Dim Sum

Everybody seems to do dim sum in this town on weekends. There are the local places that have been around for ages. Families gather at the large tables, the men armed with their Sunday papers and kids with the coloring books. These meals are supposed to be leisurely affairs. A good way to connect over some baskets of food that are spread out over a couple of hours. There are also the decidedly more trendy places, too, which are also meant for groups to gather, although the noise is and carts are replaced with more ambient music and a menu to boot.

Over the past year and a half, I’ve definitely been to a fair share of places. My top three picks:

1. Shu Zhai, 80 Stanley Main Street, Stanley

Made to look like an old Beijing teahouse, this is one of my favorite places to go on the weekends. It’s probably the ambience as much as the food that does it for me at this place. There isn’t one thing here that I’ve had that I can complain about, an everything comes served on pretty pottery (see pic). The dan-dan served here is my favorite.

2. Dragon-i, 60 Wyndham Street, Central

Better known as a trendy club and restaurant at night, this place does a great all-you-can-eat dim sum by day. All the regular standards are present, so there is no need to order off the main menu which is also available. I’d suggest reserving a spot since spaces are limited on the weekends. Once inside, however, the wait staff won’t make you feel rushed, and does a good job checking in on you to make sure you’re getting your fill of dumplings and other delights.

3. Dim Sum, 63 Sing Woo Road, Happy Valley

I’ll also give a shout out to Dim Sum, my local parlor for fried and steamed goodies. Although it is short on character, it does make up for it in quality of food. The proof? There is often a long wait on weekends, so it’s good to get there early.

Box Thai

I love an excuse to try a new restaurant, and with a friend in town for business, I had a ready reason. Having read the reviews for Box Thai, I knew where we should go, too.

The place is not your average Thai restaurant. It's deceptively large and goes for a hip, modern vibe. Small intimate tables sit along the fringes of the restaurants with large communal picnic-like tables in the middle. This is a place for groups to gather. And on the cheap, too.

Appetizers, noodle dishes and curries are all moderately priced for the neighborhood. A green curry chicken was priced around $75. A good buy for a dish that was richer than most.

All in all, Box Thai is a great addition to the Wyndham restaurant area, and something a bit different than all the typical Thai SoHo spots.

Magnolia: Ongoing report of HK's private kitchens

On Saturday, we went to Magnolia, another restaurant on our private kitchen list. Magnolia is different, first and foremost, because it serves Creole food. I'd be hard-pressed to name another Southern restaurant in Hong Kong. Second, when you walk into the restaurant, you are, quite literally, standing in the owner's kitchen. Lori is the head chef. She's from New Orleans and she knows how to cook up some raging Cajun.

My friends and I were there to wish a couple bon voyage. Magnolia helped us get festive by handing out some fruity cocktails and delicious appetizers. My favorite was the fried goat cheese topped with a small slice of smoked salmon. Other crowd pleasers were the pesto cheese spread and crab legs.

After those teasers, we were ready for the main course. The staff ushered us upstairs into a private dining area. Lori personally came up to tell us about the menu, and ask about any special dietary concerns. With the formalities out of the way, we were ready to get at the food. And what food there was. The meal started with a shrimp gumbo, followed by a soft shell crab served fried to perfection on top of a green salad. Then, it was on to the main course of the juiciest, sweetest ribs I've ever tasted, accompanied with potatoes, collard greens, rice and piping hot corn muffins. All of the food it served family style and there's plenty of it to go around. By the time we got to the pecan pie for dessert, many of us were popping open buttons to make room.

Magnolia is hands down the best Cajun food I've ever had, and, yes, I have been to Louisiana. It's also BYOB, which keeps the prices reasonable. AWESOME!

Da Ping Ho: Private Kitchen of HK

Brian and I have been fascinated by the whole private kitchen phenomenon here in Hong Kong. One of our first tastes of this sensation was Yellow Door Kitchen.

Most private kitchens are small -- about 10 tables or less -- and feature a set menu for the evening. All you have to do is make a reservation and then show up and eat. Love it! No food envy when you all get the same meal.

Da Ping Ho is more artsy than Yellow Door. It is run by a husband/wife team. The husband is an artist who has outfitted the restaurant space in his own paintings. He also does most of the hosting, helping you pick your wines and shuttling the spicy concoctions to the table. Did I mention that this restaurant is Schezuan? The wife is the cook, but her talents don't stop in the kitchen. She is also a former opera singer, and after dinner she emerges from the kitchen to serenade the evening's diners. Dinner, entertainment and artsy digs - I'll be back.

A night in the Sahara

Middle Eastern is what we were craving, so we made our way to Sahara, a small oasis of a spot on Elgin. More lounge than restaurant, this dark little spot still takes its cuisine quite seriously.

With just three of us dining, we decided to make it a true family affair and ordered some platters for sharing. We started with the Mezze platter, a large platter with all the usual suspects on it: hummus, baba, Moroccan cigars, feta and spanakopita. With little room leftover, our main courses arrived, a mega platter of perfectly grilled shish kebab meats and a piping hot and aromatic lamb tagine.

The main courses came with a heaping bowl of fluffy couscous and lightly spiced steamed vegetables.

Price to portion, Sahara can't be beat. We ended up with a bag full of leftovers and actually toted them around town with us -- they were too good to leave behind!

The Chapel

The Chapel is a great pub that serves a mean curry. I'm happy that it's a stone's throw from my home, too.

Brian and I must come here once a week to get our fix of tandoori and daal. Mmmmm.

Bonus: They have a great quiz night on Thursdays. Be armed with your smartest mates, though: it's difficult!

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.

Doing the Duck

Back in Beijing, I had one goal: do the Peking duck.

Duck de Chine is one of the latest duck eateries to open in the capital city. Housed in the trendy, new 1949 complex, the restaurant is both glam and gourmet. Duck comes prepared in a wide array of cuisines - the duck tacos were fabulous - but the main attraction is the original Peking style.

The bird's arrival is announced by the low clang of a gong and it is then carved table side by a black-clad chef. From there, you can load it into light, wispy pancakes with a sprinkling of scallions and dollops of hoisin.

How was it? Check out Brian's commentary below:

LKF

Lan Kwai Fong is a bar/restaurant area of the city. It's kind of where you end up (even if you didn't mean to) on the weekends when you are an expat in the city.

You'll see all kinds of things on this street ... even Elvis!