Ser Wong Fun Restaurant

Ground Floor, 30 Cochrane Street, Central
tel. 2543 1032

This is a bit of a hole-in-the-wall, found in passing while heading down Cochrane Street, looking for  a hole-in-the-wall kind of restaurant.

As it was only just 12pm, it was easy to just wander in and get a table, but as time went on, the table-sharing started, and then it was full.

The winter specialty is snake.  So, of course, snake had to be tried.  Snake soup, in fact.

It was delicious.  Tasted like chicken.
Next was the rice with one or two meats options.
We had one with barbecued goose, and the other with pig tongue and barbecue pork.

Everything was perfectly cooked, and tender.  The rice was sticky enough to eat with chopsticks.
This was a lovely place, I will definitely be going back.  It's a great place for a quick and delicious lunch;  we were in and out in about a half hour, but we never felt rushed.  A word of advice: bring tissues, as no napkins are provided - this is as basic as you can get, with delicious food.

Mentioned in the Michelin Guide
Rating:  4

Padang Indonesia Restaurant

Shop 1&2, JP Plaza, 22-36 Paterson Street, Causeway Bay
tel. 2881 5075

Mmm, mmm.  Anyone who loves Roti Canai will love this place.

Items tried this time were:

Chicken in Pandang Leaves

Jakarta fried noodles

Roti Canai with Mutton Gulai

I ate way too much, as it was so good I couldn't stop myself.

Rating:  3

3-concepts

G/F, 519 Lockharat Road, Causeway Bay
tel. 2838 5494

I was walking towards the 69x bus stop with a friend, and we peeked into a shop.  There were some wacky things in the front, so we thought,"Let's take a look in the wacky shop!"

It was pretty wacky, but there were some cool finds, for very few dollars.

My friend got a kimono-style vest thing that was just too cool for words.  She is traveling, and complained that she wouldn't have anywhere to put it in her suitcase.  I told her it was so cool that she had to buy it and throw something else away.

Here's what I got:

The star necklace can be detached and worn as a brooch.

I'm so going back there!

Rating:  4

(and I almost didn't post this because I don't want anyone else going there and nicking my stuff!)

Anthony's Ranch

28 Yi Chun Street, Sai Kung, New Territories
tel. 2791 6113

Well.

Who woulda thunk you could get good Texas eats in the New Territories?

But Anthony's Ranch did the trick.  And they have Texas-sized portions, too.  I skipped dinner after our lunch there.

When you sit down at the table, you get some peanuts to shell and eat

The baby-back ribs are something special.  The barbecue sauce I could drink.  But then again, the Brisket Sandwich was special too.  And the Buffalo Chicken Wings were great (they were slightly more barbecue-ey than I would have them, and slightly less hot, but then I always got them superhot at the Wing Joint in Houston).  The delicious ice cream (you can have any flavour you want, as long as it's vanilla) is beautiful, and home-made...and like the starters and mains, you get a lot of it.

The Buffalo Chicken Wings appetizer (there were a couple more celery sticks to begin with - I ate them before I remembered to take a photo):

Expect to look like a real Texan if you go there too much.  Big, like the state.

Rating:  3

Oonami

39 Cadogan Street, Kennedy Town
tel. 2817 6626

A little gem in Kennedy town.

I first went with a friend who had heard of it from a HK pal of hers.  We went for lunch, and were amazed at the reasonable (well, cheap, in HK!) prices for set lunches.  We each ordered a set lunch, mine was the sushi set, which had 8 pieces of sushi, miso soup, pickles and coddled egg, for HK$138.  WOW.  Although you have to pick only one of each type, the list was quite extensive, and even included O Toro.  My friend ordered the chopped O Toro with scallions on sushi rice, which came with a little (ha!) dish of sashimi (about 6 giant pieces), miso soup, pickles and coddled egg.  I can't recall the price, but it was even cheaper than mine.

I've been back several times, and have not been disappointed.  The fish is fresh and delicious, the miso cod is on a par with Nobu (minus the decorations).  And the prices can't be beat.

The only point I would make is to make sure they know when you would like everything served.  I am partial to sushi and sashimi, so I tend to order that, however in Japanese culture this gets served first, then the other dishes.  If your dining companion(s) order something else (like shabu shabu), you want to make sure you ask them to bring it all at the same time.

Rating:  4

Zentro

Shop 2022, IFC Mall, Central
tel. 2899 2221

I went here with a friend when we were shopping.  We were actually headed to the salad place across the way, but we saw so many happy-looking people eating here that we decided to try it.

Success.

I ordered the seafood laksa, which I have to say, is the best I have ever had.  Make sure you are hungry, though, as the portion sizes here are HUGE.  You will not leave feeling like you could go get a burger!

Rating:  3

Marc James

Room 1605 - 08, 16/F, Horizon Plaza, 2 Lee Wing Street, Ap Lei Chau
tel. 2189 7476

Some fantastic stuff here.  Marc carries a wide range of furniture inspired by 20th century icons.  Furniture is inspired by several Eames models, Panton, Hans Wegner, Tulip chairs and tables (tables in both marble and wood finishes).  He also stocks some original Alessi and other accessories.  The quality is superb - you would have to be an expert to notice any difference between his items and the originals that inspire them.

Marc has both leather and pleather available for the upholstered chairs, and the leather is fantastic quality that matches the iconic originals.

The only downsides are the time frame for delivery (8 weeks) and the actual delivery service.  I paid HK$400 for delivery charges to a flat with no lift, and then when the delivery guy got there, he refused to carry the items up the stairs.  When I spoke to the dispatcher, she informed me that if I didn't pay him a further HK$300, he would bring the items back to the warehouse.  Of course I had to give in to their blackmail as I had already waited 8 weeks and who knew how long it would be before I would have finally gotten the items if I hadn't paid.  But when I complained to the salesperson, it didn't seem to matter to them.

I would recommend Marc James for the quality of the goods, but beware the length of delivery time and make sure you live in a flat with a lift for the crappy deliveryman.

Rating:  3 for quality, 0 for service

Bricks and Stones

G/F, 97 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai
tel. 2520 0577

Bricks and Stones is a shop that makes lovely curtains and blinds.  The price is reasonable, and the range they carry, both in blinds and in curtain fabric, is vast.  I got quotes from several other shops on QRE, and this one came in lowest on all counts.  And they get it done fast - I had specialty blinds measured, ordered and installed within a week.

Yen and Sandy, who work there, are a joy to do business with.

As a bonus, they can also make sofas and chairs to order, too.  You can either design your own from scratch, or bring in photos of ones you like, so you can replicate the parts you like.

I have recommended this place to everyone I know who has looked for curtains.

Rating:  3

Towel Shop

Room 2, 1/F, Kelly House, 6-14 Gresson Street, Wan Chai
tel. 2865 6378

This is the 'famous' towel shop.  They carry a range of cheap towels, but what really sets them apart are the overstock of soft, hotel towels they stock.  Sizes are: face, hand, bath towel and bath sheet.  They also stock the soft toweling robes you find in luxury hotels.  And you can have them in any colour of your choice, so long as it's white.

And they are cheap.  $78 for the bath sheet, as an example.  But make sure to call first, as sometimes they are out of stock;  the lady will tell you if she's out of what you are looking for, and when to expect more stock.

Rating:  3

Saigon at Stanley

Shop 101, 1/F, Murray House, Stanley
tel. 2899 0999

Not Vietnamese per se, more of a fusion restaurant, with Vietnamese-, Thai-, other Southeast Asian- influenced dishes.

But so yummy.  Every time I am in or near Stanley, I like to go there.

The grilled beef with rice noodles, grilled chicken, prawn and pomelo salad, imperial rolls and braised eggplant/aubergine are all favourites.

Price is reasonable and it's a place you can either have as a favourite or bring visitors to.

Rating:  3

Petrus

56F, Island Shangri-La Hotel, Pacific Place, Supreme Court Road, Central
tel. 2820 8590

Wow.  This is one special place.

We sat down to our table with an incredible view of the harbour.

I needed some help ordering, as there were so many things of interest to me.  After consultation with the very friendly and helpful waiter, we decided that of the dishes I liked the look of, the poached foie gras* with winter vegetables and flambe Wagyu beef would be the most special.

Like other fine restaurants, Petrus offers an amuse-bouche prior to the meal.  BUT - not only was there the amuse-bouche prior to the starter, we got a little tray of sliced sausage and vegetables with a yoghurt dressing to enjoy while we consulted the menu.  Yum.

We were delighted to find that Petrus not only carries its namesake wines (for incredible prices), but also a selection of reasonably-priced wines, including one of our favourites: a Lebanese called Chateau Musar.  It's pretty hard to find a restaurant that carries this wine, so we were pretty happy.

My starter was very impressive.  The presentation was fantastic - it came in a little plastic pouch, and then they opened it and poured it into my dish.  I had been a bit dubious about poached foie gras, as I have only ever had it cold or sauteed.  But this was sublime.  Melt-in-your-mouth goodness.  It was definitely, as our waiter said, "a special dish."  If you're into foie gras, this is a dish to try.

My flambe Wagyu filet did not disappoint, either.  The waiter wheeled out a big trolley with a flame and proceeded to very expertly saute and then flambe the filet, then reducing the sauce and drizzling it over the filet, which was happy and proud to site alone on its plate.  The side of Dauphinois potatoes got its own little casserole dish, as it should have.  And the two together were sooo good.  I tried the beef by itself, the potatoes by themselves, and then the beef and potatoes together in a bite.  All combinations were delicious.  My plate was cleared shortly.

And then the cheese trolley came winding its way over.  Woo hoo!  I never say no to cheese.  Again, I told the waiter I generally preferred soft, and/or stinky cheeses, and his recommendations hit the spot.  Look at the one oozing over the spoon.  Mmmm.

All in all, a wonderful experience.  Waiters were friendly and knowledgeable, the Maitre d' stopped by for a chat, wine glasses were filled without me even noticing, food was incredible.  It lived up to all expectations.  It is a bit pricy, but you get what you pay for.  And compared to the other Michelin-starred restaurant I went to recently, I find that I am wondering why, although the food was good, the other restaurant was given that star;  in no way are the two in the same league.

This is a go-back, highly-recommended place.  I am looking forward to spending more special occasions at the wonderful Petrus.


Michelin gives this two stars
toasty.com gives all 9's and a 10
Rating:  5


*I know, I know - some people will have a problem with my eating foie gras (and, in fact, my propensity to order foie gras whenever it is offered on a menu), but I can't stop.  It's much the same as a smoker knowing smoking is bad for them (and others) but not being able to (or even wanting to) stop.

Hair Centre

Shop 508 Chi Fu Landmark, Pok Fu Lam
tel. 2881 7890

Stylist:  John Chiu

John was recommended to me by our relocation agent.  I decided to go for it, as her hair is short, and my hair was short, and hers looked good, with nice highlights.

I gave John my colour details, which I made sure to get before leaving England.  He knew exactly what Toni (my old colourist - not Toni of Guy, even though she worked there) was talking about, because he had, in fact, trained at Toni and Guy in England about 10 years ago.  He gave me a great cut and the same colour.  All for about a third of the price it would cost in a salon in Central.

I've since dragged my kids and husband there.  Hubby was unconvinced and went somewhere else the next time.  He went back to John after that fiasco.

I've also recommended John to more than four friends, who have all gone to him and been very happy with their cuts/colours/styling.

The only downside is the location.  If you are going from Wan Chai you can take the 37A bus, and I think there is a 42 bus from Central.  But if you are in Pok Fu Lam you have to either make a couple of bus transfers or take a taxi there (or drive).

Rating:  4

N.V. Nail Spa

Shop 214, China Merchants Tower, Shun Tak Center, 200 Connaught Road, Central
tel.  2499 8889

I finally broke down and got gel nails done.

Although it is a bit high maintenance of me, I like to think that it is actually low maintenance.  It means I only have to get my nails done once every 2-3 weeks, and then I don't have to worry about them at all in the interim.  Before I did it, I had to give myself a manicure every week, cutting, filing, de-cuticling....and that was without polish.  If I wanted to have polish, I would be lucky to have it last 3 days without chipping and looking ratty; and as I hate having scraggly nails, I would end up taking off the polish and perhaps re-applying it.

SO.  Now that I have fully justified my getting gel nails, I have to say, this place is great.  I found it by just walking past and peeping in.  The ladies were having a slow day (Christmas Eve) and I just went for it.

The quality of the nail work is very high - they take off most of the previous gel and then apply new gel each time.  The shape and thickness of the nail is so good that most people just think I have nail polish on my incredibly beautifully kept up nails.  The price (package only) is commensurate with other high quality nail salons.

Downsides:  the time it takes to do it - 1 1/2  to 2 hours;  you only get the good pricing if you purchase a package, which means you are locked into going there for almost a year.

Rating:  3

Yi Jiang Nan

33-35 Staunton Street, Central
2136 0886

Otherwise known as 'One of the best Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong.'

When my cousin was here, we were wandering around Soho, looking for a restaurant on a Saturday night (with no booking of course - that would require planning ahead!).  After being turned away from several restaurants, we finally arrived at Yi Jiang Nan.  We were seated in the empty restaurant.....feeling really uncomfortable and convinced it was going to be crap.

And then the food started coming.  It was seriously one of the best Chinese restaurants I've been to.

And then we realised that there was a constant stream of people coming in and being seated.....in the other room.  The other room was much nicer and more sequestered from the entrance.  We realised that we had been seated in the non-reservation, latecomers section.

No matter, it was a great dinner and I'd definitely go back.

Rating:  3

Pure Veggie House

3/F Coda Plaza, 51 Garden Road, Central
tel. 2525 0552

I was introduced to this place by a vegetarian friend of mine.  We went for a ladies' night.  When we got there, we all sat down, got comfortable and asked for the wine list.

Um.

No wine list.

"We are vegetarian here."

WHAT?!?  Wine is vegetarian, the last I looked.  I can't recall hearing that beef stock was included in the fermentation process.

Anyway, we recovered.  And drank tea.  Lots of tea.  And just behaved as if we were drunk.

The food was sublime.

Favourites:
Fried enoki mushrooms with salt and pepper
Braised eggplant/aubergine with veggie mince
Turnip pastries
Wontons in chili sauce
Any of the dumplings - every time I go, I get different ones, and they are all lovely

The food is consistently delicious.  The only downsides are the lack of wine and the inconsistent service.  One time we were kept waiting for our food for 45 minutes;  we kept asking after it, and they kept telling us it was on its way;  finally some bright soul checked the computer and realised the order had not been put in.  The food was still good, but by then our hunger had passed.

Rating:  3

Jashan

1st Floor, Amber Lodge, 23 Hollywood Road, Central
tel. 3105 5300/5311

When we first moved here, we were told about a great delivery service at foodbyweb.com.hk....

We decided we wanted to order in some Indian, and the place that seemed like it had all the kinds of things we liked was Jashan.  We ordered, and.....

BRILLIANT.  It was just as good as our Ashtead Balti was!

I usually order something from the seafood section.  My favourites are the Goan Fish Curry, Fish and Prawns Roasted in Banana Leaves, and Prawns with Cinnamon and Garlic (soooo yummy).

To accompany, I have the roomali roti, which is pretty close to the rotis we used to get in Kuala Lumpur.  I loved those, and have missed them for more than half of my life.  But here they (almost) are again!

I think it's a pretty popular takeaway/delivery spot, especially among the British expats.  Which is actually great for us, as we like to eat at restaurants when we don't eat at home (although there has been the odd delivery request) - we have never had to wait for a table when we have popped in without a reservation.  This is a place we have returned to again and again, even after trying other Indian restaurants, and the quality has never disappointed us.

Michelin rating:  Bib Gourmand
Rating:  4

Hutong

28/F, 1 Peking Road, Kowloon
tel. 3428 8342

I went there with the newly dubbed 'Michelin Club' (a group who would like to visit all the Michelin-starred restaurants in HK).

We each ordered a dish and then we ate family-style.  BIG family-style...there were seven of us!

Some dishes we had:

Jade dumplings - a green, vegetarian dumpling.  It was recommended by the waiter and did not disappoint.
Pork dumplings - basically xiao long bao.  It was good, but did not hold a candle to Beautiful Shanghai's.
Pork tendons - really melt-in-your-mouth.  Even the squeamish-est liked it.
Red Lantern soft-shell crabs - hot, hot hot.  Tasty, but my lips were burning afterwards, as were my gums and tongue.  I have to say, I can eat hot food, but this was less enjoyable because it was so hot.  Not for the faint-hearted.  The presentation was extraordinary though.

Crispy boneless lamb legs - you eat this crispy-duck-style, with pancakes.  I would say my favourite dish.

All in all, a good experience.  The service was good, however we did have one slightly surly waitress (of the three who attended our table).  For some reason we had trouble hearing each other and the waitstaff, most likely because we were sitting right underneath the stereo speakers.  But the decor was really cool.  It's the kind of place I would go back to with visitors.

Michelin gives this one star.
toasty.com gives 8 and 9 ratings.
Rating:  3

M at the Fringe

Address: currently without address

M at the Fringe.  What can I say?  Such great food, and a lot of it.  I always have to bring a doggie bag home.

I like to start with the foie gras, and then have the braised pork belly.  The pork belly dish is huuge.  It can pretty much feed three people.  The first time I had it, my mother and I both had pork sandwiches the following day.  If I want pudding (and I usually do), I can only eat one of the three pieces of pork that come with the dish.  And pudding is looovely.  The apple tart is to die for, and the chocolate dessert is melt-in-your-mouth (especially the white chocolate panna cotta).

It's a shame we don't know where the new M will be!

Mentioned in the Michelin Guide
Rating:  4

World Peace Cafe

21 Tai Wong Street East, Wan Chai
tel. 2527 5879

Such good food!  This is a completely vegetarian restaurant (vegan?  I think it might be).  The menu is set daily, and the choices are limited to a few dishes.  The day I went, I had the curry, with brown rice.  Really lovely, I could have drank the sauce.  When the dish came out, I thought it might not be enough for me, but it was surprisingly filling.

It's a definite go-back kind of place.

Rating:  3

Beautiful Shanghai Restaurant

Units 25, 12/F MegaBox, Kowloon

tel. 2629 5099

Shop L304, The Arcade, 100 Cyberport Road

tel. 2989 6120

Hairy crab season was good to me.

Beautiful Shanghai is just a hop-skip-and-jump away from my home.  And oooh, does it have some beautiful stuff.

The xiao long bao is probably the best I have had so far in HK.  So much so that I am happy to have a couple of orders of it, plus maybe the steamed wontons with chili sauce and the braised eggplant/aubergine, for my meal.

And during hairy crab season (November til mid-December), they had a few special dishes.  The hairy crab xiao long bao was heaven.  My friend Kathy was visiting for a couple of weeks, and as her last meal in HK she requested we return to Beautiful Shanghai for some of those hairy crab xiao long bao (my direct translation into English is:"little balls of heaven").  I had to stop her from talking while I ate them, as I had a few 'moments'....

Rating:  4

Liu Yuan Pavilion

3/F The Broadway, 54-62 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai
tel 2804 2000

I tend to try out a lot of new restaurants with my friend Julie.  She should really be writing her own blog!

Anyway, we went for girls' night out, and it happened to still be hairy crab season.

Having learned our lesson with the male/female crab difference, we ordered male crabs this time.  So yummy.

This is a great restaurant for having a long catch-up.  The staff were so friendly and helpful (when they saw us struggling to cut the crabs, they came over and did it for us.  We had to stop them from extracting all the meat for us!).  The wine was decent - we had a nice sauvignon blanc to go with our highly seafood-weighted meal.  And we were the very last people to leave...with no pressure from the staff for us to go - we just had to pay the bill and then we were left to enjoy the rest of our wine and conversation until we were ready to leave.

The location is also conducive for post-dinner drinks, as it is in a central location in Wan Chai.  We, however, were a little sloshed after a bottle of wine (and pre-dinner drinks), so we made our merry ways back home.  A great night, overall.

Rating:  3

Wu Kong Shanghai Restaurant

Alpha House Basement, 27-33 Nathan Road, Kowloon 
tel 2366 7244

13/F Food Forum Times Square, 1 Matheson Street, Causeway Bay
tel 2506 1018

During hairy crab season (November - December), we went to the Nathan Road (Tsim Sha Tsui) location.  What an experience!

It's best to pre-order, if you prefer female crabs (these are the ones with the roe).  We did, but I think in retrospect I prefer the male crabs.  The roe is a bit hard and nutty once it is cooked.  Where the roe is good is when they put it in xia long bao (the dim sum dumplings with soup inside).  Then, it turns a great dumpling into a little bit of heaven.

First, they bring the crabs out for you to view (it was a bit like seeing Chinese Circus crabs)...

Then they take them away and steam them.  When they bring them back to the table, they cut them up for you and then you dig in, using all sorts of strange-looking implements to dig the meat out of the shell.  I tried eating it two ways - the first is to eat each piece of meat as you extract it.  Yum.  The second is to extract a whole bunch of meat, put a little of the sauce on it and then pop the whole thing into your mouth.  Also yum.  It is definitely a personal preference as to how you eat it, but it is definitely an experience worth trying.  Just don't expect to do it elegantly.

Rating:  3

Tom Tsang

G/F, Shop A, 7 Cross Lane, Wan Chai

tel. 25757522

This is a wonderful noodle shop that my friend Julie took me to.  Nice, spicy noodle soups, beautiful (and big, and filling) dumplings.  We had big, big eyes and each ordered a noodle soup, plus a plate of (12!) dumplings to share, and another plate of stinky tofu (in Cantonese: Chouh touh fuh), to try.  Noodles - yum.  Check.  Dumplings - yum yum.  Check.  Stinky tofu - so disgusting.  And stinky.  We ended up having to ask the waitress to take the plate away (minus three tiny pieces) because it was stinking up the table so much we couldn't enjoy the rest of the lovely food.  The lady across from us (this is a sit-where-there-is-space type of restaurant) looked relieved too.

Rating:  3