Saturday, June 28, 2008

Restaurant Week ... kind of

There are many great things about having people come and visit you when you're far from home, but one of the best is having a perfect reason to try out that restaurant you've been wanting to go to.

Brian's father came to town last week and we took the opportunity to try out several new (to us) places. Our culinary tour around Hong Kong reestablished my faith that there is good food to be had in the city. I've been pretty down on Hong Kong cuisine, but we found a few gems that you should try - even if you don't have company in town.

Yellow Door Kitchen
This Cantonese restaurant in Central is like going to a good friend's home. You show up and the meal is served. The menu is only there to let you know what you will be feasting on. And feasting it is. About seven courses are served in all. The favorites were the tea-infused pork ribs and the sweet and sour fish.

Hutong
Perched high above Kowloon, commanding an amazing view of Victoria Harbor, you almost don't care if the food at Hutong takes second bill. Luckily, it's mostly spot-on. Beijing standards like shrimp-filled dumplings and spicy lamb skewers pleased al around. Tofu and green-bean veggie dishes were other standouts. My only complaint was the duck, which was fried, not roasted. Regardless, this stays on my list as a must-see for out-of-town guests.

Duke's
Brian's dad spent a week in China before coming to visit us in Hong Kong. By the time he arrived, all he wanted was a burger. We were anxious to please, so we headed over to Duke's, which is essentially a pimped out burger joint complete with velvet sofas and chandeliers. The menu is made up of burgers only. There's no other entrees to be had here, just sides of fries. I chose the rabbit burger topped with crispy sweetbreads. Brian and his father had the standard beef version. I think we all pretty much agreed the rabbit was the reason to come back. While the joint is classy, ketchup is still the condiment of choice.

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