The Food Story - Ricky's Kitchen 祥仔 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

I love anything with "Made in HK" inspiration behind it. Celebrity chef Ricky Cheung (張錦祥), one of the many local chefs actively promoting traditional recipes inspired by old school Hong Kong has always been on my radar screen so when he announced the opening of The Food Story - Ricky's Kitchen (祥仔) in Lai Chi Kok last year, I have been quietly keeping a close eye on his latest project.

I haven't been to this side of Lai Chi Kok much so I was a little surprised with the work they've done transforming the warehouse space into the contemporary restaurant they've got here.



What surprised me more were their prices. With most dishes priced north of $100, do they really have a market here in an industrial area like Lai Chi Kok?



My 2-course lunch set ($128) started off brilliantly with a green salad featuring different winter vegetables roasted or confit. A healthy start to the meal. I especially enjoyed the crispy kale, which was the centerpiece of the salad.



For my main dish, I opted for an all-time favorite from Hong Kong's soy sauce western cuisine - slow-cooked beef tongue served with spaghetti and fresh tomato sauce (鮮茄燴牛脷意粉).



I don't think typical local restaurants slow-cook their beef tongue so we never get this nice, tender texture. This was so tender and flavorful. And three large slices too!

Chef Ricky's poached grouper with sweet corn sauce and steamed rice (粟米石班飯) is supposingly their signature dish but I think I'll come back for my beef tongue next time.


Food Rating: 5.5/10
Price: $$$
Address: Unit G06, G/F, 9 Wing Hong Street, Cheung Sha Wan, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Lai Chi Kok
Tel: +852 2885-1028
Opening Hours: 8:00am - 5:00pm (Mon - Fri), 9:00am - 3:00pm (Sat)