Last entry on Hong Kong food!

Tonight is my last evening in Hong Kong. I had managed to avoid weight gain throughout Europe and SE Asia... but I couldn't escape it in this food-filled wonderland. There's just so much to eat, it's a shame to not at least try a lot of it. As a matter of fact, as I sit here (after a very hearty dinner) writing this entry, I have a bag of something yummy next to me:

Can anyone tell what this is? It's crispy fried fish skin! Seriously, it
doesn't sound appetizing, but is better than chips!

There are two last meals that I wanted to write about that are worth remembering. The first is at Tai Ping Koon (太平館), a very old and established restaurant that was founded in 1860. Their specialties are dishes that have a Western bent to it... fusion cuisine from the 19th century! They claim to be the originators of Swiss sauce chicken wings, which is now a staple dish in many homes.

Ack! Sorry, bad picture! The sauce was salty and not too sweet,
 with a hint of caramelization from the sugar.
The wings were plump and cooked until tender.

Tai Ping Koon is also known for their Beef Chow Fun. It was a good rendition; slightly charred from the wok and full of flavor.

Yummy!

The second meal I wanted to remember was at Kings' Lodge (霸王山莊), a restaurant within the Olympian City shopping center. Their specialty is Shanghai food, including a delicious house-roasted Peking Duck!

Steamed dumplings, and cold cucumber salad

Cold chicken marinated with rice wine (literally, the dish is called
'drunk chicken'), and Shanghai noodle soup.

Hmm. I think this is the Shanghai version of headcheese. Compressed
pig head parts suspended in gelatinous goo. Eaten cold, this had a
great texture.

Shanghai soup dumplings. These were really soupy and had
a fantastic meaty flavor. The skin was also super delicate and thin,
which I like a lot.

HOW PRETTY IS THIS!?! Peking duck, sliced and ready to fold
into a pancake to eat. The skin was amazingly crispy, and the meat
was tender and flavorful. The remnant meat from the duck didn't go
to waste either; it was chopped up and made into another dish, which
we ate wrapped in lettuce leaves.

I think I could eat for a year in Hong Kong without making a dent into its culinary diversity. While I do miss good old NY style pizza, I have to give HK props for having a huge variety of food. Some impressively memorable dishes aren't even pictured in this blog... I admit that I may have forgotten to take my camera out once the food arrived! I will miss the wonderfully silky DouFuFa (豆腐花) at Kung Wo (公和荳品廠), an old tofu shop that has been open since the early 1900s. And I will miss the sweet dessert soups at Luk Lam (綠林甜品); my favorite ended up being the rather old-fashioned sweet potato and ginger soup.

Wait. Writing this made me hungry. Is it too late to get some for takeout right now?!? Hmm.......