High Tea at the Peninsula Hong Kong

Many people tell us "If you go to Hong Kong, you gotta try the high tea at the iconic Peninsula (Hotel)." We had some spare time one afternoon and we were in the area so we thought we might as well give it a try.

High Tea starts at 2pm and we were there just a little after two. The place was already full and there was a line of about 10 to 12 people. We waited for over an hour to get seated and by that time the queue had gotten quite long.  I don't think it is very becoming of a prestigious 5 star hotel to have customers lining up.

Personally, I think the place is overrated. I have had better food and better service. A platter for two cost HK$398 (A$53) and that is without coffee or tea. Anyway at least I can say "Been there, done that."

Cakes and bread

Chocolate cake. Note the chocolate with "Peninsula" written on it.

Sandwiches.

Scones.

Someone told me it's not the food people go to enjoy, it's the cutlery. I suppose they are right.

The three tiers of goodies for $HK398, plus TAX.

The Zen Restaurant - Pacific Place Hong Kong

We had originally planned to go to Mongkok for dinner but after a long day we decided to try a restaurant we had passed everyday on our way to the MTR station. This restaurant is in the same complex as the Marriott where we were staying. The food was quite good for a restaurant we just walked in but it was a classy restaurant.

Treasure duck. We thought it was some sort of roast duck but the waiter shredded it.

Kailan

Then we found out why the waiter shredded the duck. It was served just like Peking duck.

Pancake rolls and Hoisin sauce for the duck.

Peking spare ribs.

Tofu with minced pork.

Cashew nuts for tit bits

Peanuts

The Venetian , Macao (World's largest Casino)

You can take the TurboJet from Hong Kong to Macao. It cost HK$1,300 (A$173) for a family of 4 on Super Class (upstairs.) The service runs 24 hours and leaves every 30 minutes. The journey is exactly 1 hour.

TurboJet

The Venetian Macao

The Venetian

You are served some snacks (mostly desserts) on board the TurboJet. We had the same food on both legs.

The food court inside the Venetian. The "blue sky" is not real. It is just the ceiling. You will find blue skies such as these throughout the complex.

"Bak Kua" on sale inside The Venetian Complex.

Bak Kua

Dinner at the food court. This is burgers from Fatburgers. Notice you can get "Boost" in Macao. It's a long way for an Australian company to come.

Another Mak's Noodles in Causeway Bay

We were shopping in Causeway Bay when we decided to have lunch. Walked around the backstreets (Hint: you won't find many noddle shops on the main street) and to our delight we found another Mak's noodle house. This must be a branch. The noodles are just as nice.

Wonton noodles just as nice as the Mak's in Central.

This time we also tried the century egg shredded pork porridge.

Ha-Ne Sushi, Mongkok, Hong Kong

A man can't survive on noodles alone so tonight we decided to have Japanese food. We came across this restaurant as we were shopping in Ladies Market in Mongkok.

The food is quite good. The best dish of the night was the grilled mackerel.

California maki.

They don't use mayonnaise in the sushi unlike in Australia. That would have made this dish better.

Grilled eel and rice.

Eel and rice.

Green tea ice cream. They don't have red beans as accompaniment.

We thought this might have been yakitori but it turned out to be grilled chicken cartilage. The children didn't like it.

Grilled mackerel. Fresh and moist.

The menu

Salmon sashimi.

Sweet potato tempura.

View of street from restaurant.

Prawn tempura. It was served on rice. First time I have seen it served like that.

Food Republic Hong Kong - afternoon tea

I thought you only find Food Republic (Food Court) in Singapore and Malaysia. We stumbled onto one in Hong Kong as well! This one is in the shopping Centre across the street from Harbour City. I didn't even note the name.

Food Republic

Bean curd skin and gingko nuts sweet soup.

Black glutinous rice.

Hainan chicken rice.

Yung Kee - Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong

We passed this restaurant the night before when we were looking for Mak's Noodles. We decided to try it for lunch today. We took the MTR from Admiralty where our hotel was. Central is only the next stop. We walked up Pedder Street then Wyndham Street and the restaurant is on the right where Wyndham meets Wellington.

Yung Kee, Hong Kong

It took me a while to get a frontal shot as the "CROW" truck was parked in front of the restaurant.

One of Asia's Top Restaurants

Every table gets a plate century egg. I think it's their house speciality. I liked it.

BBQ Pork and rice in a bowl. Also available by on a plate.

Beef Brisket Noodles. On par with Mak's. This one has tendons whereas Mak's doesn't.

Fish, pig's liver and pig's kidney porridge. The fish was tender and fresh and the offal were odourless (which is good.)

Mak's Noodle, 77 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong

Before we left for a holiday in Hong Kong, my sister told me about Mak's Noodle (Ah Mak's.) It's so well known it is featured on Wikipedia.

Mak's Noodles on Wikipedia
Google "Mak's Noodle Hong Kong" and you will get 44,500 hits.

Since our whole family loves noodles, this was the first place we hit once we got to Hong Kong. We took a cab there since it was our first night and we hadn't gotten our bearings. The taxi driver said he knew the place but didn't seem very sure once we were on Wellington Street. He dropped us near the end of the street and asked us to walk up a hill on the side road and we would be there. He sent us on a hilly walk and a wild goose chase. We came back down then walk down Wellington street and found the place.

As you would expect, the place is not flash and the seating is a tad crowded. However the noodles were magnificent. We loved the wonton noodle, the beef brisket noodle and the sui kau. Be warned though, the serving is tiny. I had three bowls and a plate of vegetables. I still wasn't full.

A bowl of wonton noodle is $HK30 (A$4). The beef brisket is more.

 Beef Brisket Noodles. The meat was tender and the soup tasty. The noodles were springy.

 Yau Chow. Kailan with oyster sauce.

 Wonton noodle.

Wonton noodles showing the wontons.

The place is a bit crowded but I like the atmosphere.