Din Tai Fung

Our attempt at eating at Tim Ho Wan was a complete fail since they already moved out of their Mong Kok location, and we only found out once we got there. Their other branch was at Sham Shui Po which was a little out of the way from our planned itinerary. Not wanting to miss out on eating at a Michelin starred restaurant while in Hong Kong, we made our way to Din Tai Fung in Tsim Sha Tsui.

 

Din Tai Fung in Tsim Sha Tsui is located inside Silvercord Mall, which is just adjacent the very upscale Harbour City (there's actually a walkway between then). We went there for dinner, but arrived early at 6PM after reading that the lines get ridiculously long at times during peak hours. As expected there was already a line, but the lady at the front asked if it was just the 2 of us and quickly ushered us in. I would assume then that it's easier to get a table if you're dining alone or just as a couple rather than being in big groups.

 

The inside of the place was nice, clean, well lit and spacious, but nothing really fancy or special. But I guess that's not why they got a Michelin star for. The service was really great! They're attentive to your questions and they're very efficient and courteous. And of course, the quality of the food. We knew coming in that it would be a great dinner from all the reviews, but it still exceeded our expectations.

We ordered the following:

Xiao Long Bao (56 HKD)

This is their specialty. People from different parts of the world come to Din Tai Fung just to sample this. For those who doesn't know, XLB is a steamed dumpling that has pork inside together with some soupy broth encased in a very delicate wrapper. They even have instruction cards on every table on how to eat it!

The steps were:

1. 1. Prepare your sauce by combining soy sauce, vinegar and ginger. The suggested ration is 1:3 soy sauce to vinegar.
2. Take the Xiao Long Bao and dip in the sauce. But it's also suggested that you try it out first without any sauce.



3. After dipping, place the XLB in a spoon and poke a hole to release the soupy broth.



4. Try to add some ginger to the spoon. Enjoy!

Now, we haven't really tried a whole lot of XLB. But compared to those others that we have had before, this was bar none the best we've had. We loved that the wrapper no matter how thin (you can even almost see the broth inside) doesn't break easily! The soup inside was heavenly and really went well with the dipping sauce.

Shrimp Dumplings (78 HKD)

We know this more popularly as Siomai, but in different parts of HK they go by shrimp dumplings, Shao Mai, etc. But yeah, this is something that we all know and love. The ones from Din Tai Fung have got to be the most plump siomai we have ever had. And you know it's freshly made and steamed when it takes more than 10 minutes for them to serve your siomai.

Pork Chop Fried Rice (75 HKD)

We don't know why but this seemingly normal and run of the mill dish was the highlight of our dinner. It's just fried porkchop on top of some yang chow. But the combination of both was really great and delicious. The porkchop really stood out, it was slightly sweet and salty, crunchy outside but tender inside.

Pork Bun (16 HKD)

I love eating siopao and I just had to try some from Din Tai Fung. I don't know what to make of this one though, since we are used to asking for asado or bola- bola and this looked neither of those 2. But at least it tasted great! They didn't have any sauce to go with it, though. Pinoy na Pinoy, naghahanap ng siopao sauce at hot sauce.

The menu at Din Tai Fung isn't exactly cheap, but it's not really that expensive either. With the quality of the food and service, it was definitely worth it. Those Michelin starred restaurants really do deserve the honor after all. So next time you're in HK, don't always cheap out and just eat at those seemingly cheaper little restaurants. You'd be surprised at how Din Tai Fung isn't that expensive :)

Din Tai Fung
Shop 130, 3/F, Silvercord, 30 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kog

Butao King and Ikea Food - Hong Kong

On my second day in Hong Kong, Kim and I woke up a little late since we were really tired from that whirlwind of a first day. We decided to just have brunch at Butao King which was a quick 5min walk from Kim's flat. We missed out eating there during my first night as the line was really long, but this time we were their first customers for the day.

 

Butao King is the same as Ramen Nagi in the Philippines. The food and the ordering system is the same. But in Hong Kong, Butao is just a small spot in a sidestreet (read: eskinita) flanked by a laundry shop and apartment complex and fronted by a hardware store, accessible and affordable for most. But in the Philippines, Ramen Nagi is a geared a little more for the upscale. The quality of the food and service is the same though -- great. It is also nice to note that Butao King is has been voted Best Restaurant in Causeway Bay, as proudly displayed in the storefront.

The place was really small, there were about 5 round tables which sat about 5-6 people. So if you come during peak hours and in a group, be prepared to eat separately as it is almost impossible to wait for a whole table to clear out at the same time. The place might seem like an open air restaurant from the outside because it is lacking any door, but surprisingly it had A/C inside and was really cold! Like in Ramen Nagi, they give you a piece of paper where you could select and fill out your order.

We ordered the original Butao since I didn't try that out in Ramen Nagi, and just played it safe for the selecting 'Normal' for most of the choices on the order slip. Usually, you can choose between Pork Belly or Pork Butt, but the former wasn't available that day so we had no choice but to settle for the latter.

We love how rich it was in flavor even though we only put out 'Normal.' Everything just went well together, and we were really full at the end of our meal. The serving was really big and more than enough to satisfy a hungry person's appetite. Kim as usual had a hard time finishing her bowl, so I gladly ate what she couldn't finish.

After eating at Butao King, we went around Ikea which was really tiring! So we needed a snack after shopping. Good thing, Ikea had a little snack bar/ cafe.

We ordered their famous meatballs, a hotdog sandwich and a glass of refillable Pepsi.

With a full stomach, we were ready for the next adventure for that day... more walking and eating! Wait for our next post to find out where we went to next and where we ate!

Butao King
G/F, 40 Tang Lung Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

IKEA
Upper Basement, Parklane Hotel, 310 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

Main Street Corner Cafe and Lucky Nugget Saloon - Disneyland

To celebrate Kim's birthday, we went to Hong Kong Disneyland. Once the park gates were opened, we were caught in a beeline just to have pictures with Mickey and Minnie. So after an hour of queueing,  we headed straight to the first restaurant we saw,  Main Street Corner Cafe.

The Main Street Corner Cafe is the first restaurant you will see coming into the park. There are a few food stalls and a bakery before it, but it's the only sit down restaurant in Main Street, USA which is the first section of Disneyland Hong Kong. It's presented by Coca- Cola, so while the setting was undoubtedly Victorian, they found ways to put Coca Cola design cues throughout the restaurant.

The menu is an eclectic mix to say the least. It's in Main Street, USA so of course they serve American staples like burgers, fries, and buffalo wings. But the menu also contains noodle soups and congee for the mixed Asian market that goes to Disneyland here.

Theme park food isn't cheap, and even then, this was probably one of the most expensive in the whole park as it is a full service restaurant. But we were really hungry, and the menu looked good so we didn't care if we had to shell out an extra hundred dollars (HKD) for lunch.

We ordered the following to share:

Cheeseburger (168HKD)

Maybe we were just hungry, but this was a really great tasting burger! The patty was moist and juicy, and full of flavor. It had the cheese melted on top with some lettuce and tomatoes with it. The burger came with a side of fries and some greens too.

Main Street Signature Platter (166HKD)

The platter had chicken wings, deep fried potato shrimp, onion rings, fries and served with chili sauce, sour cream and ketchup. The wings were plump and had a little zing to them. The shrimp was wrapped with a sort of shoestring potato and was really juicy inside. The onion rings and fries were just okay.

Coke Float (48HKD)

Since this is a Coca Cola sponsored restaurant, we just had to order a couple of Coke Floats!

We probably won't tell everyone to eat here when going to Disneyland Hong Kong as it's really expensive for park food. But if you want a nice meal without falling in line with a lot of kids running around, and are willing to spend a little more than necessary, then this place is for you. The place had a really nice ambiance that made you feel like you were in the 1800's complete. Plus, the food was great too!

We got hungry again in the afternoon and decided we'd just grab a snack. We were already at the Grizzly Gulch portion of the park and it had the Lucky Nugget Saloon. We got some chicken nuggets and fries, together with a weird fruity drink! (75HKD)

Main Street Corner Cafe and Lucky Nugget Saloon
Hong Kong Disneyland

Café de Coral

Kim has been staying in Hong Kong since early April for an internship. And as a result, KiMiguel hasn't eaten out for a while, hence most of the last few posts are older food dates of ours. But for the week of her birthday, I went to Hong Kong to visit her from May 21 to May 25.

I arrived at around 7PM at Hong Kong International Airport, since my PAL flight got delayed by almost 2 hours. I was slightly annoyed by it, but then I have been flying just with PAL for the past 2 years and I've gotten used to it already. I always joke that PAL stands for "Pare, Always Late."

I got to Causeway Bay and met Kim a little before 9PM, and by then I wasn't really that hungry anymore. We decided we'd just get something light to share for dinner. We first walked over to Butao King, which is recognized as one of the best (if not the best) ramen spots in Hong Kong. There was a line and it didn't seem like it would end soon. We wanted to try it to compare with Ramen Nagi in the Philippines, but left that for a later time. 

We went to Café de Coral next since we just wanted a quick fix. Café de Coral is a fast food that is found in a lot of locations in Hong Kong. During my previous trips to HK, this is where we would eat if we wanted a safe and good tasting meal for a decent price. Their menu tends to vary from location to location though, as what I have observed. And the food tends to thread the fine line between Chinese and Western.

Kim has never eaten in one since she thought that it was a really pricey restaurant. Its interiors sort of give that vibe. Wood is predominantly used in different shades and textures. Seats are leather lined and comfy. And the lighting really gives a great relaxed mood. But despite all that, this is a self service restaurant where you have to line up to order and wait for your number to be called to pick up your food.

We just ordered a plate to share because we weren't really that hungry. We ordered a meal that consisted of Pork Chop, Sausage, Tomato Sauce (or you can have Black Pepper Sauce), Bun with Butter, Rice (or spaghetti noodles if you prefer) and some side of greens. It also came with a drink which I naturally turned into coke. Kim has been craving for Fruitas or fruit shake since she got here in HK, so she ordered a Fruit Punch. The total bill was 55HKD.

The meal was really good. The sausage had a nice crisp outer skin that snaps when you try to bite off it. The pork chop was fried perfectly. And surprisingly, both went well with the tomato sauce which I was apprehensive of at first. All in all, the set meal was great and came with an affordable price too. If we were both hungry, we could've finished one each of these since it was good. Kim's drink was far from Fruitas. It turned out that the "punch" part was soda with some nata de coco and pineapple bits on it. She had me finish it. :|

On the way home to Kim's flat, we stopped by to get some pancake balls at a street food stand (14HKD). This popular HK street food is a simple mixture of flour, water and sugar. It was light, fluffy, and just the right amount of sweet. A perfect after meal snack.

Café de Coral
Hennesy Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong