Some HK Food Pics + Buffets

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Some pics from my recent trip to HK.

1. Pineapple Bun with Butter or Po Lo Yau from Kim Wah

Po lo bao or pineapple bun is a popular snack in Hong Kong. Despite the name, there is actually no pineapple in it. The name comes from the crunchy top crust which looks like the skin of a pineapple. Yeah yeah, i'm 1 of those who used to think its made from pineapple ...

Rather than the plain po lo bao, i recommend you order it with butter, or po lo yau. Most places will serve it with a piece of butter stuffed into the middle of the bun. Just imagine the butter melting within the hot n fluffy bread

Tried a few po lo yau in HK, but the one which i really liked is from Kim Wah. Its so yummy tat I actually went there twice in the 4 days i was there

Kim Wah, a traditional HK Cha Chaan Teng. Biz must be good cos it stretches over 2 stores. Originally i was standing there n wondering which is the original one, until the lady at the take away counter told me they're all the same store.

If you go during peak hrs during breakfast, be prepared to 搭台 or share tables with others, a common HK practice

The star of the show - Mr 'Po Lo Yau'

The golden sweet flaky crust which just breaks apart as you bit into it ...

 

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The soft n fluffy bun underneath the crust

Yummy! The slightly savoury butter really balances out the sweet crust, n provides a nice contrast in flavor.

The bill for a po lo yau n a milk tea. Abt S$4, to me, its not cheap, but its a sinfully delicious indulgence ... Worth every single calorie!

It will be better if it is served hotter, so that the butter really melts. Now, its just served warm.

I heard their egg tarts are also very good. Gonna try them the next time i go

Click for goggle map :-
47 Bute St, Prince Edward, Hong Kong
Daily: 6.30am – 12 midnight
Nearest MTR: Prince Edward
Directions :- From Prince Edward MTR, exit via B2, then walk south along Sai Yeung Choi Street (西洋菜南街), then turn left into Bute St (粥街)

 

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2. Sunday Brunch at Wildgrass

1 of the 2 buffets i did in my 4 days trip in HK. Wildgrass is a restaurant that prides itself on using natural, sustainable ingredients and lovingly prepared by traditional slow cooking methods. They also serve OBE beef - wild, organic cattle that roams freely, grazing on grass. So is this merely hype or does it translate into better tasting food?

First off, some pics of the place.

Though a bit on the rustic side, this bright, airy n spacious restaurant provides a pleasant relief after a few days of eating at relatively cramped eatries.

The Sunday Brunch is a semi buffet in the sense that you only get to choose 1 appertiser and 1 dessert item. Luckily the main course items are unlimited

Sigh, everything looks good, but i can only choose 1

So i ended up with the organic poached egg benedict with cured bacon

Nicely executed egg benedict. Very nice wor. Literally wiped everything off the plate, including scooping up every bit of the golden yolk with the bread. I'm not really a organic fan, but maybe the organic thingy does translate into richer n more 'eggy' eggs. The tomatoes also very sweet without tat raw veg taste tat i normally get from small tomatoes here.

 

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Complimentary platter of bread with goats cheese. The breads are crusty n the cheese mildy stinky with a slightly sourish aftertaste. Not bad.

Now on to the main courses!!!

The meats ...

The halibut ...

Sides vegs n sauces

 

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For their Sunday Brunch, its an 'all you can stuff yourself' pig-out of ...

Organic beef rump

Organic roast chicken

Lamb leg

Crispy pork rib

Halibut

 

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Halibut - Looking forward to this as i was told by a friend tat halibut is a fatty fish which taste better than cod fish, my fav fish.

Not bad, it is indeed also a fatty fish, but i still prefer cod, which has a more creamy taste. Also, the first fish is a tad fishy. The 2nd fish is okay though.

Lamb - Nice lambey taste and not overcooked so reasonably tender. However, too lean for my liking.

Chicken - A bit disappointing as its slightly on the dry side. I like my chicks dripping wet

 

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Crispy porkie ... reasonable juicy, but some cuts can be too lean

The ribs taste better imo.

The highlight will be the beef. Nice cooked, juicy, tender, good beefy taste n fatty.

Had many, many, many slices

Bui bui too ...

Middle rare as i like it, pink pink n so juicy!

 

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Another item which i really like is the stewed veg, or ratatouille. Hope its not cooked by a rat, but given its so tasty, i dun really care even if its cooked by a rat

A refreshing tangy stew with a blend of contrasting textures provided by the sometimes mushy n sometimes crunchy veg ... sedap!


For desserts, you get to choose either their cheese platter or homemade dessert platter.

I went for the homemade dessert platter.

Brownie. Very chocolatey with a nice firm texture, not exactly moist, but not dry either. I likie.

Should be apple crumble, but it tasted more like tomato crumble. Slightly sourish but still pleasant, with a strandy, pulpy texture. Not bad.

The cookie has a nice crunch to it n buttery. Taste very 'fresh' to me

 

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Service is good, with the staff coming over often to enquire abt the meal etc.

I like the toilet too, with a oriental porcelain bowl as a washing basin

Sunday brunch cost HKD298 per pax (or HKD327.80 after 10% service charge, abt S$54). Again, not cheap, but the appertiser n dessert are both tasty. I esp liked the beef too, n given the quality of the meat served, i think it is worth it. I certainly enjoyed my brunch. However, if you do not eat beef, then you should give this a miss.

Note that they only serve the buffet for Sunday Brunch, on other days, its ala carte orders.

Oh yea, drinks not included, but got foc water. There is an option to top up for unlimited wines n drink iirc.

Click for goggle map :-
Wild Grass
1/F, 4-8 Arbuthnot Road,
Central, Hong Kong
Ph: +852 2810 1189
Directions :- I walked there from Central MTR since the weather is so nice n to work up an appetite, but the way is slightly complicated. Might be better to just grab a cab from Central MTR. Just look out for the Wildgrass sign along the stretch of shophouse.

 

[Toons]

To be continued.

Try try, dunno how a panoramic pic will appear here ... its a panoramic view of victoria harbour from Tsim Sha Tsui side btw.

 

[Toons]

3. Congee from Mui Kee

Frankly, i'm not a congee person, cos i prefer food with stronger flavours n dun look or taste like baby vomit ...

However, a friend repeatedly urged me to try the congee in HK, esp the '及弟粥' or congee with pig's innards/viscera/organs ... whichever you prefer

Well, I'm still not tat keen, but since i managed to find a 'well reviewed' congee stall in the vicinity of Kim Wah (refer to item 1), so i decided to give it a try since its on the way.

Initially, i had difficulty finding the stall *not tat disappointed * Spotted a wet market though, so i happily went in for a look ... lo n behold ... tats the stall on the 2nd floor selling cooked food. Oh well, maybe its fated.

Place has a serene n tranquil calm with folks sipping their tea, snacking on their dim sum n listening to their song birds ...

Here is the stall ... no, i dun know if the lady is the 'sister' in the '妹记' ...

Like i said, the stall is 'well reviewed'.

 

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So does the stall have the goods to back up the hype? Lets find out ... but first, the menu to order the goods

They have menus in various languages Dunno why the guy gave me one in Jap ... but heres one which i am most comfortable with

The '鱼片及第粥' or congee with sliced grass fish n pig's innards which i ordered. Looks unassuming at first look.

Lets see what good stuff is hidden underneath the plain exterior ...

Okay, as mentioned earlier, i am not a congee person, so i dunno if the congee is really good. So i will just describe how i find it. There is a sweet flavour in the congee. Its basically rice boiled in fish stock/broth afterall. The ingredients used are quite fresh, so you dun get the unpleasant fishy smell or uncleaned pig's offal smell. The congee is cooked to a good consistency. Thick n yet smooth n soft ... '绵滑'.

Not bad lar, i enjoyed eating it, except for the sliced ginger which they added into the congee. I dun like to eat ginger

Btw, i heard tat their fresh fish skin n meat balls congee also not bad. Will try the next time i go.

Click for goggle map:-
Mui Kee Congee
Shop11-12,4/F, Fa Yuen St Market, Mong Kok
旺角花園街市政大廈4樓熟食中心11-12舖
Nearest MTR : Mong Kok MTR
Directions : From Mon Kok MTR exit B2, walk along Fife St (快富街), then turn left at Fa Yuen St (花园街) OR
you can simply walk down after your visit to Kim Wah

 

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Some pics from roadside stall i ate at. Its a chilly morning, n when i passed by this stall with this hot n steamy skewers ... paiseh, forgot wat they called it locally ... really cannot resist ordering some to try.

The ones on the stick are dry fried.

The pig innards are well cleaned n braised then they're quite tender n flavourfully. Not bad.

Esp like the beef tummy

My prison cell for 4 nites. Small, but really cheap though

 

[soggy_hASHbrown]

bookmark!!!!! going in 3 weeks time.

 

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bookmark!!!!! going in 3 weeks time.

I'll be going again from 26 Feb to 2 Mar too. Hope to catch the last of the cold weather.

 

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4. Wanton Noodles from Mak Man Kee (麥文記)

Well, wanton noodles are 1 of the 'must tries' in HK, so here i am. Plus this place is beside 澳洲牛奶公司, which i am dying to renew my love affair with their double skinned steamed milk which started in Macau

麥文記, dunno why they called it Mak Man Kee instead of Mak Wen Kee. Anyways, there are actually 2 stores bearing similar names. I chose the 'older' *more traditional looking to be polite* store with more ppl

Their wanton noodle with soup. Nice noodles ... springy, but i dun like the soup. Other than a slight alkaline taste, there are not much other flavours in the soup.

The dumplings ... wow oh wow ... smooth n thin dumpling skin, coupled with 3 fresh n succulent prawns. The wantons or dumplings (they're the same right? ) here are really good.

 

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Dunno how they stuffed 3 prawns in Yes, this is all the fillings from just ONE dumpling ...

Sigh, in SG, sometimes you can't even find 1 whole prawn in 1 dumpling

Also ordered their pig trotters. Not too meaty, but with lots of chewy but still tender skin n collagen *fats*.

The gravy is sedap! I actually fished out the noodles n drizzle the gravy over them

Click for Google Map :-
Mak Man Kee Noodles (麥文記麵家)
51 Parkes Street, Jordan
Nearest MTR : Jordan MTR
Directions : From Jordan MTR exit via C2, then walk along Bowring St away fron the main road (Nathan Rd). Turn right into Parkes Street.

If you are heading there, dun forget to check out Australian Diary Co., which is just next door. I'll be posting abt it in my next post

 

[cheong79]

Nice detail. Bookmarked.

 

[Joelleyuan]

Australian Dairy Co.! always my first stop for food when i go HK!

 

[rotiboyz]

For their Sunday Brunch, its an 'all you can stuff yourself' pig-out of ...

Organic beef rump

Organic roast chicken

Lamb leg

Crispy pork rib

Halibut

the food looks real yummy