Home Feel Restaurant, or more commonly known as “Juu Gaa Choy” (住家菜) gotta be my defacto restaurant to go to whenever I have out-of-town visitors. For one, it easily represents some of the best Chinese food in Hong Kong, in a Hong Kong styled restaurant (read: cramped, loud, but thankfully still clean), conveniently located at Causeway Bay.
I have been bringing my visitors to Home Feel for so many times that it didn’t occur to me I have never reviewed the food here. So one fine night I brought my better half along to sample some of my favourite dishes… well, as much as two person can devour in one night!
Daily Soup (Lei Tong) (HK$45)
It is quite customary to begin a Chinese meal with soup. Daily soup at Home Feel varies from day to day, but to my experience is consistently of good quality. The soup is always refreshing, taste fresh and feels nourishing, as there was no MSG used, unlike many other Chinese restaurant. On the night visited, it was a mix of pork rib, white fungus and white carrot. Heavenly… a large pot can easily serve four, but my better half and I finished the entire pot, spoonful by spoonful throughout dinner.
Deep Fried Fish Ball With Salted Clams (HK$55)
Without a doubt, my favourite dish at Home Feel. It doesn’t matter to me whether the fish ball is fresh or not, or if they are homemade or otherwise. What I really dig was the sauce; a perplexing mixture of salted clams, spring onions and sliced chili. For the novice it can be too much to take as the clams can taste very raw, not to mention salty (hence the name, see?). But when served with the piping hot fish ball – you have been cautioned! – it was an awesome combination. Try this only if you are a seafood lover, and not averse to strange taste. That sauce alone, to me, is like the main ingredient, not the fish balls!
Claypot Chicken with Shallots & Fermented Dried Black Beans (HK$58)
My better half’s choice. I have a strange suspicion that when you order claypot chicken in Chinese restaurant (with its price inevitably cheaper than, say, when you order one whole chicken), you get only the odds bits and ends. I have had worse experience with claypot chicken, and the one at Home Feel wasn’t too bad. You’ll like this dish if you like bones with your chicken (instead of pure meat, like for me), though I do find that the soya sauce used overpowered the fermented black beans, which I was looking forward to.
Steamed Assorted Eggs with Minced Pork (HK$52)
Now this one was quite a gamble. I usually go for A Trio Of Eggs Steamed – a heady combination of chicken eggs, duck eggs and century eggs – but I have heard that this one with minced pork is rather delicious as well. Alas, it was proven to be an unwise choice. The whole thing was wayyy too dry, probably they left it for far too long in the steamer. The sauce accompanying this dish was too sweet to go with the minced meat. Ironically it was this dish which my better half and I finished up first. I wouldn’t recommend this.
Towards the end of the meal, we were offered complimentary dessert of the soupy variety, to which we gladly accept. This is kind of a custom at Home Feel, and the dessert on offer changes every day. We had the beancurd with almond and the like. Perfectly brewed if a bit too sweet, but surely beats those $25 bucks a bowl we get from a roadside dessert shop.
The place itself is full of Hong Kong characters – tiny tables with hardback chairs, no personal space to speak off, (moderately) loud wait staff, long queue if you did not book a table… but Home Feel also boast good value for their prices, very friendly staff, and you are never hurried out of the restaurant the moment you finish your food.
Recommended for the visitors and their hosts whose eating out ideas are drying up.
Home Feel Restaurant (住家菜 )
7/F, Lee Theatre Plaza
99 Percival Street, Causeway Bay
3105 0339
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