Hong Kong/Macau 2008 - Red Ant Baked Rice, Mong Kok Street Food & Shek Moh Fong Dessert House

Continuation from A Day's Out @ Ocean Park, Hong Kong ...

A splash of colours, the re-ignition of our childhood years, & a carnival-like ambience @ OCEAN PARK

Clockwise from top right : Baked Rice with Prawns & Avocado (HKD68/RM30.60), Baked Rice with Cod Fish & Salted Fish in Japanese Sauce (HKD68/RM30.60), and Red Ant Combo (HKD60/RM27)

Battered. Bruised. And numb limbs aplenty. We arrived back in Mong Kok in the evening, and proceeded for an early dinner at Red Ant Restaurant, located on 220, Sai Yeung Choi Street South. Red Ant is famous for its baked rice with gravy, and countless other specialities and desserts, the selection was downright mind-boggling. Difficult to make a decision, we trusted the "Signature Icons" on the menu, indicating their best-sellers.

The portion leans towards the larger end, and we were glad we ordered 3 dishes to be shared among 4 of us. The Baked Rice with Cod Fish in Japanese Sauce, garnished with generous sprinkling of finely-grounded salted fish was the star of the evening for me, the juicy cod fish steak's flavour was enhanced with the teriyaki sauce. The addition of the salted fish hits the spot, providing a subtle yet slightly salty flavour.

The Red Ant Combo consisted of various vegetables, mushrooms, and chunks of chicken baked with brown sauce on rice, and certainly earned its stripes as one of the signature dishes. The Prawns and Avocado combination may sound weird on paper, but the creamy gravy on the fluffy fried rice with eggs, and the large, fresh and bouncy prawns proved to be a working combination. Though the less-than-creamy avocadoes left much to be desired.

The meal cost HKD213/RM95.85, including drinks. Their menu can be vaguely described as Fusion, or East meets West, with a twist. They have various branches in Hong Kong, and just like Cafe de Coral and Fairwood, can be located rather easily.

Street Food at every corner in Mong Kok. Really!

We went back to Dragon Hostel and rested for awhile. The long walks was starting to take its toll on us, and even TallGal's shoes were not spared the taxing ordeal. She was forced to purchase another pair of shoes, at Sport Shoe's Street (Fa Yuen Street), and managed to get a rather good deal herself. Only around HKD220/RM99 for a pair of Nike's.

After a while, the stomach grumbled, again. Hahaha .... As usual. So off we went for some late night grubs, and we knew it was not an arduous task, as food's available at every corner, on every street, at every hour of the day. Right here, in Mong Kok, Kowloon.

Crispy, greasy and delicious deep-fried tentacles of the octopus ... now where's my STATINS?

For a mere HKD12/RM5.40 per packet, you'll get a whole load of octopus' tentacles coated with batter and deep-fried to perfection. Oil and cholesterol FOC. Muahaha .... I was committing sins left and right, but the glutton soul in me was craving for more. And I knew I just had to try possibly Hong Kong's MOST famous street food, the KING of all smelly goodies, the STINKY TOFU !!!!

The aroma may require some getting used to, but the taste is rather mild

At HKD7/RM3.15 per piece, you'll get a huge block of the infamous product, plus any sauce you desire, self-service. One bite and I cringed at the extreme saltiness of the crispy outer layer drenched in the spicy sauce I liberately poured into the paper bag. But the insides of the beancurd was nothing special, and comparable to the average soft beancurd, albeit not as smooth. Hmm, I definitely had higher hopes for this.

Shek Moh Fong Dessert House @ 208, Sai Yeung Choi Street South

After such greasy and heaty snacks, we were desperately searching for something sweet to end the day. But of course, dessert outlets are a dime a dozen in Mong Kok, and bumping into one was not much of a hassle. Tonight's choice? Shek Moh Fong dessert house.

Watermelon Sago Dessert (HKD24/RM10.80)

Ever-reliable sago desserts, or Sai Mai Lou in Cantonese. Choose from a variety of mangoes, honeydews, strawberries and more. But watermelon was my choice, and the refreshing blend of milk, sago and watermelon balls was excellent as a palate-cleanser, and a thirst-quencher. Every spoonful was a delight. Though our very own KTZ's version of the sago desserts are comparably good, and cheaper by half.

Smooth Blended Red Bean with Grassjelly (HKD26/RM11.70)

One item that was different from other "tong sui" outlets was the Blended Red Bean or Yam with Cincau (Grassjelly). There was a scoop of ice cream in the midst of the pool of smoothly blended red beans, and paired with strips of grassjelly, the dessert was a pleasant change from the average mango desserts from Hui Lau Shan, or steamed egg/milk from the others.

The subsequent "search and rescue" task for some mistakenly-assumed "lost" keys ended the tiresome evening rather late, and we vowed to sleep into overdrive mode the next morning. ;)

Next Day's Itinerary : Shopping in Shatin, & Virginal visit to Lan Kwai Fong