[Hong Kong] Trip Planning

I am so there, thanks for the idea!! We will be HKG for our company’s annual CNY dinner in mid-January.

Any ideas for where to go for braised (savory) pomelo skins? I’ve enjoyed them in HK before, but they are not always readily available. Grandmother used to make this after CNY (can’t let the skins go to waste), and I never learned to appreciate them then.

This question is made for @klyeoh as it’s his favorite Cantonese dish.

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This year I had pomelo skins in Xin Dau Ji (Causeway Bay), quite disappointing, not much taste, the seasoning didn’t really get in the core of the skin. I remembered years ago, I had Pomelo peel with dried shrimp roe in Wai Kee, it was made in traditional way and was delicious. I didn’t remember what other dishes I ate, the general impression was the meal was quite okay, I remembered well this skin dish. Wai Kee is a Chinese Muslim eatery and is located in Wanchai Cooked food centre (borderline of Wanchai and Causeway Bay, not too far from Times Square).

Wai Kee
Shop 5, Bowrington Road Cooked Food Centre,
1/F, Bowrington Road Market,
21 Bowrington Road,
Wan Chai
Tel: 2574 1131
Opening Hours
Mon-Sun 11:00-18:00

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My fave version of “lok yau pei” with shrimp roe is from Fu Sing at Wanchai. I’d been going back there for the same dish the past decade, and the dish still tastes exactly the same each time - so I surmise the same chef is still there, as I can usually detect if someone else has taken over the kitchens.

I’d also had the dish at Tim’s Kitchen in Sheung Wan - my HK cousins think it’s “more authentic” and tasted like the dish they remembered from their childhood (my cousins are about my age group, i.e. late-40s to early-50s), but I felt the dried shrimp roe taste was more intense & saltier at Tim’s Kitchen.

I’d had a satisfactory version at Tasty Congee & Noodle Wonton Shop at IFC Mall - but theirs lacked the depth of flavours I find at Fu Sing.

I have to crack my head to remember a few other places’ renditions which I had - will revert to you again here.

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Thanks!! We will be staying in MongKok the first week, then moving over to the Crowne Plaza Causeway Bay for the second week. Marked Fu Sing on Google maps, and only 11 Minutes away by foot.

My office is in Shatin, so we’ve been staying mostly in TST and Shatin area. We do spend some time on the island every year during our annual visit, but this will be my first hotel stay on HK Island in about 20 years.

We just got the Hong Kong E-Channel immigration expedite, so will probably do a day or two in Macao as well. So much food, so little time!!

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Also, don’t miss Fu Sing’s noodle dish with crabmeat in a cream-coloured sauce, tinged with Shaoxing wine - I always order that. It’s a portion for 2-3 people, like the waiter(s) used to remind me. I always finish it on my own. If I go with someone else, we need to get a larger portion meant for 4-6 :smiley:

Again, for the past 10 years or more, the taste of this dish has not changed one iota. And it’s still the best-tasting noodle dish I’d ever had, EVER.

Fu Sing’s braised pomelo skin with dried shrimp roe:

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HKD$15 for Pomelo Peel w/Dried Shrimp Roe?? Everything else on the menu looks good also. So there!!

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The same pomelo skin & shrimp roe dish at Tasty Congee and Noodle at IFC Mall - I had this two years back.
Overly-salty and one-dimensional in taste. But I still finished most of the dish (my 3 dining companions simply chose to ignore it after an initial taste) as I love this dish, even if poorly-executed.

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Have you been to the one in Causeway Bay? I am curious how does it compare to Wanchai…

@Google_Gourmet And don’t miss the char siu too if you go.

Curious what are you planning to eat while you are there?

sck - No, I’d not. I was discouraged from doing so by fellow CHs who’d recommended me to the Wanchai outlet in the first place. They all seemed to be less than satisfied with the Causeway Bay outlet for some reason.

I’m glad you asked “what”, rather than “where”. One of my weak points is I do not have any patience with lines, which pretty much rules out the must go hot eateries. I do my pre-trip research on my computer, and star (save) and label places that look good. When I am in a certain area, I bring up Google maps and see what stars are nearby.

I’m looking forward to eating pigeon (squab), groupa, goose webs/abalone/shitake, pomelo skin, char siu, roast duck, claypot rice, frog, snake liquor, etc… Of course, every morning will be jook/you jow gui, cheong fun or some dim sum. We will be hitting lots of won ton joints. Love me some beef brisket, tendon, offal and all the simple items that these stores offer. I think one has to work very hard to find any wonton joint in Hong Kong that is less than very good. I don’t demand “the very best in show”, very good works well for me.

Since this is ostensibly a business trip, we do have a little structure.

Our annual CNY banquet is at Dragon Seal in the Elements this year. Our annual CNY parties are traditionally in the Lei Garden Elements, but the boss is going all out since this marks the 20th year of our founding. We’ll also have at least a couple of dim sum lunches at the Lei Garden Shatin, near our office.

The boss usually takes us to Royal China Aqua Garden in Tai Po for a casual dinner when we are in town. A nice oasis from the hustle and bustle of TST, MongKok or even Shatin. Nice spacious room, well spaced out tables, beautiful patio/garden with a view of Mainland China across the bay. Live tanks outside, very courteous service. Food is also very good, just a bit “fussy” for me.

I haven’t been to Macao for over 20 years, and looking forward to doing a day trip or two to revisit. Been watching a few Macao street food youtube videos, and feel primed for some walking, sightseeing and eating.

http://www.dragonsealhk.com/en/about.php

Thanks sck and klyeoh for all your previous work. Now that we are travelling a 3~5 times a year for pleasure (food), its great fun to get an expanded idea of where and what to eat.

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For garoupa, it might make sense to book a table at a white tablecloth establishment instead lining up. Our experience is that where garoupa is sold by weight is where we can count on it being perfectly steamed. That said, eat well . . . everywhere

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Google_Gourmet - one note of caution about any plans to dine in Macao. Unlike two (or even one) decades back, you’ll have to book ahead if you’re planning to dine at any of the better-known restaurants.

I go to Macao almost every other year. Last Oct, we were turned way from the first 3 restaurants we’d planned to visit on our itinerary because we thought since it’s a Wednesday (middle of the work week), we could do an early lunch walk-in - we wanted to be flexible during our walk around Macao, so didn’t want to make advanced reservations. Bad idea! :frowning:

Very disappointed, I’d wanted to try Robuchon au Dôme which was atop this awful-looking building designed by one of my HK cousins :smiley: :smiley:

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No worries. We have no plans to dine at any of the higher end restaurants. We’re not backpackers, by any means. That said, we just like to just walk/explore and absorb the different neighborhoods and street foods.

Short story. My first trip to Macao, many years ago. My trading partners took me to a serious Macao restaurant. I suppose that was a sort of rite of passage when they asked if I liked worms. Of course, I agreed (not mentioning that I liked worms for fishing bait!!)

As the guest of honor, I had the privilege of sampling the steaming first bite. Yum, I think I said. The table relaxed, and the alpha diner took his first bite. He was polite enough to not spew his first bite all over the table. He did scream bloody hell and the captains all came rushing over. Apparently, the worms were spoiled. How the F did I know?? Tasted like worms to me.

Secondly. After dinner, my colleagues insisted we go for massages. Regular or Shanghai, winkwink*? I opted for regular. A memorable night in the Portuguese enclave.

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So, they were being “nasty” to you. I can’t imagine bringing a foreign guest and asking him to eat worms!! Even Singaporeans and Malaysians would hurl at that, let alone a Westerner!

That said, I’m the adventurous diner (NONE of my other Singaporean colleagues were, so they tend to look away when I eat something disgusting when we’re in China) - so I did have sandworms before in Guangzhou. Cooked, they were okay - looked and tasted like rigatoni. Alive - at the display cases we saw on the way out, they did look nasty.

I don’t think so. This was my first meal in Macao, but I’d eaten with these same associates a few times before in Hong Kong and they are familiar with my tastes and limitations. They’ve always been gracious hosts and appreciative dining companions.

As I recall, the restaurant was very classic Macao and the menu had mostly classic dishes, mainly because they haven’t felt the need to change the menu every year to chase the foodie dollar. The worm dish was a restaurant speciality. If I see the worm casserole dish again in Macao, I’m in.

From the Wall Street Journal: “I got an herb-laced egg casserole infused with the muddy flavor of imperceptibly soft silk worms.”

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Heard of her or her “Chinese hamburger”? It has pork belly.
Read the rest on BBC.

Another article about her. http://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1779988/interview-hong-kong-chef-may-chow-parisian-food-shows

I don’t know her name at all. The bao trend start a few years ago by David Chang isn’t stoppable. There is even a 1 star Michelin French chef selling baos in Paris as fast food these days.

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My husband who likes trying all types of food, regret of not eating them when we found them alive in a market in Hanoi and the cooked version in Bangkok. Both time, it wasn’t meal time and he wasn’t hungry.

Personally, it’s not something I can imagine eating…