Cheung Hong Yuen Kai Tak Sports Park 祥香園餐廳 啟德店 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

We’re back at Kai Tak Sports Park for another round of pickleball this morning. Somehow, we can always find an empty court here, while finding one anywhere else in the city center on a weekend is virtually impossible.

I have to admit, it was pretty good exercise playing semi-outdoor pickleball here under the roof. 

Afterward, we headed to Cheung Hong Yuen (祥香園餐廳) for a quick breakfast. Of course, it was the time that the kids woke up, realizing their parents weren’t around, and our phones started ringing off the hook almost simultaneously.

We knew exactly what to order, since Cheung Hong Yuen also has a branch not far from our home.

Pineapple buns with butter (菠蘿油) — Since they are famous for their local-style bakery goods, I had to take a flyer on this house specialty.

These buns are freshly baked in limited batches. Unlike some cha chaan tengs, which reheat pre-made buns throughout the day, Cheung Hong Yuen usually serves them piping hot straight from the oven, with a thick slab of cold butter for that classic hot-and-cold contrast. Not bad.

Hong Kong-style Milk Tea (凍奶茶) — Brewed the traditional bing sutt way, it’s perfect with the baked goods. The tea was pretty strong again today.

Milk oatmeal (鮮奶麥皮) — I don’t usually order this when I’m eating out, but sticking with this morning’s healthy theme, I decided to break the habit.

It was nice to work up a full-body sweat after this morning’s workout. Deeply satisfying and physically rewarding. Now, I just need a quick shower to cool down a little.

Food Rating: 5.2/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop 1, G/F, Kai Yan Court, 6 Muk Lai Street, Kowloon City, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Kai Tak

Tel: +852 5975-4011

Opening Hours: 7:00am - 9:30pm daily

Jervois Cafe Sheung Wan 蘇杭冰室 上環店 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

I was running errands in Sheung Wan this afternoon, and as always, they dragged on until late afternoon. By the time I was done, it was far too late for lunch.

It’s been a while since I last visited Jervois Cafe  (蘇杭冰室) so I decided to head over there to get my deep-fried chicken leg (生炸雞脾) fix.

Iced milk tea (凍奶茶) — Creamy, with just the right amount of milk to balance the richness of the tea.

Barbecued pork and scrambled eggs over rice (滑蛋叉燒飯) — It suddenly occurred to me that I’ve never tried the cafe’s signature dish, which is even more popular than the deep-fried chicken leg.

I thought it was quite decent. The runny scrambled eggs worked well with the sweet soy sauce, as expected, but the barbecued pork was a little fattier than I would have liked. Not bad, though it could have been better.

I have the afternoon off today so I could take a leisurely walk around central a little.

Food Rating: 5/10

Price: $$$

Address: G/F, 3 Jervois Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Sheung Wan

Tel: +852 2352-7778

Opening Hours: 7:30am - 9:00pm daily

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

Australia Dairy Company 澳洲牛奶公司 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

After a whirlwind July and August (at least the first half of August), things are finally settling down a bit at work. I still have an unbelievable number of meetings to attend every month, but at least there are fewer high-pressure situations than during our peak months. After an early-morning training session, I decided to stop by Australia Dairy Company (澳洲牛奶公司) for a quick lunch. I thought I haven't eaten there in years.

To my pleasant surprise, there were only two people in line at the famous Jordan cha chaan teng. Today must be my lucky day.

Fried egg, ham and buttered toast — Simple, but always satisfying. It arrived at my table less than a minute after I ordered. How cool is that?

Macaroni with barbecued pork — I wasn’t particularly hungry this afternoon, so something simple like this did the trick.

Iced milk tea — And, of course, one of my favorite milk teas in town to wash it all down. This is usually the first item to arrive, but I guess the drinks counter was especially busy during the lunch rush.

That was a quick 15-minute lunch. Time to head back to the office and finish up some work, cuz I’m flying out solo to Seoul tomorrow. Yeah finally, some me time in one of my favorite cities in the world. Looking forward to it!

Food Rating: 6/10
Price: $$$
Address: G/F, 47-49 Parkes Street, Jordan, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Jordan
Tel: +852 2730-1356
Opening Hours: 7:30am - 10:00pm (Fri - Wed)

Lin Man Kee 連文記冰室 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

I'm back at Lin Man Kee (連文記冰室), my neighborhood cha chaa teng for the first time since I moved into the area more than a decade ago. This morning, I have brought mom along as my breakfast partner. She's a newbie to the neighhorhood.

My colleagues at work have been raving about the rice noodles in rich fish maw broth for a while but it's not on the breakfast menu so I had to look at other options.

Iced milk tea — The tea flavor was a little light, but the generous amount of milk made it silky smooth enough for a pleasant mouthfeel.

Instant noodle with chicken steak — This was much better than last time. The broth was still a little light for my liking, but the noodles, pan-fried chicken steak, and egg were all reasonably good.

If they could improve the milk tea, I might find myself coming here more often.

Food Rating: 4.8/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop A, 1/F, Cheung Lung Industrial Building, 10 Cheung Yee Street, Lai Chi Kok, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Lai Chi Kok

Tel: +852 3188-0027

Opening Hours: 7:00am - 8:30pm (Mon - Sat)

Tiffany Restaurant 名寶石餐廳 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

It wasn’t an easy decision, but we finally said goodbye to our family apartment after  it has served us for 40+ years. I was there for more than half of it. Now that it’s gone, I can only hope mom finds comfort in being a little closer to me and little nugget. I hope she settled into our peaceful, cozy neighborhood.

And interestingly enough, we’re back in mom’s old area this afternoon for little nugget’s lessons. For nostalgia’s sake, I decided to go back to Tiffany Restaurant (名寶石餐廳) for our late lunch. It felt like the perfect little detour — a trip down memory lane.

As far as I could remember, Tiffany Restaurant used to be called “Ruby Restaurant” (紅寶石餐廳). Back then, the group had a few branches across Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. Dad used to love visiting the one near our home. He wasn’t the kind of man who splurged on fancy meals often, so we mostly came on special occasions.

I had a strange feeling the moment we walked in this afternoon. Everything looked the same — the decor, the menu, even the familiar faces from the service team. But deep down, I could feel something different inside me. This no longer felt like our “hood”.

The tea tasted just as strong as it did twenty years ago. It was that particular kind of boldness you don’t normally get from a Hong Kong-style soy sauce western restaurant.

I ordered the deep-fried grouper fillet like I always do. Even though Tiffany Restaurant is a Hong Kong-style soy sauce western restaurant, they always seemed to use high-quality ingredients. Maybe that’s why the old patrons keep coming back. 

The thick slice of grouper fillet was again pretty delicious again — crispy on the outside, tender and satisfying within. Newer generations of soy sauce western restaurants probably wouldn’t bother with produce like this, at these kinds of prices.

And just as we were settling in, this guy arrived in time for dessert.

I don’t know when I’ll get the chance to visit again. But I truly hope they’ll keep thriving so we can return from time to time, and let a little nostalgia find us once more.

Food Rating: 5.7/10
Price: $$$
Address: 148 Prince Edward Road West, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Prince Edward
Tel: +852 2381-1516

Opening Hours: 8:00am - 11:30pm daily

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)

Jervois Cafe Sheung Wan 蘇杭冰室 上環店 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

I’m back in Sheung Wan, looking for my deep-fried chicken (upper) thigh fix (生炸雞脾🍗) this afternoon. Mid-August is fast approaching, and I still haven’t made it to Jervois Café (蘇杭冰室) for my favorite deep-fried chicken thigh in town. This might be my last chance to go before our long trip to Europe in a few days.

The iced milk tea here has always been a nice complement to their hearty dishes and it proved to be just as good this afternoon.

The main event. The chicken thigh was pretty tasty as always, and it was perfectly matched by that runny scrambled egg. So good but it’ll be at least early September before I can get another crack at it.

Food Rating: 5.2/10

Price: $$$

Address: G/F, 3 Jervois Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Sheung Wan

Tel: +852 2352-7778

Opening Hours: 7:30am - 9:00pm daily

Cafe de Papa Lai Chi Kok 一樂冰室 荔枝角店 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

I heard about this new cha chaan teng opening at Hoi Lai Shopping Centre (海麗商場) a couple of weeks ago. It’s a little far for me, but if they have a good iced milk tea, I won’t mind walking a mile for it.

Apparently, this Cafe de Papa (一樂冰室) chain has around ten branches across Hong Kong, mostly in residential areas. I bet it’s great news for people living here but they already have Seasons Cafe (四季餐廳) in the same mall.

Iced milk tea — The tea flavor wasn’t strong or robust, but you wouldn’t know it just from looking at the color. It was creamy and velvety smooth, though — and that’s what matters most.

Macaroni in tomato soup with grilled pork chop — The macaroni and tomato soup were quite decent. I could’ve done without the thick pork chop, which was a little on the hard side. Perhaps they didn't pound it properly on the chopping board?

Scrambled egg and butter toast — The scrambled eggs could've been more runny. The toast was fine.



I don’t see this as an upgrade or a downgrade from Seasons Cafe, which is almost right next to it. I guess it serves as a serviceable alternative.

Food Rating: 4.5/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop 5-6, G/F, Hoi Lai Shopping Centre, 100 Sham Mong Road, Lai Chi Kok, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Lai Chi Kok

Tel: +852 3514-6346

Cheung Hong Yuen Kai Tak Sports Park 祥香園餐廳 啟德店 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

We didn’t have much planned for this long weekend since little nugget was down and out after his surgery. For the most part, we’re staying at home, except for this morning when I have an early pickleball game at Kai Tak Sports Park (啟德體育園).

I didn’t know much about the pickleball facility at the sports park until last week, when we had a gathering with our friends here. A friend escorted me around the venue, and after dinner, I even got to visit the outdoor pickleball courts. To my pleasant surprise, the courts are actually cheaper than the private ones at industrial/commercial buildings and better yet, there were open slots even on the weekends. We ended up booking an hour slot to test it out this weekend.

To be brutally honest, I haven’t woken up for a game this early since high school but I have to admit it was a lot of fun despite the tremendous heat. The outdoor courts being under a roof helped a little, but we were still sweating it out within 10 minutes.

After the game, our friend took us to Cheung Hong Yuen (祥香園餐廳), a local cha chaan teng just a short walk from the sports park, for breakfast.

Iced milk tea (凍奶茶) — I learned from their Lai Chi Kok outpost that Cheung Hong Yuen always has a very strong, robust milk tea. I’ll give them that. The tea was creamy again today. A nice way to start the day for my tummy!

Butter pineapple bun (菠蘿油) — Somehow, I never had the pleasure of trying their pineapple bun. The thick slab of frozen butter was the best companion for the bun and to my surprise, it actually came with some scrambled eggs. Not bad.

Noodle soup with satay beef (沙爹牛肉麵) — The noodles were OK but the broth could have been more flavorful. The beef was a little rubbery today, but with the outstanding iced milk tea, I wasn’t complaining.

I’m starting to like the Kai Tak sports facilities more and more. And the fact that they have a dedicated mobile app for booking makes everything so much easier. Perhaps we should do more pickleball games like this from now on.

Food Rating: 5.2/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop 1, G/F, Kai Yan Court, 6 Muk Lai Street, Kowloon City, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Kai Tak

Tel: +852 5975-4011

Opening Hours: 7:00am - 9:30pm daily