Aniram’s back from the UK for Chinese New Year. It’s been four years since she left, and every year, I've told her I might come to visit, but it never materialized. I guess it’s much easier for her to come back.
Prior to our gathering, I sent her three dinner places to choose from, and not surprisingly, she picked Ladies Street Sik Fan Co. (女人街食飯公司). Many of my overseas guests seem to like this place.
Stir-fried pea shoots with garlic (蒜蓉豆苗) ($80) – Surprisingly, our vegetable dish was the first to arrive. This wasn’t bad.
Prawn toast with black truffle (黑松露鮮蝦多士) ($96) – I liked the minced prawn mousse on top of the crispy toast, but the toast itself was a tad too hard for my ailing teeth, which have given me problems all year. Decent but could be better.
Deep-fried squid with salted egg paste (金沙脆鮮魷) ($138) – A meal here always comes with some drama. Before our squid dish arrived, a plate of crispy fish skin (炸魚皮) unexpectedly showed up instead. When we told the server that we didn't order it and that he had mistakenly written down a completely different dish, he tried to sell us on taking this one as well. Too bad my friend and I don’t like fish skin.
So, the real dish did arrive after all. I must admit, nobody I know won't enjoy having deep-fried squid. The salted egg paste was a little more subtle than I initially thought, which wasn’t a bad idea. Sometimes, less is more.
Steamed scallops with garlic (金銀蒜蒸大元貝) ($136) – The big scallops were indeed pretty big. I loved the fact that they came with enough chopped garlic and chives (I won’t mind more of it!), which worked well with my steamed rice.
As usual, we had a nice chat updating each other on what’s happening in our lives. Sometimes, I felt like she never really left Hong Kong at all. We also joked about the past and got a glimpse of our respective futures in the planning. Of course, I wish her all the best in the UK and reiterated my promise that one day, I would really choose to visit the UK rather than the rest of Europe, which is always more appealing considering the number of Michelin restaurants there.😁😁
Food Rating: 6.5/10
Price: $$$
Address: Room B, 1/F, Witty Commercial Building, 1A-1L Tung Choi Street, Mong Kok, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Mong Kok
Tel: +852 2685-1618
Opening Hours: 6:00pm - 11:30pm daily
