For the past few months, hubby and I have been searching for a new place in Hong Kong to call home. Our main motivation is our little boy's health, as the air quality in HK isn't great at all. We've checked out several areas, and the most recent one was Ma On Shan (MOS) out in the New Territories. MOS has quite a number of expatriates, but it is still quite local - perhaps too local for many foreigners. There were plenty of English signage around but you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who could communicate in English (language barrier is not new to us, having lived in Japan for 4 years before). Unfortunately the long commute time for hubby means that MOS is not a possible option because he needs to be in the office in Central by 6:30am in the winter, and the first MTR and bus services don't start early enough.
We looked mainly around inside Sunshine City Plaza on top of the MTR station, and we were pleased to find a fairly nice shopping mall well-equipped with good quality shops, restaurants and a big local supermarket. To be honest, it took us almost all morning to get to MOS, and it was lunchtime by the time we arrived. Modern China Restaurant was already packed full with a queue (I was there only 15 minutes after it opened for business), but it seemed to be our best bet for lunch. Table seating worked on a ticketing system, with four different coloured tickets handed out after registering at the front desk. Each coloured ticket corresponded to the style of dining requested, and this is my guess as to what the four types corresponded to: sharing with other patrons, get your own table for small groups, for large groups, and private dining. The wait for a table was long (we waited at least 40 minutes), but those willing to share didn't have to wait long. Listening to the girl call out the numbers for the different colours in Cantonese made my head spin, and I'd still missed it when she called out our ticket colour and number. Thankfully she knew to look for the white guy and kid (because I blend in too easily with the local crowd) so we didn't miss our turn.
The inner half of the section we were seated in:
Modern China Restaurant has a large dining area, partitioned into two areas. In the side that we were seated at, tables were placed close to each other, and most tables were square, designed to fit small groups. The other side of the partition seemed less crowded, and with bigger round tables to suit larger groups. There were also a couple of private rooms with big banquet tables. I thought the restaurant was fairly nicely decorated, and it could have passed off for a higher grade if not for the two television screens. The televisions weren't loud and I didn't notice anyone paying attention to the screens.
The partition separating the two sections of the restaurant, and the television screens:
Service was fine and the dishes were served out in good time. As typical of Chinese restaurants, there were hundreds of dishes to choose from, with specialties from Beijing, Sichuan and Shanghai. The menu was in English, which I suppose is one of the reasons why the Modern China Restaurants are certified by the Hong Kong Tourism Board as QTS-accredited under the Quality Tourism Services Scheme. We didn't stray far from the chef's recommendations as indicated on the menu.
Chef's Special Fried Rice (HK$88), with a sprinkling of flying fish roe on top. Hubby thought this was too salty, but I thought it wasn't too bad. Perhaps the seasoning wasn't evenly distributed in the rice. No complaints from the boy:
Dry Fried String Beans (HK$68) - perfectly enjoyable, but I found that it wasn't as nice as another one we had. Perhaps it needed more chilli:
Fried River Shrimps ($140) - tasty, fresh and juicy. Perhaps not as nice as ye shanghai's version, but still pretty good:
Xiao Long Bao, or "Mouthful Small Steamed Meat Buns" as it was called in the menu ($46 for 8 pieces). Not a bad version, and in fact hubby really enjoyed it, but I've had better. I must admit that it's hard to beat the price, given its quality:
At the end of the meal, the table was cleared and we were served complimentary bowls of Black Glutinous Rice Soup. Not as nice as our Malaysian favourite "bubur pulut hitam" mostly due to the absence of coconut cream, but we didn't pay for it so I'm not complaining:
We enjoyed the meal, in spite of the initial long wait for a table. It is easy to see why Modern China Restaurant is so popular with the locals - it offers prompt service in a nice setting and tasty but affordable food. We weren't charged the 10% service charge that most Hong Kong restaurants charge, so either it is already included in the menu prices, or there really isn't any service charge.
Modern China Restaurant (Sunshine City)
Shop 2105, 2nd floor, Sunshine City Plaza
18 On Luk Street
Ma On Shan, New Territories
Hong Kong
Tel. +85 2 2338 0200
Friday 27 July 2012
Monday 23 July 2012
Hazy in Hong Kong
Hong Kong really is a great city, but ask any expats here and most of them will tell you that the air pollution is the main problem about living in HK. Unlike most other problems that comes with expatriate living - ranging from the important such as the language barrier, to the mundane such as not being able to find your favourite cereal - bad air quality is not something that you just adapt to, nor is it something that you can just ignore. About six months after moving to HK, we invested in a high performance air purifier, and it runs almost 24/7 except when we're away on holiday. One of hubby's colleagues owns two of them, and an expat friend in China said they have three air purifiers in their apartment. As to whom is responsible for the bad air, there is a lot of finger-pointing towards the mainland (particularly when the prevailing wind blows from there), but HK no doubt contributes its own fair share.
On Saturday at 6:30am, I looked out the window to see a usually hazy morning. By the time hubby got out of bed two hours later, the haze had gotten so bad that hubby (who rarely uses the camera on his own volition) was inspired to take a photo.
With air like this, it's no wonder that most expat kids develop asthma within 2 years of moving to Hong Kong:
Later in the day hubby suggested we should do a photo comparison of the same view on a clear day, and I recalled that I already had taken many photos on a clear day for a panoramic shot in 2010. I found one of the shots was roughly the same view as hubby's photo.
Shot taken on a clear day in November 2010:
Isn't the difference quite shocking? The thick haze remained for most of Saturday, which made the unbearably hot >35degC day feel gritty and yucky. Then an evening thunderstorm rolled through, and the rain cleared up the haze. We were stunned not just by how well the rain had cleaned the air, but also by the beautiful full-arched rainbow complete with its reflection! This was the first time our almost-4 boy saw a rainbow.
It looks like the dirty air in Hong Kong can do with daily showers. Shot taken on the same day as the 'hazy' shot above, after an evening thunderstorm (click image to view larger image):
I do like it in Hong Kong - there are many good reasons why we fell in love with the city when we first came here for our honeymoon almost 8 years ago. I just wish we didn't have to deal with the crappy air quality which is undoubtedly affecting our health.
On Saturday at 6:30am, I looked out the window to see a usually hazy morning. By the time hubby got out of bed two hours later, the haze had gotten so bad that hubby (who rarely uses the camera on his own volition) was inspired to take a photo.
With air like this, it's no wonder that most expat kids develop asthma within 2 years of moving to Hong Kong:
Later in the day hubby suggested we should do a photo comparison of the same view on a clear day, and I recalled that I already had taken many photos on a clear day for a panoramic shot in 2010. I found one of the shots was roughly the same view as hubby's photo.
Shot taken on a clear day in November 2010:
Isn't the difference quite shocking? The thick haze remained for most of Saturday, which made the unbearably hot >35degC day feel gritty and yucky. Then an evening thunderstorm rolled through, and the rain cleared up the haze. We were stunned not just by how well the rain had cleaned the air, but also by the beautiful full-arched rainbow complete with its reflection! This was the first time our almost-4 boy saw a rainbow.
It looks like the dirty air in Hong Kong can do with daily showers. Shot taken on the same day as the 'hazy' shot above, after an evening thunderstorm (click image to view larger image):
I do like it in Hong Kong - there are many good reasons why we fell in love with the city when we first came here for our honeymoon almost 8 years ago. I just wish we didn't have to deal with the crappy air quality which is undoubtedly affecting our health.
Thursday 19 July 2012
Good Japanese fare @ Ka Ma Do (Tsim Sha Tsui), Hong Kong
Many of my Japanese friends in Hong Kong agree with me that good and affordable Japanese sushi and sashimi is almost impossible to find in HK. For awhile it seemed that we had to go to the expensive restaurants for reliably fresh sushi, and the seafood quality appeared to decline proportionally with the cost of the meal. Needless to say, due to the obvious fact that we can't afford to eat at expensive restaurants all the time, and the fact that it is ideal to avoid disappointing experiences (we ate moderately priced sushi twice in the past two years, and both were disappointing), we don't eat sushi and sashimi often in HK. Which is a real shame as sushi is one of my favourite food items. Last weekend we took a chance with lunch at a Japanese restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui, called Ka Ma Do. The location was convenient for where we were at the time, and it didn't have too many negative reviews on openrice. To be honest, I wasn't expecting much, but I was quite pleased with everything from the decor to the food.
I really liked the entrance, which I thought looked quite serene:
The interior of Ka Ma Do was thoughtfully laid out, with a long hallway separating the private tatami rooms on one side from the main dining hall with a window view on the other side. There are also VIP rooms with tatami-style seating on the window side, and several small and cozy cubicles with sofa seating also by the windows. It was at the latter that we were seated at, which was just big enough for our party of 3. The restaurant is only on the 8th floor, so there's not much of a harbour view, mainly obstructed by the Hong Kong Cultural Center. Nonetheless, I enjoyed having lunch by the bright window, perhaps more so than inside one of the windowless tatami rooms.
The hallway leading into the dining areas:
A tatami room:
Our cozy little cubicle with some views of the harbour:
We received pretty good service. There weren't many staff working during Sunday lunchtime (at least not during the period of 12-1pm that we were there), but there was always someone available when we needed their attention. Both the lunch menu and the main a-la-carte menu were handed to us, but the lunch menu was attractively priced so we ordered from it. There was a good variety of Japanese dishes to choose from like sushi, sashimi, tempura, noodles, rice, fish, tofu and meat.
What we got for the boy (though he had none of it since he was feeling sickly) - a set of Crispy Fried Noodles with Vegetables & Seafood, Fried Rice and Miso Soup (HK$88). The crispy noodles were probably more Chinese than Japanese, but it was moreish, and I appreciated the generous heap of vegetables which helped to offset the unhealthiness of the deep-fried noodles:
Hubby could not go past the Sushi, Croquette & Udon Set (HK$90), which included salad and dessert. The croquette was creamy in the middle and crispy out the outside, and everything met hubby's approval:
I ordered the Sea Urchin, Scallop and Salmon on Rice Set (HK$128), which included chawanmushi (savoury steamed egg custard), salad and miso soup. I was so happy when I tasted that the uni was fresh, as were the scallops and salmon. This was the priciest option on the lunch menu, but still quite affordable, and it gets my thumbs up!
Overall I was quite pleased with our lunch experience at Ka Ma Do. I loved the Japanese decor, restaurant layout and the fresh (and not-so-expensive) sashimi. I believe dinner dining is quite a lot more expensive, so I recommend visiting Ka Ma Do for the lunch specials and the availability of the window seats.
[All prices quoted above were exclusive of the 10% service charge.]
Ka Ma Do (Tsim Sha Tsui)
802, 8th Floor
1 Peking Road
Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
Hong Kong
Tel. +85 2 2269 5051
I really liked the entrance, which I thought looked quite serene:
The interior of Ka Ma Do was thoughtfully laid out, with a long hallway separating the private tatami rooms on one side from the main dining hall with a window view on the other side. There are also VIP rooms with tatami-style seating on the window side, and several small and cozy cubicles with sofa seating also by the windows. It was at the latter that we were seated at, which was just big enough for our party of 3. The restaurant is only on the 8th floor, so there's not much of a harbour view, mainly obstructed by the Hong Kong Cultural Center. Nonetheless, I enjoyed having lunch by the bright window, perhaps more so than inside one of the windowless tatami rooms.
The hallway leading into the dining areas:
A tatami room:
Our cozy little cubicle with some views of the harbour:
We received pretty good service. There weren't many staff working during Sunday lunchtime (at least not during the period of 12-1pm that we were there), but there was always someone available when we needed their attention. Both the lunch menu and the main a-la-carte menu were handed to us, but the lunch menu was attractively priced so we ordered from it. There was a good variety of Japanese dishes to choose from like sushi, sashimi, tempura, noodles, rice, fish, tofu and meat.
What we got for the boy (though he had none of it since he was feeling sickly) - a set of Crispy Fried Noodles with Vegetables & Seafood, Fried Rice and Miso Soup (HK$88). The crispy noodles were probably more Chinese than Japanese, but it was moreish, and I appreciated the generous heap of vegetables which helped to offset the unhealthiness of the deep-fried noodles:
Hubby could not go past the Sushi, Croquette & Udon Set (HK$90), which included salad and dessert. The croquette was creamy in the middle and crispy out the outside, and everything met hubby's approval:
I ordered the Sea Urchin, Scallop and Salmon on Rice Set (HK$128), which included chawanmushi (savoury steamed egg custard), salad and miso soup. I was so happy when I tasted that the uni was fresh, as were the scallops and salmon. This was the priciest option on the lunch menu, but still quite affordable, and it gets my thumbs up!
Overall I was quite pleased with our lunch experience at Ka Ma Do. I loved the Japanese decor, restaurant layout and the fresh (and not-so-expensive) sashimi. I believe dinner dining is quite a lot more expensive, so I recommend visiting Ka Ma Do for the lunch specials and the availability of the window seats.
[All prices quoted above were exclusive of the 10% service charge.]
Ka Ma Do (Tsim Sha Tsui)
802, 8th Floor
1 Peking Road
Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
Hong Kong
Tel. +85 2 2269 5051
Thursday 12 July 2012
Korean lunch @ Myung Ga (iSquare), Hong Kong
I am a big fan of Korean food, but before last weekend, I hadn't set a foot inside a Korean restaurant since we moved to Hong Kong almost two years ago. We have been getting our bibimbap fix on the odd occasions that we've gone to Citygate Outlet (inside the humble setting of a food court), but it was only last Sunday that we had Korean food inside a proper restaurant. It seems that Korean restaurants are few in HK, and I find myself often yearning for the delicious food offering in Tokyo's Koreatown, or occasionally reminiscing about NYC's K-Town. Myung Ga on the 27th floor of the iSquare building has some nice views of the harbour (albeit semi-obstructed by several high rises), and we scored a window table even though we walked in without any reservations.
A semi-obstructed view of the harbour from the restaurant:
We arrived right on 12pm, when the restaurant had just opened its doors for lunch service, and we had the whole restaurant to ourselves for a short moment. The interior is sleek with an earthy theme, and there's even a tree in the middle of the dining room (I didn't check but the tree is probably fake decoration). The service was not the best, but it was adequate, and I appreciated the free-flowing complimentary hot corn tea.
Myung Ga Restaurant from our table:
There were two menus available: the set menu (includes the more affordably priced lunch menu) and the full a-la-carte menu. Myung Ga offers the popular Korean BBQ, but we decided to have a non-BBQ meal and ordered a few of our favourite Korean dishes. Six types of banchan arrived at our table shortly after we ordered, and I was glad I didn't order a vegetable dish (I always forget that we would be covered for vegetables in the banchan). The complimentary little dishes were refillable upon request, and I ate kimchi, kkakdugi and the namul dishes to my stomach's content. The kimchi packed a pretty spicy and acidic punch, and we could only manage one refill.
Banchan:
Dolsot Bibimbap (hot stone pot rice) from the lunch menu was a manageable portion and includes a simple seaweed broth. This is a hearty meal-in-one-pot, but I still prefer the one from the foodcourt which had more crispy burnt rice at the bottom and was a bigger serving but half the price:
One of our favourite dishes to order at Korean restaurants - Haemul Pajeon (seafood pancake). This pajeon was generously dotted with seafood, and hubby really enjoyed this one:
Another of our fave Korean food - Japchae (stirfried sweet potato noodles). This one was slightly sweet, but not unpleasantly so. In fact I would have really enjoyed this noodle dish if I wasn't already so full from the other dishes:
We quite enjoyed our Korean lunch with a view. I thought that Myung Ga was quite reasonably priced considering the nice views it offers.
Myung Ga (iSquare)
Shop 2702, 27th Floor, iSquare
63 Nathan Road
Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
Hong Kong
Tel. +85 2 2369 1177
A semi-obstructed view of the harbour from the restaurant:
We arrived right on 12pm, when the restaurant had just opened its doors for lunch service, and we had the whole restaurant to ourselves for a short moment. The interior is sleek with an earthy theme, and there's even a tree in the middle of the dining room (I didn't check but the tree is probably fake decoration). The service was not the best, but it was adequate, and I appreciated the free-flowing complimentary hot corn tea.
Myung Ga Restaurant from our table:
There were two menus available: the set menu (includes the more affordably priced lunch menu) and the full a-la-carte menu. Myung Ga offers the popular Korean BBQ, but we decided to have a non-BBQ meal and ordered a few of our favourite Korean dishes. Six types of banchan arrived at our table shortly after we ordered, and I was glad I didn't order a vegetable dish (I always forget that we would be covered for vegetables in the banchan). The complimentary little dishes were refillable upon request, and I ate kimchi, kkakdugi and the namul dishes to my stomach's content. The kimchi packed a pretty spicy and acidic punch, and we could only manage one refill.
Banchan:
Dolsot Bibimbap (hot stone pot rice) from the lunch menu was a manageable portion and includes a simple seaweed broth. This is a hearty meal-in-one-pot, but I still prefer the one from the foodcourt which had more crispy burnt rice at the bottom and was a bigger serving but half the price:
One of our favourite dishes to order at Korean restaurants - Haemul Pajeon (seafood pancake). This pajeon was generously dotted with seafood, and hubby really enjoyed this one:
Another of our fave Korean food - Japchae (stirfried sweet potato noodles). This one was slightly sweet, but not unpleasantly so. In fact I would have really enjoyed this noodle dish if I wasn't already so full from the other dishes:
We quite enjoyed our Korean lunch with a view. I thought that Myung Ga was quite reasonably priced considering the nice views it offers.
Myung Ga (iSquare)
Shop 2702, 27th Floor, iSquare
63 Nathan Road
Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
Hong Kong
Tel. +85 2 2369 1177
Friday 6 July 2012
American-style Italian @ Fat Angelo's (Tsim Sha Tsui), Hong Kong
It's the end of the school year in Hong Kong, and summer vacation started two weeks ago for my little boy. Needless to say I've been kept very busy. Between running around with/for/after this energetic boy, planning for our upcoming trip to the U.S. and the usual household management, I barely have time for myself! I think the last time I actually relaxed was a couple of Sundays ago, at an appreciation lunch for Sunday school teachers hosted by the church I attend here. I left the boy with hubby at home, and had a great time socialising with the Sunday school volunteers. The restaurant chosen by the organisers was Fat Angelo's, a New York-style Italian family restaurant. It's a popular one with the expats in the Kowloon area (which is widely known as the "dark side" to most expats - foreigners generally prefer the Island side), and diners are mostly families with children. The entrance to Fat Angelo's is actually on Minden Row, not Minden Ave as indicated by the address, but should you find yourself at the residential entrance of the building, the concierge would kindly point you in the right direction.
A basket of bread and bread sticks:
Fat Angelo is a casual eatery with reasonable service, perhaps a little understaffed for the Sunday lunch crowd. The restaurant prides itself in offering value for money and hearty portions. The menu has American Italian dishes with all kinds of pastas and pizzas, and main courses like roast chicken, grilled salmon and lamb shank. Most of the dishes come in "Regular" and "Family" sizes, but keep in mind that the portions are pretty big! The ladies at my table ordered several family-sized dishes to share, but I ordered a single portion for myself as my appetite wasn't feeling very big for pizza and greasy American food.
Family-sized Fried Calamari - pretty salty but otherwise pretty tasty:
Family-sized Pizza (not sure what type) - it was humungous! I didn't have any so I can't comment:
My Grilled Atlantic Salmon with pesto - simple but tasty enough:
The emphasis at Fat Angelo's is on quantity and not so much quality, although the food was actually quite decent. It's a great place for huge gatherings.
Fat Angelo's (Tsim Sha Tsui)
Shop B, Basement Level, The Pinnacle
8 Minden Avenue
Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
Hong Kong
Tel. +85 2 2730 4788
A basket of bread and bread sticks:
Fat Angelo is a casual eatery with reasonable service, perhaps a little understaffed for the Sunday lunch crowd. The restaurant prides itself in offering value for money and hearty portions. The menu has American Italian dishes with all kinds of pastas and pizzas, and main courses like roast chicken, grilled salmon and lamb shank. Most of the dishes come in "Regular" and "Family" sizes, but keep in mind that the portions are pretty big! The ladies at my table ordered several family-sized dishes to share, but I ordered a single portion for myself as my appetite wasn't feeling very big for pizza and greasy American food.
Family-sized Fried Calamari - pretty salty but otherwise pretty tasty:
Family-sized Pizza (not sure what type) - it was humungous! I didn't have any so I can't comment:
My Grilled Atlantic Salmon with pesto - simple but tasty enough:
The emphasis at Fat Angelo's is on quantity and not so much quality, although the food was actually quite decent. It's a great place for huge gatherings.
Fat Angelo's (Tsim Sha Tsui)
Shop B, Basement Level, The Pinnacle
8 Minden Avenue
Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
Hong Kong
Tel. +85 2 2730 4788
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