Wonton (Dumpling) Noodles - Singapore vs Hong Kong

There are a few cheap and good food near my house (walking distance). I am considered lucky. $2.50 fishball noodles and $2.50 wonton noodles. Yum yum yum...

Perfect texture in the noodles - al-dente. Yes, al-dente Chinese egg noodles, why not? And the noodles in just the right amount of sauce. Too much of the sauce would have drown the noodles soggy and overpowered the base taste of the noodles. I do love green chili at the side of my noodles...it adds just that little oomph as you slurp the noodles and bite on the green chili.

$2.50 wonton noodles at Jalan Batu, near Tanjong Rhu, Singapore

What is the main difference between Singapore wonton noodles and Hong Kong wonton noodles ?

Green chili, of course. Or it's just me, maybe. I like my wonton noodles (dry version) with green chili. And you can never find green chili in HK's wonton noodles. I am not trying to bring limelight to green chili; and give credit or disgrace to what makes or breaks a good plate of wonton noodles.

But if it is noodles SOUP, it is another different story.


YES. I truly think the major difference in Singapore's and Hong Kong's wonton noodle soup lies in the broth. I don't know how Hong Kong does its broth - but the unami flavor in Hong Kong wonton noodle soup has much more depth compared to the Singapore counterpart. Typically, it is also quite common to see white chives sprinkled as garnish in the Hong Kong version; vs Singapore's scallions/spring onions garnish.

The little details do make the difference.

Personally, I prefer Sui Kow (there is addition of shrimps, chestnuts and black fungus in this Chinese dumplng) to Wonton (which has relatively more meat than Sui Kow) . Don't ask me why I am talking about Wonton Noodles if I like Sui Kow.

Tag: wonton noodles

Deep-Fried Fish Skin 炸鱼皮

How about some fish chips for you? These are Deep Fried Fish Skin! Yes, skin only.


In Hong Kong, some of the fishball/fishcake noodle stores serve deep fried fish skins, and you can actually enjoy these fish "chips" with the noodle soups :)


Tag: fish skin, Hong Kong eating

Claypot Rice with Beef and Egg - Wing Hop Shing in Hong Kong

What do you think an old and chipped-off-the-edge clay pot will do ?

The BEST beef rice EVER!

The same eatery where we had the corned beef sandwich, Wing Hop Shing Restaurant - 永和成茶餐厅 is famous for its Claypot Rice with Beef and Egg as well. Looks like this place is good for its beefy stuff.

They serve the beef rice in clay pot with the raw egg cracked on top. With the heat of the beef, rice and claypot, you mix-in the egg with the beef and rice (as shown). Mix well, and voila!

*Taken few months back while in Hong Kong

Wing Hop Shing Restaurant - 永和成茶餐厅
G/F, 113-115 Jervois Street, Sheung Wan

Tag: claypot rice, Hong Kong eating

Corned Beef and Egg Sandwich - Wing Hop Shing, Hong Kong

The Beef Sandwich is highly recommended in this place in Hong Kong.

Specifically, it's the Corned Beef and Egg Sandwich.

Living up to its name...


Corned beef and onions scrambled with egg


The Yun Yong Milk Tea is aromatic and does not leave a bitter aftertaste

*Visited earlier this year, 2008
Wing Hop Shing Restaurant - 永和成茶餐厅
ADDRESS: G/F, 113-115 Jervois Street, Sheung Wan

More Hong Kong Eating here.

Tag: corned beef, sandwich, Hong Kong eating

Tea for cleaning utensils - Hong Kong

Washing utensils such as chopsticks in hot tea is quite a usual practice in some older cafes of Hong Kong. Sometimes, we are really not sure if we should drink the tea or use it to clean/"sterilize" the utensils. After several observations of locals doing the cleaning/"sterilizing", we reckon that was the thing to do... .... .... .....or not ?

*Taken few months back in Hong Kong

Wagyu Beef Fried Rice - SuperStar Seafood Restaurant, Hong Kong

Some of you were confused about my current location. I'm back in Singapore, for a while at least. This was taken some time back in my trip to Hong Kong. The highlight - Wagyu Beef Fried Rice

Wagyu Beef Fried Rice

One of the more expensive fried rice I've tasted but worth every cent paid. Can you see those luxury bits hiding amongst the rice grains?

Perfectly "wokked" up fried rice!

Another unusual way to enjoy a dim-sum popular - steamed chicken glutinous rice (Lo Mai Gai ), is to have it fried! The glutinous rice is coated with egg, then fried - thus giving it this lovely crisp golden coat.


The inside - mushrooms, dried shrimps, meat bits...


Thanks to Precious Pea for her recommendations. I enjoyed this meal at 鴻星海鮮酒家- Super Star Restaurant :)

Tag: wagyu beef fried rice, Hong Kong eating

Steamed clams, steamed scallops - I love steamed seafood!

Enjoyed these steamed scallops and clams, at the same place (Jia Duo Li Eatery, Jordan District, Hong Kong) we had Typhoon Shelter Crab.

Big fat scallops on the shell...

These clams were cooked the same way as the scallops. At least, the seasonings/marinade, garnishes and cooking method were similar. Steamed with glass noodles in a soy sauce base then garnished with red chili and scallions.


Smart, isn't it? The glass noodles absorbs the "clam + sauce" essence very well. Nothing comes to waste!

Check out my Steamed Prawns with Egg Whites if you are on a steaming trail.

Tag: seafood, clams, scallops, Hong Kong eating

Beef noodles - different but all nice

The many kinds of beef noodles I've came across. Which one do you like ?

In Taiwan: Beef noodle in light broth



In Hong Kong: the dry and soup version of braised beef brisket noodle




The Vietnamese variety...


Pho

Tag: taiwan eating, Hong Kong eating, beef noodles

Cold mango desserts on a hot day

A virtual quencher during the hot summer days...to make you feel cool at heart :D

Mango ice-cream, mango cubes and mini glutinous balls in cold mango juice - perfect dessert!


A similar above, topped with pomelo sacs.

Enjoy these desserts at Hui Lau Shan, Hong Kong

Tag: mango, desserts

Typhoon Shelter Crab, Hong Kong

Typhoon Shelter Crab - 避風塘炒蟹

Fried crab with fried garlic, mixed with scallion, red chili and black beans

The famous dish typhoon shelter-style fried crab (避風塘炒蟹 Bi Feng Tang Chao Xie), is served in a lot of Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong. This dish is believed to be originated from typhoon shelters, invented almost 30 years ago on a sampam.

While Singapore Chilli Crab hails a symbolic gravy, Typhoon Shelter Crab pins it on fried garlic and black bean. The supposedly secret is that the minced garlic will be soaked in black bean sauce overnight and gives the intense flavor when fried with the crabs.

Want more of typhoon shelter crab, you can refer to this review.

The Hee Kee Fried Crab Expert in Wan Chai, Hong Kong, is marketed as the authentic original. However, we had our share at somewhere not as famous, located in Jordon District, Hong Kong.

Jia Duo Li Eatery, Jordan District, Hong Kong. Near and opposite Australian Diary Company

and I'm glad it was not disappointing (or maybe we were famished?!)

Tag: typhoon shelter crab, Hong Kong eating

Wonton noodles - Maks noodles in Hong Kong

Noodling in Noodledom Hong Kong...

Noodling in noodle-dom, taken at Maks Noodles ~ Jardine Bazaar location

In Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations (Hong Kong), he speaks "...taste, texture and dedication to a century-old craft......resulting in the perfect noodle..." after visiting one of the oldest and most traditional noodle maker of bamboo noodles. I could not agree more. You should watch this episode. I tried searching Youtube using keywords "Anthony Bourdain No Reservations Hong Kong" but it was futile. Thanks to my reader, Vince, for leading me to this video. I did not use the keyword "Sem Reservas" and would not have known!

OUCH! The noodle maker bounces on the bamboo using his body weight to flatten the noodle dough. "Bouncing" is critical and imparts gentle yet firm forces on the dough so that the finished noodles are crisp but not fragile.

Bamboo-noodle art happens at ~ 2min-mark in the video. You MUST watch this! (Courtesy: Youtube contributor)

And of course, some of the the best Wonton Noodles in Hong Kong have just this perfect texture.

Maks Noodles use duck eggs which impart a different flavor to the noodles. This flavor is particularly upped a notch when paired with saltwater shrimp/prawn dumplings.


Wonton noodles - flavorful broth with top quality wonton skin, wonton fillings and special textured noodles. What could be better. Well, Maks Noodles makes the mark :)

Maks Noodles
44 Jardine Bazzar, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong - Causeway Bay MTR
Other locations (including but not limited)
G/F, 77 Wellington St. Central - Central MTR Exit D1 & D2

Other review on Maks Noodles @ Precious Pea

You can also try Mak Man Kee. However, on our return trip to Mak Man Kee this time, we found the standard has dropped drastically. Beats me.

Tag: hong kong eating, wonton noodles

Perfect Char Siew Bao or BBQ Pork Buns

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The locals in Hong Kong enjoy flipping and reading the newspapers especially during dim-sum breakfast and (I guess) as long as they are not rushed over giving up their seats. Maybe that is the only time they can slow down and enjoy their food and tea :)


What I look for in a Perfect Char Siew Bao ~ Cantonese barbecue pork buns:
- served steaming warm...you are at the risk of scalding your hunger-searching fingers when you attempt to touch it
- slightly cracked top in each bun
- soft fluffy "pau" dough, almost sponge cake-like texture
- generous char siew fillings w.r.t the dough (in other words, it cannot be too much dough and nothing inside the "pau" )
- warm moist juicy tasty char siew fillings with right proportions of meat vs "pork fats"
- "pau" fillings should not look too dangerously and artificially red

Luk Yu Tea House
24-26 Stanley Street, Hong Kong
Nearest MTR: Central Station

Other Char Siew- and Bun- related recipes but not Char Siew Bun:
BBQ Pork Pastry ~ 叉烧酥 ~ Char Siew Sou
Braised Pork Belly Bun

Tag: dim sum, yum cha

Wonton noodles Mak Man Kee, Nathans congee - mom and pop eateries in Hong Kong

I do not mind sharing table or being squashed in a mom and pop eatery like this - if it means I can eat the famous wonton noodles here!


Mak Man Kee - an old-fashioned board menu on the wall. A traditional noodle shop in Jordan district, Hong Kong.

See the numbers below those vertical string of Mandarin characters - those are the prices of the food items.

One of the best wonton noodles I've had in my life, I swear. It's in the noodles, the soup broth, and the wonton - 云吞, shui kow -水饺 . All that makes this...THE noodles I came back for, more than once, in my 2-day trip to Hong Kong. The portions come small. With a full appetite, I don't think there is any problem swooping down two bowls. What comes into the making of the soup/broth ? Are there any true-blue Hong Kongers or Cantonese cuisine pro who can tell me? Without fail, bits of Chinese chives (the white, non-chlorophyll version of its green family**) can always be seen floating in the soup.

"The egg noodles are springy and has that biting and chewing satisfication;
each dumpling - wonton or shui kow - filled generously with ingredients;
oozing out with the "juice" sensation;
when greedily savoured "


"The beef brisket noodles in a plate, comes dry or in soup;
Beef briskets braised to perfection - also good;
But we still prefer the noodles in soup "

You know how delicious is the food when you can even make your sentences rhyme...

Nathan Congee - yet another traditional mom and pop eatery at Jordan. You get to watch just that one-and-only chef cook. He is situated right at the store entrance, at his tiny cornered kitchen. A stove where he cooks the porridge/congee and then that same tiny space where the porridge/congee is poured into individual bowls. I wonder how he does that without that claustrophobic feel. Most of the ingredients must have been prepared in advanced - pre-washed, pre-cleaned, pre-cut or chop. He just needs to portion the right amount of ingredients into the pots of simmering cooking porridge/congee.

This non-flashy and non-flamboyant chef's corner is found exactly at the store entrance (on your right). There is even a lack of space that a table has to be used to place the plates of dough sticks (油条 )


Here, a good ol' bowl of mixed pork porridge 及第粥, made from all parts of the pig - typically lean pork slices, minced pork balls, pork liver and pork intestines. Full of pork flavor sans any pungent smell of innards.

Not enough Hong Kong eating? You can indulge in more desserts, get yourself stressed-up in a tea cafe or watch time pass by in a traditional teahouse.

Tag: hong kong eating, wonton noodles, congee

**Do you know the existence of white chives ? If you do, do you know why they are white and not green ? This "albino" version is created when the usual (green) chives is buried under the soil, and not exposed to sunlight in the process of growing. Without exposure to the sun, no chorophyll is produced, thus the resultant chive is white/pale yellow.