Gala Cafe (嘉樂冰廳)

Above: Ovaltine milkshake $18


Above: egg and luncheon meat sandwich ~$12

I once heard someone say that one good thing that Hong Kong people learnt from the British was how to queue patiently. This must come in handy for those who frequent this merely 500 square feet cafe in Tsuen Wan, where people have been known to queue up to 30 minutes just to get a sandwich.

The reason? The portions are mammoth: the sandwiches are stacked way high. A small ham omelette is made with 6 eggs and costs only $16 (~AUD$2.50) while the larger serving is made with an unfathomable 12 eggs and costs $35 (~AUD$6). Good luck finishing that on your own.

Gala opened as a family business in 1978 and has been run by Mr and Mrs Mak for over 30 years. The cafe is named after their daughter (whose name is 'Ga' or '嘉' while '樂' signifies 'happiness') and these days other relatives also help out with the business. Meanwhile, the 65 years old Mr Mak and his wife tirelessly work from 6 in the morning to midnight 7 days a week, doing prep work before the cafe opens, making sandwiches, tea and coffee throughout the day until 7pm and cleaning the kitchen and dining area themselves afterwards. In a recent interview, Mrs Mak readily admitted that the taste of their food was likely just average, but really, with serving size and dedication like theirs, does this really matter?

Consciously avoiding peak meal times, I arrived at the cafe around 4:30pm one weekday. Although there was no queue to contend with, Mrs Mak's sister at the cashier could only direct me to the one remaining seat in the house: wedged into a tiny booth at the back where 3 others were already seated.

Despite the cramped and confined space, I was really looking forward to the Ovaltine milkshake (阿華田奶昔). In photos posted online, the milkshake was finished with an ice-cream/icy dome and if you can remember the cherry soda with chocolate ice-cream that Danny Zuko orders at the Frosty Palace in the movie Grease like I do, you will understand why I couldn't wait to try this. However, as you can see in the picture above, there was no dome on my milkshake. And as much as I love my Ovalteenies, the Ovaltine flavour in a milkshake didn't really work for me.

I also ordered the egg and luncheon meat sandwich. The overly stuffed sandwich was piping hot when it arrived. The egg was creamy, flavoursome and nicely complemented by the saltiness of the luncheon meat. And yes, in other words, I had Spam. Although Hong Kong has no annual Spam Day like in Hawaii, luncheon meat is still a pretty normal part of the food culture here, especially in cha chaan tengs (茶餐廳 or 'tea restaurants' i.e. the Hong Kong version of a fast-food joint) like this one. However, if you are already gagging at the very thought of putting luncheon meat anywhere near your mouth, you can opt for the popular beef and egg sandwich ( 鮮牛蛋三文治) at $14 instead.

With the gigantic size of the servings, it is very hard not to be satisfied after eating here. Although the food certainly did not break any new grounds, it was definitely generously done. It's little wonder that locals, who love good value for money, are willing to wait so long for a simple beef and egg sandwich.

Gala Cafe is located at 40B San Chuen St (新村街), Tsuen Wan. I walked past and completely missed it the first time because of the fruit stall which had set up directly in front of the shop. So look for that and you will find the shop.

Coca Cola Chicken Wings

Oh, the humidity. Why is it that an icy cold can of Coke tastes so good in this weather?

And so it was that I found myself almost polishing off an entire can of Coke in one gulp the other night. At the same time I was staring at a plate of chicken wings in my fridge trying to decide what to do with it for dinner. I looked at what was left of the can of Coke in my hand, then glanced back at the wings. You can figure out the rest.

Unfortunately, I can't take credit for coming up with this dish. In fact, the combination of cola and chicken wings is, strangely enough, rather commonplace here (some say it originated from China, while others say Taiwan). Wherever it came from, I suspect it is a popular dish with young kids because after the cooking, the cola just becomes a sweet (albeit very unhealthy) marinade for the chicken.

For this dish, I fried some garlic and ginger in a pan. Added 6 chicken wings (mid joints) to brown. Poured in 1/4 of a can of diet Coke. Added juice from half a small lemon to give it an extra kick. Threw another 2 lemon slices into the pan. Lowered the heat and let it all simmer for around 20 minutes (until the sauce thickened into almost a glaze).

So simple, and yet so good.

On Lee Noodle (安利魚蛋粉麵) - fish ball noodles

One lazy afternoon, I went to visit the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence in Shau Kei Wan. Whenever I find myself in Shau Kei Wan, I have to grab a bite on its 'eat street' - Main Street East - where the eateries offer everything from curry to congee, from dumplings to desserts etc etc.

That day I went with one of the street's most famous: On Lee Noodle, a popular fish ball noodles restaurant that has been operating since 1966. I remember queuing up outside their old store (also on this street) for a bowl of noodles with my parents some years ago. As a testament to their growing success and popularity amongst even non-locals, I was surprised to find that they now even had English on their menu.

However, apart from the English, this is still one of those typical HK fast-food style restaurants where the waiters expect you to know what you want before you even walk in the door. As soon as you sit down (usually at a communal table with 4 or 5 complete strangers) the waiter appears at your side ready to take your order. Their attitude is, get you in and get you out so that someone else waiting at the door can take your seat.

I opted for the rice noodles with fish balls and fish slice cake heads (魚蛋片頭河). The fish slice cake heads refers to the ends of the fish slice cake which are often perceived to be the tastiest bits because of the extra fried skin on them - there are no actual fish heads involved. On Lee is also known for its dry noodles mixed with soya sauce, which can be accompanied by beef brisket, fish balls, wontons etc.

Although people say the standard of the food here has dropped in recent years, I still thought that the noodles and in particular the fish slice cake heads were pretty tasty. But then again I am slowly learning that locals, with the abundance of food choices on offer to them and their discerning tastebuds, can be fairly hard to satisfy.


On Lee Noodle, 55 Main Street East, Shau Kei Wan, Hong Kong


A picture of the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence, which I did not expect to find here on the side of a hill surrounded by greenery. Well worth a visit.

Ho Hung Kee (何洪記) - wonton noodles

'Where should I go for good wonton noodles?' I asked people at work.

'Whatever you do, don't go to Mak's Noodles' came the response.

I can't say that this is an atypical comment by local Hong Kong people. Indeed, having being to this famous wonton noodle shop myself, I would have to concur. Although the taste is not bad, it is also not that special. Furthermore, for $28 you get the most ridiculously small portion. As my brother noted, it is practically the same as not eating. While I acknowledge that $28 (around AUD$5) is still cheap by Australian standards, in Hong Kong where you can usually get a decent feed AND a drink in similar restaurants for under $25, it is almost inexcuseable. Mak's seems to be resting on their laurels after becoming a well-known (particularly among foreigners/tourists) wonton noodle shop.

Another colleague recommended Ho Hung Kee, a nearby noodle shop popular amongst locals. For $28, their wonton noodle soup (雲吞麵) was much bigger than the serving at Mak's Noodles, although the quality of the wonton was perhaps not as good, as I couldn't really taste the sweetness of the prawn inside.

Alas, the search for good wonton noodles in Hong Kong must continue.

Ho Hung Kee, 2 Sharp St East, Causeway Bay (near Times Square).

Sun Keung Kee Roasted Goose and Seafood Restaurant (新強記燒鵝乳鴿海鮮酒家)

From top left corner (clockwise): famous roasted goose, eight treasures winter melon urn, restaurant from outside, close up of winter melon soup.



From top left (clockwise): locals enjoying the food, white cut chicken, chicken congee, crab congee and singaporean fried noodles.

Yes, I am one of those people who sees a goose waddling around a park and thinks 'Dinner!' But then again, so are the 7 million Hong Kong locals around me.

Last week, we happened to be in the Sha Tin area, so drove over to Tai Wai for dinner (or more accurately a feast as is often the case when my family gets together) at Sun Keung Kee.

Sun Keung Kee is well-known amongst locals for its roasted goose and chicken congee. The chicken congee was quite flavoursome although the goose was a little too fatty for my liking.

No need to be alarmed if, like us, during the course of your dinner you hear a Cantonese-speaking voice booming several times over the loudspeaker system. They are merely announcing to all customers what dishes have just sold out.

The Eight Treasures Winter Melon Urn (八寶冬瓜盅) is another popular Chinese dish and is so-named for its eight signature ingredients including prawn, crab and ham. It is also unique in that it is served in a hollowed-out winter melon that has been double-steamed. Perfectly refreshing for these hot summer nights.

In terms of the other dishes we had, the white cut chicken and the singaporean fried noodles were surprisingly delicious, although the crab congee was rather bland and disappointing. I suppose that what we were hoping for (but didn't get) was actually crab roe congee. But, well, I guess that will just have to be another meal.

Sun Keung Kee is located at Shop 47 G/F Holford Garden 2 Chik Wan St, Tai Wai.

'Dining Fine' Shanghainese Restaurant (嚼江南)

From left: Xiao Long Bao/'Sichuan Secret Taste Chicken in Cold Style' (or 'mouth-watering chicken')/Xiao Long Bao in Paper Hot Pot.

Xiao Long Bao (小籠包) - the popular Shanghainese dumpling known for its ability to inflict tongue burns on unsuspecting devourers who are unaware of the hot liquid inside.

This hot liquid is what sets these apart from normal dumplings, and is caused by the gelatin stock/broth that is wrapped inside the dumpling skin. This gelatin melts but is contained inside the dough skin as the dumpling is steamed. Indeed, the name, 'xiao long bao' refers to the bamboo steamers (xiao long) that these dumplings are usually served in.

This restaurant (which coincidentally is also a hot pot restaurant) serves their xiao long bao in a paper hot pot soup that is kept warm by a small flame faintly visible in the picture on the right above.

I must admit we ordered this mainly for its novelty value. Although the soup base was definitely delicious, ultimately I think this method of cooking makes the dumpling skin too soggy. Perhaps I am just a xiao long bao traditionalist at heart.

Sichuan in origin, 口水雞, which literally translates to 'saliva chicken', is more accurately referred to as 'mouth-watering chicken'. And, provided you can handle a bit of heat, it most definitely is.

Apart from its spiciness (red chilli oil), 'mouth-watering chicken' usually also incorporates sesame, ginger, sweet (sugar) and sour (vinegar) flavours. Fresh and fragrant coriander also adds an extra dimension to the dish.

This version at Dining Fine (picture middle above) had a relatively mild chilli flavour, which is probably well-suited to the local palate.

Dining Fine is located on the ground floor of the CDW Building, 388 Castle Peak Road, Tsuen Wan.

Smoked salmon w/ eggs

I really felt like making quiche that day, but ovens at home are a rarity in HK, indeed, how often do HK people cook, and then with an oven?





So, oven-less and feeling somewhat listless, I just pan-fried some smoked salmon with eggs and had it with that even rarer thing in Hong Kong, a basic basic side of salad unadorned with mayonnaise, dressing, etc.