Easter in Hong Kong with Momiji

This long Easter weekend, Hubs and I went to Hong Kong and met up with 2 friends from uni XF and JC. I took Momiji with me, though to be honest, I doubted I'd have much photo ops with her, as we weren't going to do much sightseeing.

Momiji - a little redhead by Wabi Sabi Dolls.

Due to its proximity, shopping and food, Hong Kong is a much loved and oft visited destination for my fellow Singaporeans, especially for long weekends. However...I confess the last time I was in HK was around 5 years ago (below).

Back then, we hung out with friends, JF and our bff DT who was serving a judicial clerkship. I remember we all had a pretty good time. Though we mostly stuck around Central and Sheung Wan, we enjoyed the food HK had to offer. We had a great yumcha breakfast at Lin Heung Teahouse, roast goose at Yung Kee, English afternoon tea at the Four Seasons Hotel, yumcha at Man Wah, the silky soft milk pudding at Yee Shun. And brought home several boxes of lao po bing (wife biscuits), one of my favourite Chinese pastries (below).

This trip was a much shorter one, and food adventure-wise, I think we were more focused on contemporary twists.

Under Bridge Spicy Crab Restaurant

Our first night we met up with friends for dinner at Under Bridge Spicy Crab Restaurant (橋底辣蟹) in Wan Chai.

The signature spicy crab at Under Bridge Spicy Crab Restaurant, Hong Kong (IG)

So, I used to be cool with shelling the crab while stuffing my face, but lately I've been getting a little lazy to do that. Anyway, the crab was very fresh, succulent and sweet flesh, all smothered with the chili garlic (dry) 'sauce'.

Although it was fresh and good, it was a tad too salty for me, and I admit it was not all that mind-blowing. But then again, I live in Singapore, the island of chili crab, black pepper crab, white pepper crab, salted egg yolk crab, butter crab, etc. etc. etc. The list goes on. So forgive me for being so picky.

Coco Espresso

The next morning, at a recommendation of my good friend JC, we got our daily fix at Coco Espresso, that's just a 5-min walk from our hotel in Sheung Wan.

Coco Espresso, Sheung Wan (IG)

It's a teeny hole-in-the-wall espresso place. There's a nice feeling to the exposed concrete walls and counter, and the highly glazed and very white ceramic tiles. And the coffee is stellar. I guess land space is at such a premium in HK, that a lot of these artisan coffee places just have to do this in order to keep the rent down.

Man Mo Cafe

We then walk a few streets from our hotel to Upper Lascar Row in Sheung Wan, in search of this contemporary dimsum place Hubs wanted to try. Upper Lascar Row, aka Cat Street, is actually quite a popular destination for locals and tourists. 

Antique shops along Upper Lascar Row (aka Cat Street), Hong Kong

The street was so named because of the Indian community in HK during the colonial days. They were referred to by the British as "lascars", and used to reside in Lascar Row. In the 1920s, the area evolved into a market for antiques and secondhand appliances, as well as stolen goods (hence Cat Street). So, among the antique flea market stalls, we find Man Mo Cafe, a contemporary East-meets-West dimsum cafe. Think French x Cantonese hybrid.

Man Mo Cafe, Hong Kong

The location of Man Mo, tucked among the traditional antique shops kind of parallels the dimsum they serve - an expression of their interpretation of the marriage of new and old. I find their choice of name for the place interesting as well - Man Mo Temple is located a short walk away, along Hollywood Road.

Momiji is excited to taste Man Mo Cafe's contemporary fusion dimsum! (IG)

Man Mo Cafe was created by Swiss expatriate Nicolas Elalouf. His edible dreams are spun out of the kitchen by 2 chefs who were previously at Robuchon and Din Tai Fung.

Ratatouille dumplings, Man Mo Cafe, Hong Kong

We started with ratatouille dumplings. Their deep ruby-red colour remind me a little of ang ku kueh. The skin was elastic and thin, the ratatouille filling moist and with the mellow tartness of tomatoes and capsicum (really, like ratatouille). It made for a good kick-starter - well made skins and good flavours - but I wouldn't say it blew me away.

Foie gras xiao long bao at Man Mo Cafe, Hong Kong

We also had the foie gras xiao long bao. It was served with sea salt and crushed black pepper on the side. It was all right, though the skin was a bit thick, and I am not so sure about the little pool of foie gras fat. I think I prefer foie gras pan-fried. There's just something about it being minced, stuffed in xiao long bao and steamed that didn't appeal to me personally. Perhaps a foie gras pot-sticker instead?

Truffle brie pot-stickers, Man Mo Cafe, Hong Kong (IG)

The truffle brie pot-stickers did not quite turn out the way I expected, but I enjoyed them immensely. Perhaps some crushed black pepper will enhance the mild flavour of the cheese. Otherwise, sticky gooey and rich goodness oozing out of the thin, elastic pot-sticker dumpling skin. Mmmmmmm... Makes me want to try my hand at making them at home!

Burgerbuns - charsiew sou look, hamburger flavour, Man Mo Cafe, Hong Kong

Burgerbuns, Man Mo Cafe, Hong Kong (IG)

OMG. Thumbs up for the burgerbuns! They look like baked charsiew sou, but taste like a hamburger. Not at all what you'd expect when having yumcha, but... TOTALLY LOVED THEM!!!

Encased in the baked, slightly flaky bun dough is a filling of minced beef, chopped onions, chopped lettuce, and goodness knows what else. Stick the little squirt bottles filled with mayo (Thousand Island? not quite...) into the top of the burgerbun and squeeze. Loved the contrast with the dry and flaky bun with the juicy and meaty insides. So good, and we enjoyed them so much that we ordered a second round. I think to be perfect, perhaps a little more minced beef, a few bigger crisper chunks of onion for texture, and some rich, melty cheese.... Hmmm would be the perfect yumcha cheese burger!

Hubby tried the Chinese pot-au-feu: that is, slow-braised veal cheeks with soft, flat noodles, mushrooms and fresh scallions in a lovely veal broth.

Chinese pot-au-feu noodles (veal cheek noodles), Man Mo Cafe, Hong Kong

We finish up at Man Mo Cafe with the Nutella Balls, a Nutella-filled take on the classic Chinese sesame ball dessert jian dui (煎堆). The jian dui is another favourite Chinese pastry of mine, though I don't eat it as often as I would like.

Nutella Balls, Man Mo Cafe, Hong Kong

Judging from the pale colour of the sesame seeds and glutinous rice skin, I think these could do a little longer in the deep-fryer. I read the reviews and these little balls of Nutella gooeyness appear to be crowd-pleasers.

Hubby loved them and ate all 3, well he loves Nutella and jian dui, so this would be like, double happiness for him. Me, not being a big fan of Nutella, so the jury is out on this one for me.

Nutella Balls, Man Mo Cafe, Hong Kong (IG)

Street Food & Toy Hunting

Hong Kong street food in Mongkok

We went toy hunting in Mongkok and along the way we picked up a snack at a streetside hole-in-the-wall shop for some you tiao (油條) at home and proper jian dui. Generally, the ones here are better than the ones we get at home.

Got some you tiao and jian dui at a random streetside stall in Mongkok (IG)

After that, we spent the afternoon hitting up the toy shops... CMTA, Sino Centre, In's Point, Richmond Shopping Arcade... And of course I popped by CCT Toys for Blythe goodies.

Wandering around and toy shopping in Hong Kong (IG)

I was so so so tempted to adopt the mint-in-box Curly Blue Babe but decided against it in the end. (I don't really collect fantasy haired dolls, though I have a few.) I did however walk away with clothes and Border Spirit! Was very pleased because I've been looking for Border Spirit for a long time.

My toy loot from Hong Kong

Fu Sing Shark Fin Seafood Restaurant

We had only ourselves for dinner and decided to just pop by somewhere close to our hotel. Hubs said he wanted to go to Fu Sing Shark Fin Seafood Restaurant (富聲魚翅海鮮酒家). It was close by, and he had noticed it when we walked by earlier in the day. It's true...no one can miss that huge dried shark fin displayed in the front.

I get the feeling that Hubs picked it because (1) it is a shark fin restaurant (he likes fin but I don't); and (2) he saw a post of it on That Food Cray. Anyway, my char siew loving Hubby chowed down the BBQ char siew. It was honeyed and tender and melting. BUT I WANT THE CRUSTY BURNT BITS! Not enough crusty burnt bits....

Honey BBQ charsiew, Fu Sing Shark Fin Seafood Restaurant, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

The deep fried Japanese cheese mochi is fabulous. Ultimate comfort food. We also had deep fried spiced tofu. Another plate of finger-licking, lip-smacking morsels of deliciousness. Frankly, I could eat a bucket of those like I would popcorn, while watching a movie. In fact, I would choose the cheese mochi and the spiced tofu as my movie-watching snack any day.

Japanese cheese mochi, Fu Sing Shark Fin Seafood Restaurant, Sheung Wan (IG).

Yeah, of course, there's the shark fin. Hubby said it was very good, and the fin was of excellent quality. I did have a sip of the broth, which was very good (deep flavours of the ham and the seafood). But I didn't order a portion for myself. 

Shark fin soup, Fu Sing Shark Fin Seafood Restaurant, Sheung Wan (IG).

It's not that I don't like shark fin soup...I actually enjoy it, the flavours, and the textures. But I made a conscious decision several years ago to abstain from eating shark fin. For obvious environment reasons, you know, the barbarous finning methods of these majestic, now endangered, creatures. At the same time, I am also aware that because they are apex predators, there have been concerns (and studies) regarding the various toxins, such as neurotoxins, and heavy metals (e.g. mercury and lead) that build up in their bodies. Hubs however, can't seem to tear himself loose from those cultural and nostalgic memories of the soup being served on special occasion.

Social Place

Social Place in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong - another recommendation from our HK friend

We meet Hubby's Cam friend XF at Social Place (唐宮小聚), another one of those contemporary dimsum places. They seem to have sprung up in Hong Kong like bamboo shoots after a rain.

More modern dimsum at Social Place, Hong Kong (IG)

We had a couple of starter cold dishes - a dish of wood-ear fungus, and another of some osmanthus infused pickled shoot.

Osmanthus infused pickles, Social Place, Hong Kong.

Hubby loves roast pigeon and it's not something we can easily find at home. So naturally, he tried the signature roasted pigeon. Apparently, the roast pigeon is one of the signature dishes at Social Place.

XF and I loved the cold and refreshing smoked duck vegetable rolls - crisp and fresh vegetables and smoked duck tightly rolled in beautiful, vivid emerald green cabbage leaves (blanched).

Smoked duck veg rolls & roasted pigeon, Social Place, Hong Kong (IG)

The pork belly sliders...oh. mmm. yums. They're basically a modern version of kong bak pau. So tender, the fat melting in the mouth, and the soft and fluffy.

Melting tender and delicious pork belly sliders, Social Place, Hong Kong.

The truffle shiitake buns look just like shiitake (black mushrooms). The bun dough was soft. The mushroom stuffing was moist, but I think the dough-to-filling ratio could be improved. (More filling please!)

Truffle shiitake buns, Social Place, Hong Kong

Also delicious. Fluffy, pillowy mantou buns encasing the braised mushrooms. They were good, though I admit I would've preferred the more traditional mushroom crystal dumplings.

Steamed buns, Social Place, Hong Kong (can't remember the dish name...the yolk custard buns maybe)

We had the pretty and aromatic red bean paste filled rose floret bun. Also had the deliciously braised pork belly sliders - modern twist on the dongpo pork belly stuffed bun (not pictured).

Steamed Rose Floret Bun, Social Place, Hong Kong

We also tried the pig-shaped taro buns (not pictured) but I was a little underwhelmed by both the appearance and the flavours.

The steamed truffle rice in lotus leaf was a modern and fresh twist on the traditional lotus leaf wrapped glutinous rice (lo mai gai) with the use of fresh lotus leaf and the use of short-grained rice.

Lotus leaf wrapped rice, Social Place, Hong Kong.

For dessert, we fell in love with the double-boiled pear with aged mandarin peel. The poaching liquid was osmanthus infused, together with the mandarin peel, was very fragrant.

Double-boiled pear with aged mandarin peel, Social Place, Hong Kong.

On our last evening, I did a photoshoot for Momiji in our hotel room just before we left. Considering there was very little opportunity to photograph her outdoors this trip, I did indulge her.

Momiji loves the silver mosaic tiled wall at our hotel, Hong Kong

Besides, the silver mosaic tiled wall of our kitchenette made a great backdrop. For a moment we could almost imagine she was in a disco!

Momiji loves the silver mosaic tiled wall at our hotel, Hong Kong

HK Memories from 5 Years Ago...in pictures

Lin Heung Tea House, a Hong Kong yumcha institution (2011)

English afternoon tea at the Lounge, the Four Seasons Hotel (2011)

Scones, Four Seasons Hotel English afternoon tea (2011)

Yung Kee, Hong Kong (2011)

Roast goose at Yung Kee, Hong Kong (2011)

Egg tarts, yumcha at Man Wah, Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong (2011)

The beef tenderloin puffs, Man Wah, Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong (2011)

Steamed milk pudding at Yee Shun, Hong Kong (2011)

Hang Heung laopo bing (wife cake), Hong Kong (2011)

(This post was edited on 14 July 2017, and 23 August 2022.)