I am blogging this right after my meal at Masala. This is considerably surprising, since I have a whole string of unblogged gastronomical encounters over the past few weeks. Those, and not this, should take priority.
I blame the lingering curry smell on my fingers. That, and of course the very lack of blog posts of recent days put me in a mild panic that I have lost my blogging mojo for good.
But no matter. You are here to read about my dinner experience at Masala.
Char chan teng is but a culture that is somewhat inherent to Hong Kong. Everywhere you go, if you are craving for a simple local meal, just look out for any cafe-like but Chinese-run eateries around you. The culture is so pervasive that you can hardly distinguish one from another. A good one, a bad one, and everything in between melt into one big dizzying array of food to choose from.
That is until you come across Lan Fong Yuen (蘭芳園) located at Central.
It was late one Sunday afternoon when my friends called me up for a spot of afternoon tea. I have heard of Lan Fong Yuen mainly from my friends’ Foursquare check-ins. Since it was a mild autumnal afternoon, the day was perfect for me to take a stroll from my house to Gage Street where Lan Fong Yuen is located at.
Needless to say, I was late. So we ordered in a haste what the locals would typically order. You won’t go wrong with that rule of thumb!
Dessert shops are a dime a dozen in Hong Kong. Even though I have been living here for more than a year, I never ventured to more than a handful all this time, because:
1) I am counting my calories; and
2) My favourite, Honeymoon Dessert is 5 mins from my place
Maybe it was the delicious dinner, or perhaps a pint too many beer after the birthday dinner, we decided on a whim to have some dessert before calling it a night. And we chanced upon a dessert shop which I passed by every morning on the way to work but never went in.
I am a creature of habit. My daily routine hardly varied, and that includes my dining out choices. If you are foolish enough to ask me to plan for eating out, invariably you will end up at some place you and I have been to before.
But that changed, for once, when the birthday boy said, “I am sick of thinking of where to eat.” Only then I realised, gosh, that sounded exactly like me every time I attempted a dinner out.
So, as a treat for the birthday boy (whom, incidentally, I last met a year ago and was amongst my first few friends in Hong Kong), we took the road less traveled to… the Champs Bar & Restaurant in Wan Chai.
I have been to this place once for drinks with colleagues, and it was kind of a love at first sight. Well, probably love is too strong a word, but I do like how uncrowded it was, and the sofa seats were very comfortable and cozy. The phrase “American Bistro” came to mind.
Update: Fat Angelo’s at Elgin Street is now no longer in operation
I am a creature of habit. My first impulse, when asked to choose for a dinner venue, would always be either Fat Angelo’s at Central, or New Star Hotpot in Mongkok. It doesn’t matter whether it is a gathering of friends or even dates. These places are tested-and-proven for me.
And because Fat Angelo’s are a mere HKD18 cab ride away from my place, I frequent them more than I care to admit.
It was the famous restaurant.
Countless tourists and locals alike sang praises for their famed roast goose and century eggs. Yung Kee Restaurant featured so prominently on my many friends’ to-do lists that it was a wonder how I have never stepped into the place before.
So when my friend and I were brainstorming (over WhatsApps, no less) on a place to go for dinner during his last night in Hong Kong, the choice is obvious. Yung Kee it was.
Everyone seems to have slept through the thunderstorm that ravaged Hong Kong yesterday. Me, I stagger-slept for less than three hours. So by the time I hit the gym the following evening, I was hungry and sleep deprived. That can only mean one thing to compensate oneself after such a long day.
Food. Preferably something so tasty I can’t stop myself from having a second helping. Probably third. My answer: Ngau Kee Food Cafe.
Oh yeah, to hell to my diet (at least for today).
This rather nondescript Cantonese restaurant is located near my gym, and on occasion when I do walk past, there is always a queue of people outside. I was very tempted to try, but since I can’t read a word of Chinese (word on the street is that the entire menu, unfortunately, is in Chinese), I was way too intimidated to step in.
Tonight, I ventured in with confidence… because I have a Chinese-literate friend with me. Heh!
Hong Kong is a dessert heaven. Even if you do not have a sweet tooth, like yours truly, it is hard not to be impressed by the array of desserts available here. Honeymoon Dessert is arguably the most famous homegrown brand of a chain of dessert house.
With one outlet located right below my building at Western Market, who am I to say no to the lure of all the things sweet thing which is just the right indulgence to pamper myself after a long hard week?
It is not everyday when you can equate Happy Valley with affordable Chinese dinner. It is also not every day that I ventured to this part of the town in the middle of the week, so I decided to make the best out of it and tried Dai Xiu Ye (literally translated as The Eldest Prince).
That, and also I owe my friend a dinner, heh.
It is common folklore among food bloggers that the best food are often found in ma-and-pop shops at little known alleyways. With the advance of social media, such gems are now easier to be discovered, thanks to snap-happy friends who upload and comment on every other thing under the sun.
That’s how I discovered Dim Sum Square, a small, probably family-run outlet located at 88 Jervois Street. There are a couple of reasons why I love this place:
1) It is very near to my home
2) The price is insanely cheap
3) The service is usually good, depends on the time of the day
4) I always, always manage to get seats, whether on my own or with friends
Most importantly, the menu is offered in both English and Chinese! That is very important for “banana” like me; yellow on the outside, white on the inside. Ordering dim sum has always been a challenge for me wherever I go in Hong Kong. At Dim Sum Square, getting my favorite dishes is a breeze; just check the box and pass it to the passing wait staff. They will first present you with the bill (that’s rather common here) and then the dishes will start to arrive.
Here are my favorites.
