強記大牌檔 (深水埗)

We have a love-hate relationship with change, especially when it comes in the wrong time. Let me correct this, it's here and there, all the time, but it happens when you least expect it -- which is the time you think will happen but didn't. It has a tendency to sneak up on all of us, and often times, leaves us wondering what we have done wrong to deserve the outcome. There are things you really wish will never change, because it's been working out fine, and there are the changes that come bit by bit until one day, you don't recognize what the original is anymore, you become assimiliated to the 'new'. 'Dai Pai Dongs' are some places we wish would never changed. This write up, from a dinner that happened just over a year ago, was somehow forgotten at the bottom of the pile, until a recent conversation and some changes reminded me how much this past year has changed for me, and for others as well.

A group of many picked out a place for dinner, from a facebook group where the list ran long. One of many benefits to join big dinners is that you get to taste many dishes while the downside is the quality may not be on the same level when the kitchen needs to turn out 5 dishes at a time instead of 25. This, was no problem for Keung Kee. Several tables of our group taking over a great part of the dining space, and the crowds were happy as the clinking of wine-filled glasses were heard before the first dish arrived.

DEEP FRIED OYSTERS are fried crispy with a blazing aura of heat when served. The coating was thin, but crunchy enough when fried in the hot oil. Seasoning was made on top of the oysters after they were fried and the oyster itself is creamy, almost like molten freshness on its own. CHICKEN IN CLAY POT arrived sizzling hot, and while the bony bits of chicken were meaty and tasty, it was the thick slabs of pig's livers that got the most attention, before they were snatched all gone within seconds. The pig's liver pieces, thick with a crunch to it, were nowhere near the tough stingy bits in many dishes of the same kind. DEEP FRIED SHRIMPS ON VERMICELLI is an interesting dish that features deep fried shrimps, tossed in a brown sauce and rested on top of a bed of fried vermicelli. The shrimps were butterflied and despite deep fried, the sauce has softened up the crust but the vermicelli were picked up as broken golden shards of crispiness that coated the shrimps.

RAZOR CLAMS IN BLACK BEAN SAUCE was ok, as the clams are of the right texture while the black beans were too hard and the sauce too gooey. The BRAISED GAROUPER FIN, the only dish that wasn't photographed, was in fact the fin of a gaouper -- deep fried until a golden crust is formed, and with a brown sauce made with chock full of shiitaki mushrooms and pork shreds on top of it. The fish is tender but again, if a crusty exterior is desired, one must wonder, why the sauce on the top and extended waiting time so that the sauce can permeate the exterior, making the intended crunchiness disappear? (while it's the traditional cooking method, and I don't doubt any part of that!) The FRIED MEATS PLATTER consist of duck tongues, which are rarely fried like this, and were crunchy with a little bit of chewy meat within. The squid was heavily seasoned but had the best texture, while the pork neck was slightly bland and somehow 'too tender', in a way that ordinary pork neck doesn't have that texture. CUTTLEFISH CAKES that followed were popular choice -- smashed cuttlefish flesh blended with little bits of chopped waterchestnut for the sweetness and crunch, followed by the crusty breading that made the cuttlefish cake all the most desirable to be served at any feasts.

BAKED FISH INTESTINES arrived in a shallow bowl, where fried donut slices floated atop the baked crust of savoury custard. Beneath the custard were the intestines -- starchy but fishy at the same time, but without any bit of metallic aftertaste. Ground white pepper was optional, but certainly would be recommended for those who don't like any trace of fishiness at all. The two vegetables were just as good. The AMARANETH WTH TWO EGGS adopts the 'black' and 'white' eggs. The WATER SPINACH WITH PRESERVED BEANCURD was slightly too runny on the sauce and too sweet. Yet the crunchy texture of the water spinach was refreshingly welcoming. GLUTINOUS RICE at the end rounded up an otherwise scrumptious meal. The rice, with granules still wet and unlikely to be stir-fried in the wok from the beginning as claimed, was generously bejeweled with chopped mushrooms, preserved sausages and chopped scallions. It tasted right, except that drier rice granules would benefit a great deal on the texture of the dish!

POW! The onslaught of dishes presented like fireworks at a festive celebration. Some were good with raves, while some were slightly off the best performance. The wonderful thing about dinners is that the dishes carefully selected to construct the menu were highlights of what the kitchen was capable of doing, and that the dinner has not disappointed. So nice did we not want it to change the slightest.

Further experience at Keung Kee has proven inconsistency to be the issue in question. One must wonder what has changed in other times, when specialties didn't arrive crispy, or instead of golden brown it became toasty brown. Every little detail counted, and it is the little detail that lies beneath the surface that makes up the change that buds and seemingly out of nowhere.

One year has passed, and countless meals and gatherings later, many things have changed, on a personal level some things have turned for the better, and in an instance regarding to this meal in particular, have taken a wrong turn along the downward spiral. While understanding change is inevitable, what we can do is to look on the sides where we can cope, not necessarily the bright side, but deal with it the way we know how. For what came that didn't change for the better, for one who wishes to undo but can't, one can consider standing right here, pondering, against all odds, that a miracle would happen as change will happen on the change for the worse into something better, perhaps back to where it used to be.

如意餅店 (天后)

Passion -- Not everyone has it, but when he/she does, it's a beautiful thing, a perfect driving force that brings out the best in some people. Those with passion exert extra efforts to get something done, or get them exactly right, if not going an extra lengths to reach perfection, by not only the trade's standards but also their own. It is crucial to have passion in whatever you do, and when you do, the work that turns out cannot be anything short of fantastic -- because we have the dedication for it, no matter how hard. Ye bu-E takes up a space in Tin Hau, on a not-so convenient location not the most remote of places. The purple and grey decor has a sense of understated grace, with hanging paintings of peach blossoms.

Meet Maxi and Michael, brother and sister team who opened Yu-E a while back. Maxi works at the shop's front while Michael has extensive experiences making cakes-- for birthdays and for weddings. One look into the design portfolio of his will reveal the creativity of 3-dimensional designs without the tacky ruffle-dress on toy doll idea. Yu-E needed no princesses,as it has flowers -- lots of them. Flower-shaped birthday cakes are sold here at Yu-E. It comes in Passion Fruit Cheese Mousse and Mango Mousse at the time the above photos were taken. As for the peach blossoms, every design has been carefully constructed on paper before each fragile twig or blooming blossom is softly dabbed and skillfully crafted on the cake's surface. The result is a lovely artpiece that signifies dedication.

On two occasions I purchased birthday cakes for the ladies in my family-- the mother and the granny. The passion fruit cheese mousse is of a lighter shade of beige, with a uniform creaminess all the way through. White-Chocolate Painted petals surrounded the sides, while the mastery skills of cake decoration was presented at the top, ever so technical as the flowers and branches are quickly outlined down to the detail of flower buds. Seeing Michael bending over the kitchen counter, with both hands holding a parchment paper formed cone holding the chocolate 'paint', each flower bud is carefully 'painted' onto the blank canvas of a cake surface. The cake itself is of a lighter quality -- Passion Fruit is blended into a mousse made with cream cheese and cream so fluffy and light that the sponge cake seemed heavier, in comparison to the feathery light mousse whose sharp fruity tang of passion fruit coincides with buttery creaminess within.

Mango Mousse Cake is another favorite, with a bigger size this time, so did the flowers, as they turned from smaller flowers into magnificent blossoms the colours of the deepest crimson, perfectly setting atop the golden hue of mango mousse. The fruity mousse filling is lightly whipped, and the cake is yet so light it doesn't sit heavily on the stomach. Seeing the master baker carefully paint the outline of the cake, constructing blooming buds and petals along the side, with the smallest petals the size of a sweat bead on his forehead. His hands did not shake for one second through his inspired construction process, as Michael lets his creativity flares to create the flamboyance of the blooming beauty built entirely on a cake, as opposed to a blank canvas with paint.

Cakes at Yu-E are on the sweeter side, not purely on the flavours, which are lighter than most conventional cakes, but the taste of passion that brings the best out of our abilities. It proves to all of us who dare to dream big, and want to make the best we can to create something big -- even bigger than our dreams. The dedication, efforts, and determination one must have to take one step further on. While I may not be the best person to judge on cakes, I'd like to think of myself as someone who has a passion on food, and like many who write and read here, the taste of passion is often more complex than the food itself.

Note: The price per person is an average of the two cakes combined.

大飽小包 (灣仔)

Most people who know me would know I have that wanderlust lurking beneath the otherwise obvious yearn for stability to nest. While it's comforting to know that the places you go eat and all will exist for another long period of time due to popularity, it's not unusual to want to explore unfamiliar territories as well. Recently I stepped into Wan Chai again, and instead of looking into the favorites, I looked for the unfamiliar, something that didn't strike me as something I would normally go in. I stopped at the front step of Ippai, and there, I went inside.

Fast food, Japanese style. You first pay for your orders then you wait inside the dining space. There was a TV, blaring in the small screen some worn movies that nobody remembered watching. Instead of TV, I looked around to find that the furnishing is quite neat. The space, though, was filled tightly with chairs loosely arranged as if a strong wind has blown through the space creating an organized chaos. No sense seems to make out of that arrangement, and nobody seems to care either. Until then, our food has arrived.

On a tray udon with broth so steamy my glasses were fogged just to take a second look of it. The udon noodle was soft but slurp-able, in ways that you just know it's not the premium kind but it's 'edible'. But that does not nearly justify on the quality they use. The broth was faintly briny and certainly reminded me of MSG-laden instant miso soup I had growing up. The Pork cutlet that went with the udon arrived again, piping hot. The thinly battered piece of meat was cut into strips, The coating was thin, and crispy at the same time. Crispy exterior enrobed the seasoned meat, assuringly enough, it didn't bear the texture of cardboard. (What a relief).

A white-peach soda accompanied the udon and porkchop. This one was a major disappointment. We didn't expect much of a peachy drink, but what we weren't expect at all would be a faux-peche taste-alike that brought me back to painful childhood memories of "good for you" fruit-flavoured cough syrup. And to make things worse, it's cough-syrup diluted with soda water. The killer combination of fizz and artificial flavours drove me up the wall and possibly on my way to gastronomic insanity soon enough.

The Curried Potato Cake brought me back to the real world though. Though not outstanding, the deep-fried disc was served cut in half, golden brown on the outside and a moist interior filled largely with curried mashed potatoes. The patty was slightly larger than a hockey-puck (please look it up, it looked so much like it in real life) and it's best split in half and shared between two people.

The idea of wandering without a fixed destination may seem pointless and like an extravagant activity not many are interested in pursuing. It is, time consuming indeed to seek out for places you want to try but know very little about. Maybe one shouldn't think too much about the anticipation of something great, or great expectations that may or may not be fulfilled at all. The idea of wander in the city is to be inspired by it, and by many wonderful establishments that we have overlooked blooming around us. This, is certainly what wanderlust is good for, I supposed.

Note: You don't always get to good places wandering around, but at least you try them, you'll learn your lesson...

貢茶 (銅鑼灣)

Some people call it the driving force to progress, while some considers it the part where you get distracted by the presence of it and loses focus. Rivalries can be on both sides of the coin. You deliver the goodies, you get your share of your customers, you don't, blame it all you want, you ain't getting any attention, or for that matter, sympathy either. The Taiwanese beverage joints have turned CWB into another Mongkok. In one cross-section there are four beverages stores, the most recent one being Gong Cha, the latest venture of the popular joint, and the first one on this side of the harbour. Arriving at the busiest district to stake their claim, it's undoubtedly true that "drinkers" will temporarily abandon their favorite joints to check out the new one. This day I was lucky enough to come at a time when lines have yet to build up.

I ordered up one 奶蓋紅茶 with less sugar. This 'milk cap' is according to them, a "trade secret" I have no intention to find out its content, but it's something that I'd like to try to recreate at home. It has a consistency of Mexican crema mixed with a little bit of double cream (unwhipped), and lose the tang -- the thickness of the cream layer hence floats on top of the chilled and shaken black tea and ice cubes in the middle.

Maybe it's the opening jitters, or maybe they're just nervous to have a line building up early evening. The staffs are not standing around idling or texting SMS. They are really keeping themselves occupied prepping, shaking and so on. My order arrived chilled and freshly made, with thin steaks of cream worming downwards into the glittering brownness of the black tea. As you observe closer, you can see the uniform creaminess leaching into the tea, floating about until the creaminess dilutes the tea into a milky concoction, bit by bit, until at the end the entire beverage becomes cloudy and then milky at the end. Suggested procedure of consumption of this drink please see HERE. The cream layer is thick, with a slightly salty taste to it. The plain tea (at the beginning, no cream dissolved in it yet) is sweet and slightly toasty, but not to the same extend similar to the Oolong's toastiness. When you mix the two together, the cream mellowed out the colour as well as the taste of the entire beverage.

The beverage list is pretty much the same across the board, and so is the narrow waiting space on the street. Really, it doesn't matter where you stand there will always be someone waiting WITH you, squeezing alongside the curb anticipating their numbers to be called, in time people inevitably form a line without themselves knowing -- something HK-ers do at best even when we're not consciously doing so. It's just as amazing to see staff from other joints coming by the drink at Gong Cha. Maybe they're testing out their fellow rival, maybe they're just there for the fun of it. Gong Cha's beverage selections are not limited to fruity green tea, it offers a certain selection that's unique on its own. Case in point, it has the milk cap, and it's by far the best among other similar products (including lookalikes)

Looks like Gong Cha is here to stay, it can be good news for fans for these teas, maybe not so good for its rivals?!

德興火鍋．海景軒 (九龍灣)

When social animals need to live up to their "nature", they meet up and be "sociable". It used to be a hassle calling up each and everyone for a gathering, but now you have facebook, twitter, and everything else that updates you by the millisecond who wants what, when and where. There are small gatherings and then there are the big ones. I, as someone who writes here on Openrice occasionally, must admit that I've yet to attend the latter. Small ones, though, I have. On this day, in the middle of summer, we decided to meet for hotpot, of all things. The 15 of us got a table at the Megabox joint, and here we were, blending into a mixed crowd of the familiar and strangers.

The location is, to be exact, "hard to get to" for someone who's been too comfortable with point to point transportation. Megabox is not easily accessible, and even if you're inside it feels like the directions are screaming out at you in different directions, when you finally reached into the elevator that shoots you up to the floor of your choice, you'll realize, that it doesn't matter anymore. TACK HSIN at the Megabox is a clean square room, brightly lit even on a sunny day, with a view of the open skating rink below and the harbour on the outside. Hot Pot for 15 means we're going to get 2 to 3 pots of different soup bases, and by all you can eat, it means that we're all going to have a good time passing food across the table.

Focusing on one pot, the ordering began, as checks were swiftly marked in each tiny boxes on the ordering list -- beef, meatballs, cuttlefish, slices of scallops, and all that. For the soup base we ordered a double-soup base (half of Coriander broth and the other, a Szechuan chili hot soup base). The shimmering pot of jade green and chunky crimson broth were a contrast on each other, with star anise, chilies and their seeds easily fished out from the latter. At last the first of bubbles erupted from the chili broth, and the onslaught of "cooking process" began -- we each added in meats and vegetables by the platefuls, clearing out plates' contents into the simmering broth before the waiters could settle more of our orders onto our table. After each addition, we all sat down, reaching our arms out, chopsticks in hand, blending in raw slices of meat and meatballs, and slices of squid together. For a minute or two nobody moved, eyes still on the pot with the lid on. Our eyes might have been fixated at the pot, conversations started to flow with hot tea, as we were just glad that we had finally been able to meet up and have a meal together, on the same table. And soon enough before long the strangers in the able have blended in and become friends with each other faster than it took to cook thin shavings of beef!

I have limited my choice of pictures to beef, which was primarily the most ordered ingredient of the night. The "dumplings" were served frozen. There were two kinds -- one with barbecued pork and the other, sweet custard. The texture was supposedly glutinous and gooey on the outside while the filling was hot and molten. Sadly, it was the chunky barbecued pork dumpling that won our attention. I normally preferred the custard one, but let's face it, when you have a chili broth, it'd taste rather weird because you could taste neither the chili nor the custard...It became "a gooey mess" in the end.

The beer was flowing, and so were the conversations. We laughed and chuckled our way through another tray of beef, and to the staff's surprise even after two hours the 15 people who sat in the centre of the room were still having healthy appetites,crossing each others' chopsticks and downing plates after plates of meats. (Let's not forget, we're talking about 15 adults). The meal is rounding up with a full belly, and frankly to have this kind of hot pot TACK HSIN seems a reasonable choice and the quality maintains at a high standard across town (in different branches).

Seating here may be a little tight, and that, has stirred up quite big trouble that night, causing disruption between our table and the adjacent table. There were exchanges of some not so nice language and nearly actions involved -- that, is not the willingness to "blend in" can do...When people say the prolonged "boiling" during a hot pot dinner boils one's temper as well, I now realized what they mean. It's no joke and certainly no conflict resolution on my part, perhaps we all need to loosen up and learn to blend in with each other -- chill out, down a glass of ice cold beer, and be cool.