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Reviews of Hong Kong restaurants & bars
The Unexpected
These are the weird and wonderful treats that surprised, blind-sided and crept up on us unaware this year. Try them, if for no other reason than for bragging rights.
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$220 cuppa coffee at Caprice
Kopi Luwak is a coffee bean harvested by picking through the shit of Indonesian civet cats. The animals eat the coffee berries then secrete the bean, which is subsequently cleaned and roasted for brewing. You can have a cup at the Caprice Bar adjacent to the restaurant if you don’t want to splash out on a full meal in the restaurant. 6/F, Four Seasons Hong Kong, 8 Finance St, Central, 3196 8888.
Charcoal-grilled chicken satay from Thai Fast Food
Ten dollars buys you a stick of moist chicken tenders grilled to order. Choose to coat your nuggets with peanut-satay or spicy chilli sauce. It’s our kinda grab’n’go food. Nibble on a stick while taking a stroll down Lockhart Road to enjoy the lively scenery. $10 per stick. G/F, 48A Luard Rd, Wan Chai, 2529 6378.
Waterless chicken and wintermelon soup at Ying Yang
Chef Margaret Xu makes her own brandy in large glass buckets. She also makes a waterless chicken and wintermelon soup, where the meat and melon are steamed for hours as they excrete their juices to create a delicious broth. Everything is made to order in this little farmhouse tucked in a small turn-of-thecentury village, where life is simple and woks are lit by scrap wood. Charming as hell. G/F, 18 Ship St, Wan Chai, 2866 0868.
Deep-fried pig’s intestine with chilli sauce at Yunyan Szechuan
Yunyan Szechuan is repeatedly voted by magazines and food bloggers as the best Szechuan diner in Hong Kong. If you like your tongue to be in that state between comfort and burnt, give in to this deep-fried pig’s intestine with chili sauce dish. The intestine is crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. There is an intense porcine flavour, and the strong peppery aftertaste will linger in your mouth for days. ($72.) Shop A, 4/F, Miramar Shopping Centre, 132 Nathan Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, 2375 0800.
French-Vietnamese style sandwiches at Tim Kee
It sounds a bit odd, but Tim Kee’s combination of duck liver, pickled carrots, Vietnamese sausage and pig trotter sandwiched in a fresh baguette baked to order is out of this world. Despite the pickled ingredients and processed meats, the sandwich tastes fresh to the bite – and well worth the $20 price tag. G/F, Man Yiu Building, 30A Man Yuen St, Yau Ma Tei, 2385 7939.
Jelly sand worm at Mun Nam Restaurant
Don’t let the shabby exterior (or shabby interior for that matter) put you off. This Fujian restaurant serves up regional favorites including jelly sand worm terrine with a soy chilli sauce – admittedly, it’s not for the faint hearted. No English menu. $6 each. G/F, Tung Fat Bldg, Block A, 25 Kamm Ping St (near Sunbeam Theatre), North Point, 2807 2168.
Jugged rabbit and a bottle of Portuguese red at Alfonso III
Alfonso III’s rabbit stew is a “seasonal dish”, meaning whenever grumpy-but-loveable old rogue Alfonso can get his hoary hands on some from the local wet market (generally in the autumn). But when it’s on the menu, you’re in for a treat. A warming dish of succulent chunks of bunny braised with cream, potatoes, carrots, celery, button mushrooms, bacon bits, lots of butter, and a splosh of Madeira. Goes well with a bottle of red from Portugal’s Dao region and the chunk of crusty fresh-baked bread that will be thumped down on the table next to you by one of the usually surly – though occasionally coquettish – Nepali waitresses. $120 for the rabbit (when in season) and $170 for a bottle of red. 11 Rua Central, Macau, (853) 2858 6272.
Stir-fried milk at Fung Shing Restaurant
You’ve probably had this dish before but didn’t know it was stir-fried milk. Chinese cuisine is not noted for its usage of dairy products so this dish definitely stands out on the menu. You can’t really taste the milk, but rather it provides the texture and works as a delivery system for whatever ingredients it is cooked with. Try the scrambled egg whites for starters. ($80.) G/F & 1/F, 62-68 Java Rd, North Point, 2578 4898.
Turtle shell with herb jelly at Kung Lee
The Chinese believe jelly made from boiling turtles is good for the skin and curing throat aliments. Okay, we admit the black turtle jelly smells vile and taste bitter as hell. But it is one to try for the “been there, ate that” foodie. Don’t forget to add some sweetener (a self-service jar of syrup can be found on the tables). ($12.) G/F, 60 Hollywood Rd, Soho, 2544 3571.
Korean Fried Chicken at Chill Out Bar
This fried chicken is the perfect balance between spicy, sweet, crunchy and tender. The recipe comes from New York’s famous 32nd street, otherwise known as Koreatown. The pieces of chicken are twice-fried to golden amber, then a special sauce is brushed on. A thin crispy layer offers insulation to the juicy morsel of meat, and it is made to be scoffed with lots of cold beer. Finger lickin’ good. ($58.) G/F, 31 Staunton St, Soho, 2869 6555.
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