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Motormouth From Ipoh

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Hong Kong/Macau 2008 - Soy Milk for Breakfast, & Hakka Cuisine for Lunch

From previous chapter, Glitzy Lifestyle @ Lan Kwai Fong ... click HERE for more.
In a glimpse of an eye, we've reached the 8th day of our journey. The weather was progressing perfectly, not as hot & humid as previous days. The clear blue skies and slight breeze was all too inviting .... Pity this was already our last day in Hong Kong.


Notice those HUGE fried dough? HOI KENG Congee Specialist's the shop's name, with three branches in Kowloon, and another in Tsuen Wan

Woke up feeling refreshed and not too fatigued, as the previous day's itinerary consisted of shopping and eating only. A far cry from the tormenting climb, crawl and walks in and around Lantau Island, Macau, Ocean Park, and so forth.

Fish Porridge (HKD18.50/RM8.33), Cheong Fun with Char Siew/Corn (HKD15/RM6.75), and Corned Beef+Bacon Sandwich Set with Milk Tea (HKD21/RM9.45)

Was searching for this shop selling fried dough (yau char kwai/Chinese crullers & friends) and soy milk the previous day, but did not succeed in doing so. Furthermore, our spirits were dampened with the discouraging rain, and Mong Kok's ever-confusing roads and shoplots that mimic each other to a T. Seriously, if you're not armed with a map, you probably won't be able to tell the roads apart.

GIGANTIC Yau Char Kwai @ HKD7/RM3.20

Equally GARGANTUAN Ham Chim Peng (translation, pls?) @ HKD7/RM3.20

The "Char Chaan Teng" (Hong Kong cafe) like appearance hinted at the type of food they serve, being typical breakfast set. But, with a twist. Their signature items of course, are the fried dough proudly displayed in the glass cabinet at the exterior of the shop, and normally paired with their homemade soy milk.

The BEST soy milk served warm I've ever had @ HKD8/RM3.60

And the soy milk did not disappoint. Smooth, fragrant, slightly milky, and best of all, healthy. The soy milk was served generously in a bowl. Every spoonful was a delight, and when the fried dough was dipped into the warm soy milk, the dough absorbed the soy milk, but still retaining the crunch in every bite. Bite into them, and the sensation of soy milk squirting into every corner of the mouth screamed comfort food at its best. I can't imagine a breakfast simpler and tastier than these.

Other than this, their rice noodle rolls (Cheong Fun) stuffed with various fillings are their forte as well, especially the ones wrapping around some Yau Char Kwai.

HOI KENG CONGEE SPECIALIST @ G/F, 103, Argyle Street, Mong Kok, Kowloon.

Other outlets : (Shop B, G/F, 72, Bute Street, Mong Kok, Kowloon), (Shop A&B, G/F, Jade Plaza, 298, Sha Tsui Rd, Tsuen Wan, New Territories), and (G/F, 55 Ngau Tau Kok Rd, Ngau Tau Kok, Kowloon)

Then we packed up, checked out from Dragon Hostel but it was still pretty early. Thus we did what sane shopaholics (if there's ever a sane one!) would do. We shopped, for more. Souvenirs, clothings, and such. So that we won't be interrogated when we're back in M'sia.

Chuen Cheung Koi Restaurant on Nelson Street, Mong Kok

For lunch, we headed to a Hakka cuisine restaurant recommended not only by Lonely Planet, but also by the uncle at Lin Heung Tea House, a few days ago (click HERE for the account). Though dining in a Chinese restaurant with all the bells and whistles in Hong Kong, was kinda intimidating, at first. But we longed for a REAL meal, instead of the everyday noodles and junks.

Nothing unlike our dining restaurants in M'sia ... You can almost expect wedding bells a-ringing

Simple blanched green vegetables for the digestive system

Relieved to see the prices rather affordable for lunch. Roughly HKD30-HKD40 per person, including rice and tea. What's more, the servings were rather generous.

Salted Chicken

One of their specialty is the Salted Chicken, but do not get confused with Ipoh's Salted Chicken. Theirs leaned more to steamed chicken like chicken rice's version, but with a hint of salt & ginger. The plus point was obviously the smooth and juicy flesh, and the tenderness of the meat. I'm barely a fan of steamed chicken, but gave my seal of approval to this dish.

Mui Choy Kau Yoke (Braised Pork Belly with Preserved Vegetables)

The best dish of the meal, the Pork Belly with Preserved vegetables scored almost perfect ratings between the four of us. The meat was literally melt-in-mouth texture, and the Mui Choy (preserved vegetables) had a nice balance flavours of salty and sweet. Went really well with the heaps of white rice. None of us could finish the rice. Enlighten me on this, is rice really THAT cheap in Hong Kong?

Timeless classic = Sweet and Sour Pork

And of course, possibly my first favourite dish since I was small, before I was exposed to the amalgam of flavours opening up my tastebuds, the sweet and sour pork. Chunky pork deep-fried and coated with the glistening tangy tomato sauce. Minor difference compared to Malaysia's version, they did not spice the dish up slightly with chilli sauce, unlike our very own.

Chuen Cheung Kui Restaurant @ Shop E, G/F-2/F, Lisa House, 33, Nelson Street, Kowloon.

Kee Wah Bakery

For fear of hunger during the ferry ride to Macau, or the flight back to Malaysia, we bought some confectioneries from Kee Wah Bakery, a household bakery in Hong Kong. More famous than ever since the TVB drama, Moonlight Resonance was sponsored by Kee Wah, and the bakery shop scene in the drama was actually filmed using one of Kee Wah's many branches (correct me if I'm wrong though).

The nicely packed shortcakes with many flavours (HKD42/RM18.90 for 6)

The cakes and the cookies were alluring, but the shortcakes were the most enticing items. I bought a pineapple shortcake, and one filled with honeydew jam. Both were good, and I had them both on the plane back to Malaysia the next day. Hehe .... Air Asia's meals are horrendously over-priced for the garbage that they serve. The Nasi Lemak and Nasi Goreng looked worse than the worst you can buy from the roadside.

Buttery pastry enveloping the pineapple jam

Soon after, we collected our bags from our hostel (they provide free luggage storing service for their customers, eventhough you've checked out), and proceeded to Mong Kok MTR station to get the refund for our Octopus cards. You'll get all the remaining balance, except a charge of HKD7/RM3.15 which will be deducted.

Then we took a taxi from Nathan Road to the ferry terminal. This time, the driver was a nice chap, ignoring our luggages, but instead charged only HKD30/RM13.50 for the ride. Bought First Ferry tickets to Macau's jetty, at HKD148/RM66.60 per person.

Goodbye Hong Kong ... Til the next one!

P/S : I'll be gone til next Monday. Down to KL again for work, and then play. Happy Deepavali everyone! :)

21 comments:

Precious Pea said...

Aiyerr......it's about time. Your HK post killing me lerr...really wish i could fly over now to savour all the food you had.

I tried Kee Wah too and yes, they were the sponsor. But sadly i find packaging really enticing but i bought quite a number of items..none nice.

Anonymous said...

Ooo....another 500 more readers to reach the 50,000 readership milestone! U shud do some mini celebration lor...

Ciki said...

hugeass ham chiem peng.. i like! nice shots!

HairyBerry said...

nothing like a nice, warm bowl of soy milk in hk...of course, must pair with the nice yau char kway as well lar...how i wish i was a foodie when i visit hk last time...sigh....

Anonymous said...

Thanks for all the nice intro and yummy food of your trip...will be much easier for me on the next HK trip :)

ck lam
http://www.what2seeonline.com

Jason said...

Oh... can imagine how sedap the yau char kueh with soy milk here... and where's my souvenir???

Tummythoz said...

Aiyo that salted chicken looks quite raw.
So when can I collect my souvenir? *leaning on jason*

Anonymous said...

All those lovely fried dough GIGANTIC and GARGANTUAN.. paired with the GREATEST soy milk you ever had... Sounds like a Breakfast for Champions!

*makes plan to visit HK too*

Anonymous said...

Totally agree! Who would have tot that the simplest way to enjoy the breakfast ( i.e The Delicious Soya Milk & Yau Char Kway! ) would turn out to be among the highlights of the trip!...( p/s: IMHO, i think the soya is nice than Funny Mountain kot..=) bt of cuz, no one can beat Funny's tau fu fa! )

SuwEi said...

Reli miss the XL Yau char Guai + soya.:P

backStreetGluttons said...

good job to expose these fresh top of the range lips shivering wonders of HK culinary delights , the colors of which seem more pompous anytime that those over here.

surely got less flies and better toilets ...something we have failed to improve even after more than 50 years

Anonymous said...

Hmmm... haven't tried yau char kway with soya milk before - that's really very HK-style! The salted chicken looks so yummy and the mui choy kau yuk also! Slurpss...

choi yen said...

Your photo of the Kee Wah Bekery look like "Hor Ma" Bakery :)

Sharon Y. said...

Chinese pastries looks so yummy! I especially like the gigantic ones. The soy milk is so thick.. and your description of 'dipping' is killing me that I can't have it :P

"Joe" who is constantly craving said...

i thought the kee wah lou poh pian was good..n the mooncakes too!

JeromeFo 令狐冲 said...

Wish i could try their salted chicken >< Want to compare the taste with Ipoh one ....

cariso said...

Oh boy, finally it's reaching the last episode. I really enjoyed your write up:)

Lingzie said...

i see the ham chim peng already want to faint! ~drools~
then scroll down some more and see the pineapple shortcakes!! ~faints again~
absolutely gastronomical!

J2Kfm said...

Hey everyone! ... guess I'm a tad late in replying comments. sorry, been off to KL.

Guys & gals, this was NOT the end of my HK/Macau posts. =P

as much as everyone would like to see an ending so soon, dont worry, another post will do just fine. hehe ... we spent another night in Macau after that.

Kee Wah Bakery is everywhere. Really. their packaging nice, and the shortbread was good lah. really one.

the soy milk and YCK combo worked wonders. I never had YCK so crispy yet not oily at all, and the soy milk was REAL good.

as for the souvenirs ...ahem ahem... =P

Shell (貝殼) said...

i like to eat Yau Char Kwai with soya bean~~excellent match^^

J2Kfm said...

shell : yeah, indeed. I like You Tiao. and realised Pavilion's Food Republic houses a You Tiao stall, serving fresh soy bean milk with you tiao. wonder if that passes the test?