7 Hour Hong Kong Layover

Some people hate connecting flights and layovers. I on the other hand, plan for them.

Especially if they’re 7 hours long.

And in Hong Kong.

Can someone say eating frenzy?

After a whirlwind trip to Hoi An in late May, my flight from Hoi An to Hong Kong landed at 1pm in the afternoon, and my flight back to Melbourne was to depart at 7:30pm. 

I was excited, and very hungry. 

Off the plane I got in a jiffy, and onto the bus - which is actually a fabulous option if you have a bit of time instead of taking the Hong Kong train express. It’s a third of the price and has some stunning views of Hong Kong as you’re driving in over bridges. 

By the time I got into Hong Kong itself, I hadn’t eaten in about 5 hours and blood sugar levels were getting dire. I quickly got my butt into Yung Kee Restaurant for one one of the classic Hong Kong things to eat. Roast goose.

Don’t be put off by how shiny and clean Yung Kee is, sure, it’s super palatable for the tourist (so it’s great and easy when you’re travelling alone - and nicely air-conned when it’s summer out), but there’s still locals in here at odd hours at the communal ‘single diners’ table, tucking into all the meaty goodness. It’s still legit.

Also don’t get confused like me and think that your only goose options are the big serves for 4 people; the individual meal sizes are at the back!

Yang Kee’s charcoal roasted goose smells like heaven when it’s popped down in front of you. The first couple of pieces of skin on top, just shatter in the mouth, they’re just so crisp, hiding the juicy and tender meat underneath. A meal comes with a bit of greens and rice; and I love myself a bit of hot barley water to keep the body warm. 

When I wander around Hong Kong, I’ve always loved how layered and textured the city feels. Dense, with people and activity. 

Despite the heat, I made sure to pop into Tai Cheong Bakery for the best egg tarts ever. I’ve talked about them before, and they’re big in the hand, warm, soft and absolutely delectable. Nothing like it back home in Melbourne. 

But the main highlight that I was keen to hit up in this brief Hong Kong adventure? 

Oddies Foodies. 

After all, what kind of self proclaimed sweet tooth would I be otherwise? 

Despite the allure of all sorts of wonderful artisan gelato flavours, I had to go for what these guys famous; the crazy egg waffle…sundaes? Is that what you can call it? 

When I visited they had two flavours, a new matcha concoction and their classic Night Wolf, and despite my love of matcha, I had to go with what made them famous.

Italian low fat twist soft gelato with butter crumbs, scoop of gelato of the day, passionfruit panna cotta, brownie chocolate chip eggettes and crunchy flakes. Wow. Looks totally crazy, but I was surprised how balanced and thought out the combo was. It wasn’t as rich as I expected and much lighter than I expected, which meant I demolished all of it.

When I ordered, I hadn’t read the description properly, and was absolutely delighted that the eggettes weren’t just plain waffles, but actually laced with chocolate chip throughout, meaning you had gooey chocolate filling in the cavities. The passionfruit panna cotta was a lovely burst of freshness amongst the chocolate and kept the dessert from being too sweet. 

Overall? Totally worth it. 

All too soon, after darting in and out of shops to satiate the shopaholic in me, it was time to head back, and back on the bus I got to head to the airport, and back home to Melbourne. But seriously, best way to spend a layover, ever! 

Yung Kee Restaurant

Wellington St, 32-40號

Yung Kee Building, Hong Kong

Tai Cheong Bakery

35 Lydhurst Terrace, Central

Hong Kong, China

Oddies Foodies

45 Gough Street

Central, Hong Kong

Silks - Chinese New Year 2016

Disclosure: I was invited to dine as a guest of the restaurant

We’ve recently had a Canadian join the team at the office, and when we snuck out for lunch one lovely warm Friday, she commented on how intense Lunar New Year celebrations are in Melbourne; compared to what she’s used to in Canada. 

Man, can you imagine if she hit up Hong Kong or China?

Although Melbourne’s Lunar New Year celebrations still probably pale in comparison to the homelands, we do a pretty good job. 

I always love popping into Crown’s Atrium during this time of year and seeing the gorgeously lit up display; then making way up to Silks! On this particular day, I took an extended lunch break from work, to enjoy a lunchtime banquet. Honestly, I really enjoyed this; dinner banquets can be so big, the lunch time one was just right!

We started with lobster san choi bao; finely diced lobsters, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, mushrooms and pinenuts, all mixed up and wrapped in a lettuce leaf. I loved this. Although the filling looked huge, it was actually quite a light combination, crunchy and refreshing. 

Beef seems to always make an appearance on the menu at Silks, but why not? They do it so well! We enjoyed a pan fried beef eye fillet with Sichuan sauce, that was served with a fried rice. The beef was so tender and juicy; it always melts in the mouth! 

Although I don’t often eat a lot fried rice, I have always enjoyed the fried rice at silks, which is fluffy, eggy and not overly oily in the slightest. Just right!

To finish? A light and sweet mango pudding. Simply too easy to scoff down! I really enjoyed the natural flavour of the mango, and how light it sat in the mouth; it was sweet, but also so refreshing. 

Or you might have a deep fried ice-cream! We discussed, for those who were uninitiated at our table, how usually restaurants use the cheapest ice-cream but at Silks, they take the humble deep fried ice-cream to another level, with quality, speckled vanilla bean ice-cream and a perfectly golden crust. Happy sighs. 

Silks

Crown Casino

8 Whiteman Street

Southbank 3006 

 

Silks - Lunar New Year Celebration

Disclosure: I was invited to dine as a guest of the restuarant

Two Chinese New year posts in, and we’re still not quite done! Did you know that Chinese New Year doesn’t traditionally last just one day? It’s actually a ten day affair, so the kids have plenty of time to collect from all the friends and relatives (or maybe that’s more so now…) 

Crown always puts on a spectacular show for Chinese New Year, decking out the place in red, and with a fabulous Atrium display that will be running until the 28th of February, on the night we popped by they had lion and dragon dances, and a bit of a drumming performance in the Atrium as well, which was all very exciting!

Silks always puts on a fabulous Chinese New Year banquet as well, which we got to sample. Having visited last year for the Mid-Autumn festival celebrations, I was very excited to be walking through the sophisticated restaurant, with it’s absolutely stunning and somewhat zen interiors. And this time, we got to eat in the private dining ‘tent’! Very fabulous.

We started with a range of dumplings, from sweet and delectable stuffed king crab claws, to the pan-fried lamb bun absolutely stuffed with meat, to the beautiful Xiao Long Bao with smooth and slippery skin, which was very generous on the filling as well. 

Steamed dumplings are a slightly unusual at dinner time, but I’m not complaining! I particularly enjoyed the steamed scallop siew am topped with just a little bit of black truffle for that extra bit of luxuriousness. 

The duck ravioli in duck consommé, was beautiful and clean in it’s flavours, the ravioli pastry delicate, and the consume had a very delightful and unexpected chilli kick which just balanced out the whole dish for me. 

The steamed Patagonian Toothfish with sweet soy sauce just melted in the mouth, so sweet and so smooth. 

And just when we were about to burst of fullness, Silks brings out their wagyu beef with black pepper sauce (also liberally topped with garlic chips, swoon!) and we suddenly all have just a little bit more space. Tender, perfectly seasoned, peppery, and plenty of garlic which I love, paired up with bright and vibrant vegetables with still a bit of crunch in contrast to the juicy beef. Good times, happy tummies. 

I was a little worried that if we had a dessert course, I would actually explode at this point, but Silks had already considered this and capped the night off quickly and sweetly with these adorable mini cones of mango pudding gelato. So refreshing and sweet, and just the thing to satiate the sweet tooth and end a beautiful meal on a high note. 

Silks
Crown Tower 
8 Whiteman Street
Southbank 3006

New Shanghai

Disclosure: I was invited to dine as a guest of the restaurant

Let me be honest. Having not done my research, I didn’t give much thought at all to New Shanghai when it opened last year. Just another restaurant in a food court.

But not just any food court. Heck, I’m not sure if it’s entirely fair to call that third floor in Emporium a food court, with it’s high ceilings, well thought out operators and surprisingly ample seating. And if we talk about New Shanghai distinctly, it’s definitely a restaurant all it’s own, tucked into a cosy nook, that transports you away from Emporium’s shiny marble-ness, to a something a little earthier and traditional. There’s even a private dining room out back.

I love that when you walk in, you can see the Xiao Long Bao they are famous for getting all rolled up, freshly made. It makes for big promises for deliciousness. 

The staff are refreshingly friendly, and smily, not just to me as I notice, but to everyone who comes into the restaurant and happily recommend the lychee and kiwi drinks when we’re a little boggled by the huge drink menu. For the record, they’re both delightful; the kiwi especially, as it’s blended with fresh fruit. On a hot day, these would be especially good and they’re almost a meal in themselves! 

Laura and I let New Shanghai feed us, starting with what they’re best known for of course…their Xiao Long Bao!

Oh my, these were simply delectable. I was immensely impressed with how thin and delicate the skin was; Laura and I ended up breaking so many of these just by trying to separate them from the paper underneath! Clearly we’re terrible Asians! But despite that, New Shanghai would definitely be my new go to for XLB. 

I also enjoyed the fried version of Xiao Long Bao, which have thicker skins, to obviously withstand the frying process, but are still filled with soup, which I’ve never had before! I personally preferred the steamed bao’s, but still really enjoyed these as they’re definitely a heartier meal!

We then sampled a couple of dishes from the Chinese New Year menu which will be running for about the next fortnight, so get in before it’s gone!

What I do think is great about New Shanghai’s Chinese New Year offering is that it’s not a banquet situation where you have to eat a set menu. Instead, they’ve introduced just 5 new dishes, which you can pick and choose to add to your usual favourites. 

We tried two of the savoury dishes this visit, the stir fried luffa, a vegetable in the cucumber family, with fresh soy bean and the steamed ginger and shallot scallop on top of vermicelli. 

The luffa is very soft, melts in the mouth, whilst the fresh soy beans are a little bit more dense, almost crunchy, adding a nice bit of texture. Lovely clean flavours, but comforting as well. 

I loved the generosity of the ginger on the scallops, bursting with flavour, the scallops were sweet and tender, the vermicelli noodles soaking up all the delicious juices from the scallops. Don’t miss out on it! 

We wrapped up with steam sticky rice cake with edible flowers, which was a bit denser than I personally like. Having said that though, they’re easy to munch through as they’re not too sweet. 

Laura and I left New Shanghai pretty much just rolling out the door, don’t rock up with just two people, you’ll never finish it all. Really. And I was honestly surprised with just how much New Shanghai impressed me; it’s definitely now on my list as an easy and very reasonably priced feed for my movie nights out with Brad…

New Shanghai
Emporium Melbourne
287 Lonsdale Street
Melbourne