600737 Tue Mar 03 08:11:22 -0800 2009 71 46 China 0 4468875 Today went to 2 places at Wanchai for reasonable-priced lunch spots. First, went to 再興 at 11:30am for early lunch. Lucky we were able to find an empty table because the place was fully packed in the next 10 minutes. We ordered char siu, and followed what HKTraveler recommended on earlier thread, requested half fatty and half lean, and soya chicken. The char siu was very good, the fatty part provides the rich flavor with the tender cut. I think one of my favorite restaurants Fu Sing still has better quality char siu but this one here is really close to that standard too. The chicken was not as great as the char siu but still quite acceptable. Service is actually quite friendly for such hole in the wall place. http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=1491 Then went for a second late lunch at Chiu Yuen Chiu Chow Noodle 潮苑. The place was fully packed. Ordered a big bowl of fish ball, squid ball, fish slices hor fun soup and another bowl of 坑腩 (a part of beef that is close to the brisket) which was highly recommended by the waitress. The fish ball and squid ball are very delicious though they are not as bouncy as those I am used to in Singapore. The 坑腩 are very tender and delicious too. http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=10024 I was hoping to try 鹵八鵝店 that is recommended by sher.eats that is just right opposite Chiu Yuen. A long queue line was forming there but I was just too full for the third lunch so will have to come back here on my next trip. Tue Mar 03 08:11:23 -0800 2009 130720 FourSeasons 1 4470352 I like the cha siu sauce at Joy Hing (再興), it is so strong flavour with a very nice aroma which is addictive ! It can be a bit too salty to some people. One can specify how he/she wants the cha siu (fat, half fat/ half lean, soft...), however I find it not as good as before, when I specifed I want half fat/half lean last time, I got mostly lean and hard meat. I think the Cha Siu (和哥义燒) at Fu Sing has better pork quality (with a higher price to match), it is so soft like almost melt in my mouth, however for sauce, I prefer the strong BBQ flavour cha siu sauce at Joy Hing. Tue Mar 03 14:19:56 -0800 2009 4468875 62525 skylineR33 2 4471689 I like the way you HKers categorise cha siu: fat, half-fat/half-lean, etc. Reminds me of how the Japanese similarly categorize their tuna: - toro (fatty) - chu-toro (medium fatty) - otoro (very fatty) Tue Mar 03 23:49:08 -0800 2009 4470352 143097 klyeoh 1 4471367 The char siu at Joy Hing is indeed very good, although my gf just wants to douse her plate of rice with the pot of gravy that sits on the table...and apparently others feel the same! Shame you didn't try the beef patties at Chiu Yuen. They are supposedly hand-beaten and have a great bouncy texture. Tue Mar 03 20:06:47 -0800 2009 4468875 132103 Peech 2 4471739 Beef patties? Which one is that : 牛肉餅, 牛丸? I read from a Hong Kong magazine they have the best fish ball in Hong Kong, so my focus was on the fish ball. 坑腩 was highly recommended by the waitress but I could not even finish it because I was so full. Will have to try the beef patties next time then!!! P.S: according to the same magazine, the best beef ball in Hong Kong is Lok Yuen 樂園at Mongkok, has anybody tried that place? http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=1895 Wed Mar 04 01:42:46 -0800 2009 4471367 130720 FourSeasons 3 4471751 beef patties is 牛肉餅, curved like a red blood cell. 德發牛肉丸 in TST trumps all for beef balls. Lok Yuen is pretty ordinary. Fish balls i like Tseh Gay in Aberdeen and 長發麵家in Shum Shui Po Wed Mar 04 02:17:39 -0800 2009 4471739 124519 Sher.eats 3 4478654 Have been to Lok Yuen many years ago. Thought OK but nothing that special. Fri Mar 06 02:05:29 -0800 2009 4471739 15662 HKTraveler 4 4478674 been to 德發? Fri Mar 06 02:59:02 -0800 2009 4478654 124519 Sher.eats 1 4471609 an alternative to Joy Hing will be Lung Moon, a really old Cantonese restaurant. Their cha siu are roasted via charcoal and it's easy to find a meat-fat-meat-fat-meat piece. other excellent Chinese and relatively cheap lunch spots in Wan Chai 靠得住靚粥, one of the best congess (seriously), 碗拆肉泥鯭粥 or the "golden liver" congee 多寶齋 (麗姐主理), is a small but nice vegetarian place, dishes change everyday but her specials are the braised bitter melon 楊記麵家, dried squid with dried fish-floth with dried shrimp roe tossed noodles,unami synergy 北方餃子源, Beijingnese dumplings and 蛇王燊,snake soup and preserved meat pot rice or braised lamb belly 杭州酒家, braised pork belly with rice (to keep price down) 車仔麵之家, pig offal, beef offal etc, as good as "block 13" in North Point 永華麵家, "institutional" noodle place,wontons, shrimp roe noodles and braised pomelo 華南粉麵茶餐廳, braised beef offal and brisket 金鳳茶餐廳 for tea and sandwiches and/or tarts 清真惠記, roasted duck, braised chapon, lamb curry, braised pomelo 蝦麵店, laksa 膳食小廚, BBQ seriously crispy chicken steaks 新景園咖喱小廚, stir fried beef hor fun, pork chop curry 生記海鮮飯店, poached pork liver, sweet and sour pork 大利清湯腩, braised "han lam" = rib fingers 榮興小廚 , deep fried soy braised chicken 大婆牛肉麵, meltingly soft beef shank noodles 富聲魚翅海鮮酒家, dim sum 嘉鳳 for "little cart noodles" and cast-iron fried pork chops Tue Mar 03 22:29:50 -0800 2009 4468875 124519 Sher.eats 2 4471725 Just want to add some comments on 生記海鮮飯店, very down to earth restaurant, excellent seafood, salted chicken 鹽焗雞 and congee. http://www.sangkee.com.hk/profile.htm Wed Mar 04 01:05:04 -0800 2009 4471609 130720 FourSeasons 1 4471740 Sorry, minor error on the paragraph on Chiu Yuen. I had the octopus ball, not squid ball. Wed Mar 04 01:44:18 -0800 2009 4468875 130720 FourSeasons 1 4478653 Joy Hing is indeed very good. I avoid it during lunch hours since it is so crowded but the half fat/half lean are to die for! The char siu at West Garden is also good. I might even prefer it over Joy Hing. Has anyone been to West Garden, Joy Hing and Fu Sing and can give them a comparison? Fri Mar 06 02:04:15 -0800 2009 4468875 15662 HKTraveler 2 4478677 west villa maybe? Joy hing > Fu Sing as you can choose your own cut at Joy Hing, and specialisation = good =) Fri Mar 06 03:01:39 -0800 2009 4478653 124519 Sher.eats 3 4493480 Hi Sher.eats I am a newcomer to this board. Will be in Hong Kong soon and am at the Century hotel in Wanchai. Are all the spots you listed nearby? Also, could I get the addresses please? Thanks Wed Mar 11 02:56:06 -0700 2009 4478677 273498 mikey8811 4 4493490 They are all near your hotel. I think it is a better idea if you get the address and direction from your hotel concierge. Wed Mar 11 03:20:42 -0700 2009 4493480 130720 FourSeasons 4 4493586 hey mikey, even if you can't read Chinese, just copy the restaurant name then put it into http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/advancesearch.htm's search bar. Click into the first result (usually) there'll be a google-map, it's bilingual if there are multiple results click into the one with "灣仔" that's chinese for Wan Chai =) Wed Mar 11 05:04:45 -0700 2009 4493480 124519 Sher.eats 5 4496887 Thanks Sher.eats! Are these places open for dinner/supper too? Thu Mar 12 02:45:03 -0700 2009 4493586 273498 mikey8811 6 4496923 in each restaurant's openrice page, under the row of thumbnail pics, there will be a line "營業時間" (opening hours), the time format is open:close at 24 hour notation =) Thu Mar 12 03:47:04 -0700 2009 4496887 124519 Sher.eats 7 4496986 Thanks - I searched for all of 'em. There seems to be some repetition and many of them don't have an English annotated menu. Hope I won't have problems ordering.... Thu Mar 12 04:50:55 -0700 2009 4496923 273498 mikey8811 8 4496997 do you mean some of the restaurants I've listed serve similar foods? and yeah some of the places one definitely needs to speak cantonese... Thu Mar 12 05:00:03 -0700 2009 4496986 124519 Sher.eats 8 4497014 Hi mikey8811: One way is to view the photos on openrice.com, sometimes the name of dishes appear below the pictures. You can "copy and paste" them so that you can order them on that stall. Thu Mar 12 05:13:21 -0700 2009 4496986 130720 FourSeasons 9 4500552 Hi Sher.eats & FourSeasons Yes, there are 2 cart noodle joints and 2 wonton noodle places. Some of them open really early so I will prob try them for breakfast. I speak cantonese, problem is I don't read it so not much use in ordering unless someone pinyins the dish names. The problem with copying the chinese characters is I don't know what I'll be ordering although I can guess. Just another query, are these places in wanchai the best or close to the best for those dishes everywhere or only in wanchai? Fri Mar 13 03:43:35 -0700 2009 4497014 273498 mikey8811 10 4500569 hey mikey, haha just like me then: speak Chinese but can't really read it in full. When you decide which ones you want to visit I can give you the pinyin for the dishes. I listed restaurants which are "really good" for lunch in wan chai, so I didn't remove repetitions. ones of the best in HK in its category 靠得住靚粥 多寶齋 (麗姐主理) 杭州酒家 北方餃子源 車仔麵之家 永華麵家 金鳳茶餐廳 膳食小廚 新景園咖喱小廚 生記海鮮飯店 榮興小廚 大婆牛肉麵 good eats in the area 楊記麵家 蛇王燊 華南粉麵茶餐廳 清真惠記 大利清湯腩 富聲魚翅海鮮酒家 嘉鳳 btw where are you from? Fri Mar 13 04:22:10 -0700 2009 4500552 124519 Sher.eats 11 4500957 Thanks for the detail Sher.eats I would probably do: 永華麵家 - is this too similar if I already do Jim Chai Kei in Central? 靠得住靚粥 - is this too similar if I already do Law Fu Kei in Central? 富聲魚翅海鮮酒家 - is this too similar if I do Victoria Seafood or Lei Garden? 金鳳茶餐廳 車仔麵之家 Joy Hing 生記海鮮飯店 Also, I want to do Joel Robuchon's joint for breakfast or lunch and desserts and/or pastries. What's the best stuff to order and what's the difference between the salon , l'atelier and jardin - I see some desserts common to all three and some food courses too. I am from sunny Malaysia... Are you a native HK'er ? If so, it is surprising you do not read Chinese fluently - I thought it is entrenched in your educational system... Fri Mar 13 07:27:06 -0700 2009 4500569 273498 mikey8811 12 4501041 Jim Chai Kei i would advice against, their selling point is jumbo sized wontons, nothing gastronomical about it, 永華 is by far better. Law Fu Kei was once very good but the quality is no longer there ever since they have chains, 靠得住靚粥's owner has much more "heart". yeah skip 富聲 if you're already doing yum cha in lei /victoria. 車仔麵之家 is "standard cuisine done very well" i wouldn't use up a meal's space if you're from Malay... yay for joy hing and 生記. www.robuchon.hk has their menus Salon de The is the "cafe", best boulangerie and one of the best patiserrie in HK. L'Atelier (Workshop) is above the Salon and is has a open-kitchen bar-seat format, Jardin (Garden) is behind L'Atelier and has "proper" tables but the food is cooked at l'atelier's kitchen. There are slight differences in menus betweens L'Atelier and Jardin, with Jardin being higher end, although l'atelier is in no way "cheap". I would go for breakfast at Salon (baguttes, croissants, pain chocolate, danish), lunch at l'atelier (sea urchin jelly with cauliflower cream, chestnut soup, steak tartar, tete de veau, mini burgers quail stuffed with foie gras served with the famous 1:1 butter mash, lamb cutlets) and tea at Salon (baguette sandwiches, finger sandwiches, maccrons, cakes). I cooked there for 1 year so you can trust me. I'm a native but went to international school and choosed French instead of Chinese...I learn to read Chinese from reading menus haha take a read at the 6 day in HK thread Fri Mar 13 07:51:32 -0700 2009 4500957 124519 Sher.eats 13 4501102 Dig the exposition in 6 Days... Man, you should write a food guide. How would you rate Fu Sing vis-a-vis Victoria Harbour and Lei Garden and most importantly what would you order? I used to work in HK years ago and that was when Jim Chai Kei started - I just go there for old times sake. Ditto for Law Fu Kei - I would go for breakfast from a hotel in Central. Used to go to Farmhouse and Chui Woo in Wanchai too. I am not familiar with Robuchon so your pointers on the signature dishes/ desserts and pastries to order would be appreciated. I have browsed the menus and am partial to "le chocolat sensation", chartreuse souffle for desserts - which of the cakes pastries would you suggest? Is the set lunch menu decent - it is the least costly fo the alternatives. Also, is the power breakfast good? Otherwise I am not much into cereal/ fruit and yoghurt and was thinking of getting the bread basket/ scrambled eggs and crab thingy ala carte as it comes to the same - dunno if that is a good mix. How do you pronounce the 'song' lam in brisket? As in the cantonese for fun/relaxing - heck I don't even know the proper English translation for it. Fri Mar 13 08:14:00 -0700 2009 4501041 273498 mikey8811 14 4501194 online communities are so much more "useful" than a single guide...that's why i post here! haha Fu Sing is traditional, so dishes will be more oily (and yummy if you like it that way), Lei Gardens is more "fine" and $ with slight modern interpretations. Victoria I have not tried but it's neither traditional nor fine, better skip it. Are you going for lunch or dinner. Farmhouse is still good (almond pig lung soup and glutenous rice stuffed wings). The set lunch at l'atelier is "decent" but it doesn't showcase the true skill of the kitchen, i would order the ALC items i mentioned (yes it's $ but it's worth it), skip desserts at l'atelier (it's rather $ at $150) and have @ Salon: the chocolate tart, lemon tart, salted caramel tart, cheese cake, chestnute cake, chestnut tart, chocolate hazlenut cake, pear caramel cake, chocolate cappuccino cakefinanciers, walnut brownie, chocolate hazlenut scone, chestnut bread, pain chocolat, almond croissant, chocolate and banana croissant, apricot danish.... save $ and don't have breakfast at l'atelier, use the money for ordering a la carte at lunch, just go to salon and order the above pastries. if you say song as in singing and lam as in L+arm (both words have a low tone) you'll be ok. it's the "deckle" of the brisket. =) Fri Mar 13 08:34:42 -0700 2009 4501102 124519 Sher.eats 15 4501380 Hi Sher.eats Don't the warm desserts involve more work and technique in preparation compared to the pastries? Or are you saying they are good but not worth the extra? Are the pastries available for takeaway? This way i can snack on them as to cover that many may be overkill in one sitting... I had planned on doing Fu Sing/ Lei/ Victoria Harbour for lunch - can I order dinner dishes too? Fri Mar 13 09:17:39 -0700 2009 4501194 273498 mikey8811 16 4501435 i'm saying the marginal utility of $ is higher for the a la carte items than the desserts because the ALC is so much better than the lunch menu and the pastries are already that good. yeah, you can do takeaway (no 10% charge then)...even I can't eat everything they offer in one go haha Fu Sing, I played it safe and only ordered Dim Sum and Cha Siu... Fri Mar 13 09:30:59 -0700 2009 4501380 124519 Sher.eats 17 4501662 Hi Sher.eats The only place I can see all the items you mentioned being available is the petites menu - wow adding them all up - over HKD 1k.... Fri Mar 13 10:39:43 -0700 2009 4501435 273498 mikey8811 18 4501688 yup that's where they are. are you eating alone? that's the price of 2 michelin * restaurants... at the minimum have the urchin jelly and quail with mash Fri Mar 13 10:47:48 -0700 2009 4501662 124519 Sher.eats 19 4503573 OK will do. More questions about Central - I am prob going to be there for a few days too. Will do breakfast yum cha at Lin Heung or Luk Yu by myself. Can you tell me what to order? Also, which is a good char charn teng in Central? I used to go to this place where you go up the stairs called Snake's Den (Se Tou) - not sure if it is the real name - either on Stanley or Wellington St. Fri Mar 13 22:18:56 -0700 2009 4501688 273498 mikey8811 20 4503608 lin heung: the pig stomach "siu mai", quail egg "siu mai", minced beef "balls", "ma lai go" (custard-molasses steamed cake), egg yolk custard buns...luk yu's "ha gao" is good, as in the soup filled dumplings "gwung tong gau" and deep fried salted dumplings "jeen dui". the ladies push carts around and you just ask what there is available, it's fine to ask to see the items but choose not to have it. Lan Fong Yeun (old store) has really good milk tea, but 勝香園 has the better toast (and tomato soup macaroni). Order the cold milk tea with milk tea ice (instead of water-ice) the "snake's den" has closed =( Fri Mar 13 22:47:58 -0700 2009 4503573 124519 Sher.eats 21 4503653 Hi pig stomach siu mai as in chu to siu mai, quail egg as in um chun siu mai? miced beef balls - san chung ngau yuk? Does Lin Heung do push cart? The place is too small for that no? I have only been for dinner. Where is Lan Fong Yuen? Also what is the pinyin for the other one? Do they do good buttered pineapple buns too? Sad to hear about snake den - I used to dig that place - it's like the ones you see in HK triad movies.. Also, is Gau Kei still worth going to for the beef brisket? I heard the standard has gone downhill... If so, what's the best time to go and is the song lam still the best thing to order? How many petite dishes in L'Atelier will it take to be full - are the serves really small? Fri Mar 13 23:35:31 -0700 2009 4503608 273498 mikey8811 22 4503668 you got all the pinyin correct, here is the full list of dim sums i like: 大包, 蛋黃千層糕,雞紮,豬肚燒賣, 千層糕, 豉汁蒸鱔, 棉花雞, 鳳爪排骨飯, 蓮蓉包, 馬拉糕. yup there are push carts although the crowd swarms into the carts as soon as they depart the kitchen.... Lan Fong Yuen is here http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=1814&mapType=1 at Gage's street right under the escalators. They don't do pineapple buns, for a (really) good one you'll have to head west to Sai Wan's 祥香園 or 金鳳 @ Wan Chai. "Standalone" bakeries like 快樂餅店, 早晨麵包, and 生命物 are better but there won't be seating. Gau Kei is still good, but go after 4pm when the "song lam" is ready, the overal standard has gone done because there is only so much song lam, the increased demand can only be supplied with regular brisket so.... l'atlier: even at lunch you get a free amuse bouche, full bread basket (with echire butter), so the urchin jelly and quail with mash (which is 60% butter) would be "enough", there are free petit fours afterwards. if you're really hungry then add 1 bite-size foie-gras wagyu-burger (standard order comes with two) or maybe a tete de veau, which is a reconstructed calf's head, it's seriously good. how many days are you visiting? Fri Mar 13 23:59:50 -0700 2009 4503653 124519 Sher.eats 23 4503737 How do you say 豉汁蒸鱔, 棉花雞? So what would you order with the milk tea at Lan Fong Yuen? Some reviews in English at openrice says that the milk tea with milk tea ice is at the new shop and not the old one - are they one and the same? I'll try to order all the stuff you mentioned at L'Atelier - I can do the petites menu at dinner too right? I presume it costs the same. Someone was telling me they reduced prices of some sets due to the recession. You mean I can order 1 bite size burger and they will halve the price? I will be there for 6 days but have meetings over meals so not sure if I can choose places I want. Where is the new Farmhouse? I was told it has moved and someone said they have a recession buster set for all the specialties - hopefully I can have that for 1 pax. I liked the chicken wing and the papaya steamed milk. I meant Hoi To - in both Sun Hung Kai Centre and Citic Tower - it is Victoria something Sat Mar 14 02:45:29 -0700 2009 4503668 273498 mikey8811 24 4503747 Hoi To is Victoria City. Sat Mar 14 03:03:04 -0700 2009 4503737 130720 FourSeasons 24 4503749 豉汁蒸鱔, see (as in sight), jup (like cup), jing (like sing), seen (as in seen) 棉花雞, meen (like seen), faa (like spa), gai ( yup the petits the menu is for lunch and dinner, same price no price decrease whatsoever... yup you can half "half order" of the burger = 1 Farm House is in Ming An Plaza, Sunning St, Causeway Bay, near Lee Gardens. http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=753 Victoria city =) Sat Mar 14 03:05:56 -0700 2009 4503737 124519 Sher.eats 25 4506615 Hi Sher.eats What would you order with the milk tea at Lan Fong Yuen? Some reviews in English at openrice says that the milk tea with milk tea ice is at the new shop and not the old one - are they one and the same? The 2 dishes at Lin Heung translate to steamed eel in black bean sauce & cotton floss chicken right? I saw you post 2 "tong sui" places in Causeway Bay. i normally go to Yi Shun Dairy Co for the steamed milk. I checked Open Rice for the 2 dessert joints http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=13920 and 8 Haven St. , Causeway Bay and they have a interesting black sesame paste with some sort of milk or is it beancurd thingy? Anyways which is the better place? What should I order? Thanks Sun Mar 15 09:28:46 -0700 2009 4503749 273498 mikey8811 26 4506653 yeah officially only the new store (they're right next to each other) has the milk tea with milk tea ice, but every time i've been the old one has it too. the instant noodle with pan fried chicken leg steak and chive ginger oil is their special, i find it alright, the "french toast" (hk style) is good, but not gastronomic, I usually just have a milk tea to go and get a egg tart from Tai Cheung. correct for the lin heung translation! my personal favorite is 一品齋甜品屋 http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=12047 , as you guessed that black white is sesame veloute on silken tofu. Yi Shun's milk puddings are nice, but Australia Milk Company is better Sun Mar 15 09:43:45 -0700 2009 4506615 124519 Sher.eats 27 4506700 OK I'll go for the old one then - I read on Open Rice that you have to order in sets and that you cannot have milk tea alone - so not true eh? I'll prob go for the french toast - I am a sucker for that grease... Is there an Australian Milk Company somewhere convenient in the HK side? Otherwise where is it? What is Cipriani like? Is it worth going to? Sun Mar 15 10:05:45 -0700 2009 4506653 273498 mikey8811 28 4506904 at busy hours there's a minimum charge (i think) so...explains the can't just order milk tea Aus milk only has 1 store, is 1 min walk from Jordan MTR, and is definitely worth going. Not been to Cipriani.... Sun Mar 15 11:38:12 -0700 2009 4506700 124519 Sher.eats 29 4508160 Thanks for all the help. I'll be there in a couple of days. Are you cooking at another French restaurant now? If you come by Malaysia give me a holler. I'll be happy to show you around. Sun Mar 15 20:11:00 -0700 2009 4506904 273498 mikey8811 30 4508410 sure, glad to be of help yup (one of the 2 starred ones =P) show me your final food-itinerary!!! Sun Mar 15 23:31:03 -0700 2009 4508160 124519 Sher.eats 31 4508433 I guess Pierre or Caprice - that right? wah... u are super organised - I am still fixing my meetings so I am gonna play the meals by ear. I'll let you know when it's all done. Mon Mar 16 00:11:00 -0700 2009 4508410 273498 mikey8811 32 4508443 Pierre only has 1 michelin star =P (Amber, L'Atelier, Caprice has 2) Mon Mar 16 01:35:18 -0700 2009 4508433 124519 Sher.eats 33 4508466 OK my bad... Isn't Amber fusion rather than French? I have some meetings in the Mandarin Landmark... I just looked at the Amber menu - looks quite nice as well and not fusion at all.. I am tempted by the La Maison Du Chocolat promotion. What are your thoughts on it? I fixed Fu Sing for yum cha (just 2 pax) - any tips on what to order - char siu, braised ox tail, crab in hua tiao sauce, shrimp roe vegetable on pot (as per four seasons suggestions) - what other dim sum / dishes are their signature ones? Mon Mar 16 02:34:35 -0700 2009 4508443 273498 mikey8811 34 4508486 I think the Crab is too much for 2 persons unless you really eat a lot. I can't remember too much on their dim sum, I think they have one style (fried till very crispy on the exterior but yet very soft inside) of carrot cake that is pretty goo. So is the soya chicken. Mon Mar 16 03:19:58 -0700 2009 4508466 130720 FourSeasons 35 4508493 What is Shanghai Garden like? What are good dishes there? Mon Mar 16 03:44:30 -0700 2009 4508486 273498 mikey8811 36 4512045 <delete> Tue Mar 17 02:31:10 -0700 2009 4508493 124519 Sher.eats 34 4512046 Shanghai garden (Maxim's group) i wouldn't say it's the most authentic of shanghainess restaurants, there are better options. Amber is "playful" without being overly molecular, there are non-french flavour elements. the creative director for la maison has already left so i wouldnt go for the chocolate menu...unless you really are a chocoholic fu sing, the more "old sounding" dim sums the better =) Tue Mar 17 02:34:08 -0700 2009 4508466 124519 Sher.eats 35 4515844 Hi Sher I did so far 1st day - went to Kau Kei at 4.45 pm and aasked for song lam - the bloke asked a lady and then said sold out. He asked me to have the regular lam and I said no and left. Rude people and prob did not sell out but as I am not a regular said no. Went to Lan Fong Yuen - the old one said no milk tea ice milk tea - go to the new one. Went and had that and french toast - good stuff. Went to Tai cheong and had egg tarts and sa yong. The egg tarts just came outta the oven - never had that before though I have been to Tai Cheong. The custard hot and as runny as a brulee... Had a late din at L'Atelier. ordered all you suggested but could not have the burger - the other stuff was too meaty and rich except l'oursin. 2nd day - Breakfast at Lin Heung - great stuff and environment as before. Lunch at Fu Sing - ox tail braised, crispy charn pau, har chee sang choy bo, char siu - not as good as I expected. All dishes too meaty and I was prob full from breakfast. dinner at a place in Melbourne Plaza called Joy & Joy - very trad cantonese - was ok - stewed pomelo skin w goose feet, fried milk, lotus leaf chicken, almond pig lung soup (luk yu's was better I remember), very good buns w a runny almond paste - dunno if you have been to this place - what's your feedback if you have? Going to L'Atelier again for lunch - prob the set lunch - what to order? Will prob try Farmhouse next and some of the Wanchai places... Keep you posted. So Peech what's good at Cipriani's? Wed Mar 18 07:13:41 -0700 2009 4512046 273498 mikey8811 36 4518503 welcome to HK! re: l'atelier "too meaty" ?? You had a "breakfast" at lin heung followed by lunch at fu sing? not been to 喜双逢 l'atelier lunch, king crab if you want something like and delicate, although it's very standard for anyone who's had real crabs in japan/pacific coast. salmon and scallops are standard, the chestnut soup is nice but you'll find it too "meaty". Cod is redundant, so is the minced beef teak, as is the penne, and the salmon also, i wouldn't order any of those, the lack of lamb is marginally better but still. I'm not saying it's not nice (it is) but it's like going to Lin Heung for a burger. =) Thu Mar 19 00:18:50 -0700 2009 4515844 124519 Sher.eats 37 4529039 Hi Sher.eats I am back home now. Yes, i had breakfast at Lin Heung followed by lunch at Fu Sing. To clarify I said too meaty because I had all at one go L'Oursin, Tete De Veau and Quail w Foie Gras - other than the L'Oursin - the rest was very rich and 'meaty'. I was planning on ordering the burgers - just one but could not anymore. One of the wait staff - a French bloke could see that i was struggling and asked if I wanted to cancel the burger, which I did. I did go back for lunch and had a poached salmon and the burgers plus the profiteroles for dessert. I also had breakfast at Jardin - the scrambled eggs are great - they are more like coddled than scrambled to me. I actually had a meeting at Amber - sat down but my guy was late so I looked at the menu and decided that Jardin was prob better for breakfast. In retrospect I shoulda not gone back for lunch - did so 'cos I wanted to try the burgers - but maybe have gone to Caprice or Pierre or Krug Room - I saw some Krug Room food pics in a mag - the food looks ornamental. To fill you in on the rest, I went to Joy Hing for char siu - you said in another post to go around 11 and ask for upper neck parts - I went at about 10.45 and asked for chu keng yuk which he said he had. I was very disappointed as the char siu was all lean and was not beaded with fat at all. Maybe I went at the wrong time. To be honest, the char siu in Malaysia is much better - when you come around here I'll tell you where to go... beats Fu Sing even hands down. I then went to Kam Fung for buttered pineapple buns, milk tea and egg tarts. The egg tarts were not fresh outta the oven so I preferred the Tai Cheong ones I had before. I liked both Reliable Congee - had the eel and liver congee, fish skin and Wing Wah wonton har ji lo meen. Great stuff... Also, had Kap Tei Chuk at Sun Gau Kei in Wanchai. Didn't have time for a brisket noodle after Kau Kei in Central pissed me off.... I also went to Bo Innovation in the new location for lunch - pretty much the same consistency as I remembered. The food as a whole is not as good as say L'Atelier but the interplay w trad chinese elements was clever. Before going up to Bo I walked to Yin Yang - just next door but they were planning a large dinner party and could not do lunch. I asked if I could do lunch for 2 the next day but they said I could not have both the pig and the chicken, so even though I rustled up enough frds, we went to Farmhouse instead and had the usual suspects - they weren't in a set as Skyline mentioned though - had to order alacarte - almond lung soup, chicken wings, ribs, runny custard buns, almond papaya tong sui dessert. As good as I remembered but now I read your reviews of Yin Yang - maybe should have gone there instead. BTW can I contact you via e-mail instead sometimes (how to do that)? it is easier for me to do so than have access to a web-browser. Mon Mar 23 03:09:47 -0700 2009 4518503 273498 mikey8811 38 4529062 hi is "meaty" a good or bad thing? e.g. "rich" "hearty" are positive but "heavy" and "oily" is negative. are you "familiar" with french cuisine as I wouldn't say l'atelier food is very heavy (unless you had seconds of the mash)?... the eggs are cooked over a bain maree, so they were kept below 70C when egg hardens, try it at home! Joy Hing has consistency problems, that's why I prefer Lung Moon as they're more friendly allowing you to choose the cut you want. nothing beats fresh out of the oven pastries =P yeah I would say Ying Yang is one of the must eats of HK, also their very small portions are a good "acid test" for "foodieness" post your top 10 dishes of your trip! you don't use a web browser for email? Mon Mar 23 04:08:40 -0700 2009 4529039 124519 Sher.eats 39 4529497 Meaty is a good thing but I believe in balance ie. offsetting some with fish or seafood... I am quite familiar with French cuisine. I have dined at L'Arpege, Helene Darroze, etc.in Paris plus Per Se, Daniel, etc. in NYC. I guess maybe I had gone in after a round of drinks with my friends so the Tete De Veau was a little rich plus oily although the vinaigrette cut that down. It was more the foie gras after that than the mash - i liked the mash a lot.. Whats a bain maree? Bain I know is bath... So are the small portions sufficient to fill you up at Yin Yang? The menu looked pricey... It's running late so I'll do the 10 dishes later. I basically use pop mail via outlook or apple mail or my ipod touch- I thought the system here allowed me to send private messages but I could not figure out how... Mon Mar 23 08:05:21 -0700 2009 4529062 273498 mikey8811 40 4529539 haha sorry i phrased it weirdly, didn't mean to "offend" you (if offense was taken) =P i wouldn't find the tete too fatty, it's mainly collagen and the cornichoncaper dill dressing works well? The foie gras inside the quail breast? It just 10g in there and it's not pure foie gras.... it means water bath, scrambled eggs will just-cook (i.e. least tough) at ~ 70C (depends on variables), you can't maintain such low temp on a fire heated pan. you won't leave yin yang hungry...there are those who insist every plate much be "american portioned" sigh sherm.cy@gmail.com =P Mon Mar 23 08:19:16 -0700 2009 4529497 124519 Sher.eats 41 4529776 Sent you a message Mon Mar 23 09:19:12 -0700 2009 4529539 273498 mikey8811 37 4535825 I don't find the king crab light and delicate at all the last time I went... it was a huge wrap and I probably could have stopped eating after the first course... http://chi-he-wan-le.blogspot.com/2009/03/another-big-lunch.html Tue Mar 24 23:14:25 -0700 2009 4518503 132103 Peech 38 4535885 light as in flavours not portion size? compared to the tet de veau which he found too meaty... Wed Mar 25 00:52:56 -0700 2009 4535825 124519 Sher.eats 28 4509204 wouldn't bother with cip's - it's american-italian greasy-spoonish, plus you need to be a member, go with one or stay at a hotel with a good concierge. btw - great thread guys! Mon Mar 16 09:24:52 -0700 2009 4506700 119622 e_ting 29 4512041 Actually I really like Cipriani's because they have things that are just straight-forward and simple. As Mikey is staying at a hotel w a great concierge he will have access to it. But then again, why come to HK for Cipriani's? I am away from this thread for a day and how many new replies do I find?... Tue Mar 17 02:26:45 -0700 2009 4509204 132103 Peech 30 4512042 hey peech, da domenico or cipriani? Tue Mar 17 02:29:16 -0700 2009 4512041 124519 Sher.eats 31 4512267 Uh...if you can put up w the lousy service, Da Do has better food... but I can have simple dishes at Cipriani and get out with a smaller bill Tue Mar 17 06:12:59 -0700 2009 4512042 132103 Peech 32 4513521 DD has trattoria service & a trattoria menu (but done very well, mainly because of ingredients) but at ristorante prices. actually if you don't order the $eafood, it's not THAT expensive (150 for a simple pasta) Tue Mar 17 11:58:46 -0700 2009 4512267 124519 Sher.eats 33 4517579 Hay Sher.eats. $500 for a plate of 'Spaghetti a la Vongole' is more than ristorante price. Its 'ridiculous' price! Ha! BTW, I had a plate at Tokyo's La Boheme for about HK$150 and its as good and comes with more clams! Wed Mar 18 15:31:34 -0700 2009 4513521 10810 Charles Yu 15 4503722 WHOOPS i confused victoria city with victoria harbour retract the "better skip it" comment then =) Sat Mar 14 01:42:47 -0700 2009 4501194 124519 Sher.eats 13 4731673 Hi Sher.eats Since you worked at Robuchon's before, wanted to ask you whether reservations are a must on Sundays? I'm planning to have either lunch at L'Atelier or tea at Le Salon but can't commit a time as yet, so I was wondering if it was OK to walk-in on a Sunday for this. I'll have a flight to catch later that evening so waiting too long isn't an option. Appreciate your expertise on the boards. Thanks. Mon Jun 01 03:17:16 -0700 2009 4501041 324707 hewka 12 4501137 Hi mikey8811: The owner chef of 富聲 used to be the head chef of Victoria, so they are quite similar. I personally prefer 富聲. Lei Garden's dim sum is slightly more innovative, less traditional compared to the others. 生記 has some pretty good dishes though I am not sure if English menu is available. The other problem is it tends to cater for bigger group so it would be more difficult if you are solo diner or with a partner. Some signature dishes are the salt baked chicken 鹽焗雞, fried lotus root patties 煎藕餅 and the congee. Very good steamed fish too. Fri Mar 13 08:21:58 -0700 2009 4500957 130720 FourSeasons 13 4501391 Hi Four Seasons I have eaten at Victoria Harbour before and have liked it especially the yellow oil crab dumplings when in season. I have been to the Wanchai Lei Garden and liked that too. I might give Fu Sing a try - what are the dishes to order for lunch and dinner - I'll either be alone or with another 1 or 2 guys. Fri Mar 13 09:20:12 -0700 2009 4501137 273498 mikey8811 14 4501466 I don't think yellow oil crab is available yet. But if you do come on Oct-Jan period when hairy crab is available, do order the crab roe xiao long bao at Fu Sing, it is incredibly delicious. Because the owner chef of Fu Sing used to be the head chef of Victoria Harbour, many of their signature dishes are quite similar. At Fu Sing, some of the signature dishes are the char siu 和哥义燒, shrimp roe vegetable on pot 蝦醬生菜煲, flower crab on hao tiao liquor sauce 花雕蒸蟹 (don't forget to ask the waitress to cook an e-mee noodle with the hao tiao sauce to finish the meal). The dessert 馬拉榚 is good too. But it would be tough to order these dishes alone though. Fri Mar 13 09:40:27 -0700 2009 4501391 130720 FourSeasons 15 4503720 Oop...I actually meant Victoria City, not Victoria Harbour. Sat Mar 14 01:38:54 -0700 2009 4501466 130720 FourSeasons