Sunday, December 29, 2013

Hong Kong Dim Sum Video

I have recently assembled a video about the most popular Hong Kong Dim Sums for my other website.  I would like to share it here.  See if you have tasted any or all of them.  

The background song is called Cha Sha Bao 义燒包 by Zhuang Xue Zhong.  Cha Sha Bao is one of the most classic Cantonese dim sums in Hong Kong.  We love it so much, hence there is a song about it.  The song is over half a century old and the one by Zhuang is a new version.

'Sit down, enjoy a cup of tea and eat a bao' is a very sought after life style of Hong Kong Cantonese.   In fact bao's are really important in our culinary world. May be I'll assemble a bao video next time.



Now you've viewed all the gems of Hong Kong dim sum. Traditional Hong Kong Cantonese breakfast is usually a combo of congee and rice rolls.  The economy version could be plain congee with plain rice rolls or rice rolls stuffed with deep fried dough.  The luxury version could be congee and rice rolls both stuffed with meat of your choice.  In this video, you'll find them all except the plain congee.

Hope you enjoy!  Have a great 2014!

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Outback Wanchai

Outback claims to offer generous portions at moderate price, I find them quite expensive. Even for set lunch, there are three categories - $86, $96 and $106 plus 10% service charge, quite above par. I like to go there because of its Australian-themed decor provides fun and a taste of Australia.

Each of the set lunch come with bread, salad, soup, coffee or tea.  We went to their Wanchai shop soon after 1pm on Saturday, the restaurant wasn't full at all, however service was very slow.

Chicken Breast Pasta - HK$86

My friend said her pasta was very delicious

Spicy Fried Rice with Prawn and Sausages - HK$96

I was a bit less lucky.  My fried rice was somehow very moist and only slightly warm. Well, may be western fried rice is different from Chinese.  Our fried rice is generally very dry and hot.  The yellow slices I think could be deep fried pumpkin or carrot, it was so hard that needed extra care to eat.  Overall taste was not bad although I would prefer fried rice to be served hot.

Coffee was also only slightly warm, even cooler than room temperature.  

Oh well, service was really slow.  The waiter came 5 minutes after we asked for the bill, placed the bill on our table and walked away.  We had to wait for another 5 minutes to look for another waiter to follow up on the credit card payment.  The restaurant was not busy at all, I didn't see why the service was so slow.

Outback
1/F, De Fenwick, 8-12 Fenwick Street, Wanchai, Hong Kong
Tel: 3101-0418

Hong Kong Food Blog


Saturday, November 23, 2013

Slightly Luxury Dim Sum

I earn a little interest from my investment recently, so I decided to go for a slightly luxury dim sum lunch.  Dim sum restaurants usually have some snacks on their menu which is slightly heavier than dim sum.  They are mostly Cantonese delicacies relatively more expensive than normal dim sum.  So we decided to pick a few of our favourites from the snack menu.
 
These one-inch cubes are really delicious.  The skin is crispy with tender juicy meat made from dedicated part of pork belly.  One of the crown jewels of Cantonese BBQ.  They are sometimes 5-layers.  But the one we have is only 3-layer, being best of the best part of the pork belly.
 
3-Layers BBQ Pork Belly 冰燒三層肉 (HK$58)
 
Sea Jelly with Duck Tongues 海哲鴨舌 (HK$56)
This is another Cantonese delicacy.  Each duck has only one tongue.  Therefore duck tongue dishes are generally expensive.  With a little of sesame oil, Cantonese usually eat this as a starter.

Steamed Rice Roll with BBQ Pork 义燒腸粉 (HK$29)

Soup Dumpling with Scallop and Fish Maw 花膠瑤柱灌湯餃 (HK$36)
The fist-size dumpling is served in soup.  The seafood stuffing inside is kind of juicy and moist mainly dry scallope and fish maw. 

Almond Soup with Egg White 蛋白杏仁茶 (HK$24)
Almond Soup with Egg White is the signature dessert of this restaurant.  I really love it and have it every time.  The silky smooth lumps of egg white are served in very fragrant almond soup.  Perfect combination!
 
Flamed Stew Eggs with Fresh Fruit 火焰鮮果燉蛋 (HK$28)
 
I notice something new on the dessert menu which is really interesting.  The pudding or tart, I don't know how exactly to describe it.  It is stewed egg with some cream on top, served with some alcohol.  The waiter light the alcohol creating some low heat flame and pour it over the cream, hence the top bits were burned and with wine fragrance.  Served with slices of mango which is also my favourite.  And there are also some mango slices inside.  Wonderful!
 
Flamed Stew Eggs with Fresh Fruit 火焰鮮果燉蛋


Total:  HK$315 for two persons, inclusive of tea and 10% service charge
 
Sportful Garden Restaurant
 
Hong Kong Food Blog

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Healthy Seafood Dinner

My friend won some money from Macau over the National Day holiday. Hence I had this treat.  He said the baked oysters in this restaurant is unbeatablly yummy.  We called up the restaurant to make sure the oysters are available before we confirmed a booking.

This is a particular type of giant oyster from the USA.  It's called 桶蠔, not sure if I can call it Oysters in Barrels in English.  The restaurant offers two ways of cooking - bake with ginger and green onion or deep fried.  My friend said baking is the best, so we go for it. 

Baked US Oysters with Ginger and Green Onion
HK$168 (US$21.5)
I can't remember how many oysters were there, could be around 8.  Well, $168 for 8 giant oysters unforgetably delicious.  It's really a great deal!

Foods usually shrink after cooking, but this barrel oysters were still very giant after cooking. See it's even larger than the size of a table spoon.  I must say whoever loves oyster and wants to eat them in the best Hong Kong Cantonese way, must come here.
 
Steam Clams with Jelly Noodle and Garlic
HK$58@ (US$7.4@)
Very fresh!  The best Cantonese way of cooking seafood is by steaming.  And the best way to steam clams is with jelly noodle and garlic.  These ingredients are very inexpensive however perfect companion to the clams.  The soy sauce brings up and links up the flavours.  Wonderful!
 
Tofu, Mushroom and Green Vegetables in Soup
HK$88 (US$11.3)
We were wondering why this dish was completely oil free.  The ingredients are extremely healthy.  Looks good and tastes good, a great balance of diet.
 
In fact this restaurant offers large range of seafoods, but we had only 2 persons.  It's better to gather more people to come here and eat more seafoods.  Oh well, we don't really need to go to Sai Kung or Lei Yu Mun for seafood.  The bill may be a little higher, but we save time and transportation. 
 
After dinner, we were even served free dessert and fruits.
Total:  HK$458, including 10% service charge
 
金兜記海鮮菜館 Kam Dau Kee Seafood Restaurant
Shop A2 & 1/F, Tower 2 & 3, The Zenith, 3 Wanchai Road, Hong Kong
Tel: 3907 0878 
 
Hong Kong Food Blog - Healthy Seafood Dinner

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Shanghainese Mooncake and Dinner

Today is Mid Autumn Festival - September 19, 2013 (August 15 - Chinese Calendar)

Time for a family gathering.  But Hong Kong is a Cantonese society, all Cantonese restaurants are full.  To enjoy a festival dinner, I had two options - go western or something non Cantonese.  So we managed to make a booking at the New Shanghai Restaurant at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.  Although a little bit pricy, but good food, good service and good place, what else can we expect?

Here are some of our favourite Shanghainese dishes.

Drunk Chicken HK$98 (US$12.6) 醉鷄
Very frangrant Huadiao wine and almost boneless.  Yummy and well worth the price.
 
Deep Fried Mini Yellow Fish HK$98 (US$12.6) 香煎小黃魚
This is the signature dish and also best of the best.  I would like to recommend this to anyone visiting this restaurant.  I can't tell how delicious it is.  You need to taste it yourself.
 
Sliced Tofu with Vegetable and Salty Pork HK$78 (US$10) 咸肉百頁小棠菜
As a matter of balance of diet, I really like this dish.  Declicious and not oily and with some soup base.  Very well done.
 
Juicy Bun HK$58 (US$7.4) 小籠包
Has to take extra care, it's really very juicy.  With a bit of vinegar, it's also one of the best of the best at this restaurant.
 
Shanghainese Pancake HK$78 (US$10) 棗泥窩餅
As a festival dinner, we'd like to have something sweet to wrap up.  This is very cruncy with red bean paste stuffing.  But we don't understand how it is completely non greasy.  We dip our fingers through the dish and didn't pick up any oil.  Again, very well done.
 
The good thing about this restaurant is every thing comes very timely, hot, delicious and well presented.  But the most important thing I like is the environment.  There are sufficient space in between tables so that everyone have a reasonably comfortable (although not private) dining area.  For me, a peaceful eating envrionment is very important.  Only for this, I would like to recommend this restaurant to anyone.
 
Shanghainese Mooncake Bonus 上海素月餅
After dinner, I was thinking if the restaurant will offer us mooncake as a free dessert.  Beyond my expectation, we were given a pack of 6 Shanghainese mooncakes free of charge.  When we looked at the menu, the cost of the mooncakes valued almost half of our bill.  Excellent rebate!
 
Vegetarian Shanghainese Mooncake 上海玖瑰細沙月
There were 6 vegetarian mooncakes - 4 of penta-nuts and 2 of rosy red bean.  I'm Cantonese and it's my first time eating Shanghainese mooncake.  It's good and it's free.
 
Mid Autumn Moon
8.13pm - September 19, 2013
On our way back, many people crowded around on a foot bridge to admire the moon.  Here's the bright big moon at Mid Autumn in Hong Kong.  We used to have today as a public holiday.  But at some stage, the former British government changed the holiday to the following day.  Well, it made sense, as people admire the moon at night and sleep late, having a holiday the next day is not a bad idea.
 
New Shanghai Restaurant 新滬坊
L1 Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
1 Harbour Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2582 7332
 
Hong Kong Food Blog - Shanghinese Mooncake and Dinner
 

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

80th Birthday Banquet

It was my aunt's 80th birthday yesterday.  She's my mother's younger sister, so everyone from our family were invited to a banquet.  Here's a record of the feast.  I rarely eat big meals.  Last night I was overloaded that I have to fast today.  But the food was so yummy, I just couldn't resist.

It was a typical traditional Cantonese feast - 8 main courses plus fried rice, dim sum and dessert.  And as we were celebrating birthday, the giant birthday buns were imperative.

Roast Piglet 鴻運乳豬全體
This is always my favourite.  Crunchy skin and juicy meat.  Wonderful!
 
 
Lobster with Noodle 高湯焗龍蝦伊面底
The waiters were really slow in serving the moist tissues and cracking tools.  We ended up making our fingers messy.  Frankly I'm not skillful in eating losber with shells.  I would prefer to eat meat only.  But serving with shells make the dish look very colorful and beautiful.
 
 
Giant Scallops with Sea Cucumber 京燒刺參玉帶
Al dente giant scallops.  Very fresh and colorful.  Well done!
 
 
Crab Meat Vegetable with Fish Roe 玉影翠珊瑚
Healthy dish - white meat (crab) with green vegetable.  Silky smooth and delicious.
 
 
Shark Fin Soup 紅燒海皇鮑翅
The shark fin is served with lots of seafood such as crab meat, shrimps and scallops, very delicious.  It is a Cantonese tradition that the host will toast while serving shark fin.  My aunt did the same.  And at the same time, she gave each of us a red pocket of HK$100.
 
 
East Star Garoupa 清蒸海東星班
For professional eaters, there are few ways to define a good garoupa.  First it has to be an ocean fish, ie. catch from the ocean, not from fish tanks; Second it has to be the 'star' class of garoupa; Third it has to be fetched from the east, as east garoupa is far more expensive than the wests.  Well, this fish fullfils all the good garoupa criteria.  The chef also steamed it professionally and timing was just right.  A really good fish! My brother even ate the fish head.
 
 
Abalone with Duck Web 南非鮑魚扣玉掌
Few menu serve whole abalone.  This is quite an expensive dish.  I like eating duck webs but don't like to deal with bones as it hurts my tongue easily.
 

Deep Fried Chicken  譽宴一品燒鷄
Again, this is always my favourite!!
 
 
Signature Fried Rice 招牌炒飯
I don't see why this can be the restaurant's signature fried rice.  Apart from its pale look, it was actually quite tasteless.  My bowl has only a few green peas and mini shrimps.  My sister had some tiny minute bits of suscpected scallops in her bowl. I like fried rice generally, but I really didn't appreciate this one.
 

Juicy Buns 譽宴小籠包

Juicy and delicious.  But I beleive the shapes and sizes of the buns could be improved.
 
 
Birthday Buns 桃包
I'm absolutely happy with these birthday buns.   I love its giant size and just out from the steamer, very hot, fresh and yummy!
 

Inside the Birthday Bun 全蛋王桃包
My aunt said it was her special request that each of the buns should contain a whole salty egg yolk.  Well, the restaurant did it!
 
Dessert - Red Bean Syrup (didn't take photo)
 
Dinner date:  August 26, 2013
Restaurant: U-Banquet, 5/F Lee Theatre Plaza, Causeway Bay
Standard gift: HK$500
I think the standard gift I pay for this meal was of good return. The host didn't make money.  A similar function I attended last month was so horrible.  The host was making a lot of money but receiving $500 from each of us and gave us a meal of $3,388.  There was a net profit of  $2,612 per table.

But this time my aunt treat us quite well.  The meal was generally good though service and environment could be improved.  This time the banquet costs HK$4,980 per table.  Suppose each of us pay $500, but my aunt gave each of us a laisee (red pocket) of $100, the balance sheet is just break even. 

If you ask 'how do you know the cost of the meal'?  Well, becasue the host simply pick some standard menu and the leaflets were available everywhere in the restaurant.  If they design their own menu, then we can only guess the cost.

Hong Kong Food Blog - 80th Birthday Banquet

Message to Shark Fans
Please DO NOT post comments about your shark protection / protest message. I will NOT publish them. If you want to protect sharks, here are my suggested methods:
  1. Advertise in mass media
  2. Everyday protests, demonstrations…in front of all shops selling shark fins
  3. Everyday protests, demonstrations in public areas such as streets, parks to educate the public not to eat shark fin
  4. Letter, fax, email, telephone or personal visits to restaurant owners to insist them to remove shark fin from their menu
  5. Write to the government to request shark fin eating to be illegal
  6. Hire fleet of ships to go out to the sea to stop any shark catching activities.
Leaving comments in my blog is a matter of wasting my time to read and delete. It is in no sense contributive in saving sharks.

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Best Cantonese Foods at Hong Kong Hotels

Some readers ask me where to eat the best Cantonese foods at Hong Kong hotels. I’m serious, if you want to eat the best Cantonese foods on earth, you have to come to Hong Kong. As hotel is your home away from home, you may find it easy and convenient to eat at where you stay. However not all hotels have Cantonese restaurants available. I have therefore pulled together some information here for your quick reference.

Super Luxury Dining $$$$$

If you are a fan of rating, you’ll love to know that there is a 3-star Michelin Cantonese restaurant in Hong Kong, and it is the one and only one here - Lung King Heen at Four Seasons Hotel. According to Hong Kong Tourism Board, it says “Exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey”.

Of course I don’t have a wallet thick enough to go there, so I cannot share with you any personal experience but you can take a look at their menu. Anything from dim sum to super deluxe seafood are available.

Luxury Dining $$$$

There are several 2-starMichelin restaurants situated in Hong Kong hotels. Summer Palace at Island Shangri-La and Shang Palace at Kowloon Shangri-La both carry a 2-star rating. If you want to add a little uniqueness to your luxury Cantonese food, try the Tin Lung Heen on the 102/F of The Ritz-Carlton at Tsim Sha Tsui. Around the same area, there is the Ming Court at Langham Hotel, which is also a 2-star Michelin Cantonese restaurant.

Fine Dining $$$

Obviously the Michelin secret inspectors do not have time to rate all Cantonese restaurants in Hong Kong. So let’s forget about rating and go look for some good balance among money, food, service and overall dining experience.

At Admiralty on Hong Kong island there are couple of hotels where you can find good Cantonese foods. Man Ho at JW Marriott and Golden Leaf at Conrad. These restaurants serve many business guests and you should have no doubt on their services, food and environment. Money wise, I would say reasonably expensive, but affordable. Man Ho claims this in their website: Award-winning restaurant features a contemporary table setting and decor for the finest authentic Cantonese cuisine. But I don’t know what kind of award they’ve won.

Over at Causeway Bay, there is a very popular Cantonese restaurant among local residents, tourists and businessman, situated within Hotel Excelsior - Yee Tung Heen which also claims to have won plenty of awards. It is always full. Please make an advance booking.

Cantonese Restaurants Quiz - What is Heen?

Lung King Heen, Tin Lung Heen, Yee Tung Heen…there are big bunch of restaurants in Hong Kong in the name of xxx Lung and xxx Heen. What has ‘lung’ and ‘heen’ to do with restaurants? I really don’t know. May be the restaurant owners can help. Anyway, ‘lung’ is dragon which is a classic Chinese mascot. But what is ‘heen’?

Mid Range Cantonese Restaurants in Hong Kong Hotels $$$-$$

If you associate hotel rate with restaurant rate, you may find a reasonably good deal at Guo Fu Lou situated at Empire Hotel in Wanchai, Hong Kong. For rating fans, you’ll be amazed that it is newly added to the 1-star Michelin list in 2013. Across the street is Fu Tung Gongdong Restaurant at The Wharney Guang Dong Hotel. Both restaurants claim to be managed by celebrity chefs and provide top quality Cantonese cuisine. However they both situated at relatively cheap hotels. These two hotels both located around the bar areas at the heart of Wanchai.

Quality Cantonese Restaurants Nearby Hong Kong Hotels $$$-$$

Many visitors like to eat Cantonese foods at the hotels where they stay for the sake of convenience. But there are many good restaurants not managed by hotel but serve very good Cantonese foods, and they are at the neighbourhood of good hotels. Below is a few to name.

In Central, opposite to Mandarin Oriental, Maxim’s Palace at City Hall is a very famous local chain of Cantonese restaurant. In Tsim Sha Tsui - Prince Restaurant at Heritage 1881 is right next to Peninsula and at the heart of shopping areas. In Mongkok, Sportful Garden Restaurant at Stanford Hotel is famous for shark fin, abalone and seafood. See my previous post, my birthday dinner was held at their Wanchai shop.

What Are The Best Cantonese Foods to Eat?

Best of the best – fresh seafood
Everyday delicacy – dim sum
Specialty favour – Cantonese style BBQ
Health conscious – ‘old fire’ soup

I have plenty of Cantonese food photos in this blog, feel free to browse. But I just realised that there are couple of photos from hotels that I haven’t posted yet. Here they are.

Cantonese Style BBQ - Pork Belly
(Summer Palace, Island Shangri-La)
 
Cantonese Style 'Old Fire' Soup - Bok Choy Mushroom and Ham
(Summer Palace, Island Shangri-La)

NOTE:  Hotel menus may rotate seasonally. 

My Personal Invitation  

When is your next trip to Hong Kong?  It would worth your special journey here to taste all the delicious Cantonese foods at Hong Kong hotels and everywhere over the city.  Look forward to seeing you here.

Hong Kong Food Blog - Cantonese Restaurants at Hong Kong hotels

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Birthday Dinner 2013

Anna's Birthday Dinner 2013 - June 25 (Tuesday)

Today is my birthday.  My company offers me a day off (on top of annual leave), and I've taken the previlege of going to Ocean Park for free.  Here's a summary of my birthday dinner.

I love shark fin in chicken broth.  8 tales of shark fin in rich creamy chicken broth, a classic Cantonese delicacy.  Pre-ordering is required.

Shark Fin in Chicken Broth
雞煲翅 HK$568

Here's another classic Catonese delicacy - it's not only roast pork, but the best part of the roast pork.  Extremely crunchy skin and almost no fat.  The Chinese name says '3-layers meat', but I can only count two.  Anyway, very delicious.

3-layers Roast Pork
冰燒三層肉 HK$98

Stir Fried Egg White with Scallops.  This is usually served in Beijing or Shanghai restaurants, but Cantonese restaurants also serve this dish.  Healthy in a way without egg yolk (no cholestrol), but it required a lot of oil to make it silky smooth.  Not sure if the chef uses EVO.

Stir Fried Egg White with Scallop
瑤柱賽螃蟹 HK$138
 
Mushroom and Crab Roe with Jelly Noodle.  I thought the jelly noodle was pre-cooked with some seafood broth as it tastes very strong seafood fragrance.
 
Crab Roe and Mushroom Jelly Noodle Hot Pot
野菌山珍粉絲煲HK$98

Another health conscious dish.  Some green beans with mushroom and fish maw.  Light and healthy.

Stir Fired Fish Maw with Green Beans and Mushroom
野菌炒魚肚 HK$98


As I mentioned previously, our family have three members born in June all within one week.  Hence we are busy with birthday dinners.  In the other birthday dinners, we had Chinese and western birthday cakes, so for my own birthday, I decided to go for something else - almond tea with egg white.  This one tastes very good, but I think it can be better.  For I would like to have lumps of egg white rather than all blended in with the almond syrup.

Almond Tea with Egg While
蛋白杏仁茶HK$24@

Anna's Birthday Dinner - June 25, 2013
Sportful Garden Restaurant
1/F Tai Tung Building, 8 Fleming Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong
Tel: 2258-7688
 
Total:  HK$1,272 inclusive of tea for four and 10% service charge.
 
Ocean Park offers free admission to Hong Kong permanent residents on their birthdays.  I've taken this advantage and enjoy a free day there.

Message to Shark Fans

Please DO NOT post comments about your shark protection / protest message.  I will NOT publish them.  If you want to protect sharks, here are my suggested methods:

  1. Advertise in mass media
  2. Everyday protests, demonstrations…in front of all shops selling shark fins
  3. Everyday protests, demonstrations in public areas such as streets, parks to educate the public not to eat shark fin
  4. Letter, fax, email, telephone or personal visits to restaurant owners to insist them to remove shark fin from their menu
  5. Write to the government to request shark fin eating to be illegal
  6. Hire fleet of ships to go out to the sea to stop any shark catching activities.
Leaving comments in my blog is a matter of wasting my time to read and delete.  It is in no sense contributive in saving sharks.


Hong Kong Food Blog – Cantonese Delicacy

Saturday, May 18, 2013

The Peace Bun at the Bun Festival Cheung Chau

長洲太平清醮 ‧平安包‧搶包山‧
If you visit Hong Kong in the recent few days, you would have noticed the Bun Festival which attracts a lot of attention. Thousands and thousands of people flood into Cheung Chau to take part in it.

What is Bun Festival?
In fact, the name itself does not fully describe what’s up at Cheung Chau. The proper name of the activities going on is called 太平清醮.    太平 means peace. will need a little more words to explain. It is a high profile and large scale cultural ritual which consists of a series of events and the Bun Collection Competition is the highlight to wrap up the whole function. May be for easy understanding to foreigners, people simply call it Bun Festival. In fact, to be more accurate, it should be called the Peace Ritual.

What about the Peace Bun?
It is a kind of bun specifically made for the Bun Festival.  As the event origination is for peace acquisition, each of the buns had a big red chop carrying the Chinese character 平安 meaning ‘peace’. 

平安包
 
In terms of stuffing, it is usually lotus paste and sesame paste.

 
Peace Bun is a respectful food. Nowadays people have lots of foods to eat, and there are often left-overs on the table. Please do not treat the Peace Bun that way. If you want to eat a Peace Bun, please eat the whole bun.If you think that’s too much, share among friends. If you throw away any left-over bun, it is believed that you’ll bring bad luck to yourself, as well as receiving unfriendly eye sights from local villagers.

Chopping the Ping An Buns

Queueing to buy Ping An Bun

Climbing of Bun Pyramid
Bun Collection Competition 搶包山

Origination of the Peace Ritual

There are different versions of legends.  But generally it is related to ‘peace’.  It was said that at some stage, some villages had plague attack and many people died.  The whole society was feeling unsecure and thought that the disasters were brought to them by spirits or souls from the underworld.  And there was a cultural believe that these underworld spirits are afraid of loud, noisy atmosphere and the collective energy produced when a large number of people gathering together. Hence to get rid of these unwelcomed spirits and to acquire ‘peace’ again, villagers held the ‘Peace Ritual’. The series of events include but not limit to monks set up the altar worship, parade, dragon and lion dance and finally the Bun Collection Competition, nowadays people call it Bun Festival. 

There are many types of Peace Ritual held at different regions in Hong Kong (usually at out lying islands and new territories) and at different intervals.  Some places have it every 5, 10 or even 60 years.  But the one in Cheung Chau is held annually, usually around early to mid April in the Chinese calendar.  Although many people go there for fun and see it as a festival, the origination of the whole event is not a festival and not for fun.
 
Hong Kong Food Blog - The Ping An Bun

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Pre Mother's Day Dim Sum - No Discount

No Discount Dim Sums

Like I said in my last post, restaurants are cutting discounts on Sunday.  Since tomorrow is Mother's Day, they cut discounts today as well.  So we had to pay everything on full price.  Apart from that, many restaurants are being blocked for private parties.  It's really difficult to find somewhere to eat.  As for tomorrow, I think I better stay home and do some cooking myself.

Deep Fried Tufu 椒鹽脆豆付 HK$38
This deep fried tofu is served with fine pepper, salt and vinegar (in separate dish).  I would like it to be more cruncy and more golden brown.  I know I'm a little demanding, but that's the way this dish should be.
 
 
Stir Fried Rice Rolls with Dark Say Sauce 豉油王炒腸粉 HK$28
Rice roll is one of the most popular breakfast items in Hong Kong.  We usually eat steamed ones over breakfast, but there are many ways to serve it.  As for lunch or brunch, we like to have the stir fried ones.
 
 
Stir Fried Noodle with Bean Sprout and Dark Soy Sauce 豉油王炒面 HK$38
This is another popular Cantonese breakfast item in Hong Kong.  Didn't realise that we ordered 80% vegetarian dishes today. 
 
Steamed Pork Liver Dumplings 懷舊豬潤燒賣 HK$22
This is the only meat dish we had for today.  The restaurant named it 'old fashion'.  May be people are afraid of high cholesterol of liver, therefore fewer and fewer restaurants sell it.  But we love it, it's really delicious.
 
 
Deep Fried Fluid Egg Yolk Bun 炸奶王包 HK$22
Fluid egg yolk bun is usually steamed.  Today we found a deep fried one on the menu, so we tried to go for it.  It's cruncy outside and soft inside, although the colour can be more golden brown, but taste is really good, the lava-like egg yolk inside is very hot and fluid.  Well done, but need to take care when eating.
 
Insdie the Egg Yolk Bun

May 11, 2013, Saturday
Dim sum total:  HK$148 (We usually have 30% discount on Saturday, but not today!)
Tea: HK$8 per person
Service charge:  10%
Total:  HK$180 (US$23.1)

Hong Kong Food Blog - Pre Mother's Day Dim Sum - NO discount