Cracking the Chungking Mansion for the Delhi Club

The Delhi Club

Room 3, 3/F, Block C, Chung king Mansion,

38-44 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

+852 2368 1682

Price: 80-90 HKD per person (for 3 main dishes and 2 naan breads)

Rating: 4.0/5

As my planned departure date approached and I began making a list of places that i should visit before i leave Hong Kong, visiting Chung King Mansions began to seem inevitable. Despite hearing countless accounts of amazing and cheap indian food hidden within the myriad shops and hotels within the building.... whether it was the over-zealous indian vendors selling fake watches or curries or the dark, foreboding appearance of the buildings, I never quite made it inside.

However with the recent renovation and my growing love for Indian food (and rapidly emptying wallet) I gathered forces to venture into this unknown and rather 'exotic' place for hidden indian food.

see the look of TERROR!

The restaurant was a little tricky to locate, but after walking up and down the alleyway avoiding eye-contact with anyone, we finally located the elevator to take us up to the third floor (for you future visitors: it's the inner-most elevator, so just walk in and go straight until the last elevator) 

The lighting inside the restaurant was one of the most bizarre blue lights I remember seeing in movies. I mean who has blue neon lighting for a restaurant! It wouldn't have worked in any other place, but somehow it all came together with the overall atmosphere!

We ordered Garlic Naan and Delhi Club Specialty Naan (Naan with Egg) and I've gotta say i've loved them both equally. I've never tried Naan with Egg, and the egg flavor is actually not that strong (i would've never realized it was Egg Naan if I hadn't read the menu)

For the Main Dishes we firstly ordered Saag Paneer (cottage cheese with Spinach), Chicken Tikka Masala and a Lamb Dish (I forget the name but it was with coconut milk) 

 I wish they had given more pieces of lamb, but given the price I guess it is reasonable! The meat is definitely better at Bombay Dreams but the curry was top-notch and we began clearing our dishes as soon as we started eating. 

Despite my slight anxiety and fear of going within the Chung King Mansion, the whole experience was actually pretty fun and the food was as promised great for its value! It's definitely not a romantic, or a nice place to take a date on but if you're ever in a mood for down-to-earth and cheap indian food in TST, then think no further than the Delhi Club!

Malaysian Noodles for a Rainy Day at Katong Laksa Prawn Mee

Katong Laksa Prawn Mee

155 Jaffe Rd, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

+852 3168 2478 ‎

RATING: 7.5/10

PRICE: 50-80 HKD per noodle

Hong Kong's weather has been rather terrible lately. It seems to be an everlasting repetition of fog, humidity, rain and split second of sunshine that just mocks you in the morning. So after trying to beat the weather at Expresso Alchemy on a gloomy saturday day.... we thought we just had to, yes HAD to, end the day with some 'asian-style soul food' to literally warm our spirits.

By the time we left Quarry Bay, the morning-drizzle had turned into a full-on-rainstorm that completely rendered our tiny umbrellas useless. Anyone else in their right mind would have called it a day, but we took a cab all the way to Wanchai for what people had written in Openrice and numerous other forums and blogs as the most 'authentic' laksa and prawn mee in Hong Kong.

Thankfully it was relatively easy to find, and we arrived quickly enough to find the place totally deserted except for one other customer... Apparently not many people are eager enough to venture out through rain-storms for a bowl of laksa. 

Anyhow after quickly gazing at the photos of the dishes shown along the wall, we settled on shared bowl of Supreme Prawn Mee Noodle and Laksa with Squid Ball. They did have english menu and quite a few choices of Laksa and Prawn Mee Noodles as well as other Malay dishes! They seem to be quite popular too (judging by open-rice) and maybe one day if I can beat my love for Laksa, I'll get to try it before I leave Hong Kong.

Althouh I can't remember the LAST time I had Laksa, as a novice (and almost a fresh) laksa-taster, I could tell that this was one amazing bowl of laksa. I know, I know the ones in Malaysia are oh-so-much better, but still! I can't travel all the way to Malaysia for a bowl of Laksa on every rainy day! Plus, the soup was so rich and thick and full of flavours that it seemed genuine and authentic enough to warm and 'dry' my drenched physical and mental state.

Seriously though, the soup is amaaaazing! Plus the owner was really nice in that he allowed us to have 2-3 refills of the soup!! I can't remember the rest of the dish that well... (the noodle, the squid balls etc.) because all i really can remember IS the soup. Despite the colour, the soup wasn't spicy at all probably due to the coconut milk that made the whole dish become slightly sweeter and smoother in comparison to the chinese spicy noodles.

The Deluxe Prawn Mee Noodle (3.3/5)
After falling in love with the Laksa above, I guess I had an unreasonably high expectation for the Prawn Mee Noodle.. (especially.. since the restaurant's name includes the dish). It's not that it wasn't good! The noodles were thicker and chewier than the Laksa, and because we ordered the 'deluxe' version, we got lots of toppings which are always delicious to eat...

However, although I don't know if its meant to be, the soup was a little too fishy for my liking. Plus, in comparison to the 'heart-warming' laksa soup, it was rather bland and too ordinary to shine. We kept on refilling our bowl of Laksa for fresh soup rather than eating/drinking the prawn-mee one...

Maybe it's just that I'm much more of a Katong Laksa person than a Prawn Mee Noodle.. or maybe i'll just try it at another place once more! :)

Discovering Gallette at Fleur de Sel

Fleur De Sel

G/F, 51 Graham Street,

Central Hong Kong

Price: 100-150HKD for Gallette, and 60HKD for Glass of Red Wine

Rating: 8/10

Although I've walked pass this restaurant so many times, I never even looked at the menu until the other day.... and what a find! I've always been fan of Crepes, especially with Nutella... I mean who isn't with their paper thin-crispiness with spoonful of nutella or powdered sugar literally flowing on top.

However, It is only now did I discover that there's a savory version of my favorite dessert, that is basially: replace nutella with melted cheese and some other delectable additions such as poached eggs, black truffle, spinach and whatever you desire... and VOILA! Here's a lovely dish of Galette.

The inside of the restaurant is actually really cute (and rather small), and the house red wine is actually much better than some of the wine I've tasted in SOHO (and this was when we had gotten wine for the SAKE of getting wine). There were also a handful of house ciders and organic ciders!!! I seemed to be the only one who absolutely adored ciders... so we went with wine instead but next time (even ALONE) ill sample that lovely (and rather big!) bottle of cider!

Ach, I always forget to note down or at least photograph the menu for later reference so that I can exactly know how much things were.. (or at least keep the receipt)! 
The only one I remember clearly is my heavenly one:

 La Truffe: Ham Emmental Cheese, Egg, Black Truffle Paste,  Camembert Cheese

 I mean just LOOK at it... writing this post even after a rather heavy dinner still makes me hungry.

THis one was with Smoked Salmon with Egg, although he argues that it was too breakfast y for his taste, it tasted perfectly fine (although slightly less delicious than mine) to me. :)

Pictured on the top is with spinach and goat-cheese which was also an excellent choice. I kept on snacking on other people's gallettes before mine.. so I can say for sure mine was the best! 

Oh but the last one that my friend ordered with Roast Vegetables was for some reason triangular and more ornately arranged.. I couln't quite figure out the reason for this.. so I decided it was because he thought my friend was cute. heh. makes a better story anyways :) This one didn't have so much cheese on top, so if you're trying to look for a dish that isn't so heavy.. this would be the one to go for! :)

Early Bird Tapas Dinner at Tapeo

Tapeo

Au's Bldg, 15-19 Hollywood Rd, Central, Hong Kong 

+852 3171 1989 ‎

http://conceptcreations.hk

Rating: 7.5/10 

Price: Early Bird Dinner (150HKD + 10% charge)
Although I had originally wanted to try out Les Fils a Maman, after skipping lunch I could not bear to wait till 7PM for their opening time! So, after a little research on the internet I came across the Early Dinner Special at Tapeo, which is basically:
         From 5-7PM: for 150 HKD (+ 10% service charge), you can have 2 Tapas (except the Jambon) and a glass of sangria, house red, house white or beer! We came in around 6PM wihout reservation which didn't seem to be a problem but they seemed to be booked after 7PM so we couldn't stay for too long :(

And continuing our little game of not repeating any type of cuisine before trying ALL types (haha) of food available in this culinary institute of a city, we gladly went to try their Tapas Menu.

The portions are actually not that big! Luckily we picked tapas that were quite big-poritioned but I can imagine needing to order 3-4 more on top of the Early Bird Dinner to be completely full...

Their Tapas Menu is as shown below!:

I got a glass of Sangria to start, and it was actually pretty decent! Not the best Sangria I've had but still it had been a while since I got to have one so it was a nice break from the usual wine or beer!

We decided to try 4 different Tapas to be shared between us... and after a quick glance, we happily settled on these four!

Manchego Cheese with Honey (4/5)

We ordered this without the slightest clue as to what Manchego Cheese was, and although we were enthusiastic about getting to know a little more about it.. the manager in charge was not very helpful in explaining it. He simply said "You know...it's cheese from Manchego". Thanks.

Anyways, being more resourceful than our unhelful staff, here's what Wikipedia explained it to be as:

Manchego (officially Queso Manchego) is a cheese made in the La Mancha region of Spain from the milk of sheep of the Manchega breed. Official Manchego cheese is to be aged for between 60 days and two years.
Manchego has a firm and compact consistency and a buttery texture, and often contains small, unevenly-distributed air pockets. The colour of the cheese varies from white to ivory-yellow, and the inedible rind from yellow to brownish beige. The cheese has a distinctive flavour, well developed but not too strong, creamy with a slight piquancy, and leaves an aftertaste that is characteristic of sheep’s milk.

AND it was AMAZING!!!! It really did taste great, with the crispy toast and the sweetness of the honey went well with the strong flavor and firm-texture of the cheese! The flavor was quite strong, but quite different from the rather 'smelly' ones that I was used to.

Tomato, Red Onion and Goat Cheese Salad (3/5)

Although I loved this dish because it had three of my favorite things in it, it wasn't anything spectacular. Unless you're really into tomatoes or goat-cheese go ahead and try something else! :D 

Classic Tortilla-Tortilla Espanola(4/5)

Okay...apparently Tortilla has more than one form..because this was the last thing I was expecting when we had ordered Tortilla! Apprently the Spansih Tortilla (Spanish Omelete) is not the flour tortilla that we all know and LOVE but instead is this lovely dish of thick egg-omelete with potatoes fried in pan!

The dish was rustic and simple-flavored and was a delight to eat, (and thankfully rather filling after the two previous ones). Although next time I would be interested to try one with extra flavors such as the one with Chorizo and Spinach!

Albondigas- Spanish Meatballs (4/5)

These looked and tasted great! The tomato sauce paired perfectly with the seasoned meat-balls that were juicy and great fun to chew on. I even ate all the sauce after I ate the meatballs. And just look at it, it's just to pretty and delectable to be eaten without enjoyment!

In addition to our food! I also (still being hungry) looked around to check up on what other people ate and judging by their reactions and the appearance of the food, these ones are the note-worhty ones to be tried later on:

        -Crispy Pork Belly

        -Stuffed Peppers 

and Ham Croquettes! and although I refused to admit it out of jealousy... the ladies to the left of me seemed to be loving their champagne and their cold cuts of jambon :)

Eel and Pigs Liver Congee in Congee King

Congee King
7 Heard Street, Wan Chai
(Oppposite the Capital Cafe)

Price: 70 HKD (specialty congee + donuts)

Rating: 7/10 

After waking up early and battling out the crowds in the MTR ... and then waiting in a never-ending queue infront of the Chinese Consulate for a Chinese Visa.. I was left insanely hungry, incredibly dissatisfied and in grave need of comfort food. Anyways this place came hihg

Unless you have friends that have the same "all-goes except celery" diet, it's really hard to find fellow enthusiasts who'd get excited over bowl of eel and pig's liver congee...

That being sad, this was the most delicious one I've tried here! THere's couple of other normal ones without intestines, livers etc. that is more suitable for 'western' taste!

The place is also quite packed, and you're silently (or sometimes even verbally) pushed to eat quickly and leave even quicker, so if you're looking for a 'nice' lunch look somewhere else!

The price was also 

Make sure to order a side-dish of chinese-doughnuts! (Unlike the name, it isn't sweet at all, just fried pastry in fact a little salty) You can dip them into the congee and eat it together! It's a MUST!

Best Take-away Ever.... with La Rotisserie

La Rotisserie

255 Queens Road Central,

Sheung Wan 

+852 6901 5778

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Rating: 7.7/10 

Price: Around 70-80 HKD per person 

Roast Chicken will always be a family thing for me,

   I know that it's not very Korean of me (not to associate with beer and bars) but from the first-ever disastrous burnt roast chicken I ever made (and forced my family to eat) to the finally beautifully roasted and deliciously praised roast chicken I now can make on Christmas, all my memories of roast chicken was with my family.

Even when I went to Paris, and had the BEST roast chicken of my life, I was sitting in a cutest french bistro with the cutest french waiter recommending me wine.. in front of my family!

So it seemed like an obvious choice for dinner when you begin missing your beloved oven and home-cooked meals...

(Source: La Rotiseerie's FB page)

Although looking at their FB page, people are complaining about the long-queues that you have to wait in before getting their foods, I was rather lucky to stumble in on a time when there was no one in front of me! Ah, but look at the photo how can it not lure people to its door-steps when there's that smell and SIGHT of a chicken being roasted like below:

(Source: HK-Asia Magazine)

Plus the place is literally just minutes away from the subway station, which makes the whole taking away to home really easy and convenient!

Above is their new menu (from their website)! As i had planned for dinner with 4-5 people, I ended up getting the Set Meal Package for Four People (whole roast chicken + 4 side dishes) and an extra 1/4 roast chicken, to give a total of (290 HKD) which is a definite steal for a proper night's dinner!

They had a wide range of the side-dishes, but I opted for the choice of 2 portions each of Roast Vegetables and Roast Potatoes. Although the vegetables were delicious I would highly recommend the roast potatoes as a side dish! They were amaaaaazing! 

They quickly wrapped up my dinner in this cute little black box that couldnt quite keep the smell of the roast chicken in! I kept on getting such funny (and hungry) looks from the passengers on the MTR (sorry guys!)

Upon finally arriving home, my friends greeted with extra dishes of rice, chocolate and salads (and even a bottle of rose wine). Feeling rather giddy, i also baked some buns to have a proper feast as shown below! 

THE CHICKEN was AMAAAZING! 

It was not dry at all, and so juicy and rich in flavor! The seasoning was perfect too that we really didn't need any extra sauces to eat the chicken with..

Maybe it was because it was so delicious or the fact that we were starving that day but despite our extra dishes the chicken quickly disappeared!

SO if you're planning to JUST eat the side-dishes and the chicken maybe you should order extra chicken like we did just so you ALL of you can be fully satisfied and leave the dinner table with a big grin and bloated stomach like we did :)

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)! 

Affordable Indian Dinner at Claypot Restaurant

Clay Pot Indian Restaraunt

CF5 2F, 229 Electric Road Market, North Point (google maps)

via MTR: Fortress Hill Station Exit B 

+852 2566 7012

Rating: 7.5/10 

Price: Around 100 HKD per person (incl. beer)
As much as I love the decadent and lavish Indian Buffet at Bombay Dreams (Central), there's also something inexplicably charming about a nitty-gritty and cheap indian food that makes it so authentic and delicious. (without destroying my monthly budget either) 

Plus it was rather close to where I live (Hang Hau),  so I grabbed a friend of mine who always loves cheap food to check the place out! AND it turned out to be a great find with much better portions and prices than JoJo in Saikung! 

The place was tucked away on the 2nd floor of a cooked food Center in Fortress Hill MTR! Despite the proximity, I had never been to Fortress Hill although when I did arrive it was bursting with local residents and small restaurants! There seems to be an abundance of cheap, local restaurants near-by that also had good ratings on Openrice..... I think for a while i should check out these places every time I have urges to go try new food with my easter-break trips lined up!

The restaurant was more of a 'joint' or a 'corner shop' amongst 5-6 restaurants lined up in the cooked food center, with plastic chairs and tables lying around. Although it was much cleaner than I had expected, if you're picky with hygiene and overall ambiance, this is not the place to go! 

Our Order:
    Following the recommendations by the waiter, we chose these dishes but the menu did have quite a range of curries, tikkas and naans! (menu)
           Lamb Tikka (79HKD)
           Butter Chiken (66HKD)
           Garlic Nan (20HKD) and Cheese Nan (15HKD)
   and what was more amazing was there CHEAP and BIG (640ml) bottle of Tsing Tao for only 20HKD!

The Lamb Tikka was actually really good, not too over-powering flavors and the lamb didn't have any funny taste or smell that I hate! My friend thought it was a little too chewy, but apart from that we both loved it! We had it medium spciy (as my friend claimed he was horrible with spicy food) but it wasn't spicy at all for both of us! Unless you REALLY can't eat spicy food, I think medium is suitable for all... (next time i'll go for spicy for sure!)

The butter chicken was also really delicious and mild! The portions were actually much larger than JoJo in Saikung and for a way better price as well! 

I loved both the cheese nan and the Garlic nan! IT reminded me of tortillas... which made me grave mexican food whilst eating indian food but overall, it was not too oily or over-cooked! Plus it came steaming hot and freshly made! :)

Overall, we left the place quite pleased with the price-value and the overall experience! It was not bustling with foreigners and bankers and really down to earth! 

A great place to go on a regular basis without destroying your budget (or even dress up for the occasion  and you can even head out to Central afterwards on the Tram like we did, after pre-drinking session (with the CHEAP BEER!) 

Italian Night at Divino Patio

Divino Patio

Shop 11, 1/F, Causeway Centre, No. 28 Harbour Road, Wanchai
+852 2877 3552

Rating: 8.3/10 

Price: Around 300-350 HKD per person (incl. glass of wine)

No matter which country, city, region I visit or live, there seems to be an excessive abundance of Italian Restaurants. Even in remotest village of China if there's one 'western' restaurant it is either a hamburger shop or a pizza parlor claiming to be Italian.

Maybe it's due to this abundance, that I'm usually reluctant and dubious to find 'real' and satisfying dish of Pasta or Pizza (even in Italy itself)..

Despite my lack of belief in finidng a proper italian restaurant, I've been dying for a slice of pizza (not thsoe icky buttery pizza-hut pizzas... but those over-flowing with ruccola, Parma ham and mozarella)

Anyhow, after doing some combined reserach in both Openrice and numerous food-blogs and magazines, I narrowed my choice down to Divino Patio.

It was more than a success, as we both agreed it was one of the nicest dinners we had in Hong Kong so far :) 

They have a lovely menu, thankfully not over-flowing with endless lists of pizzas and pastas but limited to 4-5 choices for each! The wine menu was also well designed and selected with lots of affordable Italian white and red wines to choose from!  

Our Order for Two:

Complimentary Bread Basket/Bag:

   This was amazing, they had a cute paper bag with selection of warm bread sticks, wheat bread and rolls to go with home-made dip or extra-virgin olive oil with balsamic vinegar! 

Italian Cherry Tomatoes Bruschetta with fresh basil and Garlic (88 HKD)

   Although it was nothing spectacular, the bread was lightly toasted and the tomato salsa was perfectly seasoned to be fresh and light!

12'' inch Hand Tossed Parma Pizza (195 HKD)

   This was heavenly! I mean look at how much parma and ruccola is on the pizza! Apart from the amazing toppings, the pizza-dough was just as impressive with its crispy and chewy texture and rich hearty taste :)

Penne "Jerome" style with Gorgonzola and Black Truffle Sauce (188HKD) 

   I usually don't like cream-pastas as after few bites you stop apprecaiting the richness of the dish but is quite overwhelmed by it.... but this lovely and perfectly portioned pasta tasted like an upscale and revamped macaroni-and-cheese that I could eat every other day! 

The pasta it self was also very well-cooked to Al dente, leaving no room for complaint for this lovely dish! :)

Oh and check out this sleek interior!

IT really is a great place for both the food and the ambiance  If you're ever in Wanchai and in a mood for a proper Italian, this is definitely the place to go to! 

Although the price-range is not low, so maybe next time ill check out the lunch-set menu during my immigration runs! It'll be a nice reward after the hassle