查理布朗咖啡專門店 Charlie Brown Cafe

尖沙咀金馬倫道58-60號
國鈀大廈地下及1樓
58-60 Cameron Road
Tsim Sha Tsui
MTR: Tsim Sha Tsui
KCR: Tsim Sha Tsui East

When I think Charlie Brown, I think pumpkin patch, I think little red-haired girl, Woodstock and Snoopy of course. What I don't think about is food, coffee, or cute little cakes...so I was naturally surprised but curious when I passed by a Charlie Brown Cafe found within an eclectic jumble of herbal medicine shops, clothing stores, and even smelly-tofu stands, so I walked up the steps into the Charlie Brown Cafe, and as I did, I was greeted by some very nice Peanuts collectibles.

When I reached the top of the steps, I realized I'd just walked into a world so oozing with everything-Peanuts that I'm sure it'd make even the Schulz Museum envious.

From Linus on your table-top to Lucy on the lady's room door, from statues of Charlie Brown to Sally above you, and even a TV running Peanuts cartoons; not only is everything Peanuts themed, but the food itself comes in endearing bite-sized portions, you'd think they came from the little world of Peanuts itself...
...like this "Mini Burger Platter", which might remind you of White Castle burgers until you take a bite into them and realize that they're not the msg/preservatives-laden tiny pops of buns and meat some of us are so fond of in the US, but real respectable burgers that are actually thick, juicy, and delicious. There's variety in this dish too, one's a chicken burger, the other is beef; and don't let their diminutive size fool you...with some veggies and a hearty helping of fries it fills the average stomach, and is delicious enough to warrant a second order if you've got a big appetite.

It is a cafe, so you can enjoy your food or coffee with magazines or newspapers, but unlike other cafe outlets, if you've had enough of the South China Morning Post, why not pick up some Peanuts comic books?
That's exactly what I did while enjoying this American Hamburger.

Just like the mini burgers, this one was thick, juicy, and delicious, but I admit, there is a certain satisfaction from getting a big traditional burger in your hands that just barely fits in your mouth with every bite...and every bite into this burger is simply savory. The fries are good ol' thick wedges of potatoes, hard to come by in Hong Kong, just as greasy-good as they are in the States.

But if you're looking for something lighter and healthier, they've got those options too. Nothing out of the ordinary here with this "Turkey Ciabatta" sandwich, but what would a cafe be without a good deli sandwich?



Dessert, or just a plain snack, you ask? No problem. They've got those, with Peanuts' flair even. Here's Charlie Brown joined by Woodstock.


All-in-all, the Charlie Brown Cafe is a very comfortable, and surprisingly spacious cafe, that doubles as a miniature museum, and also sells collectibles like mugs, models, and other gifts. If you're a Peanuts fan, this is a wonderland for you, but if not, it's still a really nice place to grab food, coffee, or tea. And unlike Starbucks and Pacific Coffee outlets, you never have to worry about finding a table, or some plush sofas.

得龍大飯店 Tak Lung Restaurant

新蒲崗康強街 25-29 號地下
25-29 Hong Keung St. G/F
San Po Kong, Kowloon
KMB Bus 5C
Get on at TST Star Ferry Pier, or Hung Hom Station
Get off at Ng Wah Catholic School


If you want good ol' country-style Cantonese cooking, without the expensive decor of banquet style restaurants (酒樓 jau lau), this is where you want to go: Tak Lung Restaurant. With a down-to-earth cha chaan teng atmosphere, its quality cooking is bound to please anybody. Plus they've even got a neat rating system on their menu telling you which dishes are ordered the most.

My visit started off with this freebie appetizer, nice to munch on to pass the time.

咖喱焗牛尾 Curry Baked Oxtail

This curry oxtail was delicious. The sauce was spiced just right, the potatoes gave it hearty texture, and the oxtails were simply succulent. Slices of carrot gave a sweetness to it all, and while the little clay pot that holds it might be the secret to its perfect fusion of flavors, it does definitely give it a nice cozy appearance. On top of that, the Curry Baked Oxtail actually came with slices of garlic bread.

While curry oxtail with garlic bread isn't quite country-style Cantonese cooking, they do it up so amazing here that you'd be a fool to pass it up. But the draw to Tak Lung is, after all, country-style Cantonese, and so this next dish is an exemplar of it.

家鄉炆鵝缽 Country-Style Goose

This dish had such a unique flavor, a kind of sweetness boosted by a bit of spice and salt that kicks your tastebuds into ecstacy. The taro in the dish took on the juicy flavor of the goose, making it the best taro I've ever tasted before, and I normally don't even like taro. The pieces of goose meat were tasty, and had a filling feeling biting into them, but not too heavy, a perfect balance of tenderness and heartiness. And the interesting bowl it's served in keeps it nice, hot and tasty. This is a signature dish of the restaurant, making it known throughout Hong Kong for the place to go for goose-meat.

And of course, what would a traditional Cantonese meal be without sweet soup? The green bean soup was another freebie.

The only drawback I can think of for this restaurant is that it's not the most conveniently located. I went to San Po Kong, the district it's located in, mostly because I wanted to see the area my mom got her first job as a teenager, and moved out to live on her own for the first time. But while family history was what drew me to Tak Lung Restaurant, it was the knock-your-socks-off food that'll have me recommending this place to anybody. It's well worth the trip, which is a 30 minute bus ride from Hung Hom station. I'm certainly not the only one impressed, considering that they had to buy more space just to keep up with the business. Check them out. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

公和荳品廠 - Kung Wo Tofu Company

Take a walk around Sham Shui Po district and you'll get a sense of a financially poor, but bustling and lively side of Hong Kong that's managed to keep a vintage feel to some of its spaces. Hong Kong's obsession with the new and the ultra-modern are relatively ignored here, as tons of small businesses selling anything old from big bulky cell phones from the nineties to record turntables and other now-ancient electronics all open up shop on Ap Liu Street (鴨寮街) and surrounding area.


And here in Sham Shui Po you can find some famous old food spots, like this one: the Kung Wo Tofu Company (公和荳品廠 Guhngwoh DauhBan Chong). Founded more than a century ago in 1893, it's one of the oldest companies in Hong Kong, so the experience here is a slice of retro Hong Kong - a hole in the wall where they make their famous tofu treats at the front of the shop, from flour to finish, convenient especially to those who don't have great Chinese, you can just point to whatever you fancy.


And that's what I did, trying this one first:

These blocks of tofu are topped with a flavorful layer of minced fish, pan-fried to a tasty gold. There's no fishy taste since fish is always fresh in Hong Kong; and because they fry it, the most prominent taste you'll savor in your mouth is nothing but plain and golden juicy meat, paired with a complimentary base of the smoothness of tofu.

After you've tried out these deep-fried pops of tofu, enjoy this wonderful 豆腐花 dauhfuh fa:


Literally translated Tofu Flower, Kung Wo's version might just be the best in Hong Kong. Silky smooth, sweetened to subtle perfection, it seems to simply melt in warm goodness in your mouth, and slide satisfyingly into your stomach. A nice sweet way to top your Kung Wo experience.

While you won't get much variety and fan-fare here at Kung Wo, it does give you a very pleasant vintage Hong Kong experience, and maybe the best tofu concoctions in all of Hong Kong - a great place to stop by for travelers who want to get a sense of old delights, or anyone looking simply to satisfy a tofu craving.

深水埗北河街 118號
118 Pei Ho St, Sham Shui Po
MTR station: Sham Shui Po

牡丹庭粵菜食府 Mu Dan Ting Chinese Restaurant

Having dim sum at Mu Dan Ting made me think twice about the title for best dim sum place in all of Hong Kong, and whether this honor rightfully belongs to Mu Dan Ting instead of Crystal Harbour Restaurant. Let's let the food be the judge though...

蘿蔔絲酥餅 lohbaahksi soubeng (silky threads of turnip pastry)

This pastry has an outer shell made with paper-thin layers of delicious crispiness, and an inner goodness of piping hot silky strips of Chinese turnips that are crisp to bite into, but at the same time soft and chewy at its core. The perfect pinch of salt and seasoning on the inside makes for a tasty warm treat bundled in a simple yet aesthetic pastry.

黃金流沙飽 wohnggam lauhsa baau (golden egg custard bun)

This might very well be the best lauhsa baau in all of Hong Kong.

The egg custard is perfectly creamy on the inside, but smooth enough to flow out from its soft and moist bun to simply melt in your mouth. If there had to be one dish to symbolize dim sum perfection, this would be it.

家鄉咸薄撑 gaheung haahm bohkchaang

This country-style pancake made mostly using turnip, with scallions and pieces of meat spreckled within, is fried to a nice crispiness on the outside, but its core is left warm and chewy. It goes well with the spicy dip not just in good taste, but in colorful aesthetic too.

We also had a
灌湯餃 guhn tong gaau (dumpling in broth) that was pretty good, and some 香麻糖不甩 heungma tohng batlat (sesame-topped "sugar can't fall off"), a staple Hong Kong dessert of sweet mochi balls topped with sugar and sesame.

But this is the dish that crowns the Mu Dan Ting experience:

椰香燉鮮奶 yehheung duhn sinnaai. It's a dairy dessert cooked within a coconut. The milk, or duhn naai in Cantonese, is a special dessert that you're almost not sure whether to call solid or liquid, but it's the coconut that really gives this its unique flavor, an infusion of subtle coconut goodness. And what's more, after finishing your duhn naai, you're still left with a wonderful treat in the coconut meat, which is fun to scoop out, and is a mouthful of tropical sweetness.

In the end, Mu Dan Ting is a delightful dim sum experience that rivals Crystal Harbour's. But each restaurant has their own subtle uniqueness that we can definitely appreciate.

尖沙咀漢口道
28號亞太中心2字樓
2/F Hong Kong Pacific Center
28 Hankow Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui
MTR Station: Tsim Sha Tsui

滿記甜品 Honeymoon Desserts

滿記甜品
旺角亞皆老街8號
朗豪坊4樓409號
Honeymoon Desserts
Langham Place
8 Argyle St., 4th Fl. Shop 409

MTR: Mong Kok

courtesy openrice.com

A few years back, if you asked anybody in Hong Kong what was the dessert place of Hong Kong, you'd probably get 許留山 Hui Lau San for an answer. They've got yummy mango desserts and delicious drink mixtures to die for, including ingredients from strawberries and mangoes to grass jelly and aloe, a sure bet to quenching your "healthy dessert" craving and to chill you out from the Hong Kong humidity.

But if you ask the same question these days, more and more you might get Honeymoon Desserts as the dessert destination of choice instead. With a feel-good artistic decor to make you feel right at home (or at a quaint sip-a-cup-of-coffee bookshop because of the fake books stacked on the fake bookshelves), Honeymoon Desserts boasts a darn good variety of desserts including mochis topped with peanut butter, or mochis stuffed with sweet black sesame served in a sweet ginger soup, or different flavors of ice-cream bathing in coconut milk with pomelo or smooth delicious grass jelly. Even lovers of durian will find themselves at home here, and haters of durian need not worry, because there are specific durian-eating areas (no, they don't ask "durian or non-durian" when you enter the shop) so you won't be inhaling any second-hand durian smells (this is only at some outlets though, I can't say for sure if this specific one at Langham Place has one or not).

芒果白雪黑糯米 Thai Black Glutinous Rice in Vanilla Sauce

With a distinct vanilla flavor permeating the sweet purple sticky rice, you get a mouthful of heavenly goodness with an interesting looking, albeit plastic, spoon. Soaking within the vanilla goodness are little sheets of shaved-ice, giving an ever-so-subtle ice-crunchy texture to an otherwise empty soup. The Mango was just a bit sour, but not enough to put a dent really on the overall experience, which is a tasty dessert with a delicately harmonious balance of ingredients.

楊枝甘露 Mango Pomelo and Sago Sweet Soup

Pomelo is a kind of fruit very similar in texture as grapefruit, but not in taste because pomelo is a whole heck of a lot better in that it's sweet, never sour or tart.
A good companion with sago (little glutinous rice balls) in this sweet soup served cold, they're a pleasant sensation to bite into because although they're small, they're packed with little bursts of juice that just give a great smooth, but not boring, texture for the sweet juice. The centerpiece to the juice is of course the mango (it's in there! don't worry, I just didn't get it in this picture =( ), which combines to make a truly simple dish, yet one that surprises with a memorable, and for many a favorite, taste.

The menu at Honeymoon really seems quite endless, so this is really just the tip of an iceberg of dessert goodness. Honeymoon Desserts is a chain that did have its humble beginnings. I had my first taste actually right after the first hike I did in Hong Kong, of course in Sai Kung where the original honeymoon shop is. If you get a chance, check it out there because it's a lovely place. Otherwise, keep your eyes out and you should be able to stumble upon one in one of many places in Hong Kong.

又一店: 京川滬名菜 Another One： Beijing and Shanghai Food

紅磡火車站國際都會商場743-744號舖
Hung Hom, Metropolis Mall, Store #743
KCR: Hung Hom Station



If you've got a craving for some Shanghainese - looking to get your xiao-long bao fix, you want a different persuasion of scallion pancakes, or just plain looking for good food - you can't go wrong with Another One. Contrary to this restaurant's name, its dishes are packed with flavor that stand out from most cuisine you'll find in Hong Kong. Just seeing these dishes again and blogging about it is making both my mouth and my stomach water.

白肉粉皮 White-meat Chicken Noodles Salad

If you like chilled salad type dishes, you'll love this one. It's got a kind of peanut sauce over it, not chunky and clunky like peanut butter, but smooth, flowing, and savory. Thrown over thin strips of cucumber, strips of white-meat chicken for a complimentary tougher texture, and chewy flat noodles, they all combine for the most interesting celebration of 4 different textures in your mouth, and a delicious cool dish.

一品霸王雞 First Imperial Chicken

This one is marinated with more flavor than your typical Hong Kong chicken. It comes bathed in a sauce that seems to include vinegar and wine, but with a subtly sweet flavor. Topped with several red seeds (don't worry, they're soft and chewy) this dish is not only plenty flavorful, but easy on the eyes as well.

蔥爆羊肉 Onion Bursting Lamb Meat

These strips of lamb meat were thin, but bunched together for a satisfyingly juicy mouthful, it was probably the heartiest dish of the meal. Onions and scallions thrown in with pepper also made it the most flavorful as well - a fiesta for your taste-buds!

And here of course are the classic Shanghainese xiao-long bao. They come out piping hot, with a hearty texture of a dumpling skin, wrapping an explosion of amazing saucy soup and pork from within. Dipped in a vinegar sauce with strips of ginger, xiao-long bao really is an impressive ensemble of nicely complimentary ingredients for a culinary masterpiece.

招牌小龍爆 Specialty Xiao-long Bao

蔥油餅 Scallion Pancakes

Scallion pancakes in Hong Kong and the US tend to be flatter and tighter, so it's nice to try out this Shanghainese version. The outer-most layers were very thin and flaky, but biting into it more reveals a chewy and flavorful core, with a bundle of scallions making for an oily core with that signature scallion zing. I appreciated the subtlety of the scallion flavor, although my three dining companions didn't like that it wasn't as flavorful.

生煎鍋貼 Shanghainese Pot-sticker

We ended the meal with these pot-sticker dumplings that had some sort of sweet filling inside. I can't say what it was, none of us knew! It was just good, not great, but you have to appreciate the aesthetic contrast between the black filling and white bun, I think.

Overall it's a great restaurant, with great Shanghainese food that would not hesitate to recommend!

天澄閣 Crystal Harbour Restaurant (Reprise #1)

Crystal Harbour Restaurant was literally a stone-throw away from where I lived in Hong Kong. After seeing the positive feedback from its first showing here on TungChoiSt., I decided that this superb dim sum place should get an encore! First, I will show some great standard fare Hong Kong dim sum dishes, including a dessert bun that is so simple yet so melty-satisfying to the tastebuds. Then I'll show a few tasty treats that, just like all of Crystal's other dim sum, rewards customers' patience with the most simple ingenuity and delicious elegance that Hong Kong dim sum could ever offer.

四寶滑雞扎 - seibou waaht gaijaat ("4 treasures" bundled Chicken)

脆皮燒肉 - cheuipei siuyuhk (roast pork with mustard)

Ordering a "4 treasures" bundled chicken at your dim sum experience will surely satiate the hungriest of your party. The hearty "4 treasures" usually includes Chicken and fish maw as the 2 essential standard treasures. For those unfamiliar with fish maw, it's the fish's air bladder that let's them float contentedly through the waters, and it's a common ingredient in Cantonese cooking mostly because its texture absorbs tasty (and fatty!) juices, giving your tastebuds a pleasant treat of flavorful bursts of juices released with every bite! The other two "treasures" of this gai jaat are a big meaty chunk of ham, and a big stalk of baby corn. Overall a filling dim sum, the "4 treasures" chicken bundled together in a thin chewy tofu wrapping is a perfect hearty foursome of delicious magnitude. The second dish pictured above is the ever familiar siu yuhk, or roast pork. With a crispy yet moist skin over a tender and juicy chunk of meat, why haven't American Chinatowns thought of pairing this already flavorful delight with some mustard? This is the standard sauce of choice for roast pork in Hong Kong (unless you're at a Chinese wedding banquet which will serve more traditional fare). Actually, no sauce is really necessary because the pork is so juicy and flavorful, but the mustard does give a zesty zing to spice things up a bit. Definitely recommended.

And what better standard dim sum dessert would one get in Hong Kong than the ever so wonderful egg custard bun.

流沙奶皇飽 - lauhsa laaiwohng baau (egg custard bun)

One bite into this yummy treat will send melt-in-your-mouth egg custard into your mouth. The Chinese translates literally as melting/flowing sand milk king bun. In other words, watch the melting creaminess ooze out from the soft and moist bun.


There's not much original that Crystal Harbour Restaurant can do with these three standard dishes above, but for the "4 treasures" chicken as well as the egg custard bun, Crystal prepares these in top-tier fashion. You usually wouldn't get such a full and meaty "4 treasures" at other places, and as for the egg custard bun, I personally rank this as the best one I've had in Hong Kong, but tied with the ones they've got over at 牡丹庭 Mu Dan Ting Chinese Restaurant, which I'll be blogging about here on TungChoiSt. sometime later this summer (for now you can find Mu Dan Ting at OpenRice).

But what one really comes to Crystal Harbour Restaurant for is the creative dim sum delicacies they create. Here are a few neat and tasty ones:

千絲蘿蔔絲酥 - chinsi lohbaahksi sou

紫米香芒卷 - jimai heungmong gyun

I can't seem to provide meaningful translations for these dishes. I take it as a good sign that these creative concoctions are unique beyond meaning! A character-by-character translation of the first dish is: thousand silk/threads radish silk/threads crispy. Basically, one bite into the core of this tightly packed crispy pastry will break open a "thousand" threads of piping hot baked Chinese radish that are themselves soft on the outside and subtly crunchy on the inside. The second dish pictured uses "purple rice" (the same used in this dessert I previously blogged about) for a mochi outer wrapping, a fresh mango inner core, and a dusting of shredded coconut to top it. Aesthetically pleasant, it's a nice, but not stellar, dessert.

Finally, I end with one of the most traditional desserts of Cantonese cuisine, 豆腐花 - dauh fu fa, literally tofu flower. Usually anytime you order this you'll get it in a personal bowl. But Crystal Harbour being Crystal Harbour, this wouldn't do of course! No, they prefer to give you the entire wooden vat that is traditionally used in making this dessert, a mini one of course. This basically transfers the responsibility of scooping the tofu out of the vat and into your bowl from the restaurant over to you, and this may seem like a sour deal to some, but personally I like it this way. It brings the food-appreciator in on one more bit of the food process, and the "tofu flower" itself is really good - bland by Western standards, but the soft tofu is smooth down the throat, and you get a combination of two subtle flavors, tofu, and ginger. A pleasant and simple way to end a meal.

Here are some other recommended dishes:
蘋果叉燒酥 - pingguo chasiu sou (apple charsiu crisps)
葡式木糖布甸 - pouhsik muhktohng bouhdin (Portuguese Pudding...similar to the one I blogged about from O Porto Interior, but not as good, although this one at Crystal uses vanilla ice cream rather than cream)

九龍 紅磡灣 紅樂道 12號
海韻軒酒店 3樓
3/F, Harbourview Horizon All-suite Hotel,
12 Hung Lok Road, Hunghom Bay, Kowloon
East Rail Line: Hung Hom Station

同心泰國菜店 Ruam Jai Thai Restaurant

Ruam Jai Thai Restaurant is located in 九龍城 gau lohng sihng, a district that has a distinctive feel owing to the facts that (A) this used to be an industrial area and (B) because of its proximity to the old Kai Tak airport, no real estate companies were allowed to partake on their money-making ventures in building sky-high high-rises (like the ones popping up like daisies throughout the rest of Hong Kong). There's definitely a grittier blue-collar atmosphere you sense walking around 九龍城, and the blocks around Ruam Jai make up a "Little Thailand" of sorts, with Thai grocery marts and restaurants populating the area. Ruam Jai means "together" and "with one heart" (ie united). So without further ado then, let's together appreciate Ruam Jai.


Charcoal grilled Pork Cheek
This is a common Thai dish. If you love juicy succulent barbecued pork, you'll love this. Have it with sticky rice and dip it in the explosively flavorful and spicy fish sauce you'll have a filling and tasty treat!

Tum Yum Goong (a spicy soup with prawns)
My first trip to Thailand was actually with a Hong Kong tour group in 2003, and the tour guide got a great kick out of teaching us Thai by twisting the words to resemble amusing Cantonese phrases. "Yum Goong" (yam gung) in Cantonese means tragic, and he told us that Tum Yum Goong was tragically fire-your-tongue spicy. That's a pretty accurate way to describe Tum Yum Goong. This here Tum Yum Goong, unfortunately wasn't served in the flaming hot pot that's supposed to keep it continuously spicy hot, but it still wasn't too bad as it retained its spicy salty-sweet and sour zing.

Steamed Fish with Plum Soup on Stove
Another uniquely Thai prepared item, this steamed fish continuously simmers in a fragrantly flavorful soup, which should ignite your tastebuds more than the Cantonese style of fish which relies more on subtle flavors.

Fresh Mango with Sticky Rice and Coconut Cream
You probably wouldn't have thought of eating rice with your mango, but this combination is surprisingly really good. Sticky rice has a stronger consistency than normal rice, but since it's been coated in a sugary sweet Coconut milk it can be smoothly combined with the soft juiciness of the mango, making for one of the simplest, but greatest tasting desserts you'll have!

Generally, you can't go wrong with Ruam Jai. It's really good food. But personally I felt the flavors weren't as vibrant and didn't ignite my tastebuds as much as the Thai food that spoiled me in Bangkok. In any case, if you're looking to feed your craving for Thai food while you're in Hong Kong, this is not a bad place to go.



To get there, take the 5C bus from the Star Ferry terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui, or from the Hung Hum train station terminal, and get off at the Regal Oriental Hotel bus stop (富豪東方酒店). Be warned, however, Kowloon City may geographically be pretty close, but expect 30-50 minutes to get here from Tsim Sha Tsui, depending on traffic.

G/F, 5 Tak Ku Ling Road, Kowloon City
九龍城打鼓嶺道5號地下

甜蜜蜜甜品專門店 Happy Together Delicatessen

尖沙咀厚福街5-6號地下2號舖
5-6 Hau Fook St.
MTR: Tsim Sha Tsui
East Rail Line: Tsim Sha Tsui East
ph: 2311-6078



Its English name is a reference to the memorable Hong Kong film Happy Together - directed by art house favorite Wong Kar-wai, featuring Leslie Cheung and Tony Leung in a story set in Argentina about the turbulent romance between two Hong Kong men. Unfortunately you won't find anything here remotely related to the film (which I'd strongly recommend to anyone interested in Hong Kong cinema). But you will find some great desserts including some tasteful creative spin-offs. For now I'll present to you my two favorite dishes here.

心太軟 (Baked chocolate pudding with ice cream)
This is the second thing I've blogged about on Tung Choi St. that's received an orgasmic reaction. After waiting the 15 minutes required to bake, my brother took one bite from the chocolate and gave out a "woahhh-hoahhh!" loud enough that it turned curious heads from several tables. 心太軟 sam taai yun literaly translates as "the heart is too soft," an accurate description of what's to happen when you take a bite of this sensuously warm chocolate-lover's dream. The outer baked layer is a crispy chocolate crust that is the perfect companion to the soft vanilla ice-cream, and the chocolate pudding that oozes out from the pastry goes well with the fresh strawberry slices and whipped-cream they give in artistic preparation on the side, and the chocolate cookie-stick completes the aesthetic for a simply irresistible dessert I'd recommend to chocolate-lovers and not-chocolate-lovers alike.

焗蘓皮豆腐花 (baked crust tofu pudding)
A spin-off of the traditional tofu pudding dessert (dauh fuh fa)- which tastes smooth, sweet, and healthy - this dish goes a long way, and in the right direction, by adding chocolate and baking a crispy yet not overly flaky thin crust on top. The result is a dessert experience with added layers of texture - a satisfying innovation to an old dessert, making for my second favorite Happy Together dessert.

(further dishes to come)

澳洲牛奶公司 Australia Dairy Company

About one month ago I got an email forward regarding an amazing egg sandwich made by a restaurant by the name of Australia Dairy Company. I followed the link which brought me to a review of the restaurant, featuring this picture:

photo is courtesy tastytreats

The eggs looked so fluffy, so moist, so perfect. The email forwarder only lamented that she wasn't closer to Hong Kong, and so relegated herself to drooling on her keyboard until the day she'd get that chance.

As for myself, the artistry showcased at tastytreats was so tastefully blogged (pun intended), that it inspired me to start up my own food blog; and so I dug out the dusty SLR camera from the back corner of my closet and began bringing it wherever my tastebuds went. Thus Tung Choi St. was born. These famous scrambled eggs at Australia Dairy Company (which by the way has a facebook group of 6,220 members dedicated to it!) was a food I knew I had to hit up eventually, in honor of the food and the blog that inspired Tung Choi St. My culinary experience at Australia Dairy Company lived up to the significance of my visit...

The place was packed!

As is customary in Hong Kong, we had to share our table with others. Not a single seat in the restaurant was unoccupied. Waiters ran around frantically as people without seats stood in between tables. But service was quick, and efficient, as is typical in Hong Kong.

For starters, my friend and I had this staple cha chaan teng option:

牛肉通粉 beef macaroni soup

Compared to most macaroni soups in Hong Kong, this one tops the list for best flavored soup, which supports perfectly the soft macaroni and tasty beef strips.

Then came the egg sandwich...(my photo didn't come out as attractively as tastytreats'). My friend had the honors of having the first bite, and immediately her reaction was an orgasmic "woahhh-hoahhh!" Creamy, softly seasoned with the perfect amount of salt, and perhaps secret ingredients, combined with care and perhaps a secret process we'll never know of, between two of the softest slices of bread you'll ever eat, truly a treat.

With killer eggs like these, think of all the traditional dishes you could spruce up!

公司三文治 Club Sandwich
Expats are seldom impressed with club sandwiches in Hong Kong because they're not as hearty and crispy as they're made in the US (where's the bacon?!), plus they typically put eggs in them? Sounds weird to most foreigners. But it's more than excusable with these eggs. I wouldn't even have recognized this as a club sandwich if they didn't name it so, but it's downright good. Served in between three layers of toasted bread are the magical eggs as well as ham, cheese, pickles, and an interesting and tasty tomato and pork combination.



佐敦白加士街47號地下
47 Parkes St. Jordan
MTR: Jordan Station







Recurring Glossary Term:
cha chaan teng: lit. "tea meal hall" ie. a Chinese diner