[Hong Kong] Bing Kee 炳记茶档 : The Old-fashioned Feel of Hong Kong

Tai Hang has an increasing number of hip eateries though not quite affect the sleepiness of this quiet neighborhood. Bing Kee (炳记茶档) is one of the long surviving Dai Pai Dong that has been in this residential area for a long while, the nostalgic feel is irreplaceable particularly in the fast developing Hong Kong.

I was here in October 2014 but did not get to eat it as i did not know that their closing time is 3.30 pm and so, i was here just in time to see them packing up and closed for the day. I came back a year later and this time, i was here at about 12 pm for lunch.

There was a queue right next to the stall and all the tables there were fully occupied but the turnover rate of tables was pretty fast though. I waited for about 10 minutes before being ushered to one of the tables and to share it with another couple.

As i do not understand nor speak Cantonese, i encountered slight difficulties in getting the service staff to take my orders. In fact, i had quite a hard time. The couple sharing the table noticed it and my friend overheard the wife telling the husband in Cantonese, 'Maybe we should help them'. She then asked in English, 'Do you any need help?' And, i said to her, 'I just wanted my order to be taken.' 

The husband waved and called out to the service staff to come over for order taking. While waiting, we talked about what is nice to eat there. They recommended that we should try the signature Braised Pork Chop with Bee Hoon or Instant Noodle. They said as for the Braised Chicken Wings, they would recommend that to be ordered as a side dish as it is not as good when compared to the Braised Pork Chop. One of the service staff came over to take the order and when he realised that i do not speak nor understand Cantonese, he sent someone else over. The other Uncle speaks pretty good Cantonese style English and it was a breeze to order through him. 

The Iced Milk Tea (HKD $14) and the Iced Lemon Tea (HKD $15) came first. The Iced Milk Tea was quite nice, it tasted smooth with just enough of tea fragrance and not overly sweet as well. The Iced Lemon Tea tasted quite normal though.

Next came the Braised Chicken Wings, a portion consists of 5 pieces of mid-wings. I took a bite and it actually did not taste as bad as commented by that couple. It tasted simple and homely, like something prepared by the mother for a home-cooked meal.

The 2 bowls of Pork Chop Noodle (HKD $26 each) added with Luncheon Meat came right after, served by the same service staff that took my order. He pointed to the condiments on the table and he said, 'Try it, it is nice.' Those condiments consist of Japanese sesame oil, marinated red and green cut chili and chili Oil. I added a bit of chili Oil to my bowl of bee hoon and it actually tasted nicer. Each bowl has got a good portion of braised pork chop with 2 slices of Luncheon Meat added with a few stalks of lettuce. I tried the bee hoon in one of the bowls and instant noodle in the other bowl, i actually prefer the bee hoon a bit more.

The braised pork chop tasted flavorful and still retained its tenderness.

The texture of the instant noodle was a bit too soft, it lacked the firmness and not as springy as i liked.

There were still quite a queue waiting for tables when i left.

Most people that i encountered in Hong Kong are actually warmer than the people i have came across in Singapore. Most Singaporeans are not as proactive and not too helpful particularly towards a complete stranger. Perhaps too much frustrations and challenges have made their hearts turned cold.

BING KEE 炳记茶档

Next to 5 Shepherd Street, Tai Hang, HONG KONG

Operating Hours: 7.30 am to 3.30 pm (Tuesday to Sunday) (Closed on Mondays)

Coba : Let's go Coba Coba!

"Coba Coba" is an endearing Indonesian phrase used by the elders on the young to "try try" unfamiliar food as mentioned on their Facebook page. That very much explained how did this eatery get their name. They are serving supposedly authentic Indonesian style Nasi Padang in a retro ambiance. As it is also indicated on their page that they prepare their food freshly and in small quantity to ensure its freshness. 

It was not too crowded even during the lunch time when i was there. I was with a friend and we decided to have Nasi Padang even though they do serve Mee Siam, Mee Rebus, Mee Soto and Lotong at $2.80 each. 

First, the order has to be made at their counter. You select your dishes and pay at the counter then collect it. You order your drink right there too. I was asked what do i want for drink and even before i give my answer, i was asked again, "Coffee ah?" Their coffee is brewed from Arabica-Robusta coffee beans so it must been good but i did not want coffee this time, i will try it if i do come back. That counter staff was a bit surprised when i decided to go with a canned drink. 

We decided to share a Tahu Telor, a common street food in Indonesian. It is prepared upon ordering so i stood by the counter and waited for it to be ready, i got it after waited for a couple of minutes. The egg tofu is in a round cylindrical shape with a shredded carrot and cucumber then topped with a good amount of peanut sauce. The egg tofu tasted fresh as well as those shredded carrot and cucumber that still have its crunchiness and not soggy. The peanut sauce has got quite a bit of chunky peanuts in it and it did not taste too spicy. It tasted much better than we expected it to be. 

The first plate of Nasi Padang consists of Beef Rendang and Sambal Goreng. The texture of Beef Rendang was a bit too chewy to my liking but the sauce was fragrant and not too spicy. Sambal Goreng that consists of tau kway, long beans and tempeh was stir-fried with quite a bit of sambal chilli but it did not taste as spicy as it expected to be.

The other plate consists of Sambal Brinji, Sayur Lodeh and Chicken Rendang. Sambal Brinji has always been a favourite, it is specially tasty when stir-fried with good sambal chilli. This tasted nice though not as spicy. I guess they must have toned down the level of spiciness to better suit the taste buds of the locals. Sayur Lodeh is a curry vegetable dish that i usually order for Nasi Padang. The cabbage and long bean were perfectly cooked to just the right softness that i liked in a curry sauce, a rather comforting dish. Chicken Rendang was lovingly done to give it the desired softness and flavor. And, do not underestimate spiciness level of the belachan chilli that they added by the side, that was spicy, in fact the spiciest of all.

If you wonder, this cafe is Halal certified. This is a cosy place to have a quiet lunch in this neighborhood, a stone's throw away from the Northpoint Shopping Centre and directly opposite Yishun MRT, just about 4 minutes walk away. 

COBA

Block 156 Yishun Street 11 #01-106 SINGAPORE 760156

Operating Hours: 7.00 am to 9.00 pm

Chinatown Special : Special Fried Rice

This stall reminded me of the song 'Fried Rice Paradise' composed and sing by Dick Lee. I am a big fan of fried rice and i have heard about this particular stall in this food centre. The owner used to be a Service Manager at the Swatow Restaurant in Shenton Way in the early 80s but he decided to be a hawker in 1986. After 3 decades, he is still enjoying what he is doing. He is only selling fried rice at his stall, nothing else. He demonstrated a high level of confidence in doing just the fried rice and he must be real good at it. As he is already in his 70s, the stall is only operating from 10.30 am to 1.30 pm.

I was there once but they were sold out much earlier before their closing time. This time, i was luckier, there was still a queue at 1.10 pm and i joined in. Everyone in the queue was waiting eagerly to get their plates of fried rice. I must be super lucky as i was allocated one of the last few plates of fried rice before their closing and the Auntie turned away those queuing behind me. They might have already run out of the rice but they do left quite a bit of dishes for selection. I decided to add a fried egg with a portion of braised meat and dried shrimps to my plate of fried rice. If i remember correctly, the fried rice itself is $4.00, the braised meat is $2.00, the fried egg is $0.50 and the dried shrimp is $1.00. Though a slight costly but it was tasty enough to justify the value.

The fried rice indeed tasted special, the texture of the rice was rather grainy and not mushy, it was fried well with ingredients like char siew, prawns and egg to give it the fragrance with a nice wok taste. I could just finish a big plate of the fried rice even without those extras added.

I particularly enjoyed the braised meat, though it tasted simple but it reminded me of my dearest Grandpa. He used to cook braised meat and i could taste a certain similarity between his version and this particular one. The texture of braised meat was cooked till really soft, so soft that it actually melted in the mouth effortlessly, without much chewing needed. 

I could see that effort has been put in to ensure that the fried egg was done just right to give it a runny egg yolk then drizzled with a few drops of dark soya sauce. I have always disliked those fried eggs with an overcooked egg yolk to the extent that i would just eat the egg white and left the egg yolk totally untouched.

The fragrance of the dried shrimps added flavor to the fried rice and enhanced the taste pretty much.

This humble stall serves one of the nicest fried rice that i have ever eaten. 

CHINATOWN SPECIAL

335 Smith Street #02-12 Chinatown Complex Food Centre SINGAPORE 050335

Operating Hours: 10.30 am to 1.30 pm

Sin Chie Toke Huan : Comforting Hainanese Curry Rice

There was already a long queue right outside the closed shutter, patiently waiting for the shop to be opened at 6.00 pm. I know there is a famous Hainanese Curry Rice stall in this coffee shop but i have never get to try it. I decided to join in the queue as i was told to come back later by that curly hair Auntie selling satay at the corner coffee shop. She could not quite cope with the massive amount of orders at that time when i wanted to order earlier. When the roller shutter raised, the assistants started to arrange tables and chairs along the pathway. Some of those in the queue moved away leaving their friend or family member to be in the queue to do the ordering later and they went to sit at one of those tables. 

As this was my first visit, i decided to order some of those dishes more commonly selected by their regular customers. After ordering, i was expected to pay then they handed over the 2 plates of rice to me to carry it together with an assistant that got the rest of the dishes on a tray and followed me to my table. 

First dish was sliced pork cooked in soya sauce and sesame oil with bits of shredded ginger, a homely dish that done well. It was nicely flavored and went rather well with the plain rice. I could finish my plate of rice just with this particular dish.

Braised cabbage has always been my favourite and my usual order whenever having Hainanese Curry Rice. It might not looked too appetising given its color but the texture was of the desired softness and it actually tasted alright with a hint of natural sweetness detected.

The steamed meatballs did not taste too memorable though, it was just pleasant tasting.

My favourite dish has to be these squids cooked in curry sauce. This dish reminded me of a similar dish that my dearest Grandpa used to cook. The texture of these squids was of the desired softness with a slight chewiness. It was tasty when had it with the curry sauce together with rice. I would likely to order this again.

All the dishes went rather well with the rice. This was a simple yet homely dinner that i really enjoyed. I could not quite remember the exact price that i paid but if i remember correctly, it should be less than $12 for all. 

There was still a long queue when i left. I was told that the pork porridge stall in this coffee shop is pretty good as well. Maybe i should just order a bowl of pork porridge to go with some of those dishes when i am there again.

SIN CHIE TOKE HUAN

1018 Upper Serangoon Road SINGAPORE 534756

Operating Hours: 6.00 pm to 5.00 am

[Hong Kong] ABC Kitchen : My Birthday Dinner

If you wonder, ABC Kitchen is just like our kind of hawker stall located in a one of those food centres in Hong Kong. I was there once and quite enjoyed the lunch i had there. This time, i managed to make a reservation for dinner on my birthday through an email. They replied promptly and acknowledged the reservation. As i have overlooked their operating hours and indicated in the email that i would like to have my dinner at 6.30 pm, which is 30 minutes before their operating hours. They suggested that i could just go in early, order a drink first then order at 6.45 pm, and they will start serving it from 7 pm. 

It was a Sunday. I got there at about 7 pm, it was not as crowded as i expected. There were quite a few tables lined with checked tablecloths with table setting around. I approached a service staff and mentioned that i have a reservation and quickly led to one of those tables and presented with the menu thereafter. After decided what to order for the starters and the main dishes, i checked with the gentleman that was taking my order whether i should order my desserts first or do it later. He suggested that i should just order it and they will serve it accordingly. 

Though they are serving an extensive range of alcoholic drinks, juices and even gourmet coffee but we decided to go with just soft drinks at HKD $15 per can. It was served right after the order was taken. The serving staff did not just leave it there but they actually opened the can and poured it into those glasses. 

The complimentary buns and butter came right after. The buns were still had a slight warm and with a soft texture. This was a good start as the main dishes took quite a while to arrive.

The Soup of the Day was Pumpkin Soup at HKD $33, one of the starters listed in the menu, it was served with few pieces of croutons in it. The texture of the soup was rather thick and not too creamy. 

Next up was another starter, a Pan-fried Foie Gras with Apple Sauce at HKD $128.  A thick slice of Foie Gras was nicely pan-fried to slightly charred it without compromising its juiciness and served with a handful of garden salad and buttered toasts. 

One of the main dish that we ordered was their signature Spanish style Roasted Suckling Pig at HKD $178, it was accompanied with mashed potato and honey beans. It was evenly roasted to give the skin a delightful crispiness, you could clearly hear the cracking sound when bite into the extremely crispy skin just lightly. It was perfectly done to retain its tenderness within the meat and served along with mustard to go with the dish.

The Beef Tenderloin at HKD $208 came after a long wait. The dish consists of a chunky piece of perfectly grilled beef done to a right texture. It was seated on a pile of sauteed spinach together with kipfler potato then topped with half a slice of mushroom. This was a lovely dish that i totally enjoyed.

Lemon Meringue Tart at HKD $48 was one of the desserts that we ordered. It was served along with some lemon sauce with berries. This was a refreshing choice for dessert though it tasted a bit too sour to my liking but a good ending to complete a meal nonetheless.

Next dessert was Vanilla Panne Cotta served with mixed berries compote at HKD $48. It was rather pleasant as well.

This was a memorable birthday dinner, though the serving time in between the dishes was a bit too long but definitely worth the wait. Food was good with an exceptionally impressive service that was quite unexpected in such an environment. 

A BETTER COOKING (ABC) KITCHEN

CF 7 1/F Queen Street Cooked Food Centre 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)

[Hong Kong] Sing Kee 盛记 : The Disappearing Dai Pai Dong

The disappearing Dai Pai Dong is part of the vibrant and bustle of Hong Kong life. Sing Kee (盛记) is amongst the famous ones that widely reported by different local and foreign media. That somehow explained why there were quite a few tourists spotted while i was there. As it was still early, no queue yet. We grabbed a copy of the menu and a table thereafter then browsed through the menu to decide what to order. Their dishes are like some of those common cze cha dishes that we have in Singapore.

After a few minutes, we decided to go with Fried Pork Ribs in Sweet & Sour Sauce (生炒排骨) at HKD $52, Squid with Pepper & Salt (椒盐鲜鱿) at HKD $52 and a small bowl of Soup which they did not specifically indicate what type of soup it is on the menu. We were then given empty glasses to help ourselves to the pot of hot tea that is available in every table. We ordered soft drink too but they have overlooked the order.

Fried Pork Ribs in Sweet & Sour Sauce (生炒排骨) came first without serving the plain rice. We were have to ask again from the serving staff, though not the friendliest service encountered but we managed to have our rice to eat with the dish. Those pieces of fried pork were a little too fatty but well-fried to give it the crispy texture then mixed it slightly with tomato based sauce as well as with ingredients like tomato, green pepper and onion to give it the flavor. It was a tasty dish as it went pretty well with the rice but a little too salty if eat it on its own.

Next, came the Squid with Pepper & Salt (椒盐鲜鱿). It was a simple dish that consists of fresh squid stir-fried with green cut chilli and chilli buddy with bits of peppercorn. it was nicely cooked to give the squid a desired texture and not getting too chewy.

The Soup came last. We did not quite expect this simple soup dish turned out to be our favourite of the night. It was a sliced fish soup with vegetable, not too fanciful though but pure comforting that reminded me of home and the cooking by my late Grandpa. 

It was getting crowded during dinner as we ended up sharing our small table with some Korean men. They started drinking, chatting and laughed too loudly though quite unbearable but table sharing is a part of dining culture in Hong Kong. It was still an enjoyable dinner nonetheless.

I could not but wonder, how much longer would such a Dai Pai Dong be around? it reminded me the hawker culture of Singapore, it is getting less colorful with many of those pioneer generation hawkers retired with not enough of the younger generation to take up the trade. Some of those younger generation might just jumped in to give it a try but quit a little while later, some were disillusioned as hawker trade is not as easy as it seemed or some were discouraged by the unfair beating system to get a hawker stall or some were just felt beaten by the unreasonable high rent. 

SING KEE 盛记

2 Stanley Street, Central, HONG KONG

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 3.00 pm / 5.00 pm to 11.00 pm (Daily)