Wu Kong Shanghai
A Lonely Planet recommendation, this non-descript Chinese restaurant is located in the basement of a shopping complex off Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui. I went with my friend from back home, Andy, and his lovely wife, Karla. We ordered the pigeon in wine sauce and the braised eels, as mentioned in Lonely Planet. Additionally, we ordered some Chinese cabbage and a stir-fried beef dish. The pigeon was served cold and had a surprising healthy amount of meat on it. The wine sauce that went with it was delicious. The eel dish was served with a bean sprout like vegetable and was OK, though I didn't care for the softer braised texture of the eels. The other dishes nothing special. The bill for three, including beers, came to roughly $70, moderate by Hong Kong standards, but I have had much better Chinese meals in the past few months for a fraction of the price. My friend did seem to enjoy everything, but he is a white boy from Orange County, so take that for what it's worth.
I give it a 7/10.
Chungking Mansions, Random Indian Place
On Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, there is a notorious building known as the Chungking Mansions, where all the cheapest guesthouses and hostels are located. It is easy enough to find, because any time you walk by you are accosted by throngs of Indian, Pakistani, and African street hustlers trying to get you to stay in their hostel or to buy a new suit. As it turns out, the shopping complex on the first floor of the building also has a number of cheap and awesome Indian food stands. Traveling through China, I'd been craving some real curry for ages. A couple of the Chinese interpretations of "curry" that I had tried had left me on food tilt. Walking into the cramped dining area, you are immediately taken aback by the overwhelming aroma of Indian spices. I ordered some goat curry and rice from the food counter. It was not the freshest of food (it had been sitting under the heat lamp for a while and had to be microwaved before being served), but I imagine the truckloads of spice they cram into it helps it retain its flavor. Traveling through Sichuan, I've had my share of spicy food over the past couple months, but the goat curry I had here knocked my socks off. The curry, a vegetable and curry nan, and an iced lemon tea came to about $9.
After taking off a point for the lack of ambience (you are eating in a cramped and dirty storeroom-like space, surrounded by street touts) I give it an 7/10.
Spring Deer
After taking the trouble to track down this restaurant, known for having the best roast duck in Hong Kong, I made one of the principal mistakes of food tripping. Rather than ordering the dish that the restaurant is known for, I strayed off the path and ordered some other menu items instead. The roast duck was only served whole and cost about $40. I didn't think that my mom and I could finish it, so I ordered a few smaller dishes instead. We ordered some battered shrimp, a deep fried mutton dish, and some stir fried vegetables. The food was extremely greasy and salty, and I honestly didn't care for any of it. In fairness to Spring Deer, there were hordes of Chinese people there and they all seemed to be enjoying the food. Of course, all of them had a big delicious looking roast duck in front of them. The bill for the three dishes ended up being around $40 anyway. Should've ordered the duck!
I give it an interim rating of 4/10, with another trip pending when you can be damn sure I will be ordering the duck.
Maxim's Palace, City Hall
I've been wanting to visit this dim sum joint since I first saw it on No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain, but on my previous trips to Hong Kong I hadn't been able to find it. It is located on Hong Kong Island, about a five minute walk from the Star Ferry Pier, on the third floor of the City Hall building. Arriving at noon for dim sum, we had to take a number and wait for about 40 minutes. The restaurant is huge, with an elegant decor and a window overlooking Victoria Harbor. Servers do laps around the dining hall pushing food carts with the various dim sum items. There is an outstanding variety of items to choose from, and I would really like to make another trip there to try some of the things I didn't get around to. Off the top of my head, we had fried taro dumplings (awesome!), vegetables dumplings, fried shrimp patties, Chinese cabbage, BBQ spare ribs, and mango pudding. The bill came to about $40 for two people. Not cheap! Almost as expensive as the Capital Seafood at Diamond Jamboree in Irvine, except the food is good and you have a view of Victoria Harbor rather than the mini-mall parking lot.
A bit expensive and maybe not worth the hassle on a regular basis, but definitely worth a visit and a solid 8/10.
Hui Lau Shan
I'm not sure that it really fits here, but I must put in a good word for Hui Lau Shan, a Hong Kong based desert chain that sells awesome mango deserts. They sell a variety of mango drinks that have big chunks of mango, sago balls, jelly, bird's nest, and other assorted goodies. My favorite is the mango, coconut milk, and sago drink. It sounds a bit funky, but Andy liked it too, so it's white person approved. One drink goes for $2-$3.
An enthusiastic 9/10!
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I'm about to board a Chongqing River cruise for three days with not much to do all day but sit on a boat, so hopefully I can catch up on my blogging. Next up will be a food guide to Macau...
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