Hong Kong - Sichuan House

Tea with red dates and flowers

Snacks

Mouth Watering Chicken 川莊口水雞

Sliced Beef and Pig's Tongue in Chili Sauce 成都夫妻肺片

Bang Bang Wontons in Sesame Sauce 棒棒雲吞

 Sizzling Crispy Spare Ribs 龍泉驛乾鍋排骨

Fish Fillets in Hot Chili Oil 成都水煮桂花魚

Review: Sichuan House is a must-go for spice lovers! It is located conveniently in the heart of LKF, in the same building as Sushi Kuu (and Club Beijing, if you must). The restaurant is decorated in black and lots of red, like an ominous warning that this will be a fiery meal in hell. Y, Laubaby and I were promptly seated and we nibbled on snacks such as cold marinated cucumber slices while we waited for our food. It didn't take long for our first spicy dish to arrive. Sichuan House's version of mouth watering chicken is one of the best 口水雞 dishes around because the chicken is thoughtfully cut into bite size chunks and de-boned. The sauce was very fragrant and not too spicy. The sliced beef and pig's tongue dish was well seasoned and the meat was springy, not chewy. We also liked the bang bang wontons (the only non-spicy dish we ordered), which were surprisingly juicy and flavourful. The spare ribs arrived sizzling in a metal pot and the peppercorns and dried chillis smelled amazing. The pork was crispy on the outside and moist inside. Last but not least, my favourite fish fillets in chili oil - a generous portion of tender fish fillets floated on top of a huge bowl of chili oil. The bean starch noodles underneath soaked up all the spicy and numb Sichuan flavours. I loved the cucumber slices and bean sprouts that add texture and flavours. The tea with dates and flowers helped soothe my burning mouth for a bit. Great tip for anyone who can't eat spicy food: V ordered a bowl of hot water to wash off the top layer of chili oil to make the food less spicy. 

I recommend: Mouth Watering Chicken, Fish Fillets in Hot Chili Oil, Bang Bang Wontons, Sizzling Crispy Spare Ribs

Sichuan House 霸王川莊
Address: 7/F, M88, 2-8 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong
Phone: 2521-6699
Hours: Mon-Sun 11:30am - 12:00am

Hong Kong - Liberty Private Works

Cod and seafood dip

Snacks: Clam, Iberico 

Snacks: Quail Egg, Lamb

LPW Signature: Tuna, Sea Urchin, Espelette, Rice

Abalone, Butternut Squash, Risotto

Walu, Hearts of Palm, Celery, Apple

LPW Signature: Egg, Truffle, Parmesan, Caviar

Chicken, Foie Gras, Porcini, Crones, Black Truffle

Venison, Gingerbread, Cherry, Pumpkin

Banana, Chamomile, Fennel, Peach

Sea Salt, Caramel, Chocolate, Chili

Warm Madeleine

 Mochi, White Grape

Review: LPW is one of my favourite restaurants in Hong Kong. I think this actually might be my fifth visit! I still remember my first visit at its much smaller cash-only location on Wellington Street. The current Stanley Street location is dimly lit and boosts floor-length windows that show a great view of Central at night. The restaurant is one massive chef’s table that sits around 26 guests intimately. Throughout the 8-course meal you have a front row seat to watch Executive Chef Vicky Cheng and his team hard at work cooking and plating each dish. Vicky's creativity and passion shines through his visually stunning and equally delicious dishes. Congratulations on the engagement by the way! 

Yuls and V were my dinner dates for the night. We began our meal with a light cod fish dip and some finger snacks. We were then presented with a white tablet and a small test tube of rosewater. The white tablet was actually a compressed hand towel that reconstituted when I poured the rosewater over it. What a thoughtful way to begin our meal! We started with the signature spicy tuna, sea urchin and crispy rice.  I loved the contrasting texture of the tuna/sea urchin with the crispy popped rice. Definitely a decadent seafood party going on. Next up, the abalone was tender and sweet, almost earthy. The walu had a light crispy exterior and the apple-celery sauce brought a brightness to the dish. We also loved the signature egg and spinach raviolo nestled in parmesan cream and topped with caviar. This would have to be my favourite dish from LPW. Stuff of dreams! The egg oozed out perfectly when I cut into the raviolo and I mopped up all the egg/parmesan cream up with a freshly baked baguette. The caviar added a welcomed hint of umami. Did I mention that everything was perfectly seasoned? Next we had the foie gras wrapped in chicken with a generous shaving of black truffles. Our last savoury course was the venison, plated beautifully. Look at all the colours! At first I was a bit apprehensive of it but it was tender and slightly gamey in a good way. The cherry added a tartness to the meat and the gingerbread crumbs spiced it up. It was overall a well-executed dish because each bite brought something different to my taste buds. The desserts focused on contrasting textures and flavours. They weren't too sweet, which I appreciated. Don't leave LPW without trying a homemade mochi!  They're amaaaazing. We ended the meal with freshly baked madeleines straight out of the oven, and a mochi and a white grape test tube shot that looked identical to the rosewater napkin at the beginning of the meal. I love these fun little touches.

On a side note, Vicky's other restaurant Liberty Exchange (aka LEX, or happy hour invasion of that bit in between Exchange Square and IFC) serves up delicious and reasonably priced set lunches, small bites for dinner (think mini lobster rolls and salted caramel ice cream sandwiches) and brunch. I can’t wait to try the chicken and waffles!

Date of visit: January 10th 2015

Liberty Private Works
Address: 26/F, 11 Stanley Street, Central, Hong Kong
Phone: 5186-3282
Hours: Mon-Sat  7:30pm - 12:00am
Reservations open 4 weeks in advance

Hong Kong - Kaya Korean Restaurant

Double-size Marinated Beef Short Ribs

 Spring Onion Salad (came with the short ribs)

Ox Tongue

Marinated Chicken

Cucumber Soju

Seafood and Spring Onion Pancake

Sliced Pork with Lettuce Wrap

Pan-fried Rice Cake in Spicy Sauce

Beef and Homemade Noodles Hot Pot

Review: Kaya’s new location is in Midtown Plaza II, half a block away from its original location. The decor remains similar – bright lights, wooden furniture and sizzling grills. The new location is undoubtedly more spacious and comfortable though. The marinated short ribs were delicious. The sweet soy marinade was spot on and the meat was juicy and tender. I loved the short ribs wrapped in lettuce leaves and smothered with gojuchang spicy bean paste and raw garlic. I had to brush my teeth extra hard and use a lot of mouthwash that night, but it was worth it! I usually stick to beef at Korean BBQ, but my brother ordered the marinated chicken and it turned out to be delicious and flavourful. Definitely a great alternative to beef. I also enjoyed the beef and noodle hot pot. The bowl of warm peppery broth with chewy noodles and sliced beef was the perfect ending to the meal. For drinks, I liked their cucumber soju. It was light and refreshing yet strong enough to give you a buzz. The service was spotty at times. We ordered lettuce for our beef and had to remind them three times before it finally arrived. That aside, Kaya serves decent Korean BBQ in a comfortable setting, and I look forward to my next visit.

I recommend: Marinated Beef Short Ribs, Marinated Chicken, Beef and Homemade Noodles Hot Pot

Kaya Korean Restaurant
Address: 9/F Midtown Soundwill Plaza II, 1 Tang Lung Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Phone: 2838-9550
Hours: Mon-Sun 11:30am-3pm, 5:30pm-11:30pm

Hong Kong - Liu Yuan Pavilion

It’s hairy crab season again, and Liu Yuan might just be the best place to get your crab fix. Yuls, V and I had a craving for hairy crab but we didn’t want to trek all the way to Tsim Sha Tsui for Tin Heung Lau. We were also tired from work and didn’t want to spend time and effort dissecting the actual crabs. V suggested Liu Yuan Pavilion because they offer a large variety of hairy crab dishes apart from steamed whole crabs.

Steamed Hairy Crab Cream Dumpling 蟹粉小籠包: The dumpling came in its own bamboo steamer, which was a nice touch. It was stuffed full with fragrant crab cream, a mixture of roe and meat. The skin could've been slightly thinner though.

Hairy Crab Roe with Bean Jelly 蟹膏粉皮: I have been waiting a year to have this! Last year I had the crab cream with bean jelly 蟹粉粉皮, but it was nothing compared to this. Just look at that obscene amount of artery-clogging crab roe on top of the bean jelly. Sooo sinfully delicious. No crab meat in this, just pure unaltered crab roe in all its glory. I added a splash of vinegar to cut down on the richness.

Stir-fried Hairy Crab Legs 抄蟹腳: The crab roe dish came with a side of hairy crab leg meat. All the legs were de-shelled perfectly and plucked free of that horrible translucent “bone”. The crab legs were plump and sweet, contrasting well with the crunchy vegetables and ginger vinegar. I love how the most laborious part of having hairy crabs has been done for me.

Braised Noodles with Hairy Crab Cream 蟹粉拌麵: Lo mien at its finest. Crab cream again, this time over a bed of drained Shanghainese noodles. This was just an excuse to gorge ourselves on more hairy crab. The orange bits are the roe of the female crabs, which are hard and generally less desirable than male crab roe.

Shredded Chicken and Bean Jelly in Spicy Sesame Sauce 棒棒雞: Our only non-crab dish. This is a hard dish to get wrong. The shredded chicken was tender, and the bean jelly was cooked just right, not sticky or starchy. The peanut sauce had the right consistency and balance between sweet and savoury. My only complaint is that it wasn’t spicy enough.

Verdict: It’s a bit pricey, but totally worth it for a scrumptious hassle-free hairy crab experience. Hurry and pre-order the crab roe bean jelly before the season ends! Also, service is friendly and helpful. We changed our booking a few times but they were very accommodating. I will be back to try their dim sum next time.

I recommend: Hairy Crab Roe with Bean Jelly 蟹膏粉皮, Stir-fried Hairy Crab Legs 抄蟹腳

Liu Yuan Pavilion 留園雅敘
Address: 3/F, The Broadway, 54-62 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, Hong KongPhone: 2804-2000
Hours: Mon-Sun 12pm-3pm, 6pm-11pm

Hong Kong - Street Meat

It’s hard to miss the Prince Street station sign on Wyndham Street. Street Meat's entrance and look of its menu is modelled after the New York City subway, and it aims to bring a fresh New York vibe to the Hong Kong food scene. I’ve been wanting to try their interpretation of famous street food from NYC but was put off by their long lines and no reservations policy. Thankfully, JC knew the owner (as usual), so we were able to get seated at 8pm sharp, no waiting.

The restaurant is set up like a diner counter, where you sit on high stools and watch the chefs prepare your food. I love that. Push through the double kitchen doors and you will find the bar area. It’s neon-lit with an outdoor smoking area. I think it’s genius. You can get your drink on at the bar, go back out to get a Ramen Burger, drink some more, and eat more. You don’t even have to leave the place. There’s also a #selfie ready, Instagram’d out mirror in the bathroom complete with hashtags. Laubaby, this was made for you.

Their menu is a subway map. Each dish is a speciality “street meat” from an area of New York, like Canal Street, Upper West side or K-town. JC and I were greedy and ordered five dishes between the two of us. I tried two cocktails but their names allude me. They were great though. I remember one was a whiskey sour.

32nd Street K-Town Ramen Burger: A mixture of Wagyu beef bulgogi and kimchi sandwiched between two fried ramen buns. I haven’t tried the real one before so I can’t make a comparison, but I thought this was delicious. The ramen buns were crispy and contrasted nicely with the tender and flavourful bulgogi. The kimchi added a refreshing tangy kick.

Midtown Halal Chicken Bowl: The soft and juicy sous vide chicken sat on basmati rice, topped with “secret” white sauce (with Greek yogurt), red sauce (hot sauce) and iceburg lettuce. The flavour of the marinated chicken was spot on, and I liked their version of white sauce. But now all I can think of is the chicken rice from the Halal Guys. To be fair, I think Hong Kong has some great kebab places, like 27 Kebab House across from Marouche, but Street Meat’s version will do for now until my next NYC trip.

Upper West Atomic Wings: These were standard wings (says confit on the menu) served with spicy sauce, charred scallion sour cream, and celery sticks (oh who are we kidding!). They were delicious though, quite juicy and had a nice crispy crust.

Flushing Lamb Wrap: The lamb was marinated in Xinjiang Spices, cooked sous vide and paired with grilled leeks and carrots. The lamb’s robust flavour was enhanced by the spices, which went well with the sweet vegetables. The thin crispy Chinese pancake “wrap” was a bit too greasy for my liking though.

Brooklyn Ribbon Fries: They ran out of ribbon fries as you can tell, so they gave us waffle fries instead. Nonetheless, the fries were cooked perfectly in delicious beef fat and seasoned with sea salt. It came with a side of garlic aioli.

Verdict: Street Meat is open until 2 am. Given its convenient location just in LKF, it’s definitely a great spot to binge on greasy food after a night out. Goodbye hangover! However they run out of items quick, so you may not get what you want if you stumble in at 1 am. I’ll be back to try the Chelsea Market Lobster Roll and Upper East Macaron Sandwich, which were both sold out during my visit. 

I recommend: 32nd Street K-Town Ramen Burger, Mid Town Halal Chicken Bowl

Street Meat
Address: 50 Wyndham Street, Central, Hong Kong
Website: http://www.facebook.com/streetmeat.hk
Hours: Mon-Sat 6pm-2am