Hong Kong and Macau_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 14th Edition) - Andrew Stone [135]
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YAU MA TEI & MONG KOK
Most eateries worth a visit in this part of Kowloon are classics that have survived cut-throat competition and urban development. Temple St, the area around the night market, is a traditional place for cheap eats and snacks. Anything upmarket will usually be inside a hotel of some sort.
FOK LOI KUI SEAFOOD RESTAURANT Map Dai Pai Dong, Seafood $
2394 4418; 4-6 & 17 Ki Lung St; dinner $120-300; 6pm-2am; MTR Prince Edward (exit D)
Business is so good here that the owner has to rent extra space nearby to seat his customers. Still, come sundown, there’ll be tables on the sidewalks and SUVs abandoned in the middle of the road by diners eager for the mouth-watering sautéed razor clams in black-bean sauce, the steamed scallops or the fried squid with salt and pepper. There’s no menu. Just point and ask for the price. The owner, Mr ‘Cowboy’ Kee, speaks a little English.
PEKING RESTAURANT
Map Northern Chinese $
2735 1316; 1st fl, 227 Nathan Rd; set dinner for 2 from $300; 11am-2.30pm, 5.30-10.30pm; MTR Jordan (exit C1)
This restaurant is so China Town c 1970 that you’d expect Bruce Lee to show up for dinner with his nunchaku. It may also feel a little cramped if you’re chubbier than Bruce. But you won’t mind because the roast duck is crispy and the waiters pleasant, even if a little too efficient.
HING KEE RESTAURANT
Map Dai Pai Dong, Cantonese $
2384 3647; 19 Temple St, Yau Ma Tei; 5.30pm-1am; MTR Yau Ma Tei (exit C)
Previously a roadside stall that started out by whipping up hearty claypot rice and oyster omelettes ($20) for night revellers and Triads, Hing Kee now serves the same under a roof but without the atmosphere.
MIDO CAFE Map Tea cafe, Chinese $
2384 6402; 63 Temple St; meals $25-80; 9am-10pm; MTR Yau Ma Tei (exit B2)
Established in 1950, Mido with its mosaic tiles and metal latticework stands astride a street corner that comes to life at sundown. Ascend to the spacious upper floor and take a seat next to a wall of iron-framed windows overlooking Tin Hau Temple Click here. The food is passable, but when you feel the breeze lapping at your hair, there’s poetry in everything.
NATHAN CONGEE AND NOODLE
Map Congee, Noodles $
2771 4285; 11 Saigon St, Jordan; 7.30am-11.30pm; MTR Jordan (exit B2)
This honest, low-key eatery has been making great congee (from $25) and noodles (from $20) for the last half-century. Order a side of fritters (to be dunked into the congee and eaten slightly soggy), tackle a pyramidal Chinese rice dumpling, or conquer the blanched fish skin tossed with parsley, garlic, sesame oil and peanuts ($23).
TIM KEE FRENCH SANDWICHES
Map Sandwiches $
2385 7939; 30A Man Yuen St, Jordan; baguettes regular/large $21/40; 11am-midnight; MTR Jordan (exit A)
You’d love to sink your teeth into this shop’s warm, crispy Franco-Vietnamese baguettes stuffed with meaty delights and pickled carrots – we did.
YOKOZUNA Map Japanese, Noodles $
2783 0784; 466-472 Nathan Rd; noon-11pm; MTR Yau Ma Tei (exit C)
Yokozuna has remained firmly planted in this corner of Yau Ma Tei for over two decades. The al dente noodles (from $42) come in a rich pork, soy sauce or miso broth with a variety of garnishes.
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NEW KOWLOON
New Kowloon has an eclectic collection of eateries, most notably Thai and Chiu Chow restaurants in Kowloon City and seafood restaurants at Lei Yue Mun Village.
Sham Shui Po
WAH NAM CAFE SHOP
Map Tea Cafe $
2728 0182; 87 Kweilin St; 6am-6pm; MTR Sham Shui Po (exit A2)
Mr Chow, the 80-year-old owner, who can be seen chatting with customers at this local joint, has a penchant for funky striped walls. The barbecued pork ($16) with egg over rice is a favourite of the geeks who hang