had to buy it. I’ve been dreaming about it since they open in Hong Kong last year. It is that delicious. I love the paper bag! Maybe that was worth 10 HKD.
Sampling a little slice of heaven (passion fruit flavour) on my star ferry ride from Central Pier to TST side. How should I describe the taste? The exterior is crisp and there’s this kind of tangy feeling when you take a bite. The flavour is so rich and it lingers on as an aftertaste. This brand made me appreciate and value macarons as it is so delicious and expensive.
I managed to bring back the box of remaining 6 macarons back to Singapore safely! I placed it in my back pack and made it a point to remember that the macarons were inside and every single piece remained in tact upon my return!!
The Jean-Paul Hevin Macaron which I later on tried at Harbour City pales in comparison to Pierre Herme. Don’t have to try that.
Flyhoneystars Rating: 5/5 – you got to try it to believe it! I guess you have to be a macaron fan too, in order to pay that amount of money for that 30 seconds bite. My favourite flavour is the Truffle Blanche & Noisette – White Truffle & Roasted Piedmont Hazlenut Silvers. MUST TRY for all truffle fans!!
Day 6, last meal in HK – Joy Hing Char Siew Rice
We brought this to the airport to eat 🙂 Ending this entire entry with this packet of delicious-looking thick slices of char siew……….
Hope you’re feeling hungry right now =p
