2012 Spring review: 八方雲集 (Altogether), Quarry Bay, HK

This shop may not be the best in making dumpling but it's the best to me in terms of price and food freshness and cooking in Taiwanese style. I found out a set of pig's intestine soup, 5 dumplings and a soy bean drink at just HK$30. Need to update our overseas friends that right now the food price has been at around 20-30% increase due to the minimum wage implementation. So taking a lunch at a local restaurant cost about HK$40-50 (was HK$25-35). Besides, most waiters and waitresses are always having a black face. Why? Their bosses can't afford so many minimum wage staff and so need to ask 1 staff to work for 2 staffs' job.

So I really get amazed at this shop for keeping the $30 set and yet the quality and service aren't bad, and much beyond my expectation. The pig intestine's noodle soup is my favourite but almost none of my friends would take it. So it's good for me to have this set by myself. Another remark is on their food freshness and freshly made on order. Their beef noodle is also very nice with quite 1 big carrot cut and turnip and a big veggie, as well as 1 big tendon (very well cooked), big brisket and beef chunk. Note that the soup is very authentic Taiwanese in a "hot burnt red oil" soup. Though I don't like it too oily (I would take that out carefully), it's very aromatic in the soup. So it's just HK$39 for such a big bowl of renowned Taiwanese "hot burnt" beef noodle soup (and with some healthy veggie fiber). Highly recommended to get some low cost nice food during this tough time of super jump inflation.

源記茶餐廳, Yuen Kee Restaurant TST HK

Yuen Kee started its business on Hart Avenue in Tsimshatsui in the late 80's. The shop was pretty small at that time with only 7-8 tables, serving a simple menu of beef brisket/belly..etc. noodles as well as wonton and beef balls. The shop had a very strong ventilator fanning the strong aroma of its beef stew. That's how a 4D promotion of its beef stew. The shop is now a big local style tea restaurant re-located on Granville Road, serving not only beef noodle but also BBQ and stir fried dishes. I somehow still go for their beef noodle soup. Think of the old time how I took their beef noodle by myself on the quiet Hart Avenue of the 80's, out of the hustling crowded Tsimshatsui.

Weekend delight from BKK - Marina HK Siam Square BKK

It's midnight time and I thought of the other midnight when I arrived at BKK very late at midnight. Since I stayed in Siam area, my friends and I felt like going out for a supper. So I brought them to this noodle shop which runs real 24 hours (not closing at 12 midnight). Got a bit surprised with the food quality of this shop and it's very close to HK taste. I would also recommend trying their juice, especially dragon fruit juice.

Tak Fat Beef Ball Noodle shop, Tsimshatsui, Kowloon

Not sure if any of you would know the street stalls (Da Pai Dong大排檔) under the fly-over between Langham Hotel (was Renaissance/Great Eagle) and Ashley Road are still there. The HK Gov't tried to push them out by not issuing the air-conditioning facilities to them. So in the summer time, this place is like a hot oven. As I had a very lousy noodle in Quarry Bay, then I went to TST for trying this exciting beef ball noodle shop called 德發牛丸. Oh, the quality is still the best for their renowned beef ball and yet the taste is very nostalgic!

1. See the Da Pai Dong style food stall. 2. The nice beef balls are so good - soft but yet chewy and the shop put some very slight dried tangerine peel in it! The soup base is very nostalgic - salty and sweet just to the balance and some bean sprouts in it.

3. more stalls. 4. I ordered beef brisket and beef balls. The beef brisket is the traditional scattered brisket 碎腩. Though it's the cheapest one, if you can cook it well, the taste is really good. Yet, it is in the old time mini-cart style.

5. the veggie may not be too good but the sauce is! 6. menu on the iron net.

7. another view to the shop. 8. the entrance near Ashley Road.

Wah Nan beef brisket/beef ball noodle shop 華南牛腩／牛丸粉麵, Wanchai, Hong Kong

This shop was once one of my most favourite noodle shops in Wanchai. However, it became not that nice a few years ago from my last visit. So after a few years later, I would like to re-visit some of those shops and see if their quality is back. Now it turns out it is.

1. boiled morning glory with preserved tofu sauce - pretty good though there were some scattered rice noodle in it. HK$11 and it's a very big portion. At least, it is 50% more than the other shops. 2. Deep fried fish skin HK$12 and this one is nice - quite dry crispy and the soup going with it is a beef bone with some Chinese herb soup. Pretty good.

13. Ok, the feature one - my favourite beef brisket rice noodle soup - HK$24. The beef brisket stew base was told to be over 50 years and hence the strong flavour is naturally soaked in the beef. However, I forgot ordering one rare item 草肚 (directly translated as "grass belly" I think it's a stomach part of some special specie of cow or ox). This one is much better than "golden coin belly". Only Wah Nam and a few others serve that "grass belly". Another nice thing of Wah Nam is their special chili oil - so nice to go with beef brisket and all the noodle soup. 14. the shop outside.