January 4, 2011

• HAPPY 2011!!!!

  YAY!! Finally made it back home in Hong Kong. I have already spent one week here, have not accomplished too much, but managed to spend a great deal of time with my parents. Dad is getting progressively weaker since my visit a year ago. His left hand still trembles a bit whenever he is talking or sitting still. My mom is keeping a close tab on his daily habits. Dad is not a talker but I can tell that he is very happy to have his sons close by, having a good meal together. As typical with my annual visits, we always enjoyed dinning and meeting up with family friends and relatives. Here’s a recap of what I did during the past few days.

  Cova – this is located inside the Lee Gardens complex and is quite convenient near where I’m staying. The atmosphere is very festive. We had the Christmas Gourmet Dinner there, appetizer include Green Pea Soup with crispy Italian pancetta & brandy crab meat; Fried scampi with flower tempura; Main courses are: Risotto with giant sea scallop, caviar; Tagliolini with quail ragout & crispy duck liver; Roasted lamb loin wrapped with breadcrumb, eggplant and potatoes; Dessert is Nougat parfait with persimmon sauce.

  

  

  

  Lung King Heen (龍景軒) – Just sitting at my table looking at the view from atop the Four Seasons Hotel, and gazing at the meditative arrangements of wood and glass dipping into the harbor, that was enough to induce a good appetite. Still, the food is phenomenal. Cups, plates and chopsticks are arranged impeccably. The efficient waiting staff gliding swiftly around your table as if they are on a rail system. I’m pretty sure there are other dim sum places in Hong Kong which have greasier and better tasting dishes. But none are as cool and composed as LKH.

  Menu choices are limited, with only 10 dim sum dishes (plus a few daily specials) to choose from….
  

  Fried taro roll / steamed shrimp and vegetable dumplings
  

  “chue-cheung-fun” – bbq pork in steamed rice rolls are soaked in sweet and tasty soy sauce…..
  

  steamed rice with bits of roast pork, dried shrimp, muchrooms, etc. wrapped in lotus leave…..
  

  Hong Kong style “pineapple” buns stuffed with bbq pork…..
  

  A must-have dish – baked whole abalone puffs with diced chicken…..
  

  Plate with bbq pork (left) and roast suckling pig (right)…..
  

  roasted fresh water eel glazed with orange sauce…..
  

  Dessert – assortment of coconut milk custard, jellos and crispy rice cakes…..
  

  I need a cold treatment, so this is what I got – coffee caramel custard, served with a small dose of coconut milk…..
  

  A very satisfying and delicious dim sum lunch indeed! I dare not look at the final tab, my parents took care of the bill before I could lay my eyes on the receipt. “The meal was more expensive than usual” as I was told.

  “Lan Fong Yuen” (蘭芳園) – While strolling along Wellington Street in the Central District one early morning, I longed for HK Style breakfast and a cup of hot milk tea. I used to frequent small eateries all over the streets on the Island while I was attending high school here. Finding small mom n’ pop operated tea houses and cafeterias was my ‘hobby’. “Lan Fong Yuen” is a hole-in-the-wall place, specializing in simple and quick HK style dishes.

  

  I think there is a menu in English for “gwei-lo’s” and people who cannot read Chinese…..
  

  The milk tea is so silky smooth, but the bun is just okay…..
  

  The egg omelet with minced beef was very good…..
  

  The breakfast costs only a few US dollars per person. Nowadays, there are dozens of similar and newer establishments all over the city. But just making my way to this place once in a long while is a very notalgic experience.

  “Capital Cafe” (華星冰室) – is another HK style cafe located in a side street in the Wanchai District. Unlike Lan Fong Yuen, which has been around since the 1950′s, this place just opened its doors a little bit less than a year ago. The decor is 1980s chic with photos of famous singers of that era.
  

  The menu boasts the milk they use in the milk tea comes from premium milk cows from Japan…..
  

  Omelet with minced beef / club sandwich with ham, cheese, scrambled eggs and tomatoes…..
  

  French toast with a layer of sweet jam in between…..
  

  Outside, the main street slowly bustles to life in the early moring hour / I took this interesting looking tram back….
  

  Din Tai Fung – is just a few blocks from where I’m staying. There are a total of two branches in Hong Kong, the other one is in Tsim Tsa Tsui.
  

  The menu has more extensive choices than that in L.A…..
  

  Appetizer – Peppered cucumbers / duck tongue in soy sauce…..
  

  The regular flavor pork xiao long bao…..
  

  Black truffle pork xiao long bao (which costs three times more than the regular ones)…..
  

  pork and vegetables wonton / steam red bean cake for dessert…..
  

  Overall, the quality of food is very good and we were very impressed with the extra choices on the menu, such as the “Black truffle pork xiao long baos”. I’d like to try the other branch located in Tsim Tsa Tsui too.

  • 8:33 am
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