A Hong Kong Food Journal

I spent 4 days here and there in HK recently and jam packed it with as many meals only requesting friends/fams taking me to their absolute favorite Asian comfort food digs atvm, not wasting an inch of my stomach space, and gawd did I have some of the best new things I have ever had in my tummy.  I am still gloating in my brilliance! muahaha

A typical Tsim Sha Tsui resto with a view

I had dimsum breakfasts, dimsum lunches, dimsum afternoon teas, ie saying a random sitdown hihi to aunties and bffs, way of life in HK.   Traditional usual suspects ‘little nuggets to my heart’ are nostalgic bliss to my tummy, crispy pan fried noodles are exactly crispy AND melting in mouth yet QQ perfect texture that is the only way acceptable in HKG I swear.

Pièce de résistance, still arguably the best bite of memorable YUM I had this trip hopping over:

Most flavor packed intensely sweet and fragrant unassuming looking bite of a 姫松茸/himematsutake mushroom crystal dumpling.   I am addicted to this stuff, love at first bite and what I want a dozen of for my last meal on earth.

Another resto in TST, and to a view hard to get tired of.

This is my go-to vegetarian restaurant, always dependable, always awesome, never healthy lol:

Household Shanghainese dishes with a veggie twist, crispy ‘eel’ made from eggplant skins that tastes close for one.

I can cut piggies out of my diet entirely if I can find sweet and sour ‘pork’ made with monkey head shroom THIS freaking good whenever I crave some.

Eggwhite and wood ear mushrooms in place of crab/lobster sauce on pea shoots.

My favorite dish, silken tofu dumpling, the ‘wrap’ is a thin layer of silken tofu wrapping fragrant chinese spinaches goodness.

Pillowy banana fritters.

Hopped over the harbor to Causeway Bay paying homage to the Umbrella Movement.   It was so surreal with only a handful of friendly tented occupiers and easily 10 times the passerby/tourist.

Stretching my sore feet from all the walking at my childhood ‘chachantang’ for cold steamed milk custard and what else…

…HK Milk Tea

Another must-have crackling crispy roasted pork belly for afternoon tea, do not ask why nor wince:

Took a break in a long and happy wedding day we attended to do super touristy things in the heart of the city:

Brunch buffet taking in the view of the Harbor from the Island side:

Yes, a HK brunch buffet serves incredible sweet and sour pork, steamed fish and hainan chicken, filet mignon, mutton, chow mein, 2 french fries (lol…just for o’ times’ sake, only chance to have trash food ie the most delish thing as a kid, u know) and oysters.

ohmmmm

Sign of getting old is this is all u can stuff on your dessert course at a buffet. Lesigh.

Speaking of dessert, I must have the authentic sago mango pomelo concoction when in HK, nowhere else make this as is, other than Toronto outside of that tiny city.  I have to admit I fell in love with its name 杨枝(willow branches, poetic for the lithe lady owning your heart you are missing) 甘露/amrita/ambrosia before even a taste

Took the cross harbor star ferry like I did everyday going to school as a child:

Yup, still do not like the cheapoTVBset-esque newish Central Pier, will never do.

Feh.

MUCH better on the Kowloon side, the Clock Tower remnant of the old train station 100+ years ago is so not hurting.  Why break it when it’s not broken?!?!?!

 Shanghainese.  I could keep screaming SO FKING GOOD under every pic but I won’t:

Tea smoked eggs.

Vegetarian roasted goose (fried stuffed tofu skin)

Crispy Tea smoked duck (real bird lol)

Red roasted melting in mouth ecstasy ham hog.

De-boned braised fish head with fava beans, tofu skins and cellophane noodle skins.  Who thought up this torturing kitchen staff laborious goodness?!?! (TYTYTY)

Crispy 8 treasures sweet rice. Never had it before, now me craving daily.

When in HK, eat eels, even Thai resto has a kickass grilled crispy eel dish.  Not complaining. *nomnomnom*

Cantonese family style:  There must be ChaSiu, Soy chicken, fishes many kinds, braised brisket, vegs… scrambled eggs with crabs now fancied up with truffles everywhere.

This used to be a staple in school lunch boxes, fried grouper fillets in a cream corn sauce over steamed rice, must be HK’s take on fish and chips, now charging you 10 times adding in season mitten crabs in the sauce, of course.

My fav eggtart place SOLD OUT when I dropped by. I cried.  So I had 2 at the airport. Must say it has a collection of the best offers, places I would not mind waiting in line for anyway, all in the airport foodcourt.  I had roasted goose leg with ‘lai’ fun, a slick silky/chewy/crunchy rice noodle with texture again impossible to find where I live.

This must be the 3rd/4th place I went to that is a few floors upstairs, ground level shop fronts are too expensive even for popular fine fining places.   Yup, I am in love right away with the green backlit granite/marble door arches.  Very 60s, so WKW.

Teochew dumplings with impossibly thin skins.

‘Snow shadow’ cha siu bao.   Basically a cross of those crunchy molten fluffy sweet buns just with the center replaced by insanely fantastic cha siu.  I hate you crazy HK resto, WHERE on earth can I find this addictive drug other than your tiny place now?!?!??!?!?!?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sweet and sour pork with aged black chinese vinegar.  We could not make it to the dinner ‘show’ where this is served buried in ice making the sauce a crackling caramel thin shell casing the juicy hot fried meat.  In case you are wondering, hubs is a beyond help S&SP addict.

This is the best fried rice I have ever had.    Until next year if I can make it back to HKG exactly this time of mitten crab season.

mitten crab roe and meat and minced ginger fried rice. SO@#$(*^GOOD.

Dining ChiuChow:

Star of show is the whole steamed eel in black bean sauce, the salt water duck and chicken with fried basil are standards and that I dunno how it could possibly be made some kind of water gourd pancake that is al dente chewy and crispy and of course cold crab already eaten forgotten to take a pic yum!

More unagi, the fish is half an inch thick, so impossibly fresh, crispy because of the stone pot with the runny just rt scrambled eggs. I curse you horrible talented chef.

I am so hungry.