The secret alleys and streetside restaurants of Hong Kong
MILLIE: Whenever I feel stressed out or tired, my go-to place is the beach—or I do a food trip and Hong Kong, being just an hour and 45 minutes away, is the perfect place to be! Plus, I get to see my good friend Nancy Tso whom I have known for 56 years. Now, that’s a lifetime! Most people say that Hong Kong has gotten so expensive and it’s true but then again, I’m not here to shop…just eat and spend time with Karla and my dear friend.
First stop was a roast goose place in Tang Lung St. or Lantern St. in Causeway Bay. Nancy took us to a small alley near Times Square that had numerous hole-in-the-wall places but alas, the place she wanted to take us to was closed for a few days’ break. So we ended up in a Chiu Chow restaurant nearby that was popular among locals.
According to Nancy, Chiu Chow is a regional cuisine known for fresh and high-quality ingredients like abalone, oysters and other seafood, goose and the like, and vegetarian dishes. These ingredients are usually steamed, boiled, poached, or braised to preserve their natural taste and flavors. Dishes are seasoned and spiced only to enhance the natural flavors of the high-quality ingredients.
Chiu Chow dumplings and noodle dishes are also quite popular although not as tasty as the Cantonese dumplings and noodle dishes we are normally used to. I have tried Chiu Chow cuisine before but found the taste too bland for my palate and therefore, I had to spice it up a bit more to my liking. But once in a while, I do look forward to a simple dish like congee or a steamed fish.
KARLA: We ordered the steamed goose on a bed of peanuts with a light soy sauce. It felt less oily than the roasted goose we are used to. The meat was tender and had an herby flavor, which, I learned, had been marinated with soy, ginger, garlic and star anise before steaming.
The next dish was probably one of my favorites on this trip. It was simple yet very comforting and familiar, and something my Lolo Joe would have loved. We ordered the braised brisket with tendon and radish. It was very meaty yet melted in my mouth. To this day, I regret not ordering this with some rice, but it only means we need to go back. Other items we ordered, that the restaurant was known for, were the pork and chives dumpling which came in soup, the Chiu Chow chives dumpling which was a pan-fried dumpling, and the puning deep-fried tofu, which had a very light and elastic texture more than the usual tofu. Since it was deep fried, it had a light crisp on its exterior.
The restaurant is located on the ground floor, Tang Lung St., Causeway Bay. I don’t know the English translation, but my friend says the sign reads Chao Xing Long.
The next day, the roasted goose restaurant on Tang Lung was still closed and so we ended up going back to Ki’s Roasted Goose, which was only a few minutes’ walk from our hotel. We’ve featured their goose before and what I liked most about it was that the goose had a slightly smoky flavor. Mom had the roasted goose and char siu combination, while I had the crispy pork and roasted goose. Of course, I ordered a Hongkong milk tea to wash it all down. After lunch, I even said out loud, “I bet the dishwasher at this place loves me now!” Referring to the clean plate I left. Not a single grain of rice was present on my plate.
Ki’s Roasted Goose has several branches located around Hong Kong. The branch that we went to was at Causeway Bay at 45 Jardine’s Bazaar Causeway Bay.
MILLIE: Just a few Hong Kong dining tips. Through the years, we have always gone almost yearly to Hong Kong and I’ve noticed that before, wet, hot towels or wipes were always given to diners, until they started to charge for these. Peanuts or wanton chips were always given free, until they started to charge for them. Restaurants would always set cloth napkins until they stopped this practice, so one should bring his/her own paper napkin, wipes or tissue. Lately, I have had to bring my own water bottle because most places only serve sodas but no bottled water. If ever the restaurant had bottled water to sell, it would be expensive brands like Evian or San Pellegrino or a huge bottle of branded water. Even hot water is charged, along with Chinese tea! But, no matter, Hong Kong is still one of my favorites for food adventures!
