A taste of Hong Kong part 3

After we ticked off dim sum from our list, we were on a quest for the infamous Hong Kong wonton noodles. We were looking for a local cafe that serves wonton noodles whose patrons are locals. That's also what I told the concierge who promptly pointed out Hing Fat on the map, a mere 7 minutes walk from our hotel. Provided you don't get lost of course.

Assorted roast meat

The menu shows that there's more than just noodles and roast meat, such as seafood and other Cantonese dishes. It took me a while to find where the utensils are!

We were greeted by the assorted roasted meat hanging on the open kitchen glass window. Mouth-watering huh? Well, for some definitely. I can't help but remembering this random guy's comment one day when I was waiting for a friend back in Sydney. I was standing in the corner of Goulburn and Sussex street, opposite BBQ King, when all of a sudden this guy who was standing there walked up to me and said "gosh, look at that (pointing to BBQ King assorted meat)... doesn't it look like house of the dead? Carcasses hanging like that". His comment, however random it was, made me realized that cultures are so different and if you don't grow up with these kinds of food, it must look kinda weird... Anyway, I liked his different point of view and appreciate his directness in approaching a stranger and said that. Hahaha, ok maybe it was a little overshare, but still it was kinda funny.

Hot and sour pork noodle

Shrimp wonton noodle

Back to Hing Fat, soon we were seated inside and given menu to peruse. Cg decided on the wonton noodles and while I was tempted, I don't really like soup on my noodle - unless they are ramen. So I decided to have the diced pork in hot and sour sauce noodle where the soup is separated. The egg noodle was super thin but flavorful. I quite like the hot and sour sauce as the topping. I think what would make the dish better is if wontons were included.

Suckling pig and crispy roasted pork

Since we're already at a roasted meat restaurant, we also ordered a combination plate of suckling pig and crispy roasted pork. I confirm that they are as delicious as the look on the picture above. Crispy, juicy, and tender. Oh and value for money too. We spent less than AU$20 for everything including drinks.

Hing Fat

10 Ashley Road

Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon

Hong Kong, China

A Taste of Hong Kong Part 2

Characterized echina dim sum HKD 30

On our first day in Hong Kong, we decided that we were going to have some dim sum for brunch. After all, it would be a cardinal sin to go to Hong Kong and not have some dim sum! The concierge recommended us to cross over to the Hong Kong Cultural Center to have dim sum at Serenade. Once we were inside, we discovered such opulent decor that bespoke of Hong Kong style. The restaurant is overlooking the Star Ferry terminal, over the Victoria Harbor, still on the Tsim Sha Tsui side.

Sorry about redness here, I forgot to change the white balance till later...

Unfortunately we didn't get seated near the windows, but soon after we saw the menu we got uber excited nonetheless. Why? Because Serenade offers characterized dim sums that are shaped in cute little animals! The animals are: goose (baked pastry stuffed with mushrooms & goose meat), goldfish (shrimp & bamboo pith dumplings), garoupa crystal dumplings, jumpie bunny marshmellow, echidna (deep fried creamy yolk buns) and cuttlefish (baked pastry with mashed red beans). They had "Dim Sum in the cage" for HKD 188 (approx. AUD 24 with 1AUD:7.8HKD) which includes cuttlefish, goose, echidna, goldfish, steamed abalone and pork dumplings and steamed shrimp dumplings (all 3 pieces each). No, we did not order this as we wouldn't be able to finish and we wanted to pick and choose. However, if M from Love my foods and sugar and O from ieatsweet were my travel buddies at the time, I would not have a say this decision-making process and we would have dim sum in the cage on the table pronto. If there's enough interest, I will scan the menu once I'm back in Sydney, so let me know if you want to see the menu.

Staging #1: Echidnas in the garden

Staging #2: fish pond and the creative director herself

So what did Cg and I ordered? We got the echidna (on my insistence as they look way too cute!), goldfish, garoupa, BBQ pork buns, and conpoy (dried scallop) with chives dumplings. The echidna was the first to arrive and we almost squealed with delight. To have the scenes replayed in my mind right now we must have looked like lunatics as we busted our cameras and shot these echidnas paparazzi style. Cg being her creative self got the idea to rearrange them so that they are kissing each other, then making an echidna garden on a separate plate. Yeshhh, we did the same with the goldfish and the garoupa. No, not so much with the other two non characterized dim sums.

Garoupa crystal dumplings HKD 35

Goldfish HKD 35

Conpoy and chive dumplings HKD 18

Now, taste wise, I know you are curious. I have to say that for the characterized dim sums, as expected they looked better than the taste, especially with the goldfish and the garoupa. I liked the echidna though, the buns were sweet and the egg yolk inside was quite nice. The BBQ pork buns were standard and so were the conpoy but since conpoy are not readily available in Sydney, I was a happy camper. We drank a lot of tea then, they kept on refilling our pot and Cg really loved the taste of the tea. I appreciate the service and the waitresses restraint in not laughing over us when we were staging the characterized dim sums. I think they are used to the patrons uber excitements by now.

View of the harbor from Tsim Sha Tsui promenade

View from the Peak

Lonely Boy, my friend who works in Hong Kong, recommended us to go to the Peak, the highest point in Hong Kong - a scenic point. As we were pleased with his earlier suggestions so far with Sevva and Wagyu, we decided why not take up this advice. So we took the MTR to Admiralty and head to the tram station. I love the old school-ness of the tram. Riding the tram to the Peak felt like riding the roller coaster slo-mo. The steepness gradient was between 4 and 27 degree. It was really cool and I felt like I was transformed back in time as the tram was very colonial-esque. Usually I'm always a bit skeptical about going to touristy places, but I had to commend Lonely Boy again on his choice, the view from the Peak was spectacular! We were lucky that the weather holds up that day as well. The sky was blue, the air crisp with early winter chills and breezy without being too cold. Vertigo people beware! I'm not afraid of height, but standing too close to the railings definitely gave me the chills.

After taking enough pictures Cg and I wandered back down to the mall and to the back where we found ourselves at New York Fries. I had to laugh at Cg when we ended up here as she originally said she wanted ice cream and the choices I laid out to her were hagen dazs, some gelato shop or movenpick. Long story short, we ordered one small "The Work" to share. The fries were awesome, it tasted like a combination of wedges and fries, tasty on the outside and soft on the inside. What impressed me the most was the condiment bar where you could get all sorts of toppings to add to your meal. I was happy to see cajun seasonings there and decided to get some despite all the toppings that were already in our fries. Cg is a convert of cajun seasoning now.

The condiment bar

The Works: fries with green onions, real bacons, sour cream, cheese sauce and chili

Around 4pm, we made our way back to our hotel as Cg was to meet her relatives and I could use some rest before meeting a friend for dinner that night. After much debate, I decided to left my camera for dinner as my shoulder were aching from carrying my dslr all day. Dinner was amazing and I was sorry I left my compact digicam at home. If you find yourself in Hong Kong, you might want to try this little tapas restaurant called Enoteca on Elgin street in SoHo area. The best way to find it is to find the mid level escalators and take it all the way up to Elgin road and turn right, walk 15 steps and the restaurant should be on your left. My recommendation would be the chicken pesto risotto balls and the beef sauteed with garlic and chili. The food was amazing, but service was a different story. If you are looking for a place to relax and talk for a while, the host won't be happy. She let us ordered dessert then after we had a bite, she came to tell us that we need to finish up as the next seating party has arrived. Well, lady... if that was the case perhaps you should have told us before we ordered dessert - no? Anyways, that was my rant.

From there, Cg joined K and I. Then, still on Elgin street, we hop in to a Greek restaurant and got a half jug of sangria while we waited for D to join us. Too bad K was leaving for her vacation the day after, but luckily D promised to take us out for the weekend to this private club called Prive. Didn't I tell you how I didn't know that Hong Kong could be THAT much fun?

Serenade Chinese Restaurant

Hong Kong Cultural Center (1st Floor)

Restaurant Block

Salisbury Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, China

+852 2722 0932

New York Fries

Shop 1B, Ground Floor

The Peak Galleria, Hong Kong, China

+852 2849 7968

Enoteca

47 Elgin street

Hong Kong, China

+852 2525 9944

Revisiting Chairman Mao

Celery in chili oil to start

Back to Chairman Mao again! After I introduced my mom to this spicy restaurant, it has became one of her favorite. So here we are again. I attempted to ordered different dishes than last time but of course I cannot pass out on the eggplant. Without the eggplant dish, it would be like we never went to Chairman Mao in the first place!

Prune drink to put out the fire in your mouth

Eggplant with green chillies

We decided on the white baits, eggplant with green chillies, lamb and celery soup, and steamed baby taro. At first we were going to order something entirely different which I cannot remember now, but then we saw the table next to us having the baby taro which looked very interesting, you'll see.

White baits Hunanese style

A closer look

If I am incoherent, please bear with me as it is 2am and I couldn't sleep! Insomnia attack... ugh, not my favorite at all, so I decided why not blog? Anyway, back to Chairman Mao, the eggplant - do I need to say it again? Love love love this dish. Love the texture, black bean saltiness and the chillies. So comforting when eaten with steamed rice and yet full of flavor at the same time. The white baits were nice and I was so thankful that they took out the heads! I wouldn't be able to eat in peace with those eyes staring at me... I thought that the fish were a bit tough, but then again, do take into account that I am not really a fish fan overall.

The lamb and celery came in a big bowl...

Closer look, check out how the lamb is bacon-like!

The lamb and celery soup really made my night. I fell in love. The lamb were shaved thinly, bacon-like, which made it so tender. The soup reminded me of Japanese shabu shabu and conjured wintry image. The celery, a simple vegetable was appropriate to complement and balance the richness of the lamb. The soup itself, rich with lamb and celery stock. Delicious! I could see myself ordering this dish next winter, or even earlier! Maybe on these rainy Sydney nights....

Steamed baby taro

If you decide to order the baby taro, take note that this dish takes longer than the others. We were warned that it would take 20 minutes to prepare. It didn't come till we almost finish the other dishes over 40 minutes later. My advice? Remind them ;) The baby taro were so soft and buttery. Dip it to the chili oil it came with for best effect. As always, a trip to this restaurant never disappoint.

Chairman Mao

189 Anzac Parade

Kensington, NSW 2033

+61 2 9697 9189

Open for dinner only

(Booking is highly recommended as the place is always packed)

Spicy thrills from Chairman Mao

Chilli pickles - varied with each of my visit

The real Chairman Mao rocked the world with his ideology, this Chairman Mao rocks your mouth with chillies. I first spotted Chairman Mao through the window of the bus that I took to uni one summer afternoon earlier this year. Then I read about it on Time Out Sydney mag March or April edition and it then entered my "to try" list. Since then, I have eaten there 4 times and I still want to go back. It's that good. If you are interested to go, make sure you make a booking or you might not get a table.

Eggplant with chilli

One "Must Order" dish here is the stir fried eggplant. Be careful though, it's spicy. It doesn't explode in your mouth kind of spicy, its the kind that builds up slowly and by the time you realize it, your mouth is already begging for mercy. Trust me though, it is sooooo worth it to order. The eggplants are sliced thinly and stirfried with fermented black beans and chilli. Perfect combo with rice. Each time I visit, I always order this... Ugh, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it!

On this visit, I ordered 3 other dishes one is the diced chicken with cashew nuts, river shrimp with chives-like veggies, and beancurd with home made smoked pork. These three dishes did not disappoint and we never ordered them before!

Diced chicken with cashew nut and broccoli

The diced chicken with cashew nut was not spicy, we asked for it not to be spicy so that we wouldn't have to "suffer" so much. The chicken was coated in oyster sauce-like sauce which was savory with a hint of sweetness but still dry-ish. The cashew nut gave it a crunchy nutty flavor, obviously... On its own the flavor is strong, but with rice it's a perfect combo. It's also a nice balance for the eggplant chilli dish.

River shrimps with green vegetables

The river shrimps was a little spicy, we asked them to down tone the spiciness with this one again as the last time we were there everything was truly spicy. So we thought to give our tongue a break this time. The chive-like veggie was crunchy and tasted sweet. The flavoring was simple so it brought out the veggie flavor. The shrimps were smaller than I thought they would be and seemed to be lightly fried whole with their shells. Though at first I was skeptical, I understood why they included the shell, it made it crispy and crunchy with just enough sweetness of the shrimps' meat.

Beancurd with home made smoked pork

The bean curd and home made smoked pork was the most interesting texture of them all. It's quite different to find smoked pork on a Chinese dish, maybe this is the normal thing in Hunanese dish - I'm not so sure. I really like this dish though, very savory and the choice of vegetables complimented the dish as the veggies were sweet.

Chairman Mao is definitely one of my favorite Chinese restaurants in town. If you're scared of chilli, don't! "Take heart chilli heads. It's not dumb to eat the fire, it's a sign of high intelligence." From the article "A Perk of Our Evolution - Pleasure in Pain of Chillies" from the New York Times. Click here for the full article.

Chairman Mao

189 Anzac Parade

Kensington, NSW 2033

+61 2 9697 9189

Open for dinner only

Everything in the menu dim sum: Cherry Garden

The entrance

The visit to Cherry Garden for dim sum buffett is definitely a credit to Camemberu blog and a proof that food blogging does a great job for marketing restaurants and restaurants should allow people to take pictures. One of the dim sum that I wanted to try after checking out Cherry Garden posting on Camemberu was the netted rice crispy turnover stuffed with prawn and mango, truffled essence crystal dumplings stuffed with assorted mushroom and the steamed shark's fin dumpling with dried scallop and shrimp. Oh, and the Fried Potato stuffed with pumpkin, jicama and vegetarian ham.

The table's center piece that later on had to be removed to make space for our dumplings...

After convincing my new friend H to come with me (a persuasion that did not take much persuading), I made a booking. She got there first on Saturday and texted me that the place was fancy, meanwhile, I was in a casual wear with flip flop. Oh well, luckily these people showed a first class service by treating everyone with good service regardless if they were wearing flip flop like I was. After a few minutes debating whether we should go for ala carte or buffet, we all decided that we brought enough appetite (H brought an extra stomach, J, in a form of another friend) to order everything on the menu.

Since the two stomachs present with me that day have never had dim sum before, I was a little worried that they might not be game for some of the things that I wanted to try. H's only request was no jelly fish and happy to report that J was game for anything. So we started ordering the first round of dim sum gallore. Our first dish that came was the scallop and spinach crystal dumpling. After explaining the rule that no food shall be consumed before pictures are taken from all angles and taking pictures of this first dish, the dumplings were gone in less than 30 seconds, followed with satisfied "hm....." from around the table.

Honey Glazed Pork "Cha Siew"

The honey glazed pork cha siew looked very pretty in plum coloring. Although I was skeptical at first when I first bit into it, I was converted. The meat was crisp and tender at the same time, succulent and juicy, savory and sweet all at the same time. How could it be possible? It is possible when done the right way. I haven't had a good cha siew in a while and this was simply awesome.

Pan fried gyoza with spicy eggplant, minced chicken, tofu and mushrooms

The pan fried gyoza was tweaked to include eggplant, tofu and mushrooms, all of which gave it an extra oomph due to the extra chewiness of eggplant and the earthy flavor of the mushrooms.

Scallop and spinach crystal dumpling

The scallop and spinach crystal dumplings were so delicate and deliberate in its presentation that I almost felt like I couldn't eat it as I would destroy the art. I was amazed at how thin and clear the skins were that they allowed you to see the scallops and the spinach inside. And the taste was great, the scallop gave it a sweet taste that was softer than shrimps.

Imperial Hot and Sour Soup

I hadn't had hot and sour soup in a long while and this one was like WHOA! I didn't have to add vinegar and the spice wasn't too overpowering. It also had just the right amount of tofu and minced mushrooms, not too much but not too little. I didn't have to swish around to fish them.

Cherry Wood Charcoal Roasted Duck

The Cherry wood charcoal roasted duck... was worth every fancy name it gotten. You could definitely taste the smokeyness of the cherry wood and dipping it into the plum sauce was a match made in heaven. The earthy taste of the meat was lightened by the plum sauce, it reminded me of the contrast between roast turkey and cranberry sauce at American Thanksgiving dinner. Though I would say that duck meat is much richer and earthier than turkey.

Plum sauce for the roast duck

As the food came to our table, I can't help but being amazed at the presentation of each dish and their quality. The dumplings' skins were translucent and you can see what was stuffed inside, heightening the anticipation of its taste before it even landed in your mouth. The shape of each dumplings were almost identical and deliberate as if it was not just dumpling to be feast upon by mouths but also a feast for the eyes.

Minced chicken dumpling in garlic soy sauce

These dumplings, small as they were, were tenth fold tastier than their size. The crisp wasabi prawns were a variation of a more traditional prawns mayonnaise with a Japanese twist of wasabi, the roes and the mango. The prawns were chunky and crunchy. The wasabi was mild so that you don't have to worry that it would burn your nose.

Crisp wasabi aioli prawns topped with fresh mango

Truffled essence crystal dumplings stuffed with assorted fresh mushrooms

Yes, the truffled essence crystal dumplings that I was dying to try. I love how the dumplings were delicately made in a clear skin which enabled us to glimpse the inside of the dumplings in anticipation on how it will taste like in our mouth. There were indeed assorted mushrooms and it was good, but perhaps because I had built up the taste so much in my imagination the reality rather fell short. It was good, but I expected something more.

More food kept on coming. And when it slowed down, we knew it was time to order the second round quick so that our feast didn't stagger as there is nothing worse than a time lag where you have to wait for your food which would definitely kill your appetite for the coming food. And we kept on being wow-ed by each dish starting from their presentation.

Roasted ribs with pumpkin in spicy garlic sauce

Pai gut. Roasted ribs, yum!!! A huge fan of pumpkin I was delighted to find that they mixed the pai gut here with pumpkin. I can't really taste the pumpkin in the ribs, but the ribs' meat were soft, tender and succulent. The pumpkin was sweet and savory.

Deep fried eggplant with pumpkin

Bite cross section of the scallop and pumpkin fry

Eggplant is definitely another favorite vegetable of mine and this one was scalloped and fried with pumpkin. Crispy on the outside, mushy and sweet on the inside? The verdict is: yummy!

Crispy rice turnover stuffed with shrimp, apple and mango with wasabi mayonnaise

Although the Crispy rice turnover stuffed with shrimp, apple and mango with wasabi mayonnaise was one of the first batch order, it didn't come till the very end. I was worried that I would be too full. Crispy and crunchy skin, with innards that was packed with shrimp, apple and mango, they were an explosion of savory and sweetness in my mouth. Topped that with wasabi mayo, simply heavenly. Just don't think about the calories.

This dumpling reminds of of a bunny for some reason,

probably the pink bunny ears that caused it

The bunny dumpling turned out to be another one of spinach dumpling, it was good and very cute to look at.

The food kept on coming and we kept on munching away till one of the waiter came and informed us that they were taking the last order including dessert. Torn between desire to try more with a decreasing stomach space as well as the need to have dessert, we opted for dessert. After trying to decide was we wanted to order, we came up with a brilliant idea of ordering "everything on the dessert menu", swallow the pride and reveal the piglets in all of us to the waitresses.

Waitress: So, have you decided what would you like to order for dessert?

Us: Yes, could we have 'everything' on the dessert menu please... *innocently*

Waitress: .............. Uh, so three mango cream, three avocado cream....

Us: No! no, no, we just want one of each from the dessert menu... *grimace*

Waitress: Right, so one of each of everything from the dessert menu.

Us: Yes, thank you.... *duck heads*

"Everything" on the dessert menu: (Clockwise from bottom left corner) Warm soya been milk with tremella mushroom and glutinous rice dumplings, Chilled sour plum jelly with sliced guava, Pan fried Chinese pancake stuffed with red bean paste, Cream of avocado with walnut ice cream, Chilled cream of mango with pomelo, sago pearls and lime sorbet.

Chilled cream of mango with pomelo, sago pearls and lime sorbet

They gave us just enough time to settle our stomach before bringing the dessert in one big trays with a bang. Three of the desserts came with smoke spewing from its container giving it its wow effect. All eyes were turned and fixated to these desserts that were coming towards us. As soon as all 5 desserts, that is everything on the dessert menu, touched down on our table cameras started clicking eager to finish taking picture and revelling on the dessert.

The Avocado cream was much better than I expected, it reminded me of avocado juice that I used to have back home but much creamier with vanilla ice cream and walnut. The avocado scent sent pleasure signals up through your nostrils to your brain racing the signals sent from your taste buds.

Chilled sour plum jelly with sliced guava:

The chilled sour plum jelly was interesting but it was too sour for me.

Pan fried Chinese pancake stuffed with red bean paste

If you are feeling like some good dim sum in a place with good service and feeling like splurging and indulging yourself a little then this is the place for you. Just remember to bring an empty stomach and a huge appetite. Do make a booking, they have 2 seating times: 11 ~ 12.30 and 13.30 ~ 15.00. Buffet is SGD 45++, and you can order "everything" in the menu, like we did...

Cherry Garden
5 Raffles Avenue
5F Mandarian Oriental
+65 6885 3538