Goose King Roasted Restaurant 唯一燒鵝 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

Another morning meeting had dragged on far longer than anyone wanted, and by the time we finally walked out of the conference room, it was already 1:45 pm. Everyone agreed it was time for a proper lunch before heading back to the office to get some real work done.

Unfortunately, the Hung Hom area around where we just had our meeting isn’t exactly a foodie’s paradise. After checking out a few spots with little success, we settled on Goose King Roasted Restaurant (唯一燒鵝). I have honestly not eaten here before, but one of the guys who used to work in the area insisted their barbecued goose was excellent so we took his recommendation.

Iced milk tea (凍奶茶) — The balance was a little off. The tea came through strong, but it lacked that fragrant depth you hope for.

Steamed rice with barbecued goose and pork (叉燒燒鵝雙拼飯) — The barbecued goose certainly lived up to the hype. It was leaner than ones from some of the more famous spots, yet the smokiness was unmistakable and deeply satisfying.

The barbecued pork, on the other hand, was a mild letdown. While texture was fine, it was simply too salty for my palate.

The guys asked me to settle the bill that afternoon, and why not? It had been a long, hardworking morning so we all deserved a little reward.

Food Rating: 5.6/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop 4, LG/F, Ka Wai Plaza, 46-48 Ma Tau Wai Road, Hung Hom, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Hung Hom

Tel: +852 9234-6933

Opening Hours: 10:30am - 9:00pm daily

Tao Tao Ju One Avenue 陶陶居 卓悦中心店 (Shenzhen, CHINA) ★★★★☆

Team A is off to Seoul this weekend to spend time with Team Aussie on a quick getaway. Suddenly in charge of Team B, I decided to make some headway locally by bringing the team to Shenzhen.

It’s been more than a month since some of us last visited SZ, so I could really see the enthusiasm when everyone crossed the border.

I thought there was no better way to get us reintroduced to the local dining scene than a visit to Tao Tao Ju (陶陶居) at One Avenue (卓悦中心) as it’s been our go-to dim sum spot in Futian for years.

Signature Hong Kong style milk tea (招牌港式奶茶) (¥22) — Buying through Dianping (大眾點評) would have saved me $¥11 but I was way too thirsty to waste another second. The tea was again very strong today which should keep me awake the rest of the afternoon.

Sizzling lettuce in clay pot (啫啫生菜煲) (¥52) — I didn’t expect this to be the first dish to arrive. The pot obviously arrived piping hot but the lettuce remained a little undercooked. If they had left the lid on, the lettuce could have been more properly cooked.

Steamed red rice rolls with crispy prawn (錦綉海鮮紅米腸粉) (¥36) — Little nugget’s favorite. Not surprisingly, he finished the entire dish all by himself.

Crispy dumpling with Braised eggplant and shredded pork (魚香茄子山竹果) (¥30) — A new item on the dim sum menu here.

This were technically “salty water dumplings” (鹹水角) with fillings of braised eggplant and shredded pork (魚香茄子). Not bad but I expected a little more.

Tao Tao Ju jumbo prawn dumpling (陶陶居大蝦餃) (¥36) — Delicate as always. I missed this one the most among all the dim sum we ordered.

Pan-fried turnip cake (香煎蘿蔔糕) (¥29) – A little more charred than usual which wasn’t a bad idea.

Cod fish roll with mango and perilla leaf (香芒紫蘇脆魚卷) (¥35) — Another new creation that wasn’t here when I visited last week (I didn't think). The cod fish and fresh mango were wrapped with perilla leaf, then deep-fried in a thin golden batter. I liked the concept, especially with the perilla leaf, but the execution could be better. I also wouldn’t mind a bit stronger flavor from the perilla leaf.

Guangzhou-style steamed rice rolls with fatty char siu and scrambled eggs (廣式叉燒滑蛋腸) (¥33) — A relatively new dim sum that I thought the gang would love but the barbecued pork was way too fat and rubbery today.

Some of us were relieved to finally settle on a meal at our favorite Shenzhen dim sum spot. I felt more or less the same way, even though I was here a week ago (albeit only enjoyed two dim sum). The crowd management (or lack of it) today did pull some enjoyment away from the overall experience but that said, with an ever-changing dim sum menu, it was easy to see why we keep coming back.

 

Food Rating: 6.6/10

Price: ¥¥¥

Address:  Shop L233, East Zone, Level 2 One Avenue, Fuhua Road, Futian, Guangzhou, China

深圳市福田区福华路卓悦中心商场东区L233号铺

Closest Metro Station: Gangxia (岗厦)

Tel: +86 (755) 8299-8870

Opening Hours: 10:00am - 9:30pm daily

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/39/WOi

Jus (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

I had a leisurely walk around Central and Sheung Wan and almost missed lunch completely. By the time I finally stopped to take stock, it was already around 4 pm, and I found myself pretty fairly close to PMQ. That’s when a certain noodle bar suddenly came to mind.

Brought to us by the folks behind Big JJ Seafood Hotpot (珍姐海鮮火鍋飯店), Jus is a sleek, minimalist noodle bar on the corner of Staunton Street and Aberdeen Street, especially known for its dan dan noodles and noodles mixed with beef fat and sweet soy sauce (牛油拌麵).

Noodles mixed with beef fat and soy sauce (牛油拌麵) ($168) — The dish name literally translates to “butter beef noodles,” but what you get here is beef fat — not butter.

The set came with a small bowl of cold bean sprouts.

And a small bowl of beef consommé, which I saved for after I finished the noodles for a final sip.

The housemade noodles were known for their elastic texture, and it showed. I liked the buttery noodles although the sweetness from the soy sauce wasn’t quite as pronounced as I expected based on the color alone.

The beef char siu (牛叉燒) was an interesting touch. The slices were meltingly tender, and for a moment I actually thought it might be pork. But to me, it had a deeper and richer flavor than typical pork char siu.

For me, though, the real star was the thin-sliced beef tongue (牛舌). It was exceptionally tender, buttery, and melt-in-your-mouth soft delivering a gentle, satisfying bite. I do wonder if it would taste even better with a thicker cut.

Lastly, the beef tendon (牛筋凍). The jelly was likely made with beef consommé but the flavors were very light, with the tendon tucked inside. This was OK.

After the meal, I spent some time walking around Soho. This part of Soho is one of my favorite corners of the city. There are so many picture-worthy spots.

Food Rating: 6.4/10

Price: $$$$

Address: G/F, 60 Staunton Street, Central, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Central

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 9:00pm (Wed - Sun)

Tao Tao Ju One Avenue 陶陶居 卓悦中心店 (Shenzhen, CHINA) ★★★★☆

After a very busy work schedule in early August, and two weeks in Europe, I finally found myself back in Shenzhen for the first time in nearly a month. Good thing I’m on my own this afternoon, so I can move a lot quicker without the group around me.

My first stop was Tao Tao Ju (陶陶居) at One Avenue (卓悦中心), my go-to dim sum spot in Futian to see if they have any new creations since our last visit.

Despite having an online ticket, I waited almost 30 minutes for my table which wasn’t ideal. I should have timed it more accurately!

Congee with lean pork and century egg (生滾皮蛋瘦肉粥) (¥30) — I like the one at Sense 8 Cantonese Cuisine (譽八仙粤菜) a little more for its velvety (綿) texture. 

This was just OK.

Guangzhou-style steamed rice rolls with fatty char siu and scrambled eggs (廣式叉燒滑蛋腸) (¥33) — As I promised myself, I would try at least one brand-new dim sum here and there are quite a few options on the menu this afternoon.

This was pretty tasty. The rice rolls looked more “transparent” than most ones we’ve seen at Cantonese restaurants, which actually gave us a clearer view of the fillings — diced vegetables, runny scrambled eggs (just a tiny bit), and, of course, fatty barbecued pork.

I always enjoy having steamed rice rolls so I knew I would love this. One thing they could really improve here was using less fatty barbecued pork, which sometimes made the rice rolls a bit chewy.

So glad I’m back in the swing of things again. Next up, some game time, and hopefully I can squeeze in an afternoon tea afterwards.

Food Rating: 6.5/10

Price: ¥¥¥

Address:  Shop L233, East Zone, Level 2 One Avenue, Fuhua Road, Futian, Guangzhou, China

深圳市福田区福华路卓悦中心商场东区L233号铺

Closest Metro Station: Gangxia (岗厦)

Tel: +86 (755) 8299-8870

Opening Hours: 10:00am - 9:30pm daily

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/39/WOi

Maison Tafa Galeries Lafayette Le Gourmet (Paris, FRANCE) ★★☆☆☆

We tried almost every restaurant at Galeries Lafayette Le Gourmet, but none of them would take us in, especially not at 8pm when they were already preparing to close. We were desperate. Very desperate. So we decided to settle for a quick meal at Maison Tafa.

Maison Tafa is an Asian catering counter on the ground floor of Galeries Lafayette Le Gourmet. It runs a highly efficient food station with a diverse menu spanning Vietnamese, Chinese, Thai, and Japanese specialties. Most customers opt for takeaway, although a small area is set aside for dine-in service.

First to arrive was the Tom Yum Fried Rice, a bold Thai dish that was supposed to combine the fragrant flavors of traditional Tom Yum soup with classic stir-fried rice. It came with decent wok hei.

By contrast, the Pad Thai — a stir-fried rice noodle dish with shrimp, peanuts, green onions, scrambled egg, sugar and bean sprouts arrived with zero wok hei. The noodles were meant to be tossed in a sweet-savory-sour sauce, but the seasoning was way off.

Our final dish was green curry with chicken fillet and steamed rice. It looked exactly like something from a food court. For €20, I expected a little more.

In Hong Kong, we are spoiled with some of the world’s best Thai restaurants outside of Thailand. This was not authentic in the slightest, and worse still, it offered very poor value for money. On the bright side, perhaps they are simply adjusting to the Parisian palate.

Food Rating: 3.6/10

Price: €€€€

Address: G/F, 35 Boulevard Haussmann, 75009 Paris, France

Closest Metro Station: Havre - Caumartin / Auber

Tel: +33 (0)1 4023-5267

Website: https://gourmet.galerieslafayette.com/

Opening Hours: 9:30am - 9:30pm (Mon - Sat), 11:00am - 8:00pm (Sun)

Lin Heung Lau Tsim Sha Tsui 蓮香樓 尖沙咀店 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

S and his family are back in town for two weeks. Unfortunately, with a lot on both my work and personal schedule, I only had a handful of dates I could meet up with him during that 14-day span. Thankfully, my good friend from high school was more than accommodating, and we managed to coordinate our plans with ease.

I decided to take him to Lin Heung Lau (蓮香樓) in Tsim Sha Tsui, a place I have never gone for dinner before.

According to social media, Lin Heung Lau has become a real hotspot during World Cup month. But it seems like that business was strong even beyond the hype. In fact, the place was surprisingly bustling on a Monday night, which was really great to see.

Roast goose triple plate (燒鵝三拼) — S spotted this on a poster and it got both of us drooling a little.

To our pleasant surprise, the roast goose, char siu, and roast pork belly were every bit as good as advertised. The goose was juicy and incredibly meaty. I also really liked the barbecued pork. Just the right balance of fat and meat, perfectly charred, and finished with a lovely honey glaze on the outside. I was impressed.

Mini boiled winter melon soup (迷你冬瓜盅) — Our server came by a couple of times to recommend their winter melon soup, so to prevent her from pitching it to us a third time, we happily ordered one.

As always, it was a lovely, refreshing summer soup. The portion was also perfect for two people.

Baked tapioca pudding with lotus seed paste (蓮蓉西米焗布甸) — No meal at Lin Heung Lau would be complete without a sweet ending. And their signature baked tapioca pudding with lotus seed paste didn’t disappoint. S and I happily shared one together, and it was one of the best baked tapioca puddings I’ve had in years. In fact, I don’t think many Chinese restaurants still make this anymore.

The dinner ended up being a long one. We talked almost nonstop for three hours. It was really nice to hear that two of his three kids are now in university, and that their family is enjoying life in North America. I couldn’t be happier for my dear friend.

Food Rating: 6.7/10

Price: $$$

Address: 1/F-2/F, Cheung Lee Commercial Building, 25 Kimberley Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Tsim Sha Tsui

Tel: +852 2320-1318

Opening Hours: Open 24 hours daily

Caterking Dim Sum Cafe Wanchai 豪隍點心茶居 灣仔店 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

I was thinking Lang’s Café (瀾之茶居) was still there so we could grab some dim sum after our meeting in Wanchai. But the signage outside said otherwise.

It turns out the place is now called Caterking Dim Sum Café (豪隍點心茶居). The good news is, it's still a dim sum spot. According to their menu, this Wanchai branch is the fifth one in town.

As the name “Dim Sum Café” suggests, the dim sum is made fresh onsite, so we quickly fired away ordering a few items to share between the two of us.

Jumbo Har Gow (豪隍蝦餃皇) ($31) — One of the biggest steamed shrimp dumplings I’ve seen in town. They don’t call them “jumbo” for nothing.

Despite the size being almost identical to the one at Tao Tao Ju (陶陶居), the flavor just didn’t measure up. 

Jumbo Siu Mai (蝦仁燒賣皇) ($29) — Pretty decent especially with the shrimp topping.

Pan-fried radish cake (香煎蘿蔔糕) ($27) — The texture wasn’t bad, but there really should be more mushrooms, dried shrimp, and cured meat.

Tender and smooth shrimp rice roll (爽滑鮮蝦腸) ($38) — I thought this was one of the better dishes of the afternoon. The steamed rice roll was very tender exactly as it should be. I love their English translation of “Tender and smooth shrimp rice roll” too, but it should be smooth and tender to match the Chinese.

Squid and diced chicken rice with shiitake mushroom (章魚雞粒冬菇飯) ($48) — We needed a bit of rice to get us through the afternoon.

Well, I thought the portions were great today. If you value quantity over quality, this is definitely a good place to go in Wanchai.

Food Rating: 5.2/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop A & B, G/F, Yanville, 8 Tai Yuen Street, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Wanchai

Tel: +852 6659-6181

Opening Hours: 8:00am - 9:30pm daily

Sense 8 Cantonese Cuisine RAIL IN 譽八仙粤菜 深圳灣睿印店 (Shenzhen, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

We got a big scare from little nugget when we were walking over to Coastal City Shopping Mall (海岸城購物中心). He told us he felt some heart/chest pain and it progressively got worse as he walked. In the end, we had to find a spot inside Shenzhen Bay MixC (深圳灣萬象城) to let him gather himself. Luckily, he was alright.

Instead of walking all the way to Coastal City like we originally planned, we decided to take it easy this afternoon. Little one joked that he couldn’t afford another heart attack today, so we all agreed to take the subway to RAIL-IN (深圳灣睿印). It provided a much quieter surrounding for him, and it’s also on our way to Futian Station.

After some game time at RAIL-IN, it was time for an early dinner. This part was tricky — there really aren’t many options around the mall. So without thinking twice, I decided to bring everyone back to a familiar place.

Like its outpost at MixC World (萬象天地), Sense 8 Cantonese Cuisine (譽八仙粤菜) serves up traditional Cantonese stir-fried dishes in a vintage Hong Kong tea-house setting with retro décor.

Congee with lean pork and century egg (皮蛋瘦肉粥) (¥38) — Something light for little nugget who wasn’t feeling well.

Stir-fried Chinese kale with cured meat (家鄉臘味炒芥蘭) (¥78) — The crunchy kale tasted even better thanks to the extra lard. And of course, those tasty cured meat — who could resist?

Deep-fried bean curd sheets with shredded vegetables (羅漢素鵝卷) (¥58) — The bean curd sheets were crispier than I expected, but nevertheless they worked really well with the shredded vegetables and mushrooms in the middle. Probably the best dish tonight.

Sizzling baby squid with celery (福祿香芹啫小管) (¥138) — I am a sucker for baby squid and the extra spicy kick was right up my alley.

Deep-fried spare ribs with garlic (經典蒜香骨) (¥78) — I ordered this thinking they would work well with the steamed rice. Decent but nothing worth writing home about.

Curry fish balls (咖喱魚蛋) (¥22) — I knew this would be a crowd pleaser and as expected, it was.

Roasted goose (深井燒鵝) (¥138) — Jelloman ordered this as a reinforcement thinking that we needed more food. She was apparently wrong. While this was pretty tender and juicy, half of the dish was left untouched cuz everybody simply quitted eating.

I wish there was dessert but we had a train to catch anyways. Time to settle the bill (for someone, since this was supposed to be Father’s Day celebration).

Food Rating: 6.3/10

Price: ¥¥¥

Address: Shop L315-2, Level 3, RAIL-IN Mall, Nanshan district, Guangzhou, China

深圳市南山区深圳湾睿印3层L315-2店铺

Closest Metro Station: Hongshuwan (紅樹灣) / Hongshuwan South (紅樹灣南)

Tel: +86 15361898720

Opening Hours: 10:00am - 9:30pm daily

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/f6/vHoM