HK airport popeye’s

finally it was time to check out hotel & return to singapore, on 24.2.2017.

that concluded our 5 day hong kong eat & hike, 31 blog posts in all including this post.

it was really enjoyable. we were totally relaxed, and did only things we felt like doing, and ate what we felt like eating. ^^

we actually did more visits & walking than was initially planned-

1. we did the Panoramic, Serene, Contemplative Peak Circle Walk on Day 1
2. not so much hiking but nice Cheung Chau Island Walk 长洲岛一游 on Day 2
3. an unplanned tour of The Magnificent Tian Tan Buddha aka Big Buddha 天坛大佛 at ngong ping. & last but not least;
4. & a wonderful, kind of unexpected Dragon’s Back Shek O Peak Hike 

HK airport popeye’s

and of course we ate about all the food we had wanted to try –

1. we had Hong Kong’s best roast goose @ Yat Lok Stanley Street
2. top value HK$118 for 1/2 roast goose & HK$58 for 1 kg steamed live garoupa @ Tao Heung 稻香 Tsimshatsui
3. the famed Hong Kong Tai Cheong egg tarts @ Tai Cheong Bakery 泰昌饼家
4. the best congee & braises @ 振记粥面店 at chueng chau market
5. wonderful claypot rice HK$480 set inner for 4pax @ Chuen Moon Kee 銓满记 
6. very good congee @ Mui Kee Congee 妹記生滾粥品
7. wonderful beef brisket noodles @ 牛棚粉麵專家
8. good walnut & sesame paste dessert @ Hoi Kee Walnut Place 海記合桃坊甜
9. most satisfying daipaidong meal in Hong Kong @ Minsheng Daipaidong 民声冰室
10. great polo buns with Butter 菠萝油 @ Kam Wah Cafe 金华冰厅

and now, it’s time to return Singapore, happy & fulfilled, relishing the new memories of a wonderful time together for 4 OPS buddies.

for this trip, we also managed to get S$310pax promo SQ airtickets, and booked a very convenient metropark hotel located almost next to prince edward mtr station, and costing just HK$550nett/room night.

at the airport, one friend went to buy some fried chicken & chips from popeye’s. for me, after putting on easily 2kg – 3kg during the few days, it was time to reduce intake & manage weight – ironic but necessary. a matter of selective diet & weight management.

c.h.e.f andy

Great polo buns with butter 菠萝油 @ Kam Wah Cafe 金华冰厅

we leaving for singapore today on 24.2.2016. checking out at 12pm & then taking a taxi to airport. so no plans to go too far, just relaxed.

we had a good polo bun 菠萝包 at hong lin restaurant 康年餐厅 the other day. the friend who sleeps late did not try it, so we thought of going back.

on the way we passed by kam wah cafe 金华茶餐厅. good traffic but there was no queue. so quite suits us.

this supposed to be the best polo bun restaurant in hong kong, according to some reviews.  my RI group was not too impressed the last time we were here. anyhow a revisit was surely in order. 🙂

polo buns with butter 菠萝油 @ Kam Wah Cafe 金华冰厅

this time, maybe i beginning to take some liking to polo buns since i shared a 1/4 at hong lin restaurant 康年餐厅, i actually quite enjoyed it.

i shared 1/2 this time. i think can do one next time la… haha!

we ordered 3 polo buns with butter 菠萝油, one french toast & egg tarts.

Kam Wah Cafe 金华冰厅

Kam Wah Cafe 金华冰厅

the place had a good crowd.

the server very chatty & chat up a conversation with my 2 cantonese friends. i think that made the breakfast more fun & enjoyable too.

egg toast

the egg toast/french toast quite good, not my kind of food though.

egg tart

the egg tart passable but not in the same league as tai cheong egg tarts.

pastry not so crimbly & not so tasty. egg custard itself ok i guess, somehow overall not as good, maybe psychological??

this time my breakfast quite enjoyable. my friends actually thought the polo buns with butter 菠萝油 here better than hong lin restaurant 康年餐厅. i can’t really tell, but i enjoyed it both times.

eat less enjoy more???

c.h.e.f andy

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Kam Wah Cafe 金华冰厅

black sesame tau huay @ hoe kee dessert 浩记甜品馆

after the expensive but quite good dinner at Pak Loh Chiu Chow restaurant 百樂潮洲酒家,

we walked through MOKO mall to the overhead covered walkway linking to mongkok station to fa yuen street.

i found hoe kee dessert 浩记甜品馆 on fa yuen street just some steps from the staircase.

hoe kee dessert 浩记甜品馆 was the place my RI group had very good dessert that we went back again – 10.1.2016 then 13.1.2016.

today though somehow could not relived the experience.

i took the black sesame tau huay. it was ok just nothing great. in fact i did not finish it.

somehow the paste糊 was smooth but diluted & not thick enough & could not really compare with that at hoi kee walnut place 海記合桃坊甜品, which was the best i had so far this trip.

i think another friend had the walnut paste, and likewise it was the same, not quite as good.

red bean soup @ hoe kee dessert 浩记甜品馆

my friend took his usual red bean soup, 陈皮红豆汤. i think it was ok.

some lotus seed dessert? @ hoe kee dessert 浩记甜品馆

another friend took some lotus dessert, i think, couldn’t really recall. it was ok too.

i wonder why the experience was so distinctly different.

looking back at the photos i huessed partly depends on what we ordered. the last time i had a very nice mango cheng chow with lotus 芒果凉粉加莲子 & we added dumplings 汤圆.

that would not have changed the conclusion on the quality of the paste糊, but perhaps would give a better overall experience.

c.h.e.f andy

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Hoe Kee Dessert 浩记甜品馆 

queueing for bus no. 9 at shaukeiwan bus terminus going to toteiwan trailhead

after a simple & nice fun cheong breakfast at Superior Steamed Rice Roll Pro Shop 第一肠粉,

we took the mtr to shaukeiwan station to catch the bus to toteiwan trailhead to hike up dragon’s back trail to Shek O peak & down. 🙂

at first i wasn’t sure we were doing this hike this trip, since the guys did not walk the cheung chau coast & mini greatwall, which were easy by comparison to dragon’s back.

bus no. 9 at shaukeiwan bus terminus going to toteiwan trailhead

shaukeiwan station is also the bus terminus. we boarded bus no. 9 to toteiwan trailhead.

the last time i came for this hike was with my RI buddies on 12.1.2016.

toteiwan trailhead to dragon’s back shek o trail

we followed the hong kong trail up to dragon’s back. we started at 9.56am.

dragon’s back trail – going up

dragon’s back trail – going up

some steeper climbs at the beginning.

dragon’s back trail – going up

not too difficult, about 1km up & 2.8km down.

but it was very foggy, so there was not much views to see at the vantage points.

dragon’s back trail – going up

dragon;s back trail – going up

the initial climb was also a little humid, so slightly oppressive.

dragon’s back trail – going up

nearer Shek O peak.

dragon’s back trail – going direction of tai tam gap

Shek O Peak = 284m

soon we were at Shek O peak at 284m. time was 10,41am, so we took about 45mins from toteiwan trailhead.

our mischievous friend added a 1 using rolled-up tissue before taking photo, to give the effect 1284m. he whatsapped photo to OPS group whatsapp. no one picked that up though,,,haha!

dragon’s back trail – more ups & downs

after Shek O peak, there were still many ups & downs. so it was not just a simple downward stroll….

dragon’s back = very foggy day

& still totally cloaked in fog.

dragon’s back trail – more ups & downs

some more ups & downs.

dragon’s back – the way down

dragon’s back – the way down

after that going down was quite steep, and my friends were saying if we came up from the cape collinson side, it would be a tougher climb.

toteiwan trailhead to cape collinson

so we got down at cape collinson next to the tai tam gap correctional institution at 11.52, about 1hr 56mins.

& took the same bus no. 9 back to shaukeiwan mtr station.

after taking a walk around shaukeiwan’s street market, we took mtr to tin hau & walked 9mins to 民声冰室 daipaidong at 16wun sha street 浣纱街.

a very enjoyable & healthy hike & exercise, only thing was the quite heavy foggy day, so there was like almost no views & look outs at all.

c.h.e.f andy

braised goose (regular portion) 鲁鹅例 = HK$198

after the nice dessert at hoi kee walnut place 海記合桃坊甜品,

we walked over to the shop 楼上(level 22 at the block opposite metropark hotel) which sells dried goods like scallops, mushrooms, sea cucumber, chinese sausage etc & also some chilled & frozen stuff. i bought some flower mushrooms & expensive pine nuts for wife.

after that we went back hotel for rest, drink some kungfu tea 功夫茶 (i brought my traveling 功夫茶kit which sis bought for me), internet, chitchat etc..

Pak Loh Chiu Chow restaurant 百樂潮洲酒家

6pm+ we went out for dinner.

i at first suggested a place in mongkok where they have promotions like some HK$178 lobster dish & HK$128 garoupa dish.

not as good as the top value deal at tao heung = HK$58 garoupa & HK$118 1/2 roast goose, but we already had that the other night.

my friends suggested to go to a teochew restaurant. they were just being nice to me.

i didn’t want to go far like chao inn 潮樓 at 九龍觀塘觀塘道. food there is like passable to above average though very cheap.

anyhow after googling i decided to try Pak Loh Chiu Chow restaurant 百樂潮洲酒家. it is at MOKO Mall next to royal plaza hotel. i thought it may not be too expensive, being located in a mall.

Pak Loh Chiu Chow restaurant 百樂潮洲酒家

Pak Loh Chiu Chow restaurant 百樂潮洲酒家

of course, upon entering, it was quite obvious that this place was on the posh side.

it was quite full though, so no lacking people with lots of money to throw….

braised goose 鲁鹅 @ Pak Loh Chiu Chow restaurant 百樂潮洲酒家

a look at the menu confirmed it-

• braised goose 鲁鹅 was like HK$588 for one, HK$298 for 1/2 or the like. i ordered just a regular portion, & that was HK$198.
• just recap 1/2 roast goose at tao heung was HK$118 promo price, without promo it would have been HK$188.
• & likewise all the other dishes.

i didn’t want to walk out, afterall we are focused on having a fun, relaxed holiday & not be bothered with these stuff. so 既来之则安之 & enjoy the place & food & evening la.

but i also didn’t want to pay ridiculous prices when there are so many cheap & good alternatives in hong kong, so has to be strategic in my orders.

braised goose (regular portion) 鲁鹅例 = HK$198

so i ordered-

1. braised goose (regular portion) 鲁鹅例 = HK$198
2. claypot bittergourd pork ribs 苦瓜炆排骨 ＝ HK$108
3. prawn paste claypot lettuce = HK$98
4. olive vegetable fried rice – 橄榄菜肉碎芥兰粒炒饭 = HK$98

luckily – the dishes were all nice, so to the restaurant’s credit, the food was good restaurant standard.

the braised goose 鲁鹅was good – tender, nice flavour. it was good, but not like fantastic, and for such a portion, maybe HK$98 – HK$128max is what i would pay.

claypot bittergourd pork ribs 苦瓜炆排骨 ＝ HK$108

the claypot bittergourd pork ribs 苦瓜炆排骨 was also good & tasty.

claypot bittergourd pork ribs 苦瓜炆排骨 ＝ HK$108

i love this dish.

at first i thought it was the black bean sauce bittergourd fried pork ribs preparation. it didn’t say black beans in the menu.

claypot bittergourd pork ribs 苦瓜炆排骨 ＝ HK$108

and of course, the soupy claypot bittergourd pork ribs 苦瓜炆排骨is a standard teochew dish very popular in hong kong restaurants & daipaidong.

claypot bittergourd pork ribs 苦瓜炆排骨 ＝ HK$108

i enjoyed this dish very much, and my friends did too. one even said the bittergourd not bitter, but actually the slight distinct bitter taste was what made it so tasty.

prawn paste claypot lettuce = HK$98

the prawn paste claypot lettuce i was not familiar, but it was very good too.

olive vegetable fried rice – 橄榄菜肉碎芥兰粒炒饭 = HK$98

and i absolutely loved the rice. great wok hae, tasty, singular grains, not mushy.

olive vegetable fried rice – 橄榄菜肉碎芥兰粒炒饭 = HK$98

& that is something i can make at home too, quite easily. i have the 橄榄菜.

olive vegetable fried rice – 橄榄菜肉碎芥兰粒炒饭 = HK$98

so nice, i definitely making this la!

bill @ Pak Loh Chiu Chow restaurant 百樂潮洲酒家

so the bill was like HK$634, say about S$120 for 4pax. overall price not that ex, but that was also what i meant by strategic ordering.

so i ordered a carb (fried rice), a veg, a soup cum veg cum meat, and a braised goose (the defining teochew dish), and that was actually quite enough to fill up 4 of us. even though we could have eaten more, it was quite enough.

c/w say tao heung, where we paid HK$521 for 1/2 roast goose, 1kg steamed garoupa, 1/2 chicken which we didn’t eat much & didn’t need, & others etc.

so in perspective, the overall dining experience at Pak Loh Chiu Chow restaurant 百樂潮洲酒家  actually not bad, but then we could have easily spent double that, & then probably not so fun. whereas spending HK$634 for this dinner was quite enjoyable, i would feel constrained if i come again. on balance, probably not come again!

don’t like the feeling of paying just for paying sake!

c.h.e.f andy

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核桃芝麻糊 walnut black sesame paste

after our most satisfying meal in hong kong @ minsheng daipaidong 民声冰室 :-), we took mtr back to prince edward station.

hoi kee walnut place 海記合桃坊甜品

just nice to try out dessert at this hoi kee walnut place 海記合桃坊甜品, which was recommended by our companion who was recently came here with his wife & friends.

hoi kee walnut place 海記合桃坊甜品

hoi kee walnut place 海記合桃坊甜品

hoi kee walnut place 海記合桃坊甜品 is located at 232 Sai Yeung Choi St, very near to our metropark hotel.

核桃糊 walnut paste

we ordered the 核桃糊 walnut paste, afterall this place is “walnut place 合桃坊甜品”.

this is so far the best dessert shop as 糊 or paste goes, very smooth & thick not diluted & flavourful.

核桃芝麻糊 walnut & black sesame paste

2 of us also ordered the 核桃芝麻糊 walnut black sesame paste. my one came also with 2 mochi 汤圆.^^

presentation not that great, they did not bother to make it wing yong 鸳鸯, the 八卦shape like some places or like steamboats. i though it was very easy to do, just use separators??

taste & texture were great, that’s what count la….

cha cha

one friend ordered the cha cha, somehow hong kong has some adulterated version of our bobor chacha…it also uses coconut milk, and has yam, red beans, sago etc…

i tried it, not my kind of dessert…

egg pudding=炖鸡蛋

we added the egg pudding=炖鸡蛋. forgot to ask for ginger sauce(姜汁).

anyway, this not my kind of dessert, and Mei Heong Yuen Dessert 味香园甜品 at chinatown point basement 2 in singapore did it a lot better.

bill @ hoi kee walnut place 海記合桃坊甜品

bill came to like HK$120+. i guess fairly standard pricing here, & not that much different from singapore too.

糊 or paste not quite my most craved dessert but if i am wanting to take it, this would be one place to come.

c.h.e.f andy

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Hoi Kee Walnut Place 海記合桃坊甜品 

Address:

232 Sai Yeung Choi St S, Mong Kok, Hong Kong

Contact:

+852 2399 7973

手撕鸡 hand tear chicken @ minsheng daipaidong 民声冰室

after a 2hr hike at dragon’s back shek o trail, and a tour of the shao kei wan wet street market, we took the mtr to tin hau station & walked to 民声冰室 daipaidong at 16wun sha street 浣纱街.

we had very exciting & delicious lunch at 民声冰室. excellent dishes all good, & 6 dishes for 4 pax for HK$295. 2 friends commented this was the best meal in hong kong. i would say certainly the most satisfying.

民声冰室 was the daipaidong we wanted to come last year but was closed & we ended up having an excellent lunch at its neighbour yue bo 鱼宝食馆 o 12.1.2016. ^^

minsheng daipaidong 民声冰室

we were there at 1pm. the tiny daipaidong was full but fast turnover. we waited just maybe about 10mins.

minsheng daipaidong 民声冰室

there is no menu & everything was written on the board at the front of the shop.

there were many newspaper cuttings showing the favourite dishes like the salted egg steamed minced pork 咸蛋蒸肉饼，hand tear chicken手撕鸡 etc.

minsheng daipaidong 民声冰室

for a tiny shop the cooking/preparation area seems quite big. i guess that is a good thing – big, clean space to create nice dishes.

steamed minced pork @ minsheng daipaidong 民声冰室

the minute we sat down, one lone (guess regular) customer that came after us & sat down after us, ordered rightaway the 2 signature dishes – salted egg steamed minced pork 咸蛋蒸肉饼，hand tear chicken手撕鸡! so we did too la! ^^

steamed minced pork @ minsheng daipaidong 民声冰室

the salted egg steamed minced pork 咸蛋蒸肉饼was very good. 🙂

i didn’t think much of the salted egg. didn’t seem to make much difference. the light soy sauce was very “pang” fragrant, and i have that too at home.

a very simple dish & very easy to make at home, but the effect was very good.

i did this at home later, & my second time was quite perfect, as good as 民声冰室 i think. ^^

steamed scallops & tofu @ minsheng daipaidong 民声冰室

the steamed tofu with scallop was nice too.

it was quite an ordinary dish & scallops were ok but by the way. the tofu was good – very smooth & sweet..

the main stay for this dish as again the “pang” light soy sauce.

steamed grass carp with mui chou @ minsheng daipaidong 民声冰室

a friend found the steamed grass carp with mui choy 梅菜蒸浣鱼too salty & he didn’t like it also i think because grass carp has mud taste.

in a sense the mui choy 梅菜, and again the good light soy sauce helped to balance/complement the taste. this fish has many bones so need to be a bit careful in eating. i pushed away the mui choy 梅菜, and for myself, i enjoyed this fish very much.

poached lettuce @ minsheng daipaidong 民声冰室

the poached lettuce i guessed was a nothing-to-it dish. a good-balance vegetable dish & hong kong vegetable always good, so this was good & refreshing too.

char siew fried egg

the char siew fried egg likewise. nothing dish also, an ordinary fuyong egg 芙蓉蛋 maybe better actually.

anyhow all the dishes were very simple by nature & very well executed, including the lettuce & the egg dishes.

手撕鸡 hand tear chicken @ minsheng daipaidong 民声冰室

the 手撕鸡 hand tear chicken was very impressive.

the chicken was sweet, tender yet not soft & had good bite, a bit stringy yet not sinewy or chewy. very good i think.

i googled the recipe & made a 手撕鸡 hand tear chicken myself at home after my return. it was not bad as a first attempt. i had the texture but not yet the taste, my marinade needed some improvements/adjustments.

we really enjoyed this place. all the 6 dishes were delicious, and the salted egg steamed minced pork 咸蛋蒸肉饼 & hand tear chicken手撕鸡 were super. they were very simple dishes, and for 3 dishes, they stood out mainly for the use of good light soy sauce. so very easy to reproduce this at home.

i will be doing some of these for my friends when they come for dinner next tuesday 7mar2017.

c.h.e.f andy

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minsheng daipaidong 民声冰室

Address:

fun cheong 粉肠

the guys decided to go dragon’s back hike today. ^^

unexpected for me, since the guys did not walk the cheung chau coast & mini greatwall, which were easy by comparison to dragon’s back.

anyhow we are here for a break, good fun relaxing trip. so we do when feel like doing, not do if not feeling like it la! does not matter which place we go…just enjoy the time, the experience, the bonding together! ^^

superior steamed rice roll pro shop 第一肠粉

before dragon’s back, it was a good idea to take some food.

we walked over to portland street on the way to prince edward mtr station. 🙂

one friend saw the shop Superior Steamed Rice Roll Pro Shop 第一肠粉 the day before & wanted to try, so we sat down for a quick breakfast.

menu @ superior steamed rice roll pro shop 第一肠粉

we took 3 sets.

all the fun cheong 粉肠 were very good.

the fun cheong 粉肠skin were very smooth, and the drizzling sauce were good. this is how it should be.

NOT like the fun cheong 粉肠 at one dimsum which was singularly bad.

steamed pork rib rice

for one of the set we had the steamed pork rib rice, and that was good too.

this is one place i would come back again.

c.h.e.f andy

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