Yuen Long Dim Sum

I think this place used to be a furniture shop, but sometime over the summer, a new restaurant opened up right next to the Yuen Long West Bus Terminal.  

I've only been here for dim sum, but, they seem like one of those restaurants that hosts big family banquets.  

I'm talking about Hang Heung Seafood Restaurant:

Location

Shop L, G/F - 1/F Shun Fat Mansion

17 Kik Yeung Road

Yuen Long

Hours

7:00 am - 11:30 pm daily

Tel.

3568 - 9138

How to get here:

1.  From Long Ping MTR Station Exit B, walk along the skyway all the way to the the Yuen Long West Bus Terminal

2.  The restaurant can be seen on the left side (2 - 3 minutes walk)

3.  Walk down the stairs to the Yuen Long West Bus Terminal

4.  7-Eleven will be on the left side

5.  Walk past 7-Eleven 

6.  Hang Heung Seafood Restaurant is left around the corner from 7-Eleven (30 second - 1 minute walk)

This place is like your usual dim sum restaurant.  When you first sit down, the wait staff ask you what type of tea that you want.  When you get your teapot and hot water pot, then you sit and clean the cups, bowls, spoons, etc.

I was told that it was a sort of tradition.  Or it was just apart of the eating culture.  When we eat out at the dai pai dongs, we also wash all of our eat-ware with hot tea.  I think, nowadays, it is just to rinse the dishwashing machine detergent off, perhaps...

This place gets pretty packed in the mornings for dim sum.  Like most dim sum places, as well, there are tables where you are sat with other patrons.  It's quite the fun experience.  We just read newspapers, people watch, and enjoy the morning of drinking tea and eating.

To order the dim sum dishes, you usually have to tick a bunch of boxes of the dishes that you like.  I don't read Chinese, but my husband does.  So, usually he orders all the usual things that I love.  Since there were four of us this morning, we were able to try a bunch more dishes.

Some new dishes that we tried…rice noodles with side sauces...

…chicken's feet…which one of my friends got me into when I last went to Tim Ho Wan with her and her husband.

…fish stomach with bits of shrimp…

…and a veggie dumpling…

It's always nice to try out new dim sum dishes.

I've been to Hang Heung Seafood Restaurant quite a few mornings since the place opened.  It's sort of become a regular dim sum joint for us.  So, if you are looking for a dim sum place other than the Yuen Long Plaza, this is a good one to try.  The dishes are quite inexpensive, the environment is pretty chilled, and there is a beautiful "display" of fish as you enter the eating area.

***Display = fish on display that will later be cooked up

Hello Kitty Chinese Cuisine

One of my favorite places that I've had the pleasure of waiting 3 hours in line for was the Hello Kitty Secret Garden Cafe in Tai Hang.  I've since tried to visit the other Hello Kitty pop-up restaurants around Hong Kong, but hadn't had the patience to wait in line.  I actually quelled my dissatisfaction with visiting the Charlie Brown Cafe.  I just need a bit of novelty in my life!!!  Don't you?

When I got wind of another Hello Kitty fetish restaurant opening up around Yau Ma Tei, I jumped at the opportunity to try my patience on the weekday.

Getting to Hello Kitty Chinese Cuisine:

1.  From Jordan Station Exit C1, you'll find yourself on Bowring Street

2.  Walk along Bowring Street in the direction of Austin Station

3.  Down about 7 blocks, you'll hit King George V Memorial Park's entrance

4.  Turn left and you'll be on Canton Road

5.  The Hello Kitty Chinese Cuisine will be on your left

Hello Kitty Chinese Cuisine Info:
Shop A - C Lee Loy Mansion
332 - 338 Canton Road
Yau Ma Tei

Open daily from 11 am - 11 pm

NOTE:  They didn't take reservations, but they might in the future…as their website has a link for reservations.

The wait wasn't that long.  I would say that I waited 10 minutes or so.  It wasn't that bad of a wait either because it was nice to just see all the Hello Kitty enthusiasts who were as excited as I was to try this restaurant.

The menu was all in Chinese, which was fine because we just got a bunch of the dim sums from the pictures.  The waitstaff were incredibly nice, though, because they took the time to go through the dim sum menu with us.

SUGGESTION:  If you have a desire to check out Hello Kitty Chinese Cuisine, I would suggest checking out the menu online.  Perhaps go through it with a friend who can translate.  Then you can go to the restaurant prepared with which dishes you'd like to order.

We got a pot of jasmine tea.

We ordered an apple chicken and rice entree.

We also got a bunch of dim sum dishes:  Shrimp dumplings also known as Har Gow (or 蝦餃 in Chinese)...

Steamed cake also known as Ma Lai Go (or 馬拉糕 in Chinese)...

Sorry for the GREAT BLURRRR

Steamed lotus seed paste buns also known as Lin Yung Bao (or 莲蓉包 in Chinese)...

And, lastly, steamed custard buns also known as Lau Sa Bao (or 流沙包 in Chinese)…

Though the food was quite mediocre, the experience was something that I could tick off on my bucket list.

I'm not sure that I'd return to eat dim sum here on my own.  I would, however, consider taking my sister or mother here if they felt up for a Hello Kitty novelty eatery the next time they visit!

First Friday: Ordering Dim Sum

Though I am currently learning Cantonese, I still have some anxiety over using it.  I need to have routine and regularity...like when I interact with the fruit stand woman or the laundry lady.  I know them and they know what I want.  They are familiar and have enough patience to listen to me string out a sentence.

Today, was the FIRST time that I ordered dim sum on my own.  And it was the FIRST time, that I asked strangers around me to help me locate some items on the menu.  It felt like such an accomplishment, especially because I was ordering for myself and my parents.

Prior to actually going to the dim sum restaurant, my husband had written down all the dim sums that I wanted to order for the next day (today).

My parents met me in Yuen Long, we went to the restaurant, and we figured out the queue system pretty quickly.  We were taken to our table, which was partitioned for three parties of dim sum goers, I picked up the menu, grabbed the pencil and started searching for some of my favorite dim sums.  

For some reason, I just couldn't find siu mai (which is like the MOST basic dim sum on the planet).  I felt a bit of pressure because the restaurant was busy and we were starving.  So, I pulled up the guts to tap on the shoulder of the older man to my right, motioned at the menu, and asked him, "siu mai bin dou ah?"  (Where is siu mai?)

He actually responded something like, "I can't see, my eyes are bad."

Then he asked his wife and his wife called over the wait staff to help.  A woman came over, chatted with the older woman and laughed a hearty laugh.  The woman was so nice and asked me what I needed help on.  I listed off the dim sum dishes that I had planned to order, she took our table number and then reassured me that our dishes would be here shortly.  

The older couple then started asking my parents and I loads of questions, which I was surprised I could respond to.  We had a great lunch of dim sum and met some great people.  And I feel like I impressed my folks with how much I learned over the course of the 4 or so years I have lived in Hong Kong.

Ham Sui Gok

Liu Sha Bao

Char Siu Bao

Siu Long Bao

Siu Mai

Lo Mai Gai

Tower of dim sum steamers

Days like this make me love living here even more.

Dim Sum @ Tam's Dynasty

Kowloon City is wonderfully filled with food.  A new place of discovery was Tam's Dynasty, which we went to for dim sum.  This place was highly recommended by Uncle Man, whom we met in the Kowloon Walled City Park.

Tam's Dynasty

Location:  G/F, 29 Nam Kok Road, Kowloon City, Kowloon

Opening Days:  Daily

Opening Hours:  9 am - 10 pm

Uncle Man's paper tearing of a rabbit, in honor of Easter.

Marshmallow Rabbits

Steamed Dumpling in Chiu Chow Style

Steamed Minced Beef Balls

Steamed Pork Stomach Dumpling with Pepper

Steamed Rice Roll with Crispy Spring Roll

Baked Chicken Tart in Portuguese Sauce

Fish-Cured Rolls with Honey Mustard Sauce

Deep Fried Glutinous Dumpling with Salted Meat

This place was pretty good.  It had traditional dim sums and also creative dim sums.  It was a fun place to go to!

Eats Week: Dim Sum @ The Chinese Banks' Assn. Ltd.

I used to be one of those people who would go to the grocery store, shop for a few days of produce, and make a salad for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Since moving to Hong Kong, I find myself eating out more often than cooking at home.  There is just so many restaurants that I feel like I have to try them all!

This week, I thought it would be nice blog about some awesome EATERIES that Hong Kong has to offer.

The first place I want to blog about is The Chinese Banks' Association Limited (5/F South China Building, 1 Wydham Street, Central).  This place was very "Member's Only."  I was invited by some wonderful friends to have a dim sum brunch.

Dim sum is one of my favorite things to eat in Hong Kong.  Here are some of the dishes that we ordered, which, perhaps, you mind find wanting to test out the next time you head to the dim sum restaurant.

[WARNING]:  I tried to write out the Cantonese as best I could!

Shrimp dumpling [Ha Gau]

Steamed Cake [Ma Lai Go]

Barbecue Pork Bun [Char Siu Bao]

Rice Noodles and Beef [Go Chau Au Hok]

Spring Roll [Chun Gun]

Floating Custard Bun [Lao Sa Bao]

Leek and Pork Deep Fried Dumpling [Ja Gau Ji]

Corn, Shrimp, and Veggie Dumpling [Fun Goh]

Beefy Meatballs [Au Yok]

Another type of Meatball [Gon Jing Au Yok]

Overall, I really enjoyed the restaurant.  I probably enjoyed it mostly for the atmosphere and the fantastic company I brunched with!  The waitstaff were so nice, the place was quiet, and the dim sum was amazing!   Oh how the dim sum was amazingly delicious!   If I could be invited back to The Chinese Banks' Association Limited, I would say "yes" most definitely.