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.

Mahler and a Vietnamese Baguette Sandwich in Kowloon

What does a Bohemian-Austrian composer have to do with a Franco-inspired Vietnamese street snack? Not as far-fetched as one may think if you are very hungry after a moving (albeit sad) and scintillating performance of Mahler's Symphony No. 5 by the London Symphony Orchestra at Tsim Sha Tsui's Hong Kong Cultural Centre.

Desperate for some uplifting consolation but wary of an ailing stomach that should rest after 10.30pm, partner-in-crime Golfess and I went on a mission to locate a nice snack somewhere in the nether regions of Kowloon, some 5 to 7 minutes from the Cultural Centre by car.

After a couple of turns, stops and map consults, a small, bright, hole-in-wall joint called "Tim Kee" (添記) finally peered out of a dark and mouldy side street off a series of vibrant dai-pai-dong's. Pretending to be old-timers, we ordered a "big one" and a "small one". Cutting open 2 self-baked baguettes, the maestro proprietor deftly stuffed each with 3 types of Vietnamese sausage concoctions (扎肉) and baked them in an industrial oven. After a few minutes, the baguettes enjoyed nuoc mam-marinated carrots and cucumbers as garnishes, and were finished off with dashes of pepper and alas - Maggie Sauce! =)

The result was complex. Just like how Mahler's Fifth went from horns and banging cymbals in C sharp minor to A minor to D major......each bite offered its distinct stimulus from a slow, careful initial crunch into a frenzy of pepper sting, sausage jus and carrot tang. Bread flakes were flying everywhere in the car, and the devouring took less than a milli-fraction of the First Movement.

"Sha sha nong" Golfess for a wonderful snack discovery together, and enduring an evening of cackle.

Address: 添記, 26 Man Yuen Street, Jordan, Kowloon. T: 2385 7939.