And whilst we knew that Hunan food is hot, we walked away realising that dry hot (干辣) which is typical of Hunan food (as opposed to a Sichuan numbing hot) is pretty bad ass. No pun intended with my choice of word just then.

When it comes to Hunan food, Di Shui Dong is one of a few more famous Hunan places in Shanghai. The restaurant is unpretentious and incredibly busy and having not made a reservation, we waited a good 40 minutes for a table to free. 

We passed time waiting browsing through the menu, wondering which hot food option to pursue.

Everything on the menu basically is hot so to counterbalance, we started off with some cold dishes because temperature cold dishes surely couldn’t be that hot right?

A cold tofu with chilli and century egg had a good amount of kick without being overpowering. The century egg had an added cooling benefit which relieved our mouth from the spice (more about that later). Crispy pigs ears were lightly chilli  but nothing special.  

We were slightly disappointed when we were brought Di Shui Dong’s famous cumin spiced pork ribs. They looked lifeless and dry. One bite of them and we immediately recognised that they were stone cold. Upon complaining the wait staff were actually really good and quickly arrange for a new dish to be cooked. When the new dish came out, it looked much better. Given the fame of this dish, we almost expected fall off the bone goodness fried and cumin spiced. What we got instead were dry, slightly tender ribs with little flavour, fried and doused in cumin spice. For a dish that has been voted a top dish to eat in Shanghai, it did not at all deliver.

We also ordered a smoked tofu chilli hotpot which was a standout. Upon first bite, the chilli was not at all severe. As the hot pot continued to bubble, the flavour became more and more concentrated and we really began to feel the heat hit our internal organs. You know how you know it’s gonna hurt you after but you do it anyway? That’s exactly how we felt eating it, as we could feel the burn building but it was so damn delicious we ate it anyway.

This is the after. Check out that pile of chilli.

Needless to say, after dinner, we walked to meet some friends for cocktails and started to feel the burn. So much so that even cocktails and champagne couldn’t settle our burning body.

Would I recommend Di Shui Dong? It’s alright I guess. I have a feeling even though the hotpot burned us, the heat levels have very much been tailored towards the Shanghai palette. Compared to other Chinese cuisines, Hunan is far from favourite and given the lack of stand out dishes, we will likely try one of the other relatively famous Hunan places in Shanghai before returning to Di Shui Dong.

Di Shui Dong (滴水洞)
5 Dong Ping Rd/ 东平路5号
Shanghai

One of our go to cuisines is Uyghur or food from Xinjiang. Characterised by mutton, lamb, cumin, red pepper, potatoes and tomatoes, it’s a perfect combination if you are dire need of a protein and spice hit. It also has a completely different flavour profile to Chinese food which, can very easily get same-same after awhile.

It was Saturday and we weren’t sure whether to go out for dinner or not. We had stumbled across a Shanghai outlet of HK’s Dim Dim Sum (more about that in another post!) and we’re still slightly full from our 4pm snack.

By 8:30pm we somehow we motivated ourself to walk down to Yakexi, one of a handful of really good Xinjiang restaurants in Shanghai. Arriving way after the Saturday night peak hour of 6pm, the restaurant was still busy, but with crowds beginning to part. 

We ordered a Dapanji (大盘鸡) Y49 (small), a chicken stew made with cumin, chilli, chicken pieces on the bone and potatoes. It arrived pretty instantly after we ordered which was fantastic as we could immediately dig right in. The chicken had incredible flavour without being too hot, and the pieces of chicken tender. Big thumbs up.

Our second dish, Braised lamb chops with naan (馕包肉) Y59 was equally delicious and tender with very little ‘lamb smell’. The soaked up naan was terribly addictive as whilst soggy, had absorbed up all the delicious flavour from the dish and was oh so good.

We couldn’t leave without eating a few lamb kebabs (羊肉串), Y4 each, which whilst had a great fat to meat proportion, just wasn’t cook well enough. I suspect that perhaps as we came outside of the peak dining hour, the coals weren’t heated as hot, meaning our lamb was slightly dry having sat there longer.

Overall, we were glad we left the house even though we returned home fuller, a little drunk and a mere Y165 lighter.

Yakexi
379 Xikang Lu, near Wuding Lu
西康路379号, 近武定路

However we’ve been pleasantly pleased about the quality of the Canto and Japanese food here. Cantonese food is simply comfort food for me. Which is slightly bizarre, as I have havent exactly grown up in a Canto household.

 Following a grocery haul at M&S on Nanjing Road (puff pastry anyone?), we stumbled across dimdim sum. Yes, the very same branch of the famed HK institution. A few weeks later, we were back and ready to find out whether it indeed matched up to our HK expectations. 

The restaurant itself is on the 2nd level and is actually deceivingly huge, which does mean a small wait for food. Getting a table at peak hour (6pm in China) on a Saturday night proved no issue at all. The place was busy throughout the night but there was constant turnover of tables which meant those waiting weren’t left hungry for long.

First up the famed pineapple buns. These were good, though slightly different from the HK version. Slightly smaller buns were brought out with a deliciously crispy top and deliciously hot pineapple inner. There were perhaps not as many pineapple chunks, but still really good.

The crispy prawn cheong fun was to die for. Perfectly silken rice noodle enveloped a crisp layer and prawn layer. Dipped in sweet soy sauce, it was perhaps even better than I remember the HK version to be.

Chiu chow dumplings were much, much better than the HK version. A great mixture of pork, dried prawn and peanuts encased in a thick but not too thick skin.

Stir fried XO radish cake was really delicious. The radish cake was not too soggy nor too firm and the XO sauce was really tasty.

Staples like phonix claws (chicken feet in black bean), steamed beancurd pork wrap, har gow and siew mai were good, not outstanding. Portions were very generous.

One thing I did notice is that relative to HK, the menu variety is huge. It literally has any dim sum dish you would want, including a supplementary menu for congee. Price wise, it probably is slightly more expensive than the HK outpost, though portions are noticeably larger. However relative to other dimsum in Shanghai, prices are very competitive and much better value given the size of the dishes.

Given how close we live to this outpost, I can quickly see this place being our fall back anytime we have a craving for cantonese food.

RMB 210 for 3 including drinks (and ordering food excessively)

Dim Dim Sum
2F 889 Nanjing West Rd, Shanghai

Whilst I complain, I have loved every second of visiting expat supermarket after expat supermarket to see what each store has. To me it feels almost like unwrapping Christmas presents as each store has a completely different set of stock and no store in the same.

In this post, all I really want to do is share where I have found some hard to find South-East asian ingredients as I am sure I am not the only one on the hunt for (reasonably priced) south-east asian groceries. The best and most reasonable places is a combination of Carrefour and Pines. My only advice for people seeking these groceries – if you see it, snap it up as often, there is only 1 or 2 of these items on the shelf.

I try and avoid shopping at Cityshop as much as I can as I feel completely ripped off every time I do. As I learn more about Shanghai, I will surely expand on this listing. If you have any suggestions where to buy more south-east asian groceries, please do leave a comment.

Happy shopping!

Thai

• Mae Ploy Red Thai Curry Paste (Pines) – 1000g Y40
• Shrimp paste (Pines, Parkson)
• Tamarind paste (Pines)
• Fresh galangal (Pines and cityshop)
• Fresh pea eggplant (Pines)
• Fresh kaffir lime leaves (Pines, Parkson)
• Thai basil (Parkson) – Packet Y7
• Lemongrass stems (Parkson 3 stems Y5, also cityshop but I remember being expensive)
• Fish sauce – (Carrefour, Pines, Parkson) – Y20 750ml

Indonesian/Malaysian

• Fresh kaffir lime leaves (Pines, Parkson)
• Kecap manis (Pines) – ABC brand 500ml Y34
• Siracha (Parkson) – 250ml Y18
• Frozen roti (all supermarkets) – I have been buying Chinese brand Shallot pankcake and using as a roti Y6-8

Vietnamese

• Rice paper sheets (Pines, Parkson) 500g Y20-Y30
• Rice vermacelli (Pines, Parkson) – (the bean/mung vermacelli sold in wet markets/local supermarkets is not rice vermicelli) Y4-10
• Fish sauce (Carrefour, Pines, Parkson) – no vietnamese brands, thai brands only 750ml for Y20
• Lemongrass stems (Parkson 3 stems Y5, also cityshop but I remember being expensive)
• Herbs ? I have only been using ordinary mint as I cannot find any Vietnamese herbs
• Bean sprouts – Wet market (Y0.5 per 500g)

In search for amazing dessert, my relatives took me to a famous dessert place in Yuen Long called Kei Kee B Jai Leung Fun (佳記甜品B仔涼粉). Kei Kee is a dessert shop that specialises in herbal grass jelly but serves up an array of other hot snacks as well.

On a Sunday afternoon, the place was absolutely packed and being a nice day there were plenty of tables and chairs outside. The crowds are so dense that no sooner does a table empties, it is occupied again within seconds.

Desserts range from $35-68 the most expensive being the B Jai Grass jelly fruit bowl which can easily be shared amongst 3. Being the overindulges we are, we ordered 4 desserts between the four of us.

The B Jai Leung Fun is the restaurants signature dish, which it could probably attain based on quantity alone. The bowl is a mix of grass jelly, topped with fruit, nato de coco, aloe vera jelly and a huge array of different fresh fruits. Yummy not too strong grass jelly and lots of refreshing fruit.

The mango ‘cheung fun’ was something kind of epic. Sweet coconut rice rolls encased huge chunks of fresh mango, all covered in even more mango juice. Delicious and by far the best dessert on the table.

Durian pancakes had enough durian flavour but there was just a bit too much cream inside for me to like this. In saying this I’m not a huge fan of mango or durian pancakes normally so I’m not the best person to judge this.

We also ordered a mango sago coconut milk dessert with added grass jelly. The sago was perfectly soft yet with a slight bite, and the coconut base was perfect – not too sweet nor savoury. Possibly the best sago dessert I’ve had since being in HK. And that’s a lot of sago I assure you!

Afternoon tea turned into an early dinner and we decided to order a few savoury snacks (post our dessert mind you!). Fishball cheung fun rice rolls were deliciously fresh and served alongside a peanut and hoisin sauce. We also ordered braised soy garlic chicken wings which were juicy and tasty.

Yuen Long is a bit of a trek, after all you can see the skyline of Shenzhen on entering the city, but well worth the trek for if just for a taste of old school Hong Kong.

Kei Kee Dessert 佳記甜品
Shop 7, Chi Fu Centre, Yuen Long

Today I visited Ho Hung Kee, a local noodle and congee shop awarded a star in 2011 few years ago based on the quality of the Beef Hor Fun (干炒牛河). The place is a no-frills, sharing table joint which has traded in the same location since 1946.

I ordered the Beef Hor fun (at a whopping $82 HKD).

I had been told that the portions were rather small, so I was surprised when a fairly sizeable plate was served. The noodles were smooth, firm and charred (wok hei) – though perhaps not as much as I would like. The beef was flavourful but had been tenderised, but not to the point where it no longer resembles beef. My major issue with the dish is the fact that it was absolutely swimming in oil. Don’t get me wrong, I understand how the dish is supposed to be cooked, but by the end of the plate, you can actually taste the oil with each bite.

In my own opinion it was a decently executed plate of beef hor fun. Not bad, not great. Decent. And herein lies the problem.

Today’s visit makes me wonder why the Michelin guide would dish out stars so freely. Good, local cheap eats are generally praised in their own light. Why put a put them head to head with high end Michelin restaurants who strive for across the board excellence? Local joints will never be able to ensure the consistency,  service levels or ambience require to maintain a Michelin star.

The other concern is that these establishments turn into a destination for food lovers seeking out ‘cheap michelin stars’ and subsequently prices (and wait times) are raised to match. Evidence to this is the fact that I paid a whopping $82 HKD for my beef hor fun and that the price has jumped up radically since the star was awarded. The rest of the menu is equally inflated – $40HKD for standard congee (congee at famed sang kee is still $20HKD as the regular patrons won’t pay more).

Ho Hung Kee have recently opened a shiny new outlet in the new Hysan Place mall and will sadly close their original Sharp St location by the end of May. Should you go? Well that’s up to you, but it is worth a visit, so long as you don’t walk in with ‘michelin’ expectations.

Ho Hung Kee (open until mid-may)
2 Sharp St East, Causeway Bay

Ho Hung Kee
Shop 1204-1205, 12/F, Hysan Place,
500 Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay

So who makes the best beef brisket in Hong Kong?

I visited two outlets famed for their beef brisket  – Kau Kee (九記牛腩) in Sheung Wan and Kwan Kee (群記清湯腩) in Tai Po. 

Kau Kee’s (九記牛腩) beef brisket is legendary. And the lines show it. Arriving at 14:00pm on a Monday afternoon, the line was at least 20 people long. Luckily dining solo I was seated fairly quickly but the line does move fast.

Crammed on a small table with 5 others, my order was taken literally 5 seconds after seating. For standard beef brisket, patrons have the option of noodles (flat rice, vermicelli or e-fu) and either a curry or clear stock base. The restaurant had run out of the prized song nam cut of brisket (爽腩) so I ordered a regular beef brisket in clear broth with rice noodles (上湯牛腩湯麵) HKD$36.

The broth is a rich, beef bone stock with a slight hint of herb. The beef has great flavour but to me was slightly chewy. I wouldn’t go so far to say tough, but it did have a slight bit of resistance which is something that I don’t expect from braised beef brisket. At least the brisket was fairly lean.

Catch the train 30 minutes north to Tai Po Market and you will find another famed beef brisket institution. Kwan Kee (群記清湯腩) has an equally long line, but inside they don’t seem to cram you in as much which makes a more pleasant dining experience.

Kwan Kee offer a huge range of beef cuts all served in clear broth. There isn’t a curry broth option for those who crave it. The restaurant is is most famous for it braised beef cheeks and also the tender song nam cut of brisket (爽腩).

My song nam clear broth rice noodles (HKD $42) was deliciously tender with a melt in your mouth, very thin fat flap layer on the brisket. Miles ahead of the brisket at Kau Kee. The broth was rich, deep in flavour though slightly fatty. Unlike Kau Kee you could taste the pure beef in the broth without it being overly reliant on salt for flavour.

There are probably a few more brisket places that I need to try before I can declare a clear winner, Sister Wah (華姐清湯腩) being one of them. So far however, Kwan Kee is by far my favourite.

Kwan Kee (群記清湯腩)
26 Dai Ming Lane,
Tai Po Market, New Territories

Kau Kee (九記牛腩)
21 Gough St,
Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

Look at that smooth silky shine. DROOL!

Favoured by ex-British governor Chris Patten, Tai Cheong Bakery (泰昌餅家) makes a unique shortcrust base pastry using almond meal instead of flour.

The egg tarts are served hot which is almost torture as it takes a little bit of time to cool. And when it does cool down. Pure heaven.

I am generally more of a fan of a flaky puff pastry casing, but Tai Cheong’s buttery shortbread crust had enough butter to satisfy. The egg custard was piping hot as as smooth as silk. I honestly have never had a better egg tart.

At HKD $6 a pop, these are probably on the more expensive scale for egg tarts. The fact that the Lyndhurst Terrace location is up a steep hill means that you at least have to pre-work off the butter that you are about to devour. Tai Cheong has additional locations across HK.

Tai Chong Bakery (泰昌餅家)
G/F, 35 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central
Hong Kong

Yes all that ‘cheapest Michelin star’ in the world kind of hype. Which is why I can’t believe that we have never visited Tim Ho Wan (添好運點心專門店) for a meal before.

After being advised by countless friends to be in line at the crack of dawn, we woke early, skipped breakfast and headed into Mong Kok. Here is where we made our first mistake. Apparently the Mong Kok shop closed down ages ago. Starving and scared about the wait ahead, we hailed a cab which took us to the branch at Sham Shui Po.

On arrival, we were lucky to find a pretty near empty restaurant. We overhead a regular speaking to the waitress who mentioned that due to easter and Qingming holidays, the place had not been anywhere near as busy as it had in the past. Bonus for us as lines are notoriously an hour long, even at 10am in the morning.

Soon after ordering, our char siu bao (叉燒包) arrived. One of Tim Ho Wan’s signatures, they bake their buns with a crumbly almost buttery cookie flakes on top. The topping was slightly sweet and the insides deliciously moist and succulent. Pretty wow.

The siu mai (燒賣) was a succulent prawn-pork dumpling full of goodness. There was a perfect balance of texture, bounce, and flavour. Killer.

One thing we never fail to order is chiu chow dumplings (潮州粉果). Tim Ho Wan’s rendition is primarily water chestnut, nuts and mushrooms with a small amount of tender pork. The skin was beautifully glossy and thin and has a slight smoky flavour which lingered in your mouth after the bite had gone. In fact this dish was so liked, that we ended up ordering it again later in the meal.

The lor bak go (蘿蔔糕) was a slight disappointment. The cakes were perhaps not charred enough in the pan so it lacked distinctive crunchy texture. The inside was soft with plenty of turnip, though slightly flavourless.

We also ordered pai guat (排骨) which was pretty standard, as well as a fairly standard steamed sin jook goon (鮮竹捲).

Is this dim sum worthy of a michelin star? Probably not. But at the price of just over HKD$120 for 8 dishes for two, it is an absolute bargain. So much of a bargain that a week later I found myself joining the line at Tim Ho Wan’s IFC central outlet, waiting 30 minutes for a table for 1 at 15:30pm. No sooner was I seated, my char siu buns (叉燒包) and chiu chow dumplings (潮州粉果) arrived and a short 15 minutes later I was paying my bill, satisfied.

Tim Ho Wan may not serve the best dim sum in the world, but it sure is good. Is it worth an hour wait? I guess my return visit confirms that it is, but perhaps only for the Char siu buns, chiu chow dumplings and perhaps the siu mai.

Tim Ho Wan
G/F, 9-11 Fuk Wing Street,
Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong
also at IFC, Central

The star of the show here sweet tofu (dofu fa 豆腐花) $7HKD/bowl. Served either cold or steaming hot, it is best eaten with a spoonful of brown sugar to sweeten up the dessert. 

No sooner do you yell out an order for a bowl, one is whisked out and presented in front of you. In fact ours promptly arrived no more than 15 seconds after Sam yelled out our order.

I have had my fair share of good sweet tofu dessert, but this one has to be up there. Often I experience a slightly grainy aftertaste with this dish, but not in this case. Those old school grinding machines must really be amazing as the tofu was so ridiculously smooth yet with a brilliant firm consistency. By the time Sam had finished taking the photo above, I was well on my way to finishing my bowl. So easy to gulp right down.

Had we not already been so full, we would definitely have ordered a plate of fried tofu stuffed with fish paste. These are being continuously stuffed and cooked-off on the hotplate at the entrance to the store.

Apparently there are further branches at Kowloon City and Wan Chai, the one in Wan Chai a little more modern. A must to hunt out.

Kung Wo Dou Bun Chong (公和荳品廠)
Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong

Lau Sum Kee also specialises in serving their noodles dry tossed in shrimp fish roe or har ji lo mien (蝦子撈麵). 

Sam ordered his noodles with a side of wonton whereas I ordered mine with a side of beef brisket. Essentially you can order your noodles with anything you want from the menu from pork knuckle to tripe.

The star of the show really is the dry shrimp roe bamboo noodles. The noodles have an incredible bouncy texture that is both bouncy/firm yet soft to bite. The shrimp roe tossed through the noodles is plentiful and gives the noodles an extra dimension of crunch and saltiness.

Despite the fame, this truly  is a no frills establishment. There is no English menu and be prepared to share tables. The kitchen is tiny at this establishment with just one noodle master, cooking and tossing the noodles in the shrimp roe mixture. 

The consistency of the noodles is truly incredible. Even without the shrimp roe (there were many regulars that came in and had noodles without the har ji) it would be worth a journey back.

Lau Sum Kee Noodles 劉森記麺家
82 Fuk Wing Street
Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong

Sha Tin in the New Territories was once a quaint old village that ‘city folk’ used to venture to get away from the big lights – or so I am told. The Sha Tin ‘village’ today still exists, though most visitors to the area will only see the bright lights of the modern shopping centres next to the MTR.

It is in the old ‘village’ side where you will find Lung Wah Hotel. Lung Wah Hotel has been serving up roast pigeon in Sha Tin for over 40 years, and the 70s decor looks it. The restaurants menu has whole page dedicated to pigeon dishes, but what most people come for is either the Roasted Pigeon (燒乳鴿) or Soya Sauce Pigeon (鼓油皇).

The Roasted Pigeon came out first (HKD 79 each)

With the roasted pigeon, you have the option to either have this whole, or cut into quarters. We were told that it is much juicier and crispier to eat the pigeon whole as the juices are not lost through cutting into pieces. Skin was crispy yet not oily and the pigeons were huge. Plenty of meat, not at all fatty with great flavour. In particular if you ate it with the dipping sauce and salt.

We also ordered Soya Sauce Pigeon. (HKD 79 each)

This restaurant is actually more well known for the Soya Sauce pigeon, but next to the Crispy roast pigeon it just couldn’t compare. The meat was really tender, soft and well marinaded. The skin also had a great elastic texture and flavour. but it just didn’t have the juiciness or crunchy texture that the roast pigeon had. Stand alone in another restaurant, this would have been an incredible dish.

Between 5 adults we managed to devour 7 pigeons, a fried rice as well as a plate of vegetables, ending the meal with a sweet bean curd dessert. We left very full and content but in desperate need of some exercise to work off the food.

Perhaps with bird flu on the rise at the moment, it may not have been the most appropriate time to pig out on pigeon, however we were told that the HK government no longer allows the live slaughtering of birds on HK territory and these birds are actually from frozen.

Did this pigeon revolutionise my life? Not entirely, but it was finger licking good and well worth the trek to Sha Tin.

Lung Wah Hotel 
22 Wo Che
Sha Tin, Hong Kong

The Typhoon Shelter Crab really is the star of the show here. Available as a small (HKD480) or medium (HKD680?) portion, the crab is deep fried, the wok tossed with a heaping pile of fried garlic and chilli. You also have the option to choose from 5 levels of heat ranging from Super Spicy to Slightly Spicy. Loving heat, we opted for a level 4 – Very Spicy medium sized bad boy, and boy was it spicy! 

The crunch, heat and flavour of the garlic chilli topping really is the star of the show. It has the right levels of salt without being too salty and has fantastic texture. The Very Spicy was perhaps slightly too spicy for us, but that didn’t stop us from shaking some of that spice off and devouring the sweet meat of the Typhoon Shelter Crab. Whilst the initial size of the plate looked rather daunting, you’ll quickly discover that there isn’t that much meat to the crab and our party of 2, easily managed to finish the crab.

We also ordered the Mantis Shrimp (HKD280 each) cooked in a similar way. We were a little unsure about his dish, especially given the high price tag per shrimp. What we received however was two giant 20-25cm long Mantis Shrimp’s cooked in the similar garlic chilli mix as the crab. This mix was perhaps a little more salty and a little less spicy. The mantis shrimp  tail meat was sweet, but the highlight was sucking the life out of the shrimps head. Deliciously tasty and incredibly satisfying.

Eating at this establishment doesn’t come cheap, and our 2 mantis shrimp plus a medium crab and tea came to a grand total of HKD1300 (Yes we didn’t order any vegetables!).Worth it? Absolutely. Unlike other spicy crab sauces, the chilli garlic mix is well balanced and keeps you coming back for more. Would I go back again? Perhaps with someone who has never been before, it’s just a bit too much of an expense otherwise.

Under the Bridge Spicy Crab
414-424 Jaffe Road,
Wan Chai, Hong Kong
4 other locations within a block radius

It has been so incredibly long since I have visited Hong Kong, without the pressure of time or family commitments. As I await the application of my Chinese visa, I see no other purpose for me aside from eating in this great metropolis that is HK. Barely in the country a week and already I have eaten yum cha 3 times. Twice at Lei Gardens (Shatin and IFC) and the third, a real treat at the T’ang Court @ The Langham.

Lucky for me, my brother spared me some time on his business trip to HK, and provided me with strict instruction to make a booking at T’ang Court for lunch. Who am I to disagree?

The restaurant is typical of what you would expect from a michelin starred hotel restaurant – dark wood, elegance, white table cloths. The dimsum menu is traditional yet concise with dishes ranging from about HKD40 a plate for a standard dish and up to HKD80 per piece for the more luxurious items. My brother quickly declared that he just wanted to eat these ‘luxurious items’ but I could order some ‘normal’ dishes if I liked. Again I obliged and followed my brothers lead.

Our meal started with an Abalone tart. BOOM.

The abalone was sweet, tender and braised in a rich, oyster style sauce. The pastry was a rich buttery, almost pâte sucrée in texture and was surprisingly sweet. Hands down the best item we ate.

A dried scallop and fish maw dumpling consumme  followed. Great contrast of texture and richness from the tender dried scallop and fish maw. Bloody delicious soup base. Rich yet ‘clean’ in taste.

A few other dishes we tried are pictured together in the following pic (anticlockwise from bottom left):

• Yunnan ham puff – Rich buttery pastry, moist filling, served at a perfect temperature.
• Siew mai dumplings – nothing to scream and shout about but consistantly good
• Pork and vegetable dumplings – this was probably the one disappointment of the meal due to a too thick pastry (not glassy) and not enough filling. The pastry vs filling ratio was way off.
• Fried beancurd rolls – slightly oily, but nice texture and filling
• XO pan fried cheung fun – Great texture, nice spice to the sauce

Overall the meal was pretty outstanding and incredibly reasonable given what we ordered and the cost of other high end dim sum establishments. Of course its never going to compete with the likes of Tim Ho Wan or Dim Dim Sum in terms of value, but you are hardly going to see a braised abalone pastry at either of the above mentioned establishments.

Service was absolutely impeccable and I cannot even try and fault it. Plate changes, attentive tea service and polite knowledgeable staff.

Overall a very positive, delicious experience. Whilst I have not tried dinner here, I can safely highly recommend hitting up this place if you are after a high-end yet traditional dim sum experience in Hong Kong.

T’ang Court
The Langham, Hong Kong
Tsim Sha Tsui

Well that’s not really an excuse but its a reasonable one. Getting married is a bad for a person who likes to blog, in particular about food. Aside from the fact that I almost drowned in ‘wedding’, the desire to ‘get fit’ eliminates anything remotely yummy… therefore without an interesting thing to say.

So why pick this up again? After an amazing 4 years in London, it was time for us to move on. Sam and I are making the big move to Shanghai which has motivated me (all over again) to want to discover a whole new city of eating. Now the only problem is how to get through the Great Firewall of China?

In the meantime I am in limbo in Hong Kong, as I commence the tedious task of applying for a China work visa. But I can hardly complain… Hong Kong is far from a culinary wasteland and I intend on eating as much as I can over the next few weeks.

Watch this space!