Hon Wo Korean Restaurant: a BBQ buffet with great prices and great selection of dishes

Hon Wo Korean Restaurant, situated above Watsons on Jardine's Crescent in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, is one of the many great Korean restaurants around the area.  The one thing that differentiates this from other Korean restaurant is it's great price and abundant choices of meat.

Decor

The decor is neither the most bright nor the most clean, but it is definitely what I consider more than clean enough in comparison to most restaurants.  The interior is well air-conditioned, and the tables all have the built in grill, with a lever on the side of the table to easily adjust the heat for the BBQ grill, if the BBQ buffet is what you are in here for.

The way the buffet table is set up is also quite convenient, with several tables angled around each other, and a table by the wall, it makes it easy to access for more than a few people at a time.  Although it may seem a bit messy compared to your traditional straight lined buffet tables, it also lets a limited amount of space to provide the extra few choices of dishes that win the Korean BBQ buffet over some others.

Menu

There is a menu for the a la carte, but as we were here for the BBQ buffet, we only had a chance to try the available dishes at the Buffet table (although the dishes in the a la carte menu do look appetizing).  Personally, me and my girlfriend were really into the meat, as this is definitely one of the specialties of the restaurant, as they had several choices including: raw sliced beef, marinated beef (very delicious), pork chop, faux crab meat, sausages, curry chicken, chicken wings, beef short ribs, squid, cuttle-fish, spam and more.

Some of the already cooked dishes include: Korean style sushi, gyozas (very good), fried rice, french fries, salad, fruit salad and more.

As usual with Korean restaurants, the beloved dishes are also available around the buffet table: salted tiny dried anchovies, preserved daikon, kimchi, spinach, bean sprouts, spicy cucumbers and more.

Once you are done eating, and want to find something to sweeten your taste buds for closure, there is also a custard (unfortunately not egg custard), hot sweet tofu pudding (with two choices of sauces and sweet seasoning sprinkle), and fruits.

Drinks
We didn't take a look at any drink menu, and assume that the only drinks included with the buffet would be the tea and the two self serve drink machines by the buffet table that included: sweet soya milk and sweet plum juice.  The sweet soya milk more than quenched my thirst, and actually left me wanting more.

Note: This is a self serve buffet, so please excuse the fact our presentation may not be that great~ :P

An assortment of some of the many choices of meat all on one dish

A pair of gyoza situated next to some steamed cabbage

A Korean style sushi (one left of the 6 that I already ate)

Some popular Korean side dishes: spinach, preserved daikon, kimchi, bean sprouts, spicy cucumber, and dried tiny anchovies

A sweet hot dessert: tofu pudding with sweet seasoning and garlic sauce

A custard (nothing really special about this dish) :P

Location

View burntkitchen.blogspot.com in a larger map

Hang Fa Lau; modern Hong Kong cuisine on Pak Sha Rd.

Hang Fa Lau on Pak Sha Rd is a fusion of old and post modern style Hong Kong style cuisine. Inside the restaurant is a fair amount of space, and carries both rice, noodle, baked dishes, and a variety of tantalizing desserts on it’s menu.

Décor

The air-conditioned interior is very modern, and sparsely decorated with but a few ornaments on a few pillars. The seats are fair in number, and can easily fit for companies of four per table, and the use of pillars help separate and give a sense of privacy between some of the seating. The tables, like most in Hong Kong, are still closed in together, but not beyond the boundaries of comfort.

Menu

The menu consists of a set menu for lunch or dinner, depending on which time you go, as well as a list of very tantalizing a la carte dishes available all day long. The a la carte dishes are available on a separate menu (not shown in the pictures) are saucy and abundant in choices, including curry beef, baked seafood rice, lamb chops, and other even more unique dishes.

A popular side dish is a green vegetable rice dish (although we didn’t order this) from the menu can be seen served to tables all around us. It can be clearly seen the rice dish has been cooked with a green leafy vegetable inside the rice.

Another popular dish that is ordered in this restaurant is their unique 18 grain rice, which can be ordered to replace the rice side dish in certain meals, and is flavourful, healthy, and visually appealing. The fragrant of the 18 grain rice is unique, and the crisp textures of it’s different seasonings of nuts and seeds is only complimented by the tender sweetness of the evenly dispersed raisins.

The standard Hong Kong café style drink menu also include a generous choice of sweet dessert bar style mixes, different choices of regular to sweet tea, and more.

18 grain rice: a tantalizing mix of textures from crisp nuts, seeds, grainy rice and sweet tender raisins

the flavourful curry beef; strong seasoned curry, garnished with tomatoes that helps soften the rich flavour of the curry’s milky origin

baked seafood rice: hidden beneath the rich creamy sauce is an abundant mixture of flavourful seafood including clams, faux crab meat, white soft tender fish fillet and more

a hot sweet dessert included with the set menu; a thick malty sweet soup with slightly moist crisp Chinese style nuts

Location

View burntkitchen.blogspot.com in a larger map

Traditional Noodle on Pak Sha Rd: Causeway Bay

On Pak Sha Rd., there is a little restaurant named Traditional Noodle, with a Chinese name that is a little bit more colourful than its English counterpart; my girlfriend explained that the direct translation of the Chinese name is “Crossing the Bridge” noodle house, which is a reference to an old Chinese story. The story is that a long time ago, there was a scholar whose wife would bring him noodles to help feed him during his studies. The walk from the kitchen to his study took her over a bridge, and by the time she got to him, the noodles would always get cold. Then the wife came up with an idea: she would pour a layer of oil over the noodles, which kept the noodles warm until she got to him. The name, “Crossing the Bridge”, thereafter has become synonymous with the type of fragant oil traditional style Chinese noodles served here at this restaurant.

Décor
The interior is nicely cooled, and the design is very simple due to space constrictions. The seating of the restaurant is limited, and would fit only about 15-20 customers at a time. In some occasions, the customers will be seated with other customers that they do not know (actually quite common in Hong Kong). There specialization is more in the noodles than in the restaurant itself.  If space is an issue, the take out noodles are just as good as the dine in noodles.

Menu
There is a wide selection of ingredients for the noodles, as well, there is the possibility of adding or changing what goes into the noodles for those who like to customize the flavour to their own palate. There is definitely a large selection of ingredients, which include star shaped fish cakes, beef, beef flank, wonton, dumplings, meat stuffed fish balls, and more.

What makes the noodle meal unique is the broth itself. The thin soft rice noodle is definitely well complimented by the flavourful soup, which can be ordered in 3 levels of spiciness, from small, medium and big spicy (in Cantonese respectively: siu/chong/dai la). It’s easily visible why the soup is so good, when you see a lot of mixed seasonings floating at the bottom of the bowl when the noodles are finished.

a bowl of traditional noodles enjoyed in the restaurant

the soft firm rice noodle is equally complimented by the soup

a stuffed fish ball; the variety of tasty ingredients shown here is just a teaser to what other possible combinations can be made

the noodles are just as equally satiable as take out; the soup is abundant with flavor with seasonings and fresh ingredients such as green onions, bean sprouts and chives

a star shaped fish cake hidden like a treasure in the noodles

the red savoury broth is an indication of the tantalizing tastes waiting ahead; in the soup is a combination of flavourful marinated beef and dumplings.

Location

View burntkitchen.blogspot.com in a larger map

Clay Pot on Tang Lung St: Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

On Tang Lung St, slightly hidden across from Time Square, is a common bus stop for people heading to Stanley Beach from Causeway Bay. Anyone heading here to take the bus will quickly take notice the variety of restaurants on this street, from Vietnamese, Thai, to Hong Kong cafes. Along the street, you'll find near the end, a special little shop that is hidden by the variety of restaurants surrounding it, that specializes in Clay Pot.

The restaurant however, does not serve the clay pot until after 6:00pm, so if that's what you are after, then you'll have to be like me and my girlfriend, and hunger till dinner for the delicious clay pot.

What makes the clay pot rice special in comparison to your regular steamed or fried rice? The rice is cooked in the clay pot itself, which when cooked over the open flame, infuses all the heat into the pot itself.

The texture and pourous nature of the pot also retains the flavor of the rice; at the same time, the pot cooks the rice on the outer edge faster than the inside, producing what is called 'fan jiu' in chinese, which means rice skin. The 'fan jiu' is a layer of rice that cooks faster and becomes stuck together and slightly singes, giving it a 'hern' (fragrant) flavor.

Decor
The restaurant is not one of the most visually appealing restaurants when it comes to cleanliness, but in my opinion, definitely gives it the old Hong Kong atmosphere. I do caution people to go to the washroom someplace else before coming here as you might not be comfortable with the facilities in the restaurant.

With wooden chairs, plastic stools, aged kitchen tiles around the walls, and quickly wiped whitish laminate tables, you quickly get the feeling of being someplace more rugged and more of a real Hong Kong experience.

 

Menu

There is a menu consisting of Hong Kong cafe style cuisine (such as Singapore fried vermicelli) which is served throughout the day, and a separate menu for the clay pot rice dishes. Be warned though, as the menus on the wall and scattered in the restaurant are only available in Chinese; there may be English menus, but we failed to ask that night.

Some of the clay pot dishes available include savory ingredients such as Chinese dried sausage, fatty sausage, ground beef, salty pork, salted fish, chinese beef ribs (served cut up in chunks), and more. In some of the combinations of ingredients in the Clay Pot, a raw egg is cracked into the hot burning clay pot and covered with a lid to cook. If desired, an egg can be added to any of the clay pot dishes for a very small extra fee.  If they forget to do it for you, be sure to pour their special sweet soya sauce while it's still raging hot to make sure the flavor is infused into the rice.

Drinks

There are your standard Hong Kong cafe drinks, such as Horlicks, coffee, iced tea, Ovaltine, almond drinks as well as your usual soft drinks. The restaurant doesn't serve alcohol, but feel free to sneak in your own alcoholic beverage (in our case, a can of Tsing Tao bought at 7-11).

 

The clay pot: away from the flame but still cooking hot and infusing the rice with flavor

ground savory beef, brocolli and steamed clay pot rice

Chinese style beef ribs with traditional fatty sausage on rice

 

the raw yolk egg mixed in with the sauce and rice while the clay pot keeps it singeing hot

 

Location

View burntkitchen.blogspot.com in a larger map

The Mon: Japanese Cuisine

The Mon, a trendy Japanese restaurant in Causeway Bay, is justifiably self-claimed as 'the stage'. The menu consist of both authentic Japanese and Japanese inspired modern dishes; the menu is equally complimented by it's Edo period inspired modern decor.

If you are interested in having dinner at 'The Mon', make sure you make reservations, as they are often fully booked with reservations a day in advance.


Decor

One of the first thing's you'll notice is the lightly lit dark atmosphere of the restaurant which gives it a sense of relaxation.  The tables are also placed apart with a generous amount of space, with the dining area decorated with wood accents and Edo period art.

Menu
If you are Asian, the menu they give you may first be in Chinese/Japanese, but don’t be shy in asking for an English menu, as one is readily available.

One of the things that make The Mon a place to dine for Japanese cuisine is it’s wide selection of dishes. There is a variety of both traditional dishes, such as the tofu salads, sashimi sets, marbled beef sashimi, and their deliciously crunchy deep fried soft shell crabs. 

Some of the other dishes that I rarely see include a seafood soup served in what looks like a teapot.  The seafood soup's broth is tentalizing, and a wooden spoon is also included, if you decide to look inside the pot and discover it’s generous amount of seafood.

Drinks
The Mon has a very wide selection of cold sake and Japanese beer, house hot sake, as well as the usual domestic and imported beers.  If you prefer something non-alcoholic, there is also a few choices of traditional Japanese tea, and your standard soft drinks available.

Photos

a light mixed salad with a vinegarette sauce

a self-portioned serving of tuna garnished tofu

a specialty roll in a crepe-like wrapping; avocado, masago are some of the tantalizing ingredients

the marbled beef shashimi served with raw sliced onions, green onions, and sauce 

the unique marbled fat texture gives it a full flavor and makes it tender 

the seafood soup/broth in a teapot

the teapot keeps the broth hot and steamy

the broth served in a single serving

some of the ingredients of the broth

Location

View burntkitchen.blogspot.com in a larger map

Fuk Yuen Hot Pot Seafood Restaurant

Since arriving in Hong Kong, I've been so lazy and busy travelling with my girlfriend and trying different foods, that I haven't had time to share my experiences until now! Since this is my first blog entry, it is only right to blog one of the first and favorite restaurants that I've ate in Hong Kong: Fuk Yuen Hot Pot Seafood Restaurant.

 What is Hot Pot? Hot Pot is a type of meal where there is a pot of broth (soup, spicy soup, or in some cases both at the same time), and a set of ingredients in which you cook yourself in the broth.

Fuk Yuen Hot Pot; Not Just Seafood

Fuk Yuen just happened to be a random hot pot restaurant that me and my girlfriend found while wandering around the streets of Causeway Bay, and since we were craving for hot pot for awhile, we decided to head in to try it at night.

Fuk Yuen already has pretty good prices for it's buffet, but we decided to wait until after 9:00 PM , for it's addtional late night discount.  We found ourselves regretting our decision after when we waited for over an hour.  Although there was a long line up, we felt the food was worth the wait, and afterwards, on several occasions, we found that if we went earlier on in the day, the line up was alot shorter.  If you don't feel like waiting, it's definitely worth it to pay a little more and eat earlier before the line up builds up.

Dishes

One of the great things about Fuk Yuen is the variety of exotic choices you can pick from, which includes but not limited to: beef, lamb, chicken, chicken ovaries, prawns, freeze dried tofu, fish balls, mushroom balls, meat balls, enoki, tomatos, taro, and more.

In additional to the multiple ingredients you can order for the hotpot, there is also a menu selection of ingredients to build your own sauce, including different types of items such as: sliced red hot chilli peppers, green onions, cilantro, chinese XO sauce, chilli oil, saute sauce, and more.

For those who are interested in drinking something more traditional to asians, they have a chinese fruit drink by the pitcher and plum drinks by the can.  For alcohol lovers, their drink menu also has a fair selection of three to four different bottles of wine in both the red and white variety, as well as beer and Shandy coolers.  As usual, in most restaurants, there is also the standard soft drinks available by the can.

Here below is the original review me and my girlfriend wrote a month ago, while we were still drunk:

Fuk Yuen Hot Pot in Causeway Bay is one of the more popular places to eat, and for good reasons! Not only is the restaurant filled with a large selection of dishes, choice of soups, good service, and atmosphere, in addition, it's actually an affordable buffet!

The dishes here consists of all your favourite selections including beef, fresh prawns, and frozen tofu. The restaurant is a culinary delight for meat lovers and vegetarians alike. Not only that, the alcohol selection including Chilean Carmenere, and local beers, and coolers should satiate the adult drinkers in all of us.

  

Not only is Fuk Yuen an adventure for your senses but it also pleases the frugal scrooge in all of us. It's worth a visit for the hotpot lovers and the money savers alike.

Fuk Yuen Hot Pot Seafood Restaurant
24-30 Percival Street
Shop C2-C3, B/F Pohon Building
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong