my favorites of #siansEATShongkong

7:46 AM sians 0 Comments

(and perhaps one or two occasions of #sianstakesonmacau)

as a closer to #siansEATShongkong series of 2014, there were a few memorable foodie highlights during my short but yummy adventure at the world's food fair, hong kong!

p.s. my picks for the list are limited to my 2014 #siansEATShongkong eating haul.  

{ the best meal }

it served the best siu mai and bbq pork cheung fun that i've had, yet. its siu mai had the a delicate balance of umami and sweetness, succulent with meaty goodness while the latter had a silky smoothness with moist bbq pork with a dash of the sweetened light soy sauce made every biteful unforgettable. 

dim sum is a light touch to the heart and tim ho wan certainly left a lasting yummy impression on mine. 

{ the best milk tea }

after having a warm cup of this favorite local favorite hong kong beverage, THE see mut nai cha with almost every meal i had, this dai pai dong turned teahouse wins hands down against the others that i've tried. its silky, milky yumminess paired with a punch of freshly brewed tea which was delicately balanced is the reason behind lan fong yuen's beloved status in the heart of the locals (and perhaps tourists alike).

{ the best egg tart }

cafe e nata margaret.

they may be portuguese versions but they are pretty darn good. this is one of the #sianstakesonmacau entries. it is the flakiness of the buttery pastry filled with the smooth, satisfyingly sweet egg custard that is smooth on the tongue. evidenced by the long queue at the shop for these treats and also the constant search for a table/chair even early in the morning, cafe e data margaret has become synonymous to macau. 

and no, i've not tried tai cheong bakery's rendition of egg tart and would love to.

{ the best century egg }

call it thousand year egg, preserved egg, hundred year egg or even millennium egg, this  was arguably the best century egg i've had (yet!), it even outshone all the other ingredients in the bowl of congee. these high quality eggs had yolk with creamy consistency without having the overpowering flavor while the "whites" have a hard-jelly like consistency. 

{ honorable favorite mentions }

favorite pineapple bun •

still warm from the oven, the crispy, crusty sweet top contrasted and mellowed by the soft baked bread. all that with the freshly baked bread aroma to top it off. it's a love at first bite with the combination of crusty and soft. you know where it is in kowloon when you've seen a line queuing up for the fresh buns even the wee hours in the morning.

• favorite bang for the buck sandwich •

another #sianstakesonmacau entry.
yummy iconic sandwich from an old fashioned cha chaan teng in macau, the generous filling of chunky, succulent meat sandwiched between fluffy eggs that can be barely contained in the two soft fresh slices of white bread made this sandwich a delicious cheap eats that lasted me from early morning till dinner, skipping lunch. 

honorable mention | local dining experience •

street food | dundas street

i've always considered street food as ethnic taste, nostalgia and the opportunity to eat quickly obtained, reasonably  priced & flavorful food in a sociable setting.

dundas street is the hot spot for the local street food seekers and the highlights were kai kee and fei jie street stalls. 

kai kee street snacks was where i had my first stinky tofu (aka chow tofu (hkd 10)) which is a crispy, fermented bean curd, deep fried to perfection. i was expecting to detect a strong stinky odor wafting though the streets from miles away but surprisingly it was more of a mild preserved dried fish smell. with a douse of sweet sauce and chili, the light smell was affirmed by the very mild fermented flavor of the  the firm tofu encased in a crispy, thin skin. {mh} claimed it wasn't really the real deal though.

fei jie street snack is a street stall that was featured on the anthony bourdain's 2007 "no reservation: hong kong", where crowds and lines are typical but they move fast. the modus operandi: line up at the counter, order (preferably in cantonese), move out of the way, pay, pick up your skewer and move on. 

a skewer of octopus and intestines each (hkd 17) had a slightly chewy texture and it being cold left me a tad surprised and confused. the addition of mustard and sweet sauce is a must to make up for the bland taste - the combination of the sauces is great but be wary of the mustard, which had a wasabi after effect spiciness.

the food was NOT the reason why it landed a spot on my favorites list. in fact, i had to admit they weren't the greatest, forgettable and i'd probably give it a miss. 

what made the whole street food experience memorable was the experience of searching for hidden treasures of hole-in-the-walls shops and street stalls while soaking in the revelries of a friday evening where the dundas and sai yeung choi streets meet and come alive. the best part is joining the crowd in the food hunt for quick, cheap selections of many different dinner snack varieties, which could be either turn out to be hits or misses -- a chance you just gotta take.

honorable mention | local dessert •

yee shun dairy company.

hailing from guangzhou, these desserts are made out of milk, egg white and sugar. several food bloggers recommends this as a must have of hong kong cuisines calling it "heavenly", "pure", "delicate",  "foodgasm", "ethereally smooth & light" just to list out a few. 

one order of cold steam milk in 2 films (hkd 29) and hot steam milk with ginger juice (hkd 30) as after-a-huge-dinner desserts. in fact it was our sixth meal of the day. the former had a strong milk flavor with a smooth and soft sweetness. it was really refreshing. the latter was strong on the ginger punch syrup and it reminded me of soybean pudding (aka tau foo fah) every mouthful melt into an ethereally delicate loveliness. however both of them weren't as magical for me as it was for the other foodies.

honorable mention | unassuming yumminess •

it was found in the most unassuming dish -- the instant noodles with beef and ham. the instant noodles i could give it a pass but the beef stood out with it tender textures, succulent and moist to the bite and seasoned perfectly with a hint of sweetness in the soy base sauce. it wasn't what you'd expect from a bowl of instant noodles in a cha chaan teng

#siansEATShongkong series of 2014 had created some really delish memories. one thing that particularly stood from our dining adventure was chefs' and cook's mastery in meat execution. they almost always get it to perfection - crispy skins as and when it was meant to while remaining succulent, moist, tender and just plain lovely. on top of all that, seasoned perfectly. 

there are still so much food yet to be explored in hong kong (i've probably crossed out only 40% of my bucket list of food) that i'd love to return for more food escapades.
