Hong Kong and Macau_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 14th Edition) - Andrew Stone [136]
Kowloon Tong
To go to Festival Walk where the following two eateries are located, take the MTR to Kowloon Tong and exit C1 will take you to the mall.
KING’S PALACE CONGEE AND NOODLE BAR Map Congee, Noodles $$
2265 7777; Shop 19, L1/F, Festival Walk, 80 Tat Chee Ave; 11am-11pm
At King’s Palace, you can feast like royalty on poor man’s fare in modern surrounds. You can’t go wrong ordering anything on the menu, but the famous ‘God of Cookery’ rice with barbecued pork and egg, supposedly inspired by a Stephen Chow film, is absolute food porn ($43).
QUEEN’S CAFE
Map Soy Sauce Western, Chinese $$
2265 8288; www.queenscafe.com; Shop 18, L1/F, Festival Walk, 80 Tat Chee Ave; set lunch $70, set dinner $125-290; 11am-11pm
Queen’s is a veteran of soy sauce Western cuisine Click here, which accounts for its subdued yet assured atmosphere and its hearty baked dishes. The first Queen’s was opened in 1952 by a man who had apprenticed under White Russian chefs in Shanghai. There’s another branch in North Point ( Map; 2576 2658; Shop 022, Ground fl, Island Place, 500 King’s Rd; 11am-10.30pm; MTR North Point, exit B3).
Kowloon City
Restaurants in Kowloon City can be reached by taking minibus 25M from exit B2 of Kowloon Tong MTR station ( Map), bus 5C from the Star Ferry bus terminal ( Map) or bus 101 from Statue Square ( Map), Central.
CHONG FAT CHIU CHOW RESTAURANT Map Chiu Chow $$
2383 3114; 60-62 South Wall Rd; 11.30am-midnight
Food critics adore this spritely old shop for its unusual Chiu Chow fare. You’ll see plates laden with delicacies such as fried pomfret (from $100) and soups simmering in woks (from $40) in the open kitchen. Don’t miss the sek-làu-gài (chicken wrapped in little egg-white sacs; $13 each), the cold ‘pei pa’ shrimp (from $100) and the sugar-coated taro ($5 per piece).
CHEONG FAT Map Thai, Noodles $
2382 5998; 27 South Wall Rd; 11.30am-11.30pm
This humble joint is famous for its authentic Chiang Mai soup noodles (from $20), but don’t get stuck on them noodles. The open kitchen has appetising cooked dishes on display, such as pork trotters with preserved vegetables. Place your order and jive to Thai music videos while you wait.
ISLAM FOOD Map Halal, Chinese $
2382 2822; Ground fl, 1 Lung Kong Rd, Kowloon City; 11am-11pm
Take care when sinking your teeth into the signature beef pastry ($20 for two) because they’ll squirt. Less spectacular though still good are the lamb dishes and dumplings. It’s not the cleanest place, but fans don’t seem to mind.
RUAMJAI THAI RESTAURANT
Map Thai, Noodles $
2383 6983; 5 Tak Ku Ling Rd; meals $30-120; 11.30am-11.30pm
Thai diners here like to order meat wrapped in lettuce leaves and papaya salad with salted crab. You can’t go wrong doing the same. It has a new branch ( 2716 4588; 11-13 Tak Ku Ling Rd; 11am-midnight) nearby.
Yee Heung Bean Products Map Tofu, Chinese $
2382 5006; 74 Nga Tsin Long Rd; 11am-8pm
Housewives, workers and schoolchildren have been coming here for fried tofu ($10) or sweet tofu pudding ($5) for over half a century. These connoisseurs believe the tofu here is dense and smooth, with nutty notes.
To Kwa Wan
Sosam Tea House
Map Chinese, Fusion $$
2714 3299; Shop 10, Mega Bldg, 1 Maidstone Rd, To Kwa Wan; meals $50-200; 12.30-10.30pm Tue-Sun
At this artsy tea house, bowls hand-painted with flowers sit atop placemats of crocheted lace, and jars of lychee wine vie for space with books on a wooden shelf next to the open kitchen, where the owner gives her take on familiar Chinese dishes. Indochina dragonplum, an ancient fruit, appears in a sauce for handmade shrimp roe noodles, and it’s delicious. To get here, take minibus 27M from Mong Kok MTR station (exit B2) and disembark at the final stop.
Pak Kung Cafe Map Tea Cafe $
2362 2276; 91 Ma Tau Kok Rd, To Kwa Wan; meals under $40; 5.30am-10.30pm; 5C from Tsim Sha Tsui Star Ferry
The owners of this spacious cha chaan teng have taken such care to preserve the 1960s atmosphere that we spilled our tea when we saw the ESPN Star Sports channel playing on