Motormouth From Ipoh – Asian Food & Travel Blog

A golden shade of yellow; the noodles are no doubt made in house; perfected through years of experience and feedback. Some outlets do theirs with a heavy-handed approach; lacing the springy noodles with an overpowering taste of alkaline water. Thankfully, Mak’s Noodle’s version was none of those.

Paying HKD33/RM13.80/USD4.30 for a small bowl of soup noodles with a couple of prawn dumplings might sound a tad unbelievable. That is, if you’re paying this price in an eatery in Malaysia 5 years ago. Nowadays, even a plate of very basic fried Nissin noodles or Korean-inspired spicy noodles at Kim Gary or Wong Kok Char Chaan Teng will come close to that price. In Hong Kong, paying around HKD30 per portion of noodles  is not an uncommon sight, even in the most dodgy of corners and sidewalks.

The perpetual Mak’s Noodles vs Tsim Chai Kee (read previous review HERE) saga will probably never ends, since both are equally as famous (Tsim Chai Kee was packed though on that afternoon while we could easily parked our butts in Mak’s Noodles) and garnering rave reviews in guide books and blogs.

However, Mak’s Noodle has the advantage of being featured in Anthony Bourdain’s TV show; whereby the celebrity chef was heaping praises on the al dente noodles and succulent prawn dumplings/wanton. Here’s what I think.  Read the rest of this entry »

North Point Famous Egg Waffles aka ‘Gai Dan Jaai’

Best way to eat around in Hong Kong? Embrace the plethora of street foods and indulge in snacking round the clock. Seriously, you don’t want to stuff yourself silly with the conventional 3 meals a day. Oh no …. 6 might be stretching the limit slightly, but the snacking in between meals should be cherished as much.

After all, how else can you fit in egg tarts, ‘but zhai gou’ (Chinese style of mini rice puddings flavoured with red bean, brown sugar or plain white sugar) and ‘gai dan jaai’ (mini egg cakes/waffles) into that packed-like-sardines itinerary of yours?

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The last post on Hong Kong was way back in June, so you may want to go for a refresher course by reading Wan Chai’s famous Kam Fung Cafe …. Perhaps the full Hong Kong-Macau 2011 series?

Craving for a Ketchup-y Experience? Fresh tomatoes and lean beef slices in a tangy, tomato-based broth with the Nissin noodles. Options include macaroni (their signature, but they ran out of that), or your noodles with chicken wing, or other meat.

Sing Heung Yuen is by far, the best example of Hong Kong style ‘dai pai dong’. Hawker stalls in its most ‘primitive’ form, only shaded by canopies or sometimes none, steel or wooden tables and chairs placed in a cramped layout, and strangers sharing the same table yet not speaking to each other while slurping on their favourite bowl of noodles.

To the uninitiated, this is best described as an ‘al fresco’ cafe best for a light bite. Unlike European cafe culture where lingering for long is the norm, at ‘dai pai dong’ like this, this practice is frowned upon. Lest you enjoy to be stared right through you for overstaying your welcome.

Familiar? If you’re an avid follower of Hong Kong’s TVB dramas, you might have seen this place being used for filming, since this is in the heart of Central of Hong Kong island, not in the rural suburbs.

Best if you sit down, don’t ponder for too long on the menu (or lack thereof, since everything’s in Chinese!), order whatever your neighbouring table’s having, eat up in the most rushed fashion (at say, 10 minutes for everything?), then leave.

The full story after the jump, and best time to come if you want to skip the snaking queue ….

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For the full series (and do get ready some napkins and coffee to keep those eye lids open); hop over to : Motormouth in Hong Kong/Macau 2011.

Honolulu Coffee Shop serves a commendable range of pastries and beverages to perk up your day, no matter if it’s breakfast, brunch, lunch or best of all … tea time. And there we were for a good cup of Hong Kong style milk tea (fresh milk instead of the Malaysian style of teh tarik with condensed milk), paired with irresistible egg tarts and more.

Hong Kong’s ‘char chaan teng’ (typical cafes spanning every nook and corner of the city on steroids) never ceases to amaze me. Though you can mentally prepare for what’s on the menu (polo bao, milk tea, egg tarts, macaroni in soup, Nissin noodle soup, etc), yet every outlet serves a signature creation that’s no doubt the crowd puller that keeps the hungry gluttons back again and again.

In this case? Honolulu Coffee Shop (Openrice’s page) takes pride in their flaky egg tarts (as opposed to Tai Cheong‘s buttery short pastry version; the new review to come in a later post), and various buns/breads to cater to the smaller appetites. Read on to gather my thoughts on this cafe with a branch in Wan Chai and this on Stanley Street in the heart of Central, Hong Kong ….

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Continuation from Day Four in Hong Kong …

Jostle/elbow/smackdown your way down the escalators if you have to !!!

Central @ Hong Kong Island

The slopes are crazy at Central, you’re practically climbing and descending “hills” on the same road … Look at the guy pushing the cart uphill. SLOW depicts his speed, obviously.

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