A Hidden Gem: Thai Restaurant in Hang Hau Village

金葉軒- Grand Restaurant

No.25-26 Hang Hou Village, Tseung Kwan O

將軍澳坑口村25-26號 

Rating: 7.5/10 

Price: Around 100 HKD per person (4 dishes for 3)
It had been days since I started craving steak... not just any steak but blood-dripping, minimally cooked steak! So when my friend secretly confessed in a similar urge, to go 'knife' a proper steak we headed off to Lardos Steakhouse 'hidden' right next to our University.

However what I had thought would be a faultless plan (we even went at 5:30PM and waited for 30 min for the place to open) was that it was fully booked for the whoooole night. Apparently it's not as 'hidden' as I thought it would be.

Hugely disappointed  and  by now starving.... we quickly decided to go check out the Thai Restaurant that was right next door, and maybe it was because we were not expecting much.. it turned out to be great! (and even good for our wallet!)

Last time I went to Lardos and saw this place it was jammed packed and over-flowing to the streets with people! It did begin to fill up rather quickly towards the end of our dinner (around 7:30PM) but when we went it was really empty and quiet :)

The menu was actually quite extensive, and their specialty dishes involved lots of crabs and seafood but because we were fixated in getting meat that day... we mainly got meat-orientated dishes that turned out great!

Pad Thai (4.5/5) 
-This was my favorite dish out of what we ordered! Compared to Sawadee in Sai Kung, the poritions were also a lot bigger and a lot more shrimps, crab-meat, peanuts and just a lot more yummy and filling in general too! Plus because it was rather easy on the salt and seasoning, it paired greatly with the chili sauce!

Nasi Goreng (3.5/5)
I loved the side-dishes to the fried rice more than the rice it-self (the crackers, eggs and chicken skewer) but my friends loved this dish and finished it all up! The rice was a little bland for my liking, which gave me the perfect excuse to consume unhealthy amount of chili-sauce and ketchup!
But they had really yummy shrimps (they seem to be great in not sparing ingredients) and not just ONE or TWO like they do in some restaurants! :D

Chicken Breast in Pandan Leaves (4/5)
I never quite figured out the purpose of the Pandan Leaves... whether they were more for the flavoring or the just the method of cooking... but whatever purpose they serve, these chicken breasts were delicious! They were very succulent and not over-cooked and had a slight taste of curry and other seasonings! Plus they were cutely wrapped in these leaves which was so much fun to unravel!

Charcoal Grilled Beef (3.8/5)
As soon as these arrived, they reminded me of the LA Galbi! Even the taste was almost the same too (but sorry Thailand.. Korean bbq is still better :p). They were the closest substitute we could find on the menu to our beloved steak... and although it wasn't the steak we wanted it was still yummy :)

I'm not sure if it is very thai-ish dish, but the meat was well-cooked (although slightly too oily for my liking) and the side plate of french-fries was a nice addition as well :)
The portion was also quite big for the price (only 88HKD) and again the dish was not too heavily seasoned which I liked but I could see some people finding the dish too mild for their liking.

Overall the place was great! It wasn't the steakhouse we were looking for but for 100HKD we left the place utterly bloated, and greatly satisfied with what we had eaten! Plus I think we all agreed that it was the perfect place to go next time for a quick dinner off-campus (much better than Sawadee in Sai Kung)!