Lao Shanghai/老上海飯店

Lao Shanghai is a old school Shanghai restaurant in Wan Chai. This post is clearly really old because it is no longer hairy crab season. I thought it was pretty well done here but prefer Liu Yuan Pavillon.

Lao Shanghai/老上海飯店

238 Jaffe Road

Wan Chai

Hong Kong 

Sichuan Da Ping Huo 四川菜大平伙

Da Ping Huo has been around for some time and since I am always happy to try out new spicy places I went with C one night. The food was pretty good but not good enough for me to go back since Sichuan House is the best ever! It was also quite empty and quiet when we went. I hear that the owner sometimes sings opera which is quite cool but that did not happen when we were there. I really did enjoy the spicy noodles though. I think it is worth a visit if you like spicy food! The reviews on openrice are quite bad but I don't think it's warranted... the price wasn't too unreasonable either!

Sichuan Da Ping Huo

49 Hollywood Road

Central

Hong Kong 

Liu Yuan Pavilion 留園雅敘

While I was away in New York, I was always SUPER fomo during hairy crab season when my instagram became floooooded with photos of all the hairy crab dishes. I was finally able to be in town during the peak season :) Liu Yuan has always been a crowd favorite and it did not disappoint! The crab dishes were really good along with the regular dishes. I personally don't think I would order a whole crab again and instead opt for more crab roe dishes. I am quite lazy in dismantling the crab and also just prefer the dishes such as crab roe with noodles or tofu.

Liu Yuan Pavilion 

3/F

The Broadway

54-62 Lockhart Road

Wan Chai 

Hong Kong 

順興車仔麵大牌檔

This store is famous for its silky egg rice dishes. They certainly look very good but I think the egg can actually be thicker as it was spread quite thin. In general the dish is still yummy and definitely somewhere you should go if you are looking for a comforting dish. I really enjoyed adding the sweet soy sauce on top.

The store keeper is also very sweet so I enjoyed my time here. W liked my char siu (BBQ pork) one more but I liked his pork chop one more so I guess it's really just personal preference. Next time I think I will try the crispy fish filet rice with egg.

順興車仔麵大牌檔

First Lane

King's Street

Taihang

Hong Kong

鮮入圍煮

I love hotpot and hairy crab roe and therefore was estatic when I heard that there is a place where you can get a steaming pot of crab roe in the middle of your hotpot!! This is actually quite genius as you can then put the roe on top of your beef and tofu after cooking it in the broth. The price was also super reasonable.

I don't eat in Mongkok often but I am definitely willing to go again for this yummy hotpot!

鮮入圍煮

2/F

Dundas Square

43H Dundas Street

Mong Kok

Mimi Cheng's Dumplings

I am going to be posting some backlogged New York restaurants so Hong Kong friends please don't kill me when you get excited and then realize it's thousand of miles away!

I love love love dumplings and Mimi Cheng's is a must visit! I love how they use their mother's recipes and how they also keep things creative by partnering up with other popular restaurants for special monthly dumpling collaborations. Mimi Cheng's is started by two sisters and the shop is super cute and serves awesome food. I love how they named the restaurant after their mom and each dumpling has a adorable little background story. Apart from their regular menu, they have incredible monthly specials where they collaborate with a popular restaurant (I see that they now collaborate with businesses that aren't only restaurants now also!) in New York to create the special dumpling. I was lucky to try two great monthly specials, the Blacktap and Sunday Sauce dumpling. Apart from dumplings, they also serve other yummy dishes such as noodles and veggies.

Slather this on! It's delicioussss

Spicy Dan Dan Noodles - Soba Noodles, Housemade Chili Garlic Oil, Tahini, Baby Bok Choy
I love sesame sauce so this noodle was right up my alley. I loved how it really packed a flavor punch but also used very simple and health ingredients. The bok choy added a much needed crunch and the chili oil was fragrant and spicy. This is something I definitely want to try recreating myself at home. 

Reinvented Classic Dumplings - Pasture Raised Pork, Baby Bok Choy, and Cabbage
These dumplings were awesome! The skin was the perfect thickness and each dumpling was nice and crispy. The filling was well flavored and you can tell that the ingredients are fresh. The meat was not overly fatty but still very juicy. These dumplings are also large! They will definitely fill you up. 

Look at this beauty! 

Monthly Special Sunday Summer Dumplings - Pasture-raised Beef and Pork, Fresh Basil, Parsley, Mozzarella, and Parmesan Meatballs in Marinara Sauce 
These dumplings are definitely more on the heavy/hearty side! The marinara could be slightly more tart to offset the meaty dumplings but they were still very tasty. I usually would prefer a little more veggie in my dumplings though. 

Monthly Special Black Tap Burger Dumplings - Dry-aged Pasture-raised Beef, Caramelized Onions, Blue Cheese, Summer Tomatoes, Arugula, and Dill Buttermilk Sauce 
OMG these dumplings were BOMB. The tomato and arugula was the perfect freshness to the indulgent beef and onion. The dill sauce was also quite tart and creamy and was perfect with the dumplings. These dumplings are some of the best I've ever had and also super unique! I was so sad when they were no longer available. 

I love Mimi Cheng's and am so sad that I am no longer able to enjoy their great dumplings! The food is awesome and I also love the story behind the restaurant. I would definitely recommend going!

Mimi Cheng's Dumplings

179 Second Ave. 

East Village 

New York

NY 10003

Chen's Roast Goose 深井陳記燒鵝酒家

I ran the Spartan Race a month ago and it was a ton of fun! My team and I decided to reward ourselves with a ton of good food after the race and Chen's Roast Goose definitely satisfied our hungry bellies.

Salt and Pepper Calamari
One of my favorite dishes of all time! This was sooooo yummy where the batter was not too thick and the amount of crispy garlic on top was perfect. 

Roast Goose
The meat had great flavor and was not too fat. The skin was perfectly roasted and had the perfect balance of juiciness and crispiness. Absolutely delicious. 

Fried Fish in Creamy Corn Sauce
I usually love this dish but the fish did not seem fresh and tasted a bit weird. 

This restaurant is quite far away so I doubt I will go often but it totally hit the spot after a super fun and intensive race day!

Chen's Roast Goose 深井陳記燒鵝酒家

63 Sham Tseng Village

Castle Peak Road

Sham Tseng

Hong Kong 

Tuome

I've been wanting to try Tuome for a while after seeing it's "Pig Out" dish on instagram. Tuome is opened by Thomas Chen, who used to work at Eleven Madison Square Park and Commerce. The menu is American with Asian influences. I made reservations a couple times but something always came up and I ended up having to cancel it. I finally got the chance to try it out at a fun girls dinner! I think they may have changed the menu on the website as I can't find some of the dishes below but I will try my best! We also ordered the "Rice - Kale, Chinese Sausage, Duck Fat" and "Corn with Curry and Crème Fraîche". The rice dish was basically a "zhong" (a sticky rice package wrapped in bamboo leaves). It was a little soft but very flavorful and yummy. The corn was also very delicious and I loved the creaminess of the crème fraîche with the spiciness of the curry.

Tartare - Wagyu, Three Hour Yolk, Lemongrass 
The meat, as expected since its wagyu, was very juicy and decadent. I liked how it wasn't too chopped up and still maintained a great bite. The flavors were fine but not particularly memorable. It was also a little bit too watery. 

Chicken Liver - Mousse, NY Maple, Milk Bread
This dish reminded me of one of my all time favorite dishes: Yardbird's chicken liver mousse in Hong Kong!! The mousse was very fragrant and smooth and the crispy shallots were the perfect textural contrast. While Yardbird's one is still my number one, this was very enjoyable. 

Soft Shell Crab - Burrata, Heirloom Tomato, Herb Lime Sauce 
The soft shell crab was perfectly crispy and I loved the contrast with the creamy burrata. However, I feel like this dish was just missing something... perhaps some type of carb? I feel like this would be so good as a sandwich but slightly lacking as is. 

Pig Out (For Two) - Berkshire Pork, Spicy Peanut Noodle, Condiments 
The pork was really well done but we all commented that it just tasted like Cantonese roast pork... the skin was really crispy and not fatty and the meat was juicy. While it was good, it did not really justify its much higher price point when it tasted the same (maybe even less good!) than siu youk. However, we all LOVED the spicy peanut noodle. The noodles had such a perfect chewy texture and the peanut sauce was delicious! 

Overall I really enjoyed my meal here. I don't think I will be coming back anything soon because I have a lot of other things to try and I didn't have any specific dish that I was blown away by. But I really enjoyed the creativity in these dishes and would definitely recommend this place to others if they are looking for some fusion cuisine.

Tuome

536 East 5th Street

New York

NY 10009 

Noodle Village

Noodle Village is a go to for me when I am craving some Hong Kong eats and it always satisfies my cravings. They make a great minced beef congee and I've never had a bad dish here.

Noodle Village

13 Mott Street

New York

NY 10013

Chinese Takeout

Because sometimes we all need a little crappy greasy Chinese takeout in our lives :D

Decoy

Oh my godddd this meal was SO good. Decoy has been known to serve some of the best peking duck in town and I really don't know why it took me this long to finally get here. Apart from the to die for duck, all their other dishes were amazing also and quite creative! When you make a reservation for a certain number of people, you are committing to its set duck menu which is ~70 and includes the duck and a set number of appetizers and mains. I am definitely already planning my next visit! I forgot to take pictures of some of the other dishes but I remember everything was scrumptious! I will make sure to take pictures of all the food next time.

Decoy Chips - Black Garlic Dip
Mmmm I love deep fried fish skin when I hotpot so this was a definite hit with me! Super crispy and tasty! 

Assorted Pickles and Cold Veggie Bites 
I loved the tangy spiciness of these pickles and the veggie bites were also refreshing and interesting. 

Shrimp Stuffed Shishito Peppers 
The shrimp amount was very generous and the batter was thin and crispy with no excess grease. 

Oxtail Dumplings Flakey crunchy skin with a rich oxtail filling... delicious! 

Peking Duck
Oh man this was SO good. I can definitely see why Decoy was named #1 peking duck in New York. The skin was so crispy and had the perfect amount of flavorful fat and the meat was juicy and flavorful. I could eat this forever and ever. 

I had such a great dinner here and can't wait to come back! Make sure you come with a group so you can try more dishes!

Decoy 

529-1/2 Hudson Street

New York 

NY 10014