When In Hong Kong: Go Jelly Crazy!

I love jello, jelly, gelatin… whatever you call it. It used to be my staple afternoon snack and I remember that I used to get all the grape flavored ones to eat and the red ones to use as my pretend lipstick. I still get to have my jello fix from time to time these days but in the form of coffee jelly, grass jelly or sago’t gulaman. But when we discovered a jello place in Hong Kong, R and I dropped by the place as frequent as we could.

Hello… uhm… sorry, I can’t read Chinese. But this is the place near Canal Road, Causeway Bay. 

R and I headed to the small restaurant one time after dinner. We got curious with why a lot of locals frequent the place and we were greeted by a friendly elder who I assume is the owner of the restaurant.  We told him our order—one bowl of black jello (HK$7). 

Service was quick and we got our bowl in less than 5 minutes.

It was pretty bland as is so R added this orange powder we saw on the edge of the table. 

We sparingly sprinkled some of the said powder and it turned the jello sweet. We then figured that it was sugar. And that was when we went crazy with it. 

It was just your usual bland jello but it being served chilled and topped with sugar made it a refreshing dessert, perfect to cap any meal.

When In Hong Kong: Go Crazy Over Salmon!

If I were to choose only one thing to eat the rest of my life, I would choose salmon. I just love it. I love the texture, the color… everything! (Well, except maybe the smell when it is still raw and extremely fishy.) And I saw a gold mine of salmon during our recent Hong Kong trip.

While exploring our hotel’s surrounding area, we noticed that there’s a line of stores near our hotel (located in Causeway Bay, near Canal Road) that sell salmon and hairy crabs. We decided to go to the one that sells ready to eat salmon and got Salmon, Salmon Roe and Sea Urchin with rice (HK$90) and Fried Soft Shell Crab Cutlet with rice (HK$38).

Despite the long queue, service was quick and we got our orders in less than 10 minutes. 

We enjoyed our rice bowls while standing as there were no dining tables or chairs available. They only had those bar tables on the opposite side of the showcases.

I first had a bite of the salmon bowl and it was so good. Though slightly expensive, you’d see that the store was generous with fresh salmon bits. The serving of sea urchin was a tad stingy but it was still okay given the price. The uni was soft and the taste made me reminisce the sea. The veggies added texture and crunch to the dish making it even more scrumptious.

The Fried Soft Shell Crab Cutlet was also delectable but it was quite dry without any sauce. I just wish that it had some salmon or something fresh and not deep fried. Then again… that price tag for one bowl is very attractive.

I wish we have this in Manila. 

Hong Kong Local Night: Noodle Soup

I forgot how frustrating it is to travel in Hong Kong. The language barrier was so high especially in small hole in the wall restaurants. I felt it even more during my most recent visit as R and I went to more small shops for that local vibe. And one of the restaurants we visited was... 

This restaurant. Sorry, (I can't read Chinese.)

The place was packed when we arrived so we assumed that the food served here is spectacular or bang for the buck. 

There was one table vacant when we got there. Since the sole server was busy cleaning and serving food to other customers, she hastily handed to us the menu in Chinese. Though R could read Chinese, he wasn't too familiar with it too. He was able to pick up the words beef, chicken, pork and the like but some were too confusing. 

When we asked for the server's attention for help, she misunderstood it for us being ready to order. Since she was still very busy, she handed a piece of paper and pen for us to jot down our orders. We cracked up! R's shocked face was just too funny. 

The server noticed that we were so puzzled and eventually handed an English menu. (Apparently, we just wasted brain cells.)

With a menu we could read with ease,we ordered Beef Noodles and Wonton Noodles (both at HKD20). 

Our piping hot bowls were served in less than 5 minutes. 

Both look pretty much the same except R's had beef while mine had wonton. The soup base, noodles and vegetables included were all the same. 

I must say, R's bowl was pretty good. It had richer flavors. The strips of beef were pretty good too for the price. My wonton noodle soup was delicious too though its flavors were not as rich.
It was fun to experience Hong Kong like a local. But I think I need to learn the language first. 

This restaurant is near Canal Road and just 5 minutes from Best Western Hotel, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong.