1MB Travels: Hong Kong: Lan Fong Yuen

Whenever I’m back in Hong Kong, one of my must stops is Lan Fong Yuen, a now more than 50-year-old street food stall that persists against the odds, in the shadow of glossy skyscrapers and encroaching concept restaurants and bars and modernization.

They are said to be the inventors of the Hong Kong silk stocking milk tea, a local adaptation of colonial British high tea made more affordable with lower grade leaves, and with a higher level of caffeine to fuel the hard laboring masses through their work day - and use of evaporated milk both due to lower cost than fresh milk, and using its sweeter and creamier properties to balance out the intense tannins from the tea.

The precise blend of tea leaves is a closely-guarded secret, but Hong Kong milk tea in general is said to be a mix of black teas possibly including orange Pekoe, broken orange Pekoe, Ceylon, Assam, and dust.




The tea is 'pulled' though fine nets that resemble silk stockings, multiple times from a height, the better to 'press' the leaves for intensity of flavor while aerating, then poured into a mug pre-filled with evaporated milk and sugar for an incredibly fragrant, smooth drink that perfectly balances intensity with velvety sweetness (catch in action in video below).


There are many cafes that serve Hong Kong milk tea now, and many variables can impact the final body and taste, including ratio of tea to water, length of steep, amount added to evaporated milk (and brand of milk - many use the classic Black and White brand) - and Lan Fong Yuen may no longer be the absolute best, but it is the original, and a classic cup of nostalgia.

The original's success spread to several key locations in Hong Kong, and I would say which you choose to visit depends on your personal preference.

The Sheung Wan location is designed to evoke nostalgia, renovated to look like an old school dai pai dong but housed within a very modern shopping center at the Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal. This is a better location if you want to sit down in a clean, modern environment intentionally infused with old school charm via decor and ambience.  The food selections seem to be higher quality here as well.

The Central location is authentically old school, no frills in the most fantastic way.

However, you have to be ready for not the most hygienic environment, communal seating, and a HKD$25 minimum food purchase requirement to sit down inside (due to the cramped space and expense of real estate in that neighborhood), and while many rave about their pork bun and noodles, I find them forgettable.  You can get the milk tea to go from the window out front, and while waiting for tea preparation you can duck back to observe the process.

To me Lan Fong Yuen stands not as a symbol of defiance against progress, but a reminder of  a community's roots, how far we’ve come, and the importance of cherishing history (and the 'whys' of, and heart behind creations that endure) and ways it informs, fuels and supports our present and future, a message that is as relevant as ever.














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Hong Kong

Lan Fong Yuen 蘭方園

Central location:
2 Gage St., Central, Hong Kong
Ph: +852 2544 3895

Tsim Sha Tsui location:
WK Square, Shop 26 (basement), Chungking Mansions, 36-44 Nathan Rd., Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Sheung Wan location:
Shun Tak Centre, Shop 304D, 168-200 Connaught Rd., Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

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1MB Travels: Hong Kong: Tai O Fishing Village Adventure

Once in a while, I have an experience so great that I simply *can't* write about it...there are no words that can possibly do it justice.  Or I keep waiting for inspiration to hit, and end up 'saving' it for another day, a better day. 

But several things that happened to friends / acquaintances recently really put things in perspective - don't put off to another day, what you could do while you have the time and ability. 

So here's my attempt at retelling one of my favorite travel experiences ever.

When describing Hong Kong to people who have never been, I usually find it easiest to compare it to NYC - in terms of being beyond-fast-paced, gorgeous skyline, incredible dining, packed so solid with people that you can easily develop pedestrian rage.  But with a lot more Asians.  And of course the meeting of two predominant and vastly different cultures - where relics of tradition can exist side-by-side with glossy icons of modernity and ostentatious capitalism.

But there was a hidden gem that I hadn't experienced until my most recent visit - a fishing village just under two hours outside the city center, often referred to as the "Venice of Hong Kong".

On a less frequented edge of Lantau island, accessible by a combination of MTR (Hong Kong's uber efficient subway system) and bus / taxi up a windy mountain road - Tai O sits as a vestige of nostalgic Hong Kong.  Back before the skyscrapers and hustle-and-bustle, before shopping malls and neon signs. Where houses on stilts still jut with proud romanticism out of the sleepy river that provided livelihoods to fishermen who have been there for generations.  There are not very many places in Hong Kong that still feel 'untouched' by mass commercial interests - and Tai O is that rarity that has, for better or worse, attracted many visitors over recent years.  Since it was kind of a spontaneous trip, we had arrived in the evening just before sundown - so the first thing we did was jump on the boat tour, since they stop running after dark.

If memory serves correctly it was like $10 HKD / ~$1.40 USD per person for the half hour ride, where you get to see the original stilt houses - where people still actually live - this was no theme park recreation - as well as some natural formations in rocks sloping down the mountainside into the water.

But it was strolling through the quaint, narrow alleyways that was my favorite part of the visit.  As a fishing village, it comes as no surprise that there was lots of seafood for sale - but prepared and presented the old school Chinese way - dried and hanging in plastic bins or hanging from open street vendor stalls.

It was a treasure trove of delicacies from the sea, from salted fish, geoduck, sea cucumbers, scallops, shrimp, and abalone to seahorses.

A signature product made from their marine bounty is a pungent shrimp paste, which is added to seafood dishes to kick up the flavor.  Also sold at some stalls were 'fish powder' and XO sauce (a Hong Kong invention - and one of my favorite condiments of all time - made with various dried seafood, chili and spices).

With the 'Travel Channel'-like experience thus far, we were already having a great time, when we turned down another alley that opened up to a small plaza and it got even better.  There were street vendors with hibachi style grills that almost looked homemade - and they served up all kinds of delicious seafood from skewers of giant scallops with or without beautiful orange gonads included...

...here's a close-up...

...to the 'goldmine' stall that blew my mind with MULLET ROE BOTTARGA, such an expensive delicacy elsewhere in the world, grilled on the street over stone bowl charcoal hibachis!!!

They clamp the gorgeous orange slabs of roe in between open metal wire grates to allow it to heat evenly.

The delicious smoky char was intoxicating, and completely irresistible.  My parents are always worried about the cleanliness of street food, especially seafood, but I was absolutely not going to leave Tai O without trying the grilled bottarga.

They actually had several different kinds for people to choose from, at different grades of quality - that they will grill to order.  As with all the other amazing seafood here, very unceremoniously presented in plastic bins.  The cheapest grade was $20HKD/ >$3USD per pair, and went up to $40HKD/ ~$5.70USD on the 'high' end!!!!  I nearly died of happiness on the spot.  We ordered several rounds, which were grilled on the spot and placed in paper bags (!!!) for us to eat on the go while checking out the rest of the village.

The incredible find, and value, aside - what I also loved about Tai O was that the authenticity.  These vendors are not cast members hired to evoke an untouched, idyllic fishing village.  They actually live here - most upstairs from their food stall - and they are clearly proud of their village and their way of life.  They have tourists coming through, yes, but if that business is a necessary means to sustain their way of life - so be it. 

Next to the bottarga, a lady grills whole dried squid, carefully alternately holding it over flames and cooling it down as needed with a handheld electric fan.

We didn't end up trying the squid as we were so obsessed pre-occupied with the bottarga.  It was the first time my parents had tried it too, so it was a fun first for us to experience together.  I loved that they were game for it.

Further down the labyrinthine alleys, were other hot food vendors - one with some sort of dessert bun (lotus seed paste bao, I think)...

And my favorite street food snack growing up, the Hong Kong Egg Waffle!!!!  So crispy on the outside with warm, soft fluffy doughy interiors - perfectly formed for eating on the go since the individual egg-shaped 'capsules' help maintain the crispiness / doughiness balance.

There were also mom and pop restaurants with buckets and tanks of live seafood - where you can take your pick, and ask the server to prep it the way you like it.  This is not unique to Tai O though - there are several other famous spots in Hong Kong to get this type of experience, like Lama Island and Sai Kung - so we did not stop for a full seafood feast here.

Though, we couldn't leave without trying at least a bite of the local seafood prepared with their signature shrimp paste...so we stopped by the restaurant that looked like it had the most customers (always a sign that it's a good pick - an admittedly herd mentality that leads to long lines and waits at top restaurants in HK): Good View Seafood.  Despite its name, the place did NOT face the water and was a no frills hole in the wall.

We tried their stir-fried squid with vegetables in shrimp paste sauce.  I wanted to love it but to be honest it wasn't that memorable.  But we had our fill of grilled bottarga earlier, and that was what mattered, and made our day / trip.

Oh, almost forgot to mention, if you visit in the early evening, don't miss the chance to catch the sunset by the docks - it's pretty breathtaking.

Though the whole place shuts down - literally, with metal gates coming down over once lively storefronts - pretty soon after dark - nothing can beat the feeling of strolling through the 'night market'-like alleys just around dusk.  Be sure not to be swept up in the mass exodus of the crowds and miss out on that small window of opportunity. 

Definitely one of my favorite travel experiences of all time - and not sure if it will still be the same next time I'm back.  (I read recently that real estate developers are setting their sights there, and a government ban on commercial fishing has pushed villagers to seek other means of income which further erode their traditional, nature driven way of life.)  I hope so, and I hope that the bottarga, hibachi and the villagers' untainted ways will be there waiting for us for many years to come.

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Hong Kong
Tai O fishing village
Lantau Island, Hong Kong
How to get there: MTR Tung Chung + cable car and/or bus or taxi

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1MB Travels: Hong Kong: Shan Loon Tse Kee Fish Balls - Literal Hole in the (Mountain) Wall (CLOSED)

"Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word happy would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness." - Carl Jung

Sometimes, I get sidetracked by what's of the moment - what other people want / need / demand - and I forget what's important to me.  (The rest of the time I might have become a bit unapologetically self-centered...).  Which is my round about way of coming to the point of why I'm writing about a place that has already closed - sorrow. For a place that brought such happiness - and the post that I meant to get to, celebrating the insanely good find that everyone in Hong Kong already knew and loved - that kept being superceded by 'more urgent' ones until I realized that I had waited so long, the place had ceased to exist.  And that it's a place that I can return to, nevermore.  RIP, Tse Kee - this is my remembrance of you.

My mom loves wandering Hong Kong (and other cities) in search of new eats - and 'saving up the good ones' for when I visit for the holidays.  On one such trip home, she brought me to a famous and hole-in-the-wall place in Aberdeen that purported to serve the best fish balls - a Cantonese specialty that do NOT have anything to do with sea creature gonads - ever.

There was a story behind the restaurant's curious name as well - it literally started out as a food stand in front of a cave, in the early days of Hong Kong history.  Word spread quickly of the quality of the family's handiwork, and the business rapidly grew into a full fledged restaurant - full fledged meaning a dai pai dong style, tiny hole-in-the-wall spot in Aberdeen.

They kept the phrase "Shan Loon" (Cantonese for "cave") in the name as a tribute to its humble beginnings - and because it was such a unique trait that the place became known for.  Everyone referred to it as the 'cave' fish balls.  In modern day Hong Kong, the family still kept the place old school style, with tables split amongst strangers, and non-nonsense, rushed, loud service - which far from turning off the locals, made them line up for hours each morning, noon and night for a taste of the famous bowls of fish ball noodle soups.  It goes without saying that no reservations were offered - definitely a first come, first served - fight to seat yourself wherever a spot opens up kind of place.

After about 45 minutes and shameless hovering over anyone who looked like they might be nearly done with their meal - my parents and I snagged seats at a shared table.  We quickly exchanged shouted orders and confirmations with the waitress, and our food came within minutes.  It's kind of like the In N Out method of fast, good food - keep the menu offerings focused to make it easy to order and easy to deliver.  It was all about fish balls, fish balls, and more fish balls.  With a smattering of other signature dishes for good measure.  We wanted to try the fried fish skin with the famous fish balls - but they were already sold out of it by the time we sat down (like at 11:15am!).  So I got my Schweppes cream soda...

...tried a bite of my parent's fish balls (fish meat ground up, emulsified and shaped into orbs, then fried for a chewy outer layer) with ho fan (rice noodles) served in pork rib broth and pretty much died of happiness.  Tse Kee makes everything from scratch and unlike most Chinese restaurants, do not use any MSG.  Yet the bowl was packed with amazing flavor, the fish balls were sublimely balanced between soft and resilient (al dente is not exactly the right phrase to describe it, but it would be in the right direction), and the fresh made noodles were the perfect, tender and smooth yet lightly springy consistency.

I also had to try the fish skin wontons, which were basically pork meatballs wrapped in fish skin and boiled in pork broth.  AMAZE-balls.  Yeah I went there.  And I had the flat rectangular sliced version of the fish balls (I guess you can call them fish cakes instead) again in that incredible pork rib broth that had such soul-soothing clarity and warmth, and the amazing fresh made ho fan noodles that served as the perfect foil for the textures and rich flavors of the fish cakes and wontons.

If there had been any way to ship these back to LA fresh, I'd have spent my life savings to do it.  It was that good.  And now it's gone :(  I will always remember and miss you, Tse Kee - you have left a hole in this food lover's heart that cannot be filled by anything else.  I will try to think positively and be grateful that I had the chance to experience you before your unfortunate departure. I will take this as a reminder to appreciate what is and remains in my life.  But I still hope that someone from the family will open another incarnation of this place someday - maybe even by the time I make it back to Hong Kong again.  I promise, this time, I would celebrate you while you are here.

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Hong Kong
Shan Loon Tse Kee Fish Balls 山窿謝記魚蛋
80-82 Old Main Street, Aberdeen
Tel: 2552 3809
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1MB Travels: Hong Kong: Shanghai Min

On trips back to Hong Kong, my favorite meals tend to either be of regional Chinese, or fine dining versions of Chinese, that are not easily accessible - or accessible at this level of artistry - in LA.

And fine dining to me doesn't always just mean expensive delicacies at three-star restaurants in five-star hotels - it's sometimes more of a philosophy, in the chef's approach to their food - that they revere and treat it with great respect, no matter the level of venue, cost of the ingredients, or number of digits in the price of their food.

Shanghai Min is one such example. It's a branch of an upper mid-tier restaurant chain started in China, perched in a humble space in the mall levels of historic Man Yee Building in Central, the less ostentatious side of the financial district of Hong Kong.

Though the narrow space only seems to be able to hold about 25-30 tables, its lofty ceiling and chic, sleek, modern decor lends it a very relaxed, airy and serene, almost spa-like vibe.

From the moment we were seated, we could tell the care and pride they take with every element - instead of the staid and overused visual assault of red and gold typical to very old school Chinese restaurants, Shanghai Min gives a sophisticated nod to tradition via beautifully embroidered linens (albeit a bit self promotional, featuring the name of the place on the tablecloth and napkins).

Diners here also tend to be more refined, and respectful of the calming setting - no shouting to hear ourselves over loud conversations from neighbors, or clanging of dishes in the dining room here.


The lovely thing about Shanghainese food is simple ingredients, clean flavors. For our appetizer, we got Drunken Chicken - chicken marinaded in Shaoxing rice wine, and served with skin on. This is typically served cold, but Shanghai Min offers this dish slightly warm, in chicken & wine broth, the better to release the beautiful fragrance of the wine that has fused it seems like with the very DNA of the chicken, whose meat and skin are so smooth, tender and flavorful that it made me forget I don't even like chicken (except when fried, and apparently when *it's* 'drunk'). Does alcohol really make everything better? When it's used in food - YES. My only note is I wish the pieces were bigger, to even better showcase the texture and flavors.

Can't have a Shanghainese meal without, of course, Steamed Pork & Soup Dumplings (Xiao Long Bao), aka Shanghai Dumplings ($55HK for 5 pieces / ~$7.50US) - and they are delicious here, with fresh, thin wrappers made with fragrant dough, filled with very smooth and lightweight rounds of pork and clear, flavorful broth.

As if inspired by the Xiao Long Bao, Shanghai Min's Signature Pan-Fried Crispy Pork Soup Bun ($55HK for 5 pieces / ~$7.50US) 灌湯生煎包 - these Chinese white bread buns are typically filled with just pork - but Shanghai Min's have broth added inside, then fried to make each bite amazing with the soft, pillowy bao giving way to great, juicy interior of broth and tender meat, then a nice crispy, crunchy, salty and slightly charred finish. All topped off with sprinklings of fragrant spring onion and sesame. Delicious.

(The inside looks very much like a Xiao Long Bao)

Last up was my favorite in terms of presentation: Straw-tied Belly Pork (with Chinese Bun) 稻草肉 ($38 per piece / ~$4.75 US 2 piece minimum). Pork belly is usually a rustic dish braised and thrown piled high onto a plate, but Shanghai Min elevates it here with a 'surf and turf' presentation, wrapping perfect squares of gorgeously layered pork belly (fat/meat/fat) up with straw to look like gifts in a ceramic lotus dish, accompanied by white bread buns infused with lotus leaf flavor and shaped to look like scallop shells.

These tasted as great as they look, again reflective of the craftsmanship at Shanghai Min - the fat to meat ratio was skillfully controlled to make perfect, juicy, melt in your mouth, flavor rich bites, and the bao were nice and fluffy, the kind you can tell is well made because they rise back slowly to its original fluffiness after you take a bite - smooth, not grainy and full of fragrant flavor. Perfect when opened up and stuffed with a bite of pork belly (soaks up all its rich juices).

Three of us were so stuffed after these dishes (plus bowl of noodles that my mom had to herself as she wasn't feeling well) that we didn't have room for dessert unfortunately.

All in all, a fine meal at Shanghai Min of classics, well executed - in a relaxing setting as a mid-day getaway from the sometimes frenetic energy of Hong Kong.

[For more photos of fun / good eats from my HK trip, check out the album on my Facebook page!]

On a 7 point scale:
Flavor - 6 bites
Presentation - 6 bites
Originality - 5.5 bites
Ambience - 5.5 stars
Service - 5.5 stars
Overall experience - 6 bites
Price - $$ (2 bite marks)
Probability of return visit - 100%

*Note for tourists: No taxes are charged at restaurants in Hong Kong, but there is a service charge of 10% which is standard to all sit-down restaurants, which is basically the tip for your server. You are not expected to tip above this, though if you received exceptional service and wish to leave a little extra, you will make your server very happy.


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Hong Kong

Shanghai Min 上海小南國
Level 3, Man Yee Building, 68 Des Voeux Road, Central, Hong Kong
Ph: +852 2259-9393

Website: xiaonanguo.com

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1MB Travels: Hong Kong: Prince Restaurant

Last year, Prince Restaurant provided one of the best meals on my trip to Hong Kong - so I was excited to return this year. This time, for dinner, on my second night back!

We were greeted immediately with the lovely trio of 'welcome dishes' - guava with plum salt, peanuts and XO sauce*. The guava was again fantastic, with its refreshing, crunchy, subtle sweetness enhanced by the sweet/tartness of plum salt. You can dip the peanuts in the XO sauce, or save the condiment for use in dishes later in the meal.

To kick off dinner, the Soup of the Day ($198HK / ~$26US) definitely got our attention with its seahorse tails and sea whelk mixed in with chicken and Chinese herbs. As standard for Chinese restaurants, they bring you the full pot of soup, pour the broth into individual bowls, then scoop out the "tong ja" or solid ingredients used to make the soup, into a separate bowl for you to eat. Too bad the seahorse was not used whole...we only got the tails...

Knowing my love for truffle and the new and unusual, my mom had us try the Stir Fried Bean Sprouts & Glass Noodle with Egg, Dried Scallop and Truffle ($138HK / ~$18US) - the price may seem high for a stir fry dish with all veggies, but once we smelled and saw (in that order!) the unmistakeable specks of real black truffle integrated throughout the dish, we thought it was worth every dollar.

I normally don't like bean sprouts, it's so bland and boring - but it works surprisingly well in perfect balance with every other element here to create a dish that's nothing short of divine in taste and texture. The crunchy sprouts, yieldy glass noodles, soft fluffy clouds of egg and shred of dried scallop was made intoxicatingly fragrant with heat from the wok (that you can taste in the food) and the scent of black truffle. So simple a dish, yet so sophisticated and delicious. This was easily our favorite Chinese dish made with truffle, in recent memory.

Next up: another dish I haven't had before,which has a beautiful sounding Chinese name 艷影紗窗 that translates in essence to "Mysterious Beauty" ($128HK / ~$16US). Which doesn't really tell you much about what it is, but makes sense once you see it.

Steamed bamboo pith rolls, stuffed with slivers of mushroom and bamboo shoots, topped with goji berries, are placed in alternating rows with kai lan.

The name of the dish refers to the beautiful veil-like quality of the bamboo pith, somewhat see through where you can sort of make out what's inside but you can't see it clearly, you just sort of see a shadow of it. The name is supposed to poetically evoke the shadow of a beautiful woman glimpsed through a veil or thin curtain - in a romantic, not creepy way - get your dirty minds out of the gutter.

But what in the heck is bamboo pith you ask? I had to do some detective work too - it's 竹笙, a type of mushroom with a porous veil that hangs down from the cap. It's also known as "Long Net Stinkhorn", but the cooked version at least doesn't smell bad or tate bitter as its name may imply, it's used in savory dishes but has a lovely subtle sweetness - Bamboo Pith is a more appetizing name. Once cooked it shrinks and the net becomes tighter, but still semi-see through - the look and texture reminds me of fish maw (an expensive Chinese delicacy: the air bladder or swim bladder of a fish, which sounds unappetizing but has an exquisite light and soft spongy unique texture and very subtle, not fishy, taste) - so this is sort of the more affordable alternative.

This dish was also simple, but novel, and beautiful to look at. I loved the delicate texture of the bamboo pith, gently bathed in starchy but clear broth, and offset first by the light crunch of the slivered mushroom and bamboo shoots stuffed inside, then by the heftier crunch and pops of green in the stalks of kai lan. Loved this.

For our last dish (I was still jetlagged and not ready for a full on meal with dessert etc.), we had the Fried Sticky Rice with Preserved Sausage ($168HK / ~$21US). This though amazingly delicious - you can taste the individual grains of rice distinctly, and fragrance released by a nice hot wok (always one of the signs of the chef's skill), with rich but perfectly restrained flavors punctuated by bits of juicy preserved sausage. Our only complaint about this dish would be the price - it's mysteriously more than the one with truffle, and doesn't have a lot of seafood in it (beyond the shreds of dried scallop).

All in all, another great meal at Prince Restaurant - pricey but worth it in my opinion overall (fried rice being the exception) for the fine dining level Chinese. It's going on my list of favorites in Hong Kong!


On a 7 point scale:
Flavor - 6.5 bites
Presentation - 5.5 bites
Originality - 6 bites
Ambience - 6 stars
Service - 6 stars
Overall experience - 6 bites
Price - $$$ (3 bite marks)
Probability of return visit - 100%

*Note for tourists: there is a charge for the three 'welcome dishes' ($54HK for all three / ~$7US) - you can probably decline them if you don't want to get charged, but we've never done this as it's not customary. There is also a small charge for tea service, though you get unlimited refills of Chinese loose leaf tea of your choice ($15HK per person / ~$2US though it all comes in one pot for the table). There's also a 10% service charge that is automatically charged to the total bill, which is standard to all restaurants in Hong Kong - this is basically the tip, it's not expected for you to leave more, but if you received exceptional service and wish to leave more, it would make your server extremely happy.


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Hong Kong
Prince Restaurant
5/F, The Lee Gardens, 33 Hysan Avenue, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Ph: +852 2577-4888

Website: princerestaurant.com.hk

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1MB Travels: Hong Kong: Farm House

"Healthy food" is something I have never enjoyed, as a concept - I know that's not a "smart" or "good" thing to say, but the reality is that it usually involves words I don't like - that for me boil down to restraint and/or sacrifice, and removal of joy. Like, eat this because it's good for you (not because it's tasty - because if you are honest with yourself, do things like flax seed or oatmeal or low-fat anything really taste good? I would have to make a conscious decision that it tastes good to me, in order to get it down - i.e. trick myself). Of course it's not good to eat yourself sick, so not overindulging or balancing it with exercise etc. is needed - but for what I put into my body, I choose to err on the side of allowing me to appreciate and enjoy life, instead of being in a constant state of resistance and denial. What's the point of a healthy body if you are going to malnourish your soul? I'm sure healthy-eating advocates are now going to say, there are ways to make health foods tasty, give it a chance etc...well, read on.

"Healthy" has become a bad trigger word for me - but "farm to table" and "seasonal", things that are TASTE-driven (because what is in season will be freshest and thus most delicious, same with what a farmer has nurtured with care locally, that has not had to be frozen or artificially preserved in order to travel great distances) I love. The health factor is a 'perk' of sorts, and not the singular goal.

So it was that my first meal on this trip back to Hong Kong, we arrived at Farm House in Causeway Bay.

Chinese food is of course not known for being health-conscious - but nose to tail, farm to table, local, seasonal, has been a way of life, forever (though often in the past without intention), and before these became trendy / buzz words. With the huge caveat that preserved foods are ingrained in the culture also - but they don't all involve artificial ingredients.

Farm House is an example of a restaurant that encourages health by understanding customers' needs, and offering taste via local, quality ingredients, and preparations that are mindful of health.

The restaurant opened in the '80s without a set menu, and was completely farmers' market driven - over time, they started catering more to customers' favorites, creating a menu that retains the philosophy of sourcing locally and never to use MSG, letting the quality of their ingredients shine through with great flavor. They wanted their little restaurant, tucked away in a corner of an office highrise, to continue to be a reprieve from the busy city life below. In 2010, they were awarded one Michelin star.

Our lunch started with a dish of bitter melon, with XO sauce on the side for dipping. Bitter melon is a Fall/Winter vegetable that is similar in color and texture to green bell peppers, but tastes, as its name implies, bitter.

I didn't like this as a kid, but now it's an interesting and refreshing way to wake up your taste buds in prep for a meal. Everything after will taste sweeter in comparisan.

Next up: one of my favorites as a kid - Baked Sea Whelk with Goose's Liver ($68HK each = ~$8US) made with chopped up sea snails and foie (!!!) and onions in a lightly curried sauce, baked for a nice light crust over the top.

My brother and I used to eat this up quickly so that we can take the shells home, it was so pretty. My poor mom's handbag always bore the brunt of debris from stray bits of food left in the shells.


Dim sum are also offered at lunch at Farm House, so we got a few classics to snack on. Their Fried Radish Cake tasted fresh, light and full of flavor - and most importantly didn't, as other places that make their food with MSG would, make us reach immediately for our drinks (thirst is a telltale sign of MSG).

We also got some Xiao Long Bao aka Shanghai Dumplings - made with smooth rounds of pork and a light, clear, flavorful broth inside a fresh-made dough wrapper that was lovely in its lightness. We didn't love the presentation, in individual foil cups (that lesser restaurants use with the expectation that their dough wrappers will fall apart - the foil cup can catch the leaked soup. Restaurants with craftsmanship will usually just place the XLB on a paper liner in the bamboo basket, knowing it will hold up).

But regardless of presentation, every element of these XLB were fresh and delicious, and we made use of a tip from a famous local food critic on the proper way to eat these: put the XLB in a spoon, then bite off only the top (so that the bottom is still there to hold the broth inside), then tilt spoon with the rest of the XLB back to drink the broth while eating the rest of the XLB in one bite.

This takes some practice and I've still to do it perfectly - a great reason to keep eating XLB as if I need one!

Then came my favorite dish, a special created by the chef at Farm House: "Whatever" Steamed Egg White with Seafood.

This is their upgraded version of a classic popular Hong Kong home-cooked dish - steamed egg with soy sauce. It's usually made with just those two ingredients, plus water, and eaten with plain white rice. Easy, simple and tasty. The shortened name of this dish in Cantonese also sounds like the words for "whatever", a popular phrase used to politely defer to the group when it comes to ordering at restaurants (since Chinese meals are served family style, it's considered rude if you are not the host to just order - it shows you don't care about others. There's always a few minutes of back and forth "whatevers" and "what would you like"s to show you are not difficult or selfish, and discussion of suggestions before a committee decision is made).

So out of this classic dish and restaurant custom, the chef created this upgraded, playful dish of steamed egg white only, that was smooth as the silkiest tofu but much lighter, and topped it with fresh shrimp, sprinkling of whatever veggie is in season, dried scallops, and salted egg yolks. The toppings give the steamed egg custard rich flavors while the egg custard gives it the smoothest base to hold the dish together. Everything again tastes so fresh and light going down. And the clever joke it that when customers can't decide what to order, they can go ahead and order the "Whatever". Everyone wins. (Plus, by the time you realize that it's 'healthy' - no grease, no MSG, high protein low fat - it's already too late, you've already decided it's delicious and inhaled the entire thing in one breath). Loved this dish.

We also got a Vegetable Stew at my dad's request that was a beautiful saffron color, but since I don't love vegetables this wasn't a stand out to me, and I would have liked more flavor from the stew.

For dessert: Fresh Make (sic) Sweeten (sic) Almond Cream with Egg White ($35HK / ~$4US) - this is a classic served hot with strands of egg white added.

I've always loved this soup - it's not overly sweet, and so smooth. Almond is also supposed to be good for your skin (as usual with Chinese foods, no scientific explanation of why, it's just thousands of years of learning from trial and error I guess?).

Another dessert classic with a twist: Steamed Bun with Bird's Nest and Custard Cream ($18HK each / ~$2.25US) - bao shaped and 'painted' to look like peaches used to be served as a birthday treat, but now are a fairly common sight on Chinese menus year round. Farm House makes theirs with a 'molten' filling made of egg yolk and sugar and bird's nest (bird's nest is essentially the solidified saliva of a species of birds - swallows or swiftlets? - used in building their nests - and is another Chinese delicacy that "everyone knows" to be good for your skin). Loved these fluffy buns with the subtly sweet center.

Farm House also makes their own preserved sausages. These flavorful meat tubes are typically served in winter, cut up and used for sticky /fried rice - and typically made with pork and/or pork liver.

There was a big display of them by the cash register, and we noticed that they had duck liver sausages as well (500g gift box for $130HK / ~$16US)!!!

Again these may not be 'healthy' products - but they are made locally from quality ingredients and supports nose to tail use of every part of the animal - so in our minds they are 'good'!

We had fun browsing through their little shelves of other house made food products as well by the exit - and left with several packs of duck liver sausages. Too bad US Customs will not let me bring some back to the LA!

All in all, a great time at Farm House and start to this year's culinary tour through Hong Kong!

[For more photos of fun / good eats from my HK trip, check out the album on my Facebook page!]


On a 7 point scale:
Flavor - 6 bites
Presentation - 5 bites
Originality - 5.5 bites
Ambience - 5 stars
Service - 5.5 stars
Overall experience - 5.5 bites
Price - $$ (2 bite marks)
Probability of return visit - 90%
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Hong Kong

Farm House Restaurant
1/F, Phase 1, China Taiping Tower, 8 Sunning Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Ph: 852-2881-1331

Website: farmhouse.com.hk

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