More Favourite Places to Eat?

I am wrecking my brain here. The elusive 10th favourite place to eat...surely there must be a memorable Vietnamese, Indian, or Lebanese place for me?

Well, there is that USD 2 pho place in Ho Chi Minh that I adored, but if I am not even sure of its name or exact location, how can I include it? Bukhara in Delhi was supposed to be the best, but my experience there was very sub par. Forgettful me also has a vague recollection of a fancily decorated Lebanese place in Paris where I had the best falafel.

Then suddenly it occurred to me, that closer to home, there are 2 places I like very much also:

1. 再 興 BBQ Pork Rice in Wanchai, Hong Kong. While there have been incidents of inconsistency lately, this dirt hole's BBQ pork rice is still my hands-down favourite comfort food. I still remember on my first visit, I idiotically asked for extra sauce when the server pointed out a whole jugful of "all-you-can-pour" sat right in front of me. Duh.
2. Main Street Deli, Langham Hotel, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. This place serves consistently some of the best and most authentic deli sandwiches and burgers in town. I really enjoy their reuben, because they had turkey meat in the mix, making the package a lighter journey. The decor is original, I get root beer or Dr. Pepper, and even giant American cheesecake or lemon meringue pie! Heaven.
   

Now I can sleep.

普天同慶 "溏心風暴"

There are three facts to string together here:

• My cousin and his family are in town again from San Francisco for Christmas;
• Mom is old-school and is the kind of person obliged to return favours, say, if someone treats the family to a big meal; and
• A pot of dried abalone has been stewing in the electric slow cooker for 3 days.

It actually took me three days to realize that mom was making abalone for my cousin, who loves the stuff. The key question for me was, would I be able to get my hands on some of the lion's share? Thankfully, I was home in the afternoon and gladly took up the role as official taster of the abalone sauce as mom started reducing the jus in a saucepan.

Mom got it right this time. My verdict was that the sauce was totally delicious. It was sticky thick (from the chicken feet in the slow cooker) but not overbearing, and full of the intense flavour of good Chinese ham. We got to kept half of the "loot" and gave the rest to my cousin. Some delighful midnight snacking ensued, and the extra abalone sauce (in easily meltable jello form from the fridge) made rice at dinner taste a whole lot better suddenly. =)

Childhood Snack: Mom's 蟹粉 + Instant Noodles

Excuse the potentially snobby but true headline. What I really wanted to say to start off with, is that eating healthily is a difficult notion, and a somewhat depressing one also. In the summer, I yearn for yummy ice-cream; in winter time, fatty hotpots reign. One would think Autumn is a tame season but hairy crabs (大閘蟹) always creep in to ruin the health run for me.

I think my mom's homemade 蟹粉 (cooked crab meat) is special because of 3 things: mom always uses large, fresh 大閘蟹 so the 蟹粉 is always chunky and never fishy, she has good technique when extracting the meat so there are minimal shell fragments, plus she possesses the correct Shanghainese "taste" when cooking it. I almost despise the paltry, puny and overpriced varieties at restaurants as they simply cannot compare in my biased opinion. Actually, come to think of it there are many picky tongues within the family and friends circle who can attest to her 蟹粉 being indisputably #1.

We can eat 蟹粉 in lots of ways: solo from the fridge (midnight snack), on toast (hors d'oeuvres snack), stir fried with bean curd (dinner dish); but my favourite combo has to be with instant noodles, sans soup (Mom likes it avec soup). It has to partner only with 公仔麵 (replaced by 出前一丁 from Nissin now). Anything else like egg noodles, spaghetti etc. just misses the plot. You see, when mixing 蟹粉 with the piping hot 公仔麵, its ability to soak up the oil and flavour means you end up with a rich and satisfying concoction. I think this is a simple but decadent lunch, or a super after-school snack.

So with a bit of nostalgia, I had exactly this for lunch. Yummy.

P.S.: the westernized foodie in me tried to make 蟹粉 risotto myself many years ago. It was good, but you know what, it was not 公仔麵 good.

“Softbank” in Central

I have long relished an opportunity to sample a much-raved private kitchen in Central that serves traditional, bona fide Cantonese banquet dishes ("dai sung" as opposed to "siu choy"). Lucky me I finally had the chance last week. I think the chef descended from the famous “Liu Chong Hing” (now “Chong Hing Bank”) house chefs.

The restaurant was tucked away secretly next to the Softbank Building and looked contrarily unappetizing. After deciding whether to take 4 dangerously narrow flights of stairs or spend 10 seconds in a death-chamber elevator that stank like hell, I entered a pleasantly decorated private room, greeted by the overwhelming aroma of a rare, 30-year Chinese “fa diu” wine (花雕) courtesy of my generous cousin. So, Italians made wines from sangiovese as such because they go well with their predominantly tomato-based dishes. I think “fa diu” is analogous for the Chinese, but why can’t most people in modern times appreciate this simple idea? I don’t believe in, for example, a “perfect Riesling for Sichuan food”.

Since I couldn't drink much, allow me to jump to the appetizer – 3 big slices of giant conch (螺片), cooked to perfection. Flavourful and softly chewy, small dashes of shrimp paste sauce made it even better. The baked crab shell was another classic flawlessly executed. It was all fresh crab meat and contained no distractions like onions or mushrooms. Rightly suggested by my cousin, eating without the accompanying Worcestershire sauce was a superior option.

Then I had the traditional “glass prawn” (玻璃蝦). Almost 2/3’s the size of a tennis ball, it was fresh and almost crunchy in texture. "Tim's Kitchen" (of Hang Seng Bank house chef fame) in Sheung Wan does a great job with this dish as well, but I think tonight Liu Chong Hing won out.

Top quality clear conch soup, stir fried shark's fin (貴花翅), Cantonese-style fried chicken (炸子雞) and veggies all came and went in a swift. Even though I was quite full by then, I just could not resist the final satay beef "cheung fun" (腸粉 rolled rice noodles) and lotus leaf rice. The cheung fun was smooth and slurpy, but I absolutely cherished the rice because its rich lotus fragrance reminded me of my favourite dish when I was little. How I miss this "gau sung" (traditional, old dish) flavour versus dingy nouvelle Chinese cuisine today.

Regrets I did not have a camera with me, but pictures would not do the food justice. Maybe I should wish for the day when we can capture the smell of food on bits and bytes.

Address: 3/F and 4/F, 4 Pottinger Street, Central.

Lei Garden @ IFC, Hong Kong

Celebratory dinners used to mean rowdy gatherings at fancy western or ethnic restaurants, but now I prefer a traditional Chinese meal with family and friends. I suppose this is some innate “Chinese clock” clicking in, and I can relate much better now as to why my mom and aunts insist on Chinese food when traveling even if it is awful.

Such was the mindset as I approached a birthday occasion at IFC's Lei Garden. I have come to enjoy Lei Garden’s consistency in food and quality, especially since the MSG dosage at this place appears somewhat reduced. The night’s menu had some highlights:

A crispy suckling pig complemented by a small, soft flour pancakes. I would be just as happy eating plain pancakes only.

Fresh geoduck slices (cooked by pouring hot fish soup over it) and lobster bits, crackers with noodles were both flavourful yet light on the palette.

The jumbo longevity bun was always a nice touch.

My only complaint is that prices are somewhat unreasonably expensive because of the location. Personally I always feel Lei Garden’s Wanchai counterpart is better value and even tastier.

Address: 3/F, IFC Mall, Central. T: 2295 0238