Hong Kong Eats: Spicy Crab at the Temple Street Night Market

People that I have talked to before my trips to Hong Kong have told me that the Spicy Crab was something that should definitive not be missed. There was a recurring thing, this Crab is amazing and a must try. The directions were never specific, always a vague comment regarding a corner near Temple Street Night Market, that some attractive girl would most likely approach us and invite us into the restaurant. This all seemed a bit sketchy.

So we finally embarked into the journey, we would go and find that crab. After a quick stroll around the Night Market (which to be honest there wasn’t anything impressive about the market itself, some electronics, and cheap things, maybe a good place to buy cheap souvenirs, but after the Taiwanese Night Markets, this is nothing) turning our heads in every corner looking for the elusive crustacean, and then the attractive girls wearing a 'San Miguel' beer white dress showed up from a corner inviting us in, I felt like being invited into a brothel, a bit sketchy, however, there is something almost sexual about this crab. There, I said it. The whole experience was like the sketchiest, messiest and most satisfying sexual experience you have ever had, picture that, add some greens and cold beer, and you get to this.

The Sexy Crab

The place looks like any other working class restaurant in Hong Kong, cheap tables, menu on the wall and an amazing smell surrounding the area, but there are a few differences that makes this place special, the amazingly cold beer, the kitchen paper rolls on each table (most of the places will not have anything to clean your face) and the Crab (Duh!). They actually have all the Crabs alive in plastic container bubbling up at the entrance.

So we ordered a big cold beer while we decided what to get: the crab, which you actually get to choose, some scallops with garlic and chives, we saw some greens on the table next door which looked delicious so we went ahead and order them (these are actually off the menu and are extra delicious) and because we wanted something more veggie-like we ordered the fried tofu (which was actually quite alright but I could definitely live without).

The service is incredibly fast, and the food came all at the same time (which is something I love, since my usual drill is to order a bunch of things and share everything with everyone), the veggies were amazing, garlicky and perfectly cooked, the scallops were perfect and had a little surprise, they were served with some vermicelli noodles, the tofu was bright and crispy, but let me tell you, the crab was just PERFECT, served below a mountain of crispy garlic, chives, spices and crumbs, perfectly cooked, the crab itself is amazingly sweet and tender and blends perfectly with the spices to create a wonderful mouthful of awesomeness… It was indeed a food orgasm.

After indulging ourselves in the sweet delicious carcasses of dead crustaceans we left the joint with hope in our eyes and happiness in our bellies. We could not have asked for a better dinner.

Beware that the crab could get a bit expensive (around 500-700 HKD for a big one) whilst the rest of the dishes are super affordable, so, you don't have to get a crab to get delicious food, but it is worth it, I can tell you that. So, your choice. However, even if you are just backpacking and you budget is a bit short, I think you can spare yourself from some other things just to enjoy this. You will not be disappointed. 

Temple Street Spicy Crab

No.210 Temple Street, Hong Kong.

Price Range: 100 - 400 HKD pp (Depending on what you get)

With two sexy companions.

Garlic Veggies, fucking YUM!

Fried tofu, pretty good, but not amazing.

Scallops, simply amazing.

Hong Kong Eats: 24 hr Breakfast & The Cha Chaan Teng

As your grandma has told you since you can recall people nagging you: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, regardless of the time you take your breakfast. So, imagine you wake up at 6 pm after a heavy night-morning of drinking, or you suddenly find yourself craving an omelet at 2 am, what do you do? Well, if you are in Hong Kong it is just a matter of moving to Wan Chai (Or Central) to The Flying Pan.

The Menu at the Flying Pan.

The Flying Pan offers, in its two locations in Hong Kong, a 24 hour Breakfast Menu, so whenever the time, whatever your alcoholic state, this place can calm those cravings you know you sometimes get, those cravings that can only be satiated with some omelet or maybe some benedict eggs.

They have an excellent menu, not too big, not too small, just right. You get to pick one of their combo menu items or make your own, it is pretty straight forward. They offer a hassle free western-style breakfast experience, which after being in Asia for a while, will make you very thankful.

 Choose between a broad selection of great food that includes:

• Descent bagels (a treat so rare to find around these places)
• English muffins
• Omelets
• Frittatas
• Benedict Eggs
• Other types of eggs
• Yoghurts
• Fruits
• Teas
• And Coffees.

While you are deciding what will settle your inner beast, get yourself a Bloody Mary, or a mimosa or a Bellini, hell, you can have a Gin Tonic or any cocktail you can imagine, they bar is very well stocked and has very affordable prices. By the way the service is fast and extremely nice, you know, that is always appreciated. 

Enjoy your 11 pm breakfast + cocktail and thank me later.

Awesome eggs Benedict with fresh avocado and pico de gallo.

The Flying Pan (Wanchai)

3F/L 81-85 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

Tel: +852 2528 9997

http://www.the-flying-pan.com

***It is a bit difficult to find, it is in the third floor of an inconspicuous building, you need to get there and go up. There is no visible sign outside, but be patient, it is worth it.

Price: Around 100 HKD

The Flying Pan (Central)

G/F 9 Old Bailey Street, Central, Hong Kong

Tel: +852 2140 6333

http://www.the-flying-pan.com

Price: Around 100 HKD

While we are in topic, lets talk about a staple of Hong Konese breakfast, the Cha Chaan Teng. But what the hell are these places with the funky name and huge lines of locals in the mornings ? (to be fair, they are packed pretty much all day). If you have ever been around Hong Kong, Macao, Main land China or Taiwan, you probably have come across one of these places that offer inexpensive and often delicious food.

Back in the day, western food was a novelty only available to the rich and powerful. Eventually, the cooks started experimenting with their interpretation of western food, eventually opening small joints that would offer tea and a broad menu of 'Asian Western' food. These joints were a total success among the working class people and gained a place amongst the hearts of the locals. Nowadays western food is broadly available but people come to the Cha Chaan Teng to enjoy the 'Asian Western' food as it has gained presence and validity of its own.

Asian Spaghetti and Meat balls, omelets, toast, crepes, chicken soups and other 'Western' classics were transformed and molded into a practically indistinguishable long lost brother of their original counterparts. A visit to one of this places is surreal to say the least:  it is completely fast paced and filled with locals which can be a bit intimidating for some people, then there is the menus, which are extensive and totally in Chinese, then there is the waiters who are always in a hurry and might ask you to seat in the communal tables. But hey! Relax! It is not as hard you think, just go with the flow, look the waiter in the eye and tell him how many (when in doubt use your body language), sit where they tell you, if there are locals around, say a quick hello and order (if you don’t know what you want, look around and point to what looks appealing or go for the good old point the menu in Chinese, it is very difficult to go wrong here, all food is good and is not really that bizarre), when the food comes, eat it with gusto, enjoy it, get up, say good bye, pay and leave, people come and go here and they are used to eat and leave very fast, it is not a place to stay and chat. Don't forget to observe around while you eat, this is a great experience, the atmosphere, the people, the food, it all comes together in a scenery worthy of Dali.

The food might not look that appealing and might resemble the food a college freshman would cook on a hot plate in his dorm, but trust me, this food is delicious, comforting and will make your belly happy, very happy, in fact, one of the best plate of scrambled eggs I have eaten was in The Australia Dairy CO.  A cha chaan teng in Hong Kong.

The Australia Dairy CO

47 Parkes St, Hong Kong

Price: 50 HKD

A long queue is always a good sign.

Looks plain but it will fool you.

Those were seriously some of the best scrambled eggs I have ever had!

Hong Kong Eats: Char Siu

Before my return to the Old Continent. I did some traveling. This is the first entry on my special

about the amazing foods I ate in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong is a melting pot of cultures, religions and of course food. First thing to remember is that this region is, in fact, Cantonese, which means different language and of course different food from the typical Chinese food we all know.

That being said, what better way to start than with one of the staples of Cantonese cuisine? Char Siu.

The amazing Char Siu

Char Siu is the Cantonese version of the Sunday Roast. Delicious pork (belly, shoulder or neck) seasoned with honey, five spice, soy sauce and rice wine, all roasted in a wood oven (traditional but not so common anymore) at relatively low temperature and for quite a long time, resulting in a beautiful piece of meat that is crispy on the outside and is soft and moist on the inside. Yes, it is as good as it sounds.

You will see these type of meat hanging in the windows of countless places known as Siu Mei, there you will also see ducks, geese, sausages and pigeons prepared in the same awesome way, resulting of course in a culinary overload.

The rule of thumb here, as in most places in the world, is to avoid the tourist areas and try to find the place with the most amount of locals and that looks more authentic. I followed the recommendation of a good friend of mine, who got the recommendation from another guy, and in the same way I hope I can convince you to visit this magnificent place.

Joy Hing's Roasted Meats is, no questions asked, a hidden jewel. Inconspicuously located on a side street of Wanchai with no signs outside, this little place (And when I say little, I mean it, they have like eight tables in a 5 x 5 place) offers such an experience. There is a line outside practically all the time, people come here to get some take out or grab a quick bite (out of respect to the other people waiting you try to make your stay inside as fast as possible). It is one of the few Siu Mei left in Hong Kong that still uses a wood oven to roast their meats, and this oven is constantly working, I would guess that the go through several pigs a day, seriously!

But the wait is worth it. Once in, you have to find a place to sit, which most likely will be sharing a table with 5 other locals that are very concentrated on  their plates to even look at your foreigner face. The servers speak a little English, but to be fair, you don't need that, you came here for one thing and one thing only: Char Siu! So, when the server comes to you and mumbles something in Cantonese that you probably  don’t have a clue what it means, just look him in the eye, smile and say: Char Siu! Big! Rice! Cha! And you are done, 2 minutes later you will have the most amazing plate of roasted meat you have ever tasted with a hefty portion of rice. Tea is free by the way and is usually on the tables for you to serve in a paper cup. This stuff is so  good that you will for a little while forget everything about anything, you will concentrate on your plate just like the locals do, and before you realize it you will have consumed almost a kilogram of meat. Amazing!

You will get a little receipt which you will take to the lady at the cashier and pay. The last time we ate like there was no tomorrow and ended up paying around 90 HKD (roughly 9 Euros) between two people. It was so awesome.

I hope that these lines have managed to convince you to visit this amazing place!

Joy Hing's Roasted Meats

265-267 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, China

Price: Less than 100 HKD