Food Special
The agony of traveling to the same country for a holiday
- to try out new dishes OR
- to reminisce the good old goodies on the first trip there
We can only eat 3 meals a day!!
Since it's our first overseas trip and NB's debut in HK, I brought him to try some of the items worth savoring!!
Ratings will remain tagged against 10 dim sums.
Flew to Macau but did not grab any munchies along the way and traveled to HK!
Stop 1: HONG KONG - Argyle Centre's packet noodles
Dropped our bags at the hotel and made our way to the nearby Argyle Centre (Mongkok) to find the packet noodle store!
There's a total of 3 stores which sells this.
The 1st stall located at level 1 is the most expensive, 2nd stall was on the top level at the other side of the building which I didn't manage to find initially. Ended up at this 3rd stall located at a little corner.
The guy asked in Cantonese if I want small or medium Spicy.
I said medium cuz I thought the range of spiciness would be S -> M -> L (most spicy).
Little did I know that medium is probably the cap and it is THIS spicy...
My stomach was empty and by the time this packet went in, I was full from the burning in my tummy and mouth.
Pretty shiok as what NB mentioned but I would bear in mind to order small spice if I ever purchase this again (from the same stall).
Seasoning: slightly salty, the spice prob covered the taste of the ingredients.
Price: HKD 5
Rating: 6/10 dim sums
Stop 2: Sham Shui Po - Street side Store
Red Bean Cake or Put Chai Ko
This store along Apliu Street sold this little puddings alongside other traditional snack like water chestnut cake.
NB has been wanting to try this so we just had to get some!
Too bad these are prepacked into little carriers unlike those we see on TV where they are often held up by bamboo sticks.
A little too sweet for my liking but it's definitely fun to eat. At least, NB likes it!
Pretty chewy with bits of red beans. Definitely a likable dessert for those with sweet tooth.
Rating: 6.5/10 dim sums
Stop 3: Hing Kee Claypot rice @ Yau Ma Tei, Temple Street
This was the eatery I patronised with the 3 "aunties" the last time.
It has expanded since and now occupies a good 3-4 store size and taking up most of the road space with their makeshift tables and chairs.
Very old school Coke bottle that was eventually "kop- ed" Opps...
NB and I were wondering if they refilled these bottles themselves as these seems to be discontinued already but apparently not. They serve new bottles with unopened lids for all customers.
Light soy sauce is used, thus, not as flavourful as the Singapore version (usually mixed in with thick dark soy sauce).
But I definitely love the rice crust stuck at the side of the claypot.
Crunchy crunchy!
Credits go to the chicken as it was chunky and juicy. It will be good if they remove the skin but it will definitely affect the taste of the dish as it would be dry without the skin/oil.
Price: HKD 30-40
Rating: 7.5/10 dim sums
Stop 4: Mister Softee Van along Temple Street
I didn't know Mister Softee 富豪雪糕 was so popular until I saw it on wikipedia!
Heads up from Yee Fun that her bf loved this ice cream.
Gave it a try even though I could feel the cold breeze blowing onto my face.
Mister Softee's softee was indeed soft (LOL), just like those soft serve ice cream you find in Japanese eatery.
Has a very strong milky taste, just like full cream milk in solid form.
Price: HKD 6 or 7 (can't recall exactly)
Rating: 7/10 (made me feel pretty guilty as I taste the fattening full cream milk)
Stop 5: Vegetarian meal @ Po Lin Monastery, Tung Chung
The all familiar restaurant that hasn't changed a bit!
Corn Soup, Fried Popiah, Vege with mushroom, corn tofu and another vege dish.
As there were only the two of us, we had one short of dish as compared to the last time I visited and that dish was actually good! :(
Well, this time round, I learnt to better appreciate the corn tofu dish. Enjoyed it more than the last time but found the soup too be a tad bland.
The fried popiah was still enjoyable due to the crunchy texture but wasn't as flavourful as the previous try. =(
Overall, a fulfilling dish and we couldn't even finish the rice! heir serving was pretty generous.
Price: HKD120 for 2 pax
Rating: 8/10 dim sums for the generous portion
Stop 6: Wonton Store along Wellington Street, Central
Having taken a look at Lan Kwai Fong, we scouted around for a place for dinner.
Wanted to try one popular dish in Hong Kong - Wonton Mee!
Sounds like what we can get in Singapore, but...
The version in HK is soupy, doesn't include char siew and consists of huge wontons with chunks of prawn meat (not pathetic sheets of wanton skin or tiny dabs of meat amidst huge sheets of wanton skin).
Sort of stumbled into this eatery as most of them were closed by the time we planned to have our dinner.
Tried 2 different versions - Wonton and fish meat balls.
The wontons given are huge and contains succulent and crunchy prawns.
The fish balls are more like fish meat paste chunks, very dense and moist.
Noodles are pretty springy though the soup has a little too much of the "yellow noodle" taste
See the plate of vege with oyster sauce? Only cost an additional S$1+
Hiak! I need my greens!!
Price: HKD50 for allRating: 8.5 (kudos to generous portion and yummy wontons!)
Stop 7: Mongkok street food 街頭熟食
Just check out the variety!
Would love to try each and every type! Eh, except those scary looking pig innards...
Woohoo! I missed the century egg snack! I don't see it anywhere in Sg and thought it really taste good. The century egg is wrapped around fish cake paste, deep fried and served drenched in sweet chili sauce. Sinful but delightful!
The little curried fishballs (yu dan 魚旦) are so fun to eat!
Skewered in bamboo sticks, these little balls are very chewy and pretty much addictive.
Personally, I thought these roadside skewer siew mais have got nothing to rave about. Could have ordered other goodies instead.
Here comes the ultimate delicacy (depending on how you look at it)
NB had a bite and it seemed pretty torturous.. Hehe...
They say, the more your eat, the better it tastes. I do agree to a certain extend. The more you consume, the more the smell numbs you and you slowly enjoy the crispy crunch of the fried tofu.
Some may beg to differ...
Well, I guess you can always put more chili sauce to cover up the pungent taste. =P
Rating: 8.5 (I love street food! So fun to eat!)
Stop 8: Xu Liu Shan
The agony of traveling to the same country for a holiday
- to try out new dishes OR
- to reminisce the good old goodies on the first trip there
We can only eat 3 meals a day!!
Since it's our first overseas trip and NB's debut in HK, I brought him to try some of the items worth savoring!!
Ratings will remain tagged against 10 dim sums.
Flew to Macau but did not grab any munchies along the way and traveled to HK!
Stop 1: HONG KONG - Argyle Centre's packet noodles
Dropped our bags at the hotel and made our way to the nearby Argyle Centre (Mongkok) to find the packet noodle store!
There's a total of 3 stores which sells this.
The 1st stall located at level 1 is the most expensive, 2nd stall was on the top level at the other side of the building which I didn't manage to find initially. Ended up at this 3rd stall located at a little corner.
The guy asked in Cantonese if I want small or medium Spicy.
I said medium cuz I thought the range of spiciness would be S -> M -> L (most spicy).
Little did I know that medium is probably the cap and it is THIS spicy...
My stomach was empty and by the time this packet went in, I was full from the burning in my tummy and mouth.
Pretty shiok as what NB mentioned but I would bear in mind to order small spice if I ever purchase this again (from the same stall).
Seasoning: slightly salty, the spice prob covered the taste of the ingredients.
Price: HKD 5
Rating: 6/10 dim sums
Stop 2: Sham Shui Po - Street side Store
Red Bean Cake or Put Chai Ko
This store along Apliu Street sold this little puddings alongside other traditional snack like water chestnut cake.
NB has been wanting to try this so we just had to get some!
Too bad these are prepacked into little carriers unlike those we see on TV where they are often held up by bamboo sticks.
A little too sweet for my liking but it's definitely fun to eat. At least, NB likes it!
Pretty chewy with bits of red beans. Definitely a likable dessert for those with sweet tooth.
Rating: 6.5/10 dim sums
Stop 3: Hing Kee Claypot rice @ Yau Ma Tei, Temple Street
This was the eatery I patronised with the 3 "aunties" the last time.
It has expanded since and now occupies a good 3-4 store size and taking up most of the road space with their makeshift tables and chairs.
Very old school Coke bottle that was eventually "kop- ed" Opps...
NB and I were wondering if they refilled these bottles themselves as these seems to be discontinued already but apparently not. They serve new bottles with unopened lids for all customers.
Light soy sauce is used, thus, not as flavourful as the Singapore version (usually mixed in with thick dark soy sauce).
But I definitely love the rice crust stuck at the side of the claypot.
Crunchy crunchy!
Credits go to the chicken as it was chunky and juicy. It will be good if they remove the skin but it will definitely affect the taste of the dish as it would be dry without the skin/oil.
Price: HKD 30-40
Rating: 7.5/10 dim sums
Stop 4: Mister Softee Van along Temple Street
I didn't know Mister Softee 富豪雪糕 was so popular until I saw it on wikipedia!
Heads up from Yee Fun that her bf loved this ice cream.
Gave it a try even though I could feel the cold breeze blowing onto my face.
Mister Softee's softee was indeed soft (LOL), just like those soft serve ice cream you find in Japanese eatery.
Has a very strong milky taste, just like full cream milk in solid form.
Price: HKD 6 or 7 (can't recall exactly)
Rating: 7/10 (made me feel pretty guilty as I taste the fattening full cream milk)
Stop 5: Vegetarian meal @ Po Lin Monastery, Tung Chung
The all familiar restaurant that hasn't changed a bit!
Corn Soup, Fried Popiah, Vege with mushroom, corn tofu and another vege dish.
As there were only the two of us, we had one short of dish as compared to the last time I visited and that dish was actually good! :(
Well, this time round, I learnt to better appreciate the corn tofu dish. Enjoyed it more than the last time but found the soup too be a tad bland.
The fried popiah was still enjoyable due to the crunchy texture but wasn't as flavourful as the previous try. =(
Overall, a fulfilling dish and we couldn't even finish the rice! heir serving was pretty generous.
Price: HKD120 for 2 pax
Rating: 8/10 dim sums for the generous portion
Stop 6: Wonton Store along Wellington Street, Central
Having taken a look at Lan Kwai Fong, we scouted around for a place for dinner.
Wanted to try one popular dish in Hong Kong - Wonton Mee!
Sounds like what we can get in Singapore, but...
The version in HK is soupy, doesn't include char siew and consists of huge wontons with chunks of prawn meat (not pathetic sheets of wanton skin or tiny dabs of meat amidst huge sheets of wanton skin).
Sort of stumbled into this eatery as most of them were closed by the time we planned to have our dinner.
Tried 2 different versions - Wonton and fish meat balls.
The wontons given are huge and contains succulent and crunchy prawns.
The fish balls are more like fish meat paste chunks, very dense and moist.
Noodles are pretty springy though the soup has a little too much of the "yellow noodle" taste
See the plate of vege with oyster sauce? Only cost an additional S$1+
Hiak! I need my greens!!
Price: HKD50 for allRating: 8.5 (kudos to generous portion and yummy wontons!)
Stop 7: Mongkok street food 街頭熟食
Just check out the variety!
Would love to try each and every type! Eh, except those scary looking pig innards...
Woohoo! I missed the century egg snack! I don't see it anywhere in Sg and thought it really taste good. The century egg is wrapped around fish cake paste, deep fried and served drenched in sweet chili sauce. Sinful but delightful!
The little curried fishballs (yu dan 魚旦) are so fun to eat!
Skewered in bamboo sticks, these little balls are very chewy and pretty much addictive.
Personally, I thought these roadside skewer siew mais have got nothing to rave about. Could have ordered other goodies instead.
Here comes the ultimate delicacy (depending on how you look at it)
NB had a bite and it seemed pretty torturous.. Hehe...
They say, the more your eat, the better it tastes. I do agree to a certain extend. The more you consume, the more the smell numbs you and you slowly enjoy the crispy crunch of the fried tofu.
Some may beg to differ...
Well, I guess you can always put more chili sauce to cover up the pungent taste. =P
Rating: 8.5 (I love street food! So fun to eat!)
Stop 8: Xu Liu Shan
How can anyone miss out Xu Liu Shan? Besides, it's everywhere!!
As the weather was pretty cold the first 2 days, there wasn't much of chance to grab a cold drink like those offered at this dessert chain.
Finally had a chance to sit down proper at an outlet near our hotel to try out the most famous and popular dessert chain in HK.
The mango bits, sauce and sorbet was fresh, thick and very refreshing.
Unlike Singapore's desserts where you get chunks of ice shavings, this had generous portion of the fruit.
Love! Definitely a dessert loved by all!
Price: HKD30
Rating: 8.5 (was pretty costly for a dessert but quality was definitely there!)
Stop 9: Hai Jing Cha Chan Teng @ Mongkok
It's a pleasant surprise that we managed to find this Cha Chan Teng!
I still remember the nice nice You Tiao when I came with the "aunties"!
I didn't remember the route to the cafe as it was an random pick 3 years back... =)
We met an interesting ang moh here and chatted quite a fair bit after we assisted him in placing his favourite congee order.
He has been traveling alone for the past months and plans to continue doing so in the next 1 -2 months. The thing is, he's not even sure where he's going next.
Wonder what he does for a living... How nice would it be if I'm able to be traveling round the globe with no monetary worries etc...
Talked bout Casinos and Steve Wynn...
As the saying goes...
There are two chances to win in Casino. Slim and None.
And slim is out of town...
Kua kua kua...
This ang moh was pretty humorous with tons of exaggerated hand gestures!
We taught him how to order fully boiled egg...
"Shou" (as he would like to remember it as "Seoul") Egg! LOL
It's always good to meet people like him when you are overseas in a foreign land...
People from different background, with all sorts of personalities, goals and with different stories to tell...
=)
Nevertheless, these are what we had...
Congee, Char Siew CCF, You Tiao, Milk Tea and Yuan Yang.
The congee was flavourful, CCF was smooth (thou char siew in it contained quite a lot of fats =( ), you tiao was still as crispy and deli!
Beverage wise, we thought it was normal.
My yuan yang was bitter but no worries cuz I would prefer to stir in the qty of sugar I want so it wouldn't be too sweet =)
Rating: 8.5/10 dim sums
Stop 10: Mido Cafe @ Temple Street, Yau Ma Tei
This is probably one of the must try stop in my HK itinerary cuz I missed the famous pork rib rice baked rice!
Located at Temple Street, this retro cafeteria has gained raves from magazines, travel guides etc.
For me, I simply love the feel of this place, looks just like those typical cha chan teng you see in HK drama.
This is my 2nd time there and it seems there are more youngsters working there now (and I don't see the old uncle anymore =/), they speak Chinese and even English... thus, no language barrier! Is this part of commercialising? hmm...
Familiar? A scene in "Jiu dian Feng Yun" was filmed here...
NB's first Bo Luo Bao!
I didn't take the pic of the slice of butter in the bread... =(
Anyway, NB loved this "bao"! =)
I love this =)
It may look plain but it really tasted good!
The "dan chao fan" was fragrant and had a good crisp as it was baked before serving.
The sauce was sweet but yet not too "ja lat", similar to our sweet and sour pork.
Would appreciate if there wasn't too many bones in it =P
Price: HKD50-60
Rating: 9/10 dim sums
Stop 11: Modern Toilet @ Mongkok, opp Langham Place
Heard so much about this themed restaurant in Taiwan...
Glad they has a franchise in HK (a new one in fact) so I asked NB if we can go eat shit together! =)
Love the bright colours!
Check out the cute menu..
Fancy a drink from the urinal?
Everyone is sitting on a toilet bowl! But becareful in case you break it cuz you gonna have to pay...
They've even got showers, toilet roll holders...
Thought it would be good if they hang actual toilet rolls for people to clean their hands etc...
We've got urinals and lumps of dung above us!
Keke...
Here comes out main dish...
Rice + ...
Hotpot straight from the toilet bowl...
A lot of "Liao"!!
I must agree with NB that this tasted good and they are indeed very generous with the serving!
NB and I shared one pot and it was enough! :)
There goes our "Ma Tong 6 hao"
That's not all... We had our smelly pile of shit...
Hiak Hiak hiak...
Don't the second pic look just like the actual stuff?
Kekekeke
Check out the link above if you would like to eat shit too! =)
Price: HKD 107
Rating: 9/10 (Fun and unique experience~)
Stop 12: Lin Hueng Restaurant in Wellington Street, Central
Brought NB to the popular Dim Sum place where you can see old school trolley pushing dim sum ladies and ah peks sitting around in the morning, yum cha-ing while reading their papers.
Beancurd skin with meat and mushroom, Lian Rong bao with salted egg...
The former was very juicy! Yum.. love anything with beancurd skin =)
The lian rong bao was good even thou I don't take salted egg.
NB love having salted egg in there just like how he like his mooncake to be.
Dumplings with glutinous rice...
Couldn't make out what was inside initially.
Quite a fresh combi and liked the taste of it.
However, the skin was a little too thick...
I regretted ordering CCF as I was damn full from it la!
NB doesn't like CCF and thus, I had to finish it =(
The rice sheet was too thick so I just finished the prawn filling inside..
NB was pretty brave as he actually ordered Pig's stomach!
For your info, both of us are not fans of Pork...
Thus, I did not try...
NB's comments: Yucks...
LOL!
Soft and fragrant Char Siew Bao~
A little fatty but it tasted good!
Not forgetting juicy prawn filled Siew mais to end off our dim sum spread!
This is our bill sheet...
Every time we order a "long", the dim sum ladies will stamp on the sheet.
Price: HKD100+
Rating: 8/10 (thought the standard has dropped since the last time and the dim sum ladies were not very friendly... =/ Nice atmosphere nevertheless)
Stop 13: Tai Cheong Bakery, Central
Just around the corner of Lin Hueng is this bakery famous for its egg tarts.
We bought 13 of them and guess what?
We had 1 free.. Hur hur~
NB was delighted when we discovered that in our hotel room while trying to pack them inside our newly bought containers.
The tarts are best while eaten hot!
The egg filling was aromatic while texture was quite runny...
The buttery crust was soft and it was nearly melting in my mouth.
Rating: 8.5/10
Stop 14: Yee Soon Milk Pudding along Nathan Road
Finally landed our feet at Yee Soon!
Must not miss out his cooling dessert!
It's smooth and it just simply slides down your throat!
I'm still amazed at how it's made...
I remember buying a packet of milk pudding powder in HK the last time and tried making my own (following the instructions on the pack of course!) but it didn't work! =(
Loved this, especially the chocolate one! Keke...
Rating: 8.5/10
Stop 15: Argyle Centre's packet noodles Store 2
Told NB I must get my hands on the noodles again, especially after the first purchase on day 1 (Stop 1) was disappointing due to excessive amt of chili.
The quantity seemed to have reduced but I still enjoyed eating it!
Slightly salty and oily but I just like the concept of this!
Wonder why it didn't come to Singapore... =/
Price: HKD10 (cuz I mixed 6 packs! hehehe)
Rating: 8/10
Stop 16: Mongkok Street Food
Tako Balls!
They used seaweed instead of fish flakes.
Not too bad but I would prefer fish flakes.
I must compliment the qty of the octopus bits though...
Much more than what you get in Sg!
Rating: 7.5/10
Stop 16: Arome Bakery
Celebrated NB's birthday in HK :)
Keke
Bought this at the bakery near our hotel...
Realised that cakes in HK are pretty cheap...
These cakes look pretty and tasted not too bad..
A little on the creamy side but pretty worth it... =)
Price: HKD 18 for both
Rating: 7.5/10
Stop 17: Hai Jing Cha Chan Teng
We went back to the same cha chan teng for other HK must try!
Had macaroni soup and peanut butter toast with condensed milk.
Enjoyed the macaroni soup but the toast was nothing fantastic.
We can actually toast it on our own at home =P
Rating: 7.5/10
Stop 18: MACAU: McDonalds and Senado Sq Pork Chop Bun
Our first meal in Macau!
Macdonald's at Senado Sq
NB's Spicy Grilled Chicken Burger set with twister fries.
This is something new on the menu in HK and Macau.
NB loved this!! And I must agree, it's good...
The chunk of chicken meat (not patty) was drenched in some spicy sauce which was not too thick or peppery (unlike Sg's prosperity burger).
NB was pretty upset we didn't manage to "Ta-bao" any on our last day as we were stuck in Venetian all day...
Though Venetian did have a Mac outlet, the price was way more expensive than those Mac outlets you find outside... =/
I had a try at what Macau is famous for - Zhu Pa bao...
It was crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside and it really complements the toasted bun well.
Pity there wasn't any vege and thus, tasted a little dry.
Rating: 9/10 (NB still misses the Mac burger... Keke)
Stop 19: Cafe Deco @ Venetian
Had our complimentary buffet breakfast on the last day of trip...
Macdonald's at Senado Sq
NB's Spicy Grilled Chicken Burger set with twister fries.
This is something new on the menu in HK and Macau.
NB loved this!! And I must agree, it's good...
The chunk of chicken meat (not patty) was drenched in some spicy sauce which was not too thick or peppery (unlike Sg's prosperity burger).
NB was pretty upset we didn't manage to "Ta-bao" any on our last day as we were stuck in Venetian all day...
Though Venetian did have a Mac outlet, the price was way more expensive than those Mac outlets you find outside... =/
I had a try at what Macau is famous for - Zhu Pa bao...
It was crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside and it really complements the toasted bun well.
Pity there wasn't any vege and thus, tasted a little dry.
Rating: 9/10 (NB still misses the Mac burger... Keke)
Stop 19: Cafe Deco @ Venetian
Had our complimentary buffet breakfast on the last day of trip...
The spread was pretty good and I love the eggs! =)
I just love eggs (especially those found at this kind of hotel breakfast buffet), all kind!
Scrambled, sunny side...
Thought the Belgian waffles are pretty good as well!
Crispy crispy!!
Dip them in chocolate sauce or maple syrup.. Slurps!
They actually had smoked salmon but it didn't taste good (for me at least)...
Thought it was quite fishy... Not fresh?
I just love eggs (especially those found at this kind of hotel breakfast buffet), all kind!
Scrambled, sunny side...
Thought the Belgian waffles are pretty good as well!
Crispy crispy!!
Dip them in chocolate sauce or maple syrup.. Slurps!
They actually had smoked salmon but it didn't taste good (for me at least)...
Thought it was quite fishy... Not fresh?
Yum! :)
Rating: 8/10 (Could be better if not for the salmon)
Stop 20: Macau International Airport Cafeteria
This definitely does not do justice to the famous Macau Portuguese Egg tarts.
A pity that we didn't tried those typical Macau bakery's Portuguese egg tarts as our time spent there was limited. Only managed to try it as we wait to check in at the airport.
Bought the tarts at an exorbitant price... and it was cold and hard... =(
Upsets!
Rating: 3/10 dim sums (not worth it at all!)
To be continued...
A pity that we didn't tried those typical Macau bakery's Portuguese egg tarts as our time spent there was limited. Only managed to try it as we wait to check in at the airport.
Bought the tarts at an exorbitant price... and it was cold and hard... =(
Upsets!
Rating: 3/10 dim sums (not worth it at all!)
To be continued...
