These were the best things that i ate in Hong Kong and Singapore this year. Those foods were so good that it left an impression.
VIA TOKYO
Shop 1 A & 1B, G/F, Lei Shun Court, 106 - 126 Leighton Road, Causeway Bay, HONG KONG
Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 10.30 pm (Sun to Thu) / 11.00 am to 11.00 pm (Fri & Sat)
Gyokuro Genmaicha Blend is one of their newest flavor. It is made with a fragrant blended tea combining the robust flavor of roasted rice with the amami of Gyokuro tea. It is rather unique and rich in taste, the matcha flavor really come out without being too sweet nor too bitter, it was really good with very fine and smooth texture. They are reputable of serving the best matcha soft serve in Hong Kong. And, actually not a day goes by that i do not think of it after that first encounter.
ABC KITCEN
1/F Queen Street Cooked Food Market No 38 Des Voeux Road West Sheung Wan HONG KONG
Operating Hours: 12.00 pm to 2.30 pm (Mon to Sat) / 7.00 pm to 10.30 pm (Mon to Sun)
This is just something that you do not quite expect to find in a cooked food centre as there is definitely a certain standard from their food to their service that i got back to come back for the second time on my birthday. The perfectly grilled Beef Tenderloin left quite an impression this time, it might not be the finest nor the most surprising thing that i have eaten this year that that well-done simplicity is just so comforting.
KAU KEE RESTAURANT 九记牛腩
G/F, 21 Gough Street, Central, HONG KONG
Operating Hours: 12.00 pm to 10.30 pm (Closed on Sundays)
After eaten many bowl of Braised Beef Brisket Noodle in Hong Kong and only their Curry Beef Brisket left an impression. It was full of flavors with rather excellent beef brisket that cooked just right for a desired texture with delightful chewiness even though i would prefer the curry to be a little spicier but the curry sauce went really well with their E-Mien. Their place is rather cramped and always crowded but they served the best Beef Brisket Noodle, the queuing to enjoy it is so worth the while. I really wish i would eat it more often.
ROAST PARADISE
51 Old Airport Road #01-122 Old Airport Road Food Centre SINGAPORE 390051
Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 4.00 pm (Closed on Mondays)
Their classic KL style Char Siew is excellent. It was intensely flavored with a distinct sweetness as well as a sticky texture with charred edges and presented in chunky pieces. I intended to east jus a bit but i could not quite stop it when i started with the first pieces and now, not a day goes by that i do not think about that chunky piece of Char Siew. Now, that is something so good that kept me thinking about it.
TOM'S KITCHEN
3 Yung Sheng Road #03-130 Taman Jurong Food Centre SINGAPORE 618499
Operating Hours: 12.00 pm to 9.00 pm (Closed on Mondays)
For just $5 for a set of chicken chop, you will get to enjoy a piece of perfectly grilled chicken chop with a portion of fries and coleslaw served along with their tasty brown sauce. That chicken chop was so gorgeously tender and succulent with a delightful smoky charred flavor, the skin was nicely seared to give a desired crispiness. It is easily amongst the top 3 in my list for the best chicken chop and i could not quite forget how amazing it was.
CHINATOWN SPECIAL
335 Smith Street #02-12 Chinatown Complex Food Centre SINGAPORE 050335
Operating Hours: 10.30 am to 1.30 pm
This stall offers Fried Rice as its main with side dishes to go along and their fried rice tasted indeed special. Its texture was rather grainy and fried well with ingredients like char siew, prawns and egg to give it a nice wok taste. It was good enough to eat it on its own even without those braised meat and fried egg. Their braised meat tasted like what my late Grandpa used to cook, it was really soft, so soft that you need not even need to chew it. I can still taste whenever i think about it, probably because it was really so good.
UNCLE CHICKEN RICE
348 Simpang Bedok Bedok Market Place SINGAPORE 469560
Operating Hours: 12.00 pm to 8.00 pm
Their Lo Mien (Tossed Noodles), commonly known as 'Lo Ding' (捞丁) is a dish that usually found in those tea houses in Hong Kong is a must-try. This is likely to be the first hawker stall that is serving this dish apart of those Hong Kong style eateries in Singapore. It consists of a few chunky pieces of perfectly braised soya sauce chicken serving along with luncheon meat, a lava egg and greens doused in their special soya based sauce with their homemade ginger paste. It tasted really good, even better than some of those that i have eaten in Hong Kong. This is definitely something that i am craving and want to eat it often.
YAN JI SEAFOOD SOUP
Block 4A Woodlands Centre Road #02-11 Woodlands Centre Road Food Centre
SINGAPORE 730004
Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 8.30 pm (Closed on Mondays)
It might not be the cheaper or the most sophisticated but their Seafood Soup particularly with crayfish added is quite comforting. It is served with sliced fish and hand-shaped meatballs. You could taste an intense flavor of dried sole fish and mushroom in it. The strongly flavored stock has a hint of natural sweetness, no refilling is allowed and they even controlled it by serving only half a bowl for each portion. The waiting time could be up to 1 hour if you come during lunch or weekends but it is just so worth it
Those foods were quite memorable as the year comes to a close. Those were the best things that i ate in Hong Kong and Singapore in 2015.